The amount of aid entering Gaza since the ceasefire is in stark contrast to the scarcity of provisions allowed in before the ceasefire.
by William M. Reilly
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians and their partners are seizing every opportunity presented by the ceasefire to increase aid deliveries and services for Gazans, including damage assessments for those returning to home sites only to find rubble.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday they are stepping up support for people across the Gaza Strip, increasing the flow of incoming supplies and deliveries, and scaling up storage capacity, repair work, life-saving services and needs. They are distributing food parcels and flour and working to reopen bakeries.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters at a regular briefing about the UN system's efforts to help those in the devastated Gaza Strip.
"One of the things the United Nations does in conflict zones and in post-conflict situations is deal with the questions of rubble removal, demining, and the clearance of unexploded ordnance and rebuilding," Haq said. "Those are handled by various different groups, including the Mine Action Service, the UN Office for Project Services, and the UN Development Programme."
Haq added that it would take time. "We're in the early days yet, and so we're just in the first phase, which is one really of assessment."
The UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported nearly 1,000 trucks entered Gaza on the second day of the ceasefire. Some 118 aid trucks delivered more than 53,000 food parcels to communities in Khan Younis and to UNRWA shelters in Deir al Balah alone.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that 20 trucks delivered critical supplies, including for safe births, emergency obstetric care, postpartum kits, contraceptives and winter items to Deir al Balah on Tuesday, and 20 more trucks carrying UNFPA assistance entered northern Gaza on Wednesday.
The UN Office for Project Services distributed fuel to ensure critical services such as healthcare and water pumping, and desalination can run on backup generators in the absence of electricity.
OCHA said the world body and its partners are also supporting infrastructure repairs, including to water wells and desalination plants.
"Humanitarian partners are carrying out rapid assessments in newly accessible areas to identify people's most urgent needs, including water, hygiene, sanitation and healthcare," OCHA said. "They are also stepping up disease surveillance efforts."
The office said humanitarians are setting up trauma stabilization points to handle emergency cases and mobilizing specialized care teams.
The amount of aid entering Gaza since the ceasefire is in stark contrast to the scarcity of provisions allowed in before the ceasefire, especially into the northern governorates.
The scale of devastation has rendered neighborhoods unrecognizable.
In the West Bank, OCHA warned that ongoing Israeli forces' operation in Jenin is putting people's safety and welfare at risk while destroying infrastructure as essential as roads, electricity and water pipes. Ten people have reportedly been killed, with dozens more injured.
The military operation, which began on Tuesday, involved air strikes and other lethal war-like tactics that OCHA said seem to exceed law enforcement standards. The office said it received reports of more people being forced out of Jenin camp, citing the ongoing Israeli operation and lack of water.
OCHA said the Jenin Government Hospital was disconnected from water and electricity networks. It relies on dwindling water reserves from emergency tanks that were installed just weeks ago in preparation for emergencies through an allocation by the OCHA-managed Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund.
The office said humanitarian partners plan to refill water and full reserves at the hospital as soon as security allows. ■