Emergency Relief: The Big Bang
Before the war:
- More than 1 million Palestinian refugees were estimated to be living in absolute poverty, meaning they could not meet their basic food needs.
- Residents of Gaza have been struggling to cope with an air, land and sea blockade imposed by Israel for the past 15 years.
- To address this situation, UNRWA provided food and medical aid to the needy and provided cash-based transfers.
After the war begins:
- UNRWA’s ability to provide any humanitarian assistance is affected. This is not because aid materials are not available, but because of restrictions imposed by the Israeli administration, making it impossible for the organization to distribute supplies.
- The UN agency’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said in October that about 30 trucks of humanitarian aid were entering Gaza every day, just six percent of the amount allowed before the war.
- According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), almost half the population does not have access to 15 liters of water per person for drinking, cooking and sanitation.
Some children collect water in the Gaza Strip.
Health Care: Hanging by a Fine Thread
Before the war:
- For the past 60 years, UNRWA has been providing large-scale primary health care for Palestinian refugees.
- Of these, 22 health centers were located in Gaza providing clinic and laboratory facilities, maternal care and family planning care, and care for personal needs.
- Psychosocial counselors are available in many schools in Gaza, and there are also clinics for children with special needs where children are taught to deal with depression, anxiety and stress.
After the war begins:
- Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli military has targeted the hospital several times. More than 500 attacks on health workers, patients, hospitals and other infrastructure have been recorded.
- Despite the challenges, UNRWA continued to operate in its eight health centers and its medical team provided 6.2 million primary health consultations last year, up from 2.6 million the previous year.
- The UN agency played a key role in the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, vaccinating 560,000 children in the first phase and 545,000 children in the second phase.
- However, thousands of children could not be reached due to evacuation orders and bombings issued by Israel, which created major obstacles.
Education: A year wasted
Before the war:
- UNRWA operates a large-scale education program in Gaza, providing education in 284 schools in 183 education complexes. They employed more than 10,500 employees and registered about three lakh students.
- UN agencies have no authority to change the curriculum or textbooks (this is a matter of national sovereignty). However, the United Nations has made efforts to ensure that children are educated in accordance with the values and principles of the United Nations.
After the war begins:
- The UN agency believes there are no safe places left for children to learn in the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, UNRWA is committed to providing children with access to education.
- Such initiatives have been initiated by the organization to include children in teaching-learning activities. More than 9,500 children in 36 shelters have benefited from this initiative, of which nearly 60 percent are girls.
- During the war, 85 percent of UN agency schools in Gaza were attacked or damaged. Many schools are being used as shelters for displaced people.
- As a result, children in Gaza attended only six weeks of school in the 2023-2024 school year, losing a year of education.
Economic growth: at 1955 level
Before the war:
- Over the past several years, UNRWA has led programs to support economic development, including support for entrepreneurship, women’s entry into the workforce and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
- The UN agency’s microfinance division provides sustainable income support to poor and marginalized populations and provides loans to those who cannot afford bank loans.
- In 2020, UNRWA established an IT service center to address unemployment, provide opportunities in the digital sector for Palestinian refugees and launch their careers.
After the war begins:
- Such initiatives have faced a major setback due to the war in the Gaza Strip. Economic development in Gaza and the West Bank has reached levels not seen 70 years ago, according to a UN report published in October.
- Assessments by UN experts worry about the destruction of millions of lives and the wiping out of decades of development efforts.
Food items are being distributed to the needy in Deir al-Balah, a central area of the Gaza Strip.
Refugee Camps: Under Attack
Before the war:
UNRWA programs have been ongoing for many years to improve the lives of Palestinian refugees, building hundreds of houses and providing sewage and drains.
After the war begins:
- Over the past year, an estimated 66 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged by military action, fighting and escalating violence.
- There was also devastation in overcrowded refugee camps. More than 2.25 lakh residential units were affected.
- Sewage and waste systems are on the verge of destruction. Hundreds of people do not have access to toilets and the streets are littered with garbage and sewage.
In Gaza, the sanitation system has collapsed, resulting in filth, which poses a risk of disease.