The United Nations will begin a $2.8 billion appeal for donations on Wednesday to cover the needs of 3.3 million people in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a statement noting that the UN and its partners’ appeal runs from April to December 2024.
The appeal is a continuation of the one that was first launched on October 12 and amended in November.
Andrea De Domenico, who coordinates the UN’s humanitarian activities in Gaza and the West Bank, stressed the critical need for large-scale operations to reconstruct crucial services and restore fundamental standards.
He stressed that efforts cannot be effectively carried out amid ongoing military actions.
Furthermore, just last week, a convoy from the UN children’s agency, or UNICEF, and the World Food Program found itself caught in the crossfire in an area designated as safe.
De Domenico underlined the huge delays convoys suffer at checkpoints, which often last hours before being cleared in the afternoon, making it too late for safe delivery and requiring them to return during daylight hours.
Israel has launched a military incursion in Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October that killed fewer than 1,200 Palestinians.
Since then, about 33,900 Palestinians have been murdered and 76,664 injured as a result of widespread destruction and a lack of basic requirements.
Israel has also enforced a debilitating siege on the seaside enclave, pushing its population, particularly those in northern Gaza, to the verge of hunger.
The battle has forced 85% of Gaza’s inhabitants to flee, resulting in severe food, clean water, and medical shortages, while much of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
The International Court of Justice has charged Israel of genocide. An interim verdict issued in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure that its soldiers do not commit genocide and that humanitarian aid is delivered to civilians in Gaza.
