A $510 million Humanitarian Response Plan was launched on Thursday to support 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people in Gaza and in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during 2022.
Palestinian media reports said the plan was launched by the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Lynn Hastings.
Senior personnel of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations engaged in an open discussion with the public during the launch.
The reports, quoting Hastings, said that dozens of humanitarian organizations stand ready to implement the Plan’s 193 projects.
“Together, we will work to protect the rights of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, increase access to quality basic services, and support capacities of vulnerable Palestinians to cope with and overcome the impacts of the protracted crisis including coping with prolonged stress.
Sustained funding is needed to prevent further deterioration, but to see a decrease in needs, political solutions to this protracted crisis must be secured,” Hastings said.
The needs analysis on which the Plan is based estimates two in every five Palestinians will require some sort of humanitarian assistance in 2022, the reports said.
Some 64 percent of them, or 1.3 million people, live in Gaza, where the majority of interventions will be implemented. The Plan covers Gaza, East Jerusalem, Area C of the West Bank and H2 in Hebron, and will complement efforts made by the Palestinian authorities.
In Gaza, the analysis found the Israeli blockade, the internal Palestinian divide, and recurrent escalations all fuel dependency on assistance, keeping unemployment and poverty at 44.7 and 59.3 percent respectively.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli policies such as illegal settlements, demolitions and evictions, which may result in the forcible transfer of people, together with the denial of basic rights and freedoms, contribute to the continuing needs, the reports said.
The Plan will address Palestinians’ need for improved food security, health, protection against rights violations, education, shelter, water, hygiene, and sanitation.