After two years of war, most of Gaza’s approximately two million residents live in makeshift shelters.
Humanitarians are working to provide assistance to communities in flood-prone areas, including increasing the distribution of winter clothing for children from 5,000 kits per day to 8,000.
UN partners leading winter preparedness efforts reported that some 200 families have left riverside communities for a new site identified by municipal authorities in what remains of the town of Hamad in eastern Khan Younis.
Tents distributed, storm sewers cleared
Meanwhile, the distribution of tents, tarpaulins, sheets and winter clothing to families in urgent need of assistance continues. Work is also underway to mitigate flooding by reinforcing high-risk areas with sandbags, emptying storm drains and removing solid waste.
In other developments, 65 classrooms that were previously used to house displaced people have now been cleaned and prepared so that learning activities can take place again.
“However, partners warn that the entry of educational materials into Gaza remains blocked, disrupting efforts to help children return to school,” OCHA said.
Additionally, 260,000 people have received regular food assistance so far this month. This aid, consisting of two food parcels and a 20-kilogram bag of flour, was delivered via 60 distribution sites across the Gaza Strip.
For the first time since August, some 3,500 veterinary kits entered Gaza on Friday. The animal kits and fodder were distributed to more than 100 donkey breeders and owners, highlighting the importance of animals for food security.
OCHA said security incidents also continue, posing risks to the population and humanitarians. On Tuesday, two bullets hit the ground floor of a health center in Deir Al-Balah run by the United Nations agency that helps Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Although no casualties were reported, OCHA noted that the facility is located near the “Yellow Line,” the separation zone near the border with Israel.
UNICEF warns of worsening global crisis for children
Children caught in conflict, disasters, economic turmoil and other emergencies face unprecedented dangers as lack of funding forces the closure of vital projects.
The warning comes from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which on Wednesday appealed for more than $7 billion to support 73 million vulnerable boys and girls over the coming year.
UNICEF noted that increased attacks on schools and hospitals, coupled with record levels of child displacement, have intensified pressure on frontline teams.
“Across our operations, frontline teams are being forced to make impossible decisions: focus limited supplies and services on children in some places rather than others, decrease the frequency of services children receive, or reduce interventions children depend on to survive,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
The agency also warned that more than 200 million children will need humanitarian assistance in 2026.
UNICEF urged governments, donors and private sector partners to increase investments in children, support national systems and protect access to aid before the situation worsens.
$300 million pledged for UN emergency response fund
Donors have pledged just over $300 million to support a fund that serves as a first lifeline for millions of people affected by conflict and disasters, the United Nations said Wednesday.
Contributions to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) were made during a pledging event at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher thanked partners for their support, emphasizing that a fully funded CERF – to the tune of $1 billion each year – is not symbolic but a necessary lifeline now.
Drop in donations
At last year’s pledging ceremony, donor pledges totaled some $351 million. The decline since then reflects the increasingly dire financial outlook for humanitarians, as they continue to face the most drastic funding cuts ever seen.
CERF was established 20 years ago to provide emergency humanitarian assistance in times of crisis, with funding often arriving before other sources of support.
The fund has helped hundreds of millions of people with nearly $10 billion in more than 100 countries and territories.
Some $435 million has been allocated this year alone to support millions of people in 30 countries and territories.
Originally published in The European Times.
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