Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, September 2007

Summary of monthly Humanitarian Monitor report produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

KEY ISSUES OVERVIEW

Update on continued closure of Gaza crossings
Rafah and Karni crossings remain closed after more than three months. The movement of goods via Gaza border crossings significantly declined in September compared to previous months. The average of 106 truckloads per day that was recorded between 19 June and 13 September has dropped to approximately 50 truckloads per day since mid-September.

As a result of the increased restrictions on Gaza border crossings, an increasing number of food items - including fruits, fresh meat and fish, frozen meat, frozen vegetables, chicken, powdered milk, dairy products, beverages and cooking oil - are experiencing shortages on the local market. The World Food Programme (WFP) has also reported significant increases in the costs of these items.

Palestinians' access to quality health care continues to be impacted by the closure. The only exit for Gazan patients referred for medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip is Erez checkpoint. During the last two weeks in September, 274 requests for permits to cross Erez, related to medical referrals, were submitted to the Israeli authorities. Of the 221 that were granted, only 192 actually crossed the checkpoint. The World Health Organisation also reports that many essential medicines are either out of stock or have only 2-3 months' supply available.

Declaring Gaza a "hostile territory"
On 19 September, the Israeli government announced a series of proposed economic sanctions (including cutting power and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip, and restricting operations at the Gaza crossings) in response to the continued indiscriminate firing of rockets and mortars by Palestinian militants. Further restricting operations at Gaza's crossings would represent complete imprisonment of the Gazan population. With commercial goods representing 90% of the total quantity of products received into Gaza since 19 June, the international agencies do not have the resources and capacity to bridge the gap in the event of a halt in the flow of commercial stocks.

Impact of the health workers' strike in Gaza Strip
On 17 September, the Palestinian local health unions called for a suspension of the health sector strike that had begun on 14 August. During the strike, WHO conducted field visits to the hospitals to monitor the situation on the ground. While the number of admissions remained the same, the number of outpatient visits and surgical operations decreased in all the surveyed hospitals, except in Tal Sultan hospital.

Increase in fodder prices & decrease in market value of sheep
Herders and livestock farmers in the oPt are currently facing a threat to their livelihood due to rapidly increasing costs for fodder and water-trucking. At the same time, their access to grazing land is being eroded; accessible range land has been reduced by closure, restrictions on land use, absence of land due to the presence of Israeli settlements, and isolation of land due to Barrier construction.

Bil'in barrier ruling
On 4 September, the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered the IDF to redraw, partially dismantle and rebuild the route of a 1.7 kilometer section in Bil'in village, Ramallah Governorate. Residents of Bil'in, together with international and Israeli activists, have been organizing weekly demonstrations to protest construction of the Barrier for nearly three years. The process is very complicated for the IDF, as it must determine a "satisfactory" new route with consideration paid to security concerns and technical issues. The Barrier gate, staffed by IDF soldiers, is opened only for the residents of Bil'in from 6am-8pm, according to a previous decision by the Israeli High Court of Justice.

Tightened closure in Hebron during Jewish holidays
During the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, thousands of Israeli settlers and their supporters visited the H2 area of Hebron, resulting in an increasingly tense environment in the city, multiple acts of settler violence and a tightened regime of movement restrictions.

REGIONAL OVERVIEW

West Bank & East Jerusalem

IDF operation in Ein Beit el Ma' (No.1) Camp, Nablus, displaces 60 people - On 18 September, the IDF launched a military operation in Ein Beit el Ma' (No.1) Camp, west of Nablus city. According to the IDF, the operation's goal was to apprehend operatives in a cell planning to carry out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv. The operation lasted for 75 hours, during which the camp's population of some 6,900 people was placed under curfew. In total, 25 Palestinians were injured including two children and one female. In addition, one IDF soldier was killed and five were injured. During the operation, the IDF had conducted a house to house search campaign, forcing its way through the walls between houses in the camp, using hammers and explosives. A total of 169 houses and two commercial shops were damaged during the operation. On the third day, the IDF destroyed the homes belonging to three militants' families, bulldozing one and blowing up two with explosives. As a result, 60 people, including 17 children, lost their homes.

Arrangements for 2007 olive harvest - Palestinians in the oPt began preparations for the coming olive harvest season in September. On average, Palestinians in the oPt consume between 10,000 - 12,000 tonnes of olive oil per year. Due to the low level of production expected this year, the price of olive oil is expected to rise, exceeding 20NIS per kg, thus constituting a good source of income for farmers. Palestinian-owned olive groves behind the Barrier and groves near Israeli settlements and IDF bases are known to be points of friction between settlers, the IDF and Palestinian farmers. Coordination meetings have been held with the involvement of the Palestinian Civilian Affairs Committee (CAC), the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, the Governors' Offices, the Palestinian District Coordination Offices (DCO) and the Palestinian Olive Oil Council (POOC), together with ICRC and OCHA.

Gaza Strip

Sardine catch - In September 2006, nearly 85 tonnes of sardines were caught and put up for sale on the Gazan market. During the same period this year, only 32 tonnes were caught, representing a 62% decrease. The main reason for this decline can be attributed to the lack of access to the sea. Sardines can only be found 8 nautical miles out to sea, however, the Gaza fishing zone has been restricted to 6 nautical miles, though in practice the Israeli Coast Guard has been forcing fisher folk to retreat to much shallower depths (notably in Rafah).

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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