According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, more than 43,000 people in Gaza have suffered life-changing injuries, while rehabilitation services remain stretched thin.
Much-needed aid supplies are arriving in Gaza: Only one in two Egyptian aid trucks was able to unload at Israeli-controlled crossings along Gaza’s perimeter in the first 11 days of May, according to data tracked by the U.N.-led logistics group, which coordinates deliveries.
However, despite the limitations, humanitarian partners are helping the people of Gaza restore bread production and strengthen early market recovery.
Increase in settler violence
Civil suffering is not limited to Gaza: the Jordan Valley has seen a rise in settler violence, with the monthly average of incidents resulting in casualties or property damage increasing 14-fold since 2020.
In the West Bank, 45 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished between May 5 and 11. 90 percent of the buildings were used for agricultural, subsistence, water or sanitation purposes.
Smoke rises in Beirut, Lebanon, following the outbreak of hostilities across the Middle East.
Lebanon: diplomacy overshadowed by “alarming” reality on the ground
Despite the ceasefire that began on April 17, civilians in Lebanon continue to suffer an increasingly devastating toll from Israeli airstrikes, the top UN official in Lebanon said on Friday.
Imran Riza, resident and humanitarian coordinator in the country, noted that airstrikes and demolitions continue daily, causing civilian casualties among women, men and children, as well as displaced families, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees and Bangladeshi migrants. Lifeguards have also been affected.
Visiting Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday to assess the extent of the destruction, Riza spoke to residents about their experiences of repeated displacement and trauma, loss of homes and livelihoods, and damage to basic services.
“Residents shared devastating stories of loss, trauma and survival,” he said in a social media post. “One man told us he was running an errand when one of the April 8 attacks destroyed his home, killing his wife, son, and the two displaced families he was sheltering..”
Under international humanitarian law, civilians (including aid workers, medical teams and first responders) must be protected at all times, and vital infrastructure on which civilians depend must be preserved. All parties must facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian passage to civilians in need.
“Diplomatic efforts now offer a critical opportunity to stop the violence,” Riza said. “The people of Lebanon urgently need security, stability and the opportunity to recover, not renewed pain, displacement and suffering.“