Somali Magazine– United Nations and its partners issued a plan that outlines the minimum necessary to scale up humanitarian operations in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable in the West Bank.
UN reveals that they will need an estimated $1.2 billion is required to deliver existing humanitarian services amid ongoing hostilities.
The magnitude of this response and operational constraints are beyond what has ever been seen before in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and other contexts. The required humanitarian responses cover health and nutrition, food security, protection, water and sanitation, shelter and non-food items, education, multi-purpose cash assistance, logistics, emergency telecommunications, and coordination.
This estimation does not cover the cost of early recovery and reconstruction, which will be estimated once the security situation allows for appropriate assessments to be undertaken.
The UN has shared its response plan with potential donors and partners as part of an updated Flash Appeal. The UN stresses that, for humanitarian actors to implement the plan, they must have safe and sustained access to all people in need across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank; enough fuel for their operations and those of critical services including hospitals, waste water treatment and desalination plants and water pumps; and a dramatic increase in funding and the flow of aid into Gaza.
UN officials have indicated that they count on strong donor engagement as funding must be timely and flexible to allow humanitarian actors to adapt programming to a highly dynamic context.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres also reiterated his appeal for humanitarian ceasefire,“The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis of humanity. The intensifying conflict is shaking the world, rattling the region and, most tragically, destroying so many innocent lives. Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and UN facilities – including shelters. No one is safe.”
At the same time, the Secretary-General pointed out that Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately toward Israel.
“I reiterate my utter condemnation of the abhorrent acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October – and repeat my call for the immediate, unconditional and safe release of hostages held in Gaza. Nothing can justify the deliberate torture, killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians. The protection of civilians must be paramount.”