UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) — The demolition by Israeli authorities of a residential building in East Jerusalem on Tuesday displaced the largest number of people in one demolition since 2009, UN humanitarians said.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), its partners said that 69 people, over half of them children, were living in the structure in the At Tur area of East Jerusalem.
“The UN and its partners visited the area, and families there said that Israeli forces had prevented them from retrieving their belongings, which were left buried under the rubble,” said OCHA.
The office said its partners assessed people’s immediate needs and determined they were eligible to receive rent support and essential items.
“So far this year, Israeli authorities have demolished or forced owners to demolish the homes of more than 1,800 Palestinians across the West Bank,” OCHA said. “Most were demolished for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are rarely granted to Palestinians in the affected areas.”
The office said its partners provided emergency shelter, essential items and psychosocial support.
In Gaza, OCHA said support for water and sanitation is being held back by funding shortfalls and restrictions on the entry of critical supplies. Items subject to import restrictions include engine oil, spare parts and equipment critical to keep vehicles and machines running.
The office said its partners reported that shortages have reduced water production at two desalination plants in southern Gaza, where equipment could not be properly maintained, resulting in a slight reduction in drinking water for 500,000 people in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
Across Gaza, partners estimate that three in four families rely on water delivered by truck until water infrastructure can be restored. Partners are delivering 25,000 cubic meters of drinking water every day. However, the vehicles need maintenance and access to certain areas is often suspended due to insecurity, particularly along the so-called “Yellow Line,” OCHA said.
In the fourth week of September, partners distributed over 12,000 water containers with a 10-liter capacity each to help people collect water distributed by truck, it said.
The office said that shortages of import-restricted items have also prevented the use of vehicles to collect and transfer solid waste, forcing reliance on donkey carts and UN trucks. In addition to approvals for restricted items, access must be restored to the Gaza Strip’s two landfills to prevent further accumulation of solid waste in populated areas.
Sustained fuel funding is also critical, it said. ■