Humanitarian agencies are working to provide assistance to communities in flood-prone areas, including expanding distribution of children’s winter clothing from 5,000 kits per day to 8,000.
UN partners leading winterization efforts reported that some 200 families have left coastal communities for a new site identified by municipal authorities in what remains of the town of Hamad, in eastern Khan Younis.
Tents distributed and storm drains cleaned
Meanwhile, the distribution of tents, tarps, sheets and winter clothing to families in urgent need of help continues. Work is also underway to mitigate flooding by reinforcing high-risk areas with sandbags, emptying storm drains and cleaning up solid waste.
In other developments, 65 classrooms previously used to house displaced people have now been cleaned and prepared so that learning activities can take place once again.
“However, partners warn that educational materials remain blocked from entering Gaza, disrupting efforts to help children resume their studies,” OCHA said.
Additionally, 260,000 people have received regular food assistance so far this month. This aid, consisting of two food packages and a 20-kilogram bag of flour, was delivered through 60 distribution sites throughout the Gaza Strip.
For the first time since August, some 3,500 veterinary kits entered Gaza on Friday. The kits and animal fodder were distributed to more than 100 herders and donkey owners, highlighting the importance of animals for food security.
OCHA said security incidents also continue, posing risks to the population and humanitarian staff. On Tuesday, two bullets hit the ground floor of a health center in Deir Al-Balah run by the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Although no casualties were reported, OCHA noted that the facility is located near the “Yellow Line,” the separation zone near the border with Israel.
UNICEF warns of deepening global crisis for children
Children caught up in conflict, disasters, economic turbulence and other emergencies face unprecedented dangers as lack of funding forces life-saving projects to close.
The warning comes from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which appealed on Wednesday for more than $7 billion to support 73 million vulnerable children over the next year.
UNICEF said increasing attacks on schools and hospitals, along with record levels of child displacement, have intensified pressure on frontline teams.
“Across our operations, frontline teams are forced to make impossible choices: focus limited supplies and services on children in some places and not others, decrease the frequency of services children receive, or reduce the interventions children depend on to survive,” said UNICEF Chief Catherine Russell.
The agency also warned that more than 200 million children will need humanitarian assistance by 2026.
UNICEF urged governments, donors and private sector partners to increase investment in children, support national systems and protect access to aid before the situation worsens.
$300 million pledged for UN emergency response fund
Donors have pledged just over $300 million to support a fund that serves as a first lifeline for millions of people affected by conflict and disasters, the UN announced Wednesday.
Contributions to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) were made on Tuesday during a donation event at UN Headquarters in New York.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher thanked partners for their support and emphasized that a fully funded CERF – $1 billion each year – is not symbolic but a lifeline needed now.
Drop in donations
At last year’s giving event, donor announcements totaled about $351 million. The decline since then reflects the increasingly dire financial outlook for humanitarian staff, who continue to grapple with the steepest funding cuts in history.
CERF was created 20 years ago to provide urgent humanitarian assistance during crises, and funding often arrives before other sources of support.
The fund has helped hundreds of millions of people with nearly $10 billion in more than 100 countries and territories.
This year alone, some $435 million has been allocated to support millions of people in 30 countries and territories.