Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Occupied Palestinian Territory faces a protracted protection and political crisis characterized by more than 56 years of Israeli military occupation, 16 years of the Gaza blockade, internal Palestinian divisions, lack of adherence to international humanitarian and human rights law, and recurrent escalations of hostilities between Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups.  The latest round of hostilities which commenced in October 2023 is ongoing and has resulted in unprecedented levels of destruction and suffering, including tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties, hundreds of Israeli casualties, and over 240 hostages from Israel.  Ninety per cent of Gaza’s current population of 2.1 million people has been displaced, lacking access to sufficient shelter, food, life-saving medical services, clean water, education and livelihoods. 

In the West Bank, Palestinians in Area C, East Jerusalem and the H2 area of Hebron city continue to face a coercive environment due to a range of longstanding Israeli policies and practices, which have intensified since October 2023. The restrictive and discriminatory planning regime applied in Area C and in East Jerusalem prevents Palestinians from addressing basic housing, livelihoods, and service needs. Further components of the coercive environment of continuing concern are excessive use of force, demolitions, evictions, settlement expansion, and settler-related violence. Combined, they drive insecurity, deprivation of basic human rights and humanitarian needs among Palestinians. 

The humanitarian community has been working tirelessly to address the needs of affected Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to alleviate their suffering and strengthen their resilience.

The humanitarian situation is likely to remain dire with the massive devastation caused by war coupled with the unprecedented civilian displacement. Large-scale and sustained multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance is critical to save lives and offer protection to Palestinians in Gaza throughout the remainder of 2024.  

The UN estimates that about 1.9 million people in Gaza are internally displaced. Most are women and children, and many have already been forced to move multiple times in search of safety, with additional movements likely. Many are living in tents or self-built shelters in makeshift sites that are ill-suited to weather conditions, exacerbate protection risks, and fail to provide sufficient privacy or dignity. The prospects of finding suitable refuge continue to narrow as active fighting continues with most residential buildings assessed to have been damaged and neighbourhoods flattened.  

As of May 2024, the humanitarian aid in Gaza falls significantly short of the critical needs of over 2 million people, as restricted access hampers the ability to deliver a humanitarian response at the scale needed. Hostilities are expected to continue in Gaza, and these will further exacerbate humanitarian needs. It is also expected that violence and unrest will continue across the West Bank throughout 2024. 

The Occupied Palestinian Territory Flash Appeal calls for US$2.8 billion for UN agencies, international non-governmental organizations (INGO), and NGO partners to address the most urgent and critical needs of three million people in the Gaza Strip (Gaza) and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, covering a 9-month period from April through December 2024.

Priority has been given to scaling up of the humanitarian response to provide emergency supplies including food, water and education; delivering aid in hard-to-reach areas; supporting existing structures and services; providing critical interventions for sustainable recovery.