29 May 2025
The Humanitarian Country Team of the?Occupied Palestinian Territory?¨C which brings together about 15 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ entities and some 200 NGOs, both international and local ¨C issued a?statement?yesterday reaffirming their position and warning that the new militarized distribution system does not meet the needs of people in Gaza, puts them at risk, and runs contrary to humanitarian principles.
¡°Israeli authorities have undermined the capacity of our teams to deliver genuine, principled humanitarian assistance that would reach the most vulnerable groups,¡± the statement read.
Despite these challenges, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ and its partners continue to deliver aid where possible. Once again, the Humanitarian Country Team reiterated that fundamental humanitarian principles are non-negotiable.
On the ground, OCHA warns that air strikes and other attacks continue across the Strip. There are reports that scores of people were killed and hundreds injured over the past 24 hours, including children and other civilians.
Earlier today, as attacks intensified, Israeli authorities ordered the medical team in Al Awda Hospital in North Gaza to evacuate. Efforts are ongoing to evacuate patients and medical staff.
Al Awda Hospital is the only remaining partially functioning hospital in North Gaza. The facility is currently overwhelmed with injuries and critically low on supplies. Ongoing hostilities over the past two weeks have damaged the hospital, disrupted access, and created panic, deterring people from seeking care.
Despite intense insecurity, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners??the hospital twice in the past week ¨C on 24 and 27 May ¨C to assess the situation and transfer 57 critical patients to Al Shifa Hospital. The team also assisted an amputee who had been stranded near the hospital without food, water or companions.
WHO reports that during the first mission, the team was exposed to nearby air strikes, shelling and gunfire.
Yesterday in Khan Younis, the Ministry of Health reported that the Red Cross field hospital in Al Mawasi was hit, causing injuries and spreading fear among patients. The Ministry said that after 600 days of hostilities, the health sector is paying dearly: Intravenous chemotherapy treatment has stopped, leaving 11,000 cancer patients without adequate care, including 5,000 who have urgent referrals for treatment abroad.
OCHA??that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ continues to send supplies to Gaza every day. Yesterday, this included flour, ingredients for community kitchens, and medical items.
However, a Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ attempt to collect cargo from the crossing yesterday was denied by Israeli authorities.
The quantity of supplies being allowed into Gaza is just a trickle of the aid required to meet the immense needs of 2.1 million people, at a time when populations across the Strip are?at risk?of famine.
West Bank: Palestinian homes demolished amid ongoing Israeli operations
OCHA reports that demolitions and the threat of demolition of Palestinian property in the context of Israeli forces¡¯ operation in northern areas of the West Bank continue unabated.
Today, demolition operations continued in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm city, where Israeli forces have been active since 5 May. As of yesterday, nearly 50 residential units marked for demolition at the start of the month had already been destroyed. Residents were briefly allowed to enter the camp to collect personal items.
In Tulkarm camp, the Israeli military informed the Palestinian District Coordination and Liaison Office yesterday that 58 residential buildings in the camp are now scheduled for imminent demolition. OCHA reports that residents were given only four hours to retrieve personal belongings from their homes.
OCHA warns that these operations are sweeping in scale ¨C marked by mass forced displacement and the extensive destruction of Palestinian property and humanitarian infrastructure ¨C and further fueling needs among affected communities.
According to the latest update from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA), as of the end of April, tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the context of operations by Israeli or Palestinian forces in the West Bank.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ and its partners continue to support displaced families, including by providing food, water and sanitation assistance, health services, psychosocial support and cash assistance.
Document Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Subject: Armed conflict, Food, Gaza Strip, Human rights and international humanitarian law, Humanitarian relief, Hunger, Refugees and displaced persons, West Bank
Publication Date: 29/05/2025
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