UN: Humanitarian needs in Gaza overwhelming

The needs in Gaza, where the ceasefire is holding, are overwhelming, humanitarians said on Monday, adding that continuing Israeli operations in the West Bank are still producing casualties.

"As the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance across the Gaza Strip, the scale of needs remains overwhelming, requiring urgent and sustained support," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

OCHA said the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that oxygen supplies are critically needed to keep emergency, surgical and intensive care services running at hospitals throughout Gaza, including Al Shifa and Al Rantisi in Gaza City. Health partners are engaging with the authorities to bring in generators, spare parts and equipment required to produce oxygen locally.

The office said that shelter partners distributed tarpaulins to more than 11,000 families in northern Gaza over the weekend. In Khan Younis, some 450 families received sealing-off kits, kitchen sets and hygiene kits at a displacement site in Al Mawasi.

OCHA said education activities are expanding, with its partners reporting that more than 250,000 people are enrolled in a distance learning program produced by the UN's relief agency for Palestinian refugees. Humanitarian partners reported that 95 per cent of school buildings were damaged during the hostilities, forcing many students into makeshift tents and open spaces in winter temperatures.

In the West Bank, OCHA said that since the Israeli military operations began on Jan. 21, the most extensive in two decades, 36 Palestinians reportedly were killed, 25 in Jenin and nearly a dozen in Tulkarm. The operation is causing high casualties and significant displacement, especially in refugee camps. Critical infrastructure has also been severely damaged, driving humanitarian needs even higher.

The office repeated that the use of lethal, war-like tactics during these operations raises concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.

OCHA also said that over the weekend, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents in several villages in the West Bank's Nablus governorates, setting a house on fire during one of the attacks. Humanitarian partners are mobilizing resources to support affected communities.