Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA warns that ongoing Israeli military operations in northern Gaza are putting tens of thousands of civilians in grave danger. OCHA stresses once again that civilians in the north and across Gaza must be protected. Moreover, the military offensive in northern Gaza is also choking off people’s access to the essentials for their survival, including water.
Intense hostilities, evacuation orders and loss of access to numerous water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in northern Gaza have rendered a number of systems for water production and wastewater collection inoperable. In Jabalya and Beit Lahya, water production from municipal wells is currently at zero. According to partners, efforts are ongoing to restore access and provide water to communities across Gaza. As of a week ago, they report that 638 cubic metres of water were being distributed in North Gaza Governorate on a daily basis through water trucking. Prior to October 2023, daily water distribution throughout all of Gaza was 380,000 cubic metres.
Meanwhile, in central Gaza, the UN and humanitarian partners working to support water, sanitation and hygiene services there are preparing for winter and taking urgent steps to mitigate the risk of flooding. These include rehabilitating wastewater pumping stations in Deir al Balah and removing solid waste and cleaning stormwater channels in An Nuseirat refugee camp. Partners are also rehabilitating drainage systems and working to procure dewatering pumps.
Also in central Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the second round of the polio vaccination campaign there concluded yesterday, with more than 181,000 children receiving the vaccine and over 148,000 children getting vitamin A supplements.
In a social media post, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that eight health facilities in central Gaza will continue to provide polio vaccines for families who were unable to bring their children to be vaccinated over the past three days. The second round of the polio vaccination campaign is expected to start in southern Gaza tomorrow.
OCHA stresses once again that it is critical that agreed-upon humanitarian pauses are respected so that all children in need can receive the vaccine, including in northern Gaza, where access remains almost entirely restricted.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, OCHA warns that Israeli settler violence in the context of the ongoing olive harvest season is threatening people's safety and livelihoods.
Since the beginning of the month, OCHA has documented 32 attacks by Israeli settlers, during which 39 Palestinians harvesting olives were injured and about 600 trees and saplings were vandalized, sawed off, or stolen.
In the wake of these incidents, OCHA carries out initial assessments of people's needs to inform humanitarian support from the UN and partners.
#Lebanon
OCHA reports escalating airstrikes are severely impacting families across Lebanon.
Following deadly strikes on the city of Nabatieh yesterday – that also killed members of the local relief team at the municipality and the mayor – the Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Riza said that health care facilities, mosques, historical markets, residential complexes and government buildings are being reduced to rubble, adding that displaced families continue to feel at risk, even after fleeing to safer areas.
According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 11,000 people have been injured since October 2023, while more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.
Riza reiterated that civilians must be allowed to seek safety, humanitarian relief must be facilitated without obstruction, and humanitarian workers must be able to carry out their duties in safety.