State of Palestine

The conflict between Israel and Palestine – particularly the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza – continue to generate severe humanitarian needs among the Palestinian populations of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. An estimated 2.1 million Palestinian people (of the total population of 5.3 million) are in need of humanitarian assistance. Of the people in need, 750,000 people reside in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and 1.3 million are in the Gaza strip ?. 

Humanitarian needs continue to be driven by protracted conflict, over 53 years of Israeli military occupation, the Gaza blockade, violations to international humanitarian and human rights laws, internal Palestinian political divisions, and escalating hostilities. In 2020, a significant increase in the severity of humanitarian needs was reported across the state of Palestine following an outbreak of COVID-19 and the no-contact policy. The policy involved a six-month suspension of the bilateral agreements with Israel, which impacted the delivery of and access to services ?. 

The protracted humanitarian crisis in Palestine has resulted in acute humanitarian consequences – including a lack of access to services and displacement. People in need are facing an overburdened healthcare system, inadequate shelters, food insecurity, and increased poverty and unemployment. More than 60% of the people in need are affected by constraints to accessing basic services as a result of physical restrictions of movement, including military checkpoints ?.

Gaza has been under blockade since 2006, limiting imports of fuel and other basic goods and hindering the movement of people in and out of the area. In the 15 years since the start of the blockade, unemployment rates in Gaza have increased from 23% to 49% as at the end of 2020, while the poverty rate has increased from 40% to 56% ?.