Two UN officials launched an appeal to meet the humanitarian needs of the residents of the Gaza Strip in all fields, coinciding with the announcement of the "Summary of Humanitarian Needs in the Palestinian Territories for the year 2023".
On Tuesday, two UN officials launched a humanitarian appeal to meet the needs of the residents of the Gaza Strip in all fields, especially the most vulnerable groups in society.
This came during a joint press conference in Gaza, held by the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, Thomas White, the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, OCHA, Lynn Hastings, and the Director of the NGO Network in Gaza, Amjad Shawa.
This appeal coincided with the announcement of the "OCHA" summary of the humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territories for the year 2023.
According to a statement issued by OCHA, "the humanitarian conditions created by the multidimensional crisis in the Palestinian territories affect all parts of the region and harm all aspects of Palestinian life."
In his speech during the press conference, the Director of UNRWA Affairs said, "The humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse, as 3 out of 4 people depend on food aid provided by the Agency," explaining that "the rate of food insecurity among poor families in Gaza is getting worse." .
White stated that his agency "appeals to the international community to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the refugees in Gaza at the level of food aid and the continuation of the educational and health process, as well as to rebuild what was destroyed by the recent Israeli conflict last August, or to complete what was destroyed in the 2014 war."
He explained that UNRWA "is struggling to secure the funds required to provide services," noting that it is "working to address the existing gaps in terms of a shortage of workers in its facilities."
Last week, UNRWA launched an appeal for $1.6 billion to support its programs in 2023, amid the agency's suffering from major financial crises, which were reflected in the decline in its services to Palestinian refugees.
In her turn, the OCHA coordinator in Palestine said in a speech during the conference: "The Palestinians are living in the fifth decade of the repercussions of the occupation, security issues, and others related to the Israeli blockade and the political crisis."
Hastings indicated that "the situation in Gaza is deteriorating further, and what is required is to work together in order to reach the most fragile and vulnerable people in society."
She explained that about two million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank need aid during 2023, noting that "this comes amidst an acute need in light of the great (economic) weakness that the Strip and the West Bank are currently experiencing."
Hastings called on the member states of the United Nations to continue financial support for UNRWA during the year 2023, as the UNRWA is the largest provider of "aid in Gaza," as she said.
For his part, the director of the NGO Network in Gaza said that the situation in the Strip "is being paid by the most vulnerable groups in light of the absence of a political horizon."
In his speech at the press conference, he referred to the financial crisis that UNRWA is suffering from in light of the increase in humanitarian needs and the housing availability crisis due to overcrowding and water scarcity in the Strip.
Shawa called on the international community to "financially cover the humanitarian response plan in the Palestinian territories (launched by OCHA more than 20 years ago) and provide the necessary support for it."
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, about one and a half million people out of Gaza's population of 2.3 million live in extreme poverty because of the Israeli restrictions imposed on the Strip for more than 16 years.