Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan

Displaced people in Hamad City receive hygiene kits that include soaps, buckets and jerrycans. Photo: Middle East Children's Alliance.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Humanitarians race to protect families from winter storms

OCHA reports that humanitarians in Gaza continue to help the most vulnerable families as harsh winter conditions leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians struggling in makeshift tents damaged by rain, wind and seawater waves or war-damaged buildings at risk of collapse.

Although humanitarians have distributed thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins and other items across the Strip since the ceasefire, the stormy weather has deepened already immense needs. Partners estimate that more than one million people – or every second person in Gaza – still urgently needs shelter assistance.

Meanwhile, partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene are facing challenges in managing solid waste as the gap widens between the quantity collected and accumulated, due to the inability to reach landfills, damaged infrastructure and fuel shortages. Despite the impediments, UNICEF-supported teams have removed 1,000 tons of solid waste every month since the ceasefire, helping safeguard the wellbeing and health of children and their families.

The UN Development Programme noted in December that solid waste management is among the most affected services. Only a few of the temporary dumping sites are accessible and operational, compounding the environmental and public health risks.

In its statement issued on Wednesday, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, bringing together UN entities and their partners, urged the Israeli authorities to reconsider their plan to ban many international NGOs from operating. It stressed that international NGOs are central to humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, collectively delivering close to $1 billion dollars in assistance each year. UNRWA stressed that the Israeli restrictions are compromising further humanitarian operations in Gaza.

Meanwhile, today, more than 50 international NGOs warned that Israel’s recent deregistration measures will impede critical humanitarian action.

OCHA underscores once again that UN’s international NGO partners are humanitarian lifelines. In Gaza, they deliver the majority of health, nutrition, water and sanitation services. The UN’s humanitarian response plans rely heavily on international NGOs for life-saving operations, including in the area of health, where these partners sustain large parts of Gaza’s health system.

Partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene say that heavy rains have damaged water-related infrastructure. With recent storms having raised water levels in the lagoons of Wadi Gaza and Sheikh Radwan, the humanitarian community continues to engage with the Israeli authorities to allow the entry of specialized equipment to keep de-watering pumps operating.

In the West Bank, OCHA says that the destruction of 25 buildings in Nur Shams camp, slated for demolition since mid-December, is ongoing. These homes belong to some 70 families, who have been displaced from the camp, along with many others over the past year. UNRWA says that last week it supported more than 1,600 displaced families from Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps. The agency is covering rental costs for three months for families during the cold winter months.

#Sudan

UN relief arm voices alarm over plight of civilians in Kordofan, North Darfur

OCHA continues to be extremely concerned over the impact of escalating violence on civilians, particularly across the Kordofan region and in North Darfur State.

In South Kordofan State, the humanitarian situation in the besieged towns of Dilling and Kadugli has continued to deteriorate, with both locations increasingly cut off, supplies rapidly dwindling and prices of food and other essentials spiraling.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that civilians who have been able to leave the towns in arriving in several other locations in the Kordofan region and in neighbouring White Nile State. IOM also confirms continuing displacement in North Kordofan State.

In North Darfur, conflict and insecurity in the western part of the State, continues to cause new displacement, including across the Chad border.

In a positive development, earlier this week, Sudanese authorities confirmed the extension of their authorization of the Adre border crossing for humanitarian movements through until the end of March, ensuring the continued availability of this crucial entry point into Darfur for humanitarian supplies and personnel.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, welcomed the news, reiterating appreciation to the Sudanese and Chadian authorities for keeping the crossing open, and noting that continued predictable access is essential to save lives.