Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, December 2008

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

DECEMBER OVERVIEW

The extensive violence and high casualties from the Israeli military operation that began on 27 December in Gaza, overshadowed much of the difficult situation that had prevailed during the rest of the month. Six weeks before the expiration of the Egypt-negotiated "calm", the Israeli army killed six Palestinian militants during its first ground incursion into the Gaza Strip since the "calm". Palestinian militants reacted with heavy barrages of rockets fired towards Israel. The escalation in tension, lead to an eight-day long tightening of the 18-month blockade - a total closure of Gaza crossings including humanitarian supplies and fuel. This was the second longest period of total closure since the Hamas take-over in June 2007.

Overall for the month, until 26 December, the Israeli authorities, citing security risks, allowed a daily average of 30 truckloads to enter Gaza (compared to 475 truckloads before the Hamas takeover). Beginning the day before the Israeli military operation and lasting through the end of the month the daily average of truckloads more than doubled. The compounded effects of the low truckload imports and the December closure culminated on 18 December when UNRWA suspended its food assistance program to 750,000 residents of Gaza due to the depletion of its wheat grain stocks.

The situation in December generated other peaks:

• the shortage of over 100 essential pharmaceuticals in the Gaza Strip;
• the suspension of cash distribution by the Ministry of Social Affairs and UNRWA to more than 100,000 of the poorest families in Gaza due to the lack of cash notes;
• the shutting down of the Gaza power plant five times throughout the month affecting over half a million residents and all aspects of daily life, including sanitation, water and power supply to households, schools, and civilian institutions;
• the doubling of the amount of raw sewage dumped into the sea (to 40 million litres), due to the absence of power and fuel for the wastewater treatment plant;
• the closing of almost all cooking gas distribution centers in Gaza, due to the lack of gas supplies;
• 60% of the population receiving running water only once every 5-7 days.

Days before the Israeli operation, OCHA reported that: "The ongoing closures have significantly reduced the capacity of UN humanitarian agencies to provide assistance in the event of an escalation in violence. UN humanitarian assistance programs have run out of stock for several essential supplies and are facing severe difficulties in implementing their regular programmes. UNRWA has no flour or cash-notes to distribute, affecting thousands of dependant beneficiaries. WFP has been unable to preposition stocks; in case of an emergency, it has no food available within the Gaza Strip."

Also significant in December was the wave of Israeli settler violence following the Israeli security forces evacuation of settlers from the Al Rajabi house settlement in Hebron. OCHA recorded 68 incidents of Israeli settler vandalism, rioting, stone throwing, and arson, resulting in 20 Palestinian injuries following the evacuation. In December, OCHA issued a new report analyzing trends and characteristics of the phenomenon of settler violence. According to the report, in the first 10 months of 2008, OCHA recorded 290 settler-related incidents targeting Palestinians and their property, resulting in 131 casualties.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Widespread reactions in the West Bank to Gaza air strikes

From the onset of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, reacted with a general commercial strike and carried out multiple demonstrations on a daily basis throughout the main cities and some villages. The weekly anti-Barrier demonstrations, usually organized in the villages of Ni'lin and Bil'in (Ramallah) and in Al Ma'sara village (Bethlehem), were devoted to protest the events in Gaza.

Most of the demonstrations in the West Bank evolved into violent clashes. The Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets and teargas and physically assaulted the protesters, who threw stones towards the soldiers. As a result of these clashes, three Palestinians, including a 17-year-old boy from the Silwad village of the Ramallah governorate, were killed, and over 100 were injured, the majority of whom by live ammunition. Four Israeli soldiers were reportedly injured from stone throwing in one of the demonstrations in East Jerusalem.

In a demonstration conducted in the PA-controlled area of the city of Hebron (H1), PA security forces fired live ammunition and physically assaulted demonstrators. This resulted in the injury of five protesters and six members of the security forces.

Other reactions to the events in Gaza involved attacks against Israeli settlers. These included the stabbing of five Israeli settlers, four in Modi'in Illit settlement (Ramallah) and one in the vicinity of Qedumim settlement (Qalqiliya), and several incidents of stone throwing at Israeli-plated vehicles, resulting in the injury of 14 Israelis, including two children. In a separate incident, Israeli settlers from Tappuah settlement burnt cars' tires and blocked the main road leading to Yasuf village (Salfit).

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

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