ReliefWeb

A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

DREF timeline and summary of major revisions made to the emergency plan of action:

15 May to 31 May 2021:

The following changes have been made to the DREF Budget to reflect the changing situation and needs in Gaza.

• Insurance Costs –to cover 5,000 volunteers.

• Procurement of hygiene kits, mattresses, and blankets.

01 June to 15 July 2021:

The following activities were revised and added to the DREF:

• Provision of 20 oxygen cylinders as part of maintaining the oxygen supply network at Al-Quds hospital’s triage point.

• Maintenance for three medical elevators in Al-Quds hospital.

• No-cost extension for the response until 30 November 2021.

16 July to 31 October 2021:

The following activities were revised and added to the DREF:

• Provision of 20 oxygen cylinders as part of maintaining the oxygen supply network at Al-Quds hospital’s triage point.

• The oxygen cylinders were received and delivered to Al-Quds hospital by 28 October 2021.

• Maintenance for three medical elevators in Al-Quds hospital.

22 November to 25 December 2021:

• One of the medical elevators had maintenance done, and the other two are still under maintenance and installation.

• Response timeframe was extended to 30 March 2022, to ensure the completion of the pharmaceutical procurement and the installation of the two elevators.

01 January to 31 March 2022:

• On 26 January 2022, IFRC Logistics and Supply Chain Programme approved the supply of medicine into Gaza.

• On 23 February 2022, 42% of the medication was provided.

• On 14 March 2022, the provided items covered 65% of the orders.

• The complete amount of medicine was delivered on 23 March 2022, and it was then dispersed via hospitals and clinics in different branches of the PRCS in the Gaza Strip.

Description of the disaster

Tensions in East Jerusalem escalated at the start of Ramadan on 13 April after Israeli authorities installed metal barriers outside the Damascus Gate in the Old City, blocking access to a public area for Palestinians. Although obstacles were removed on 25 April, tensions were further heightened by the decision to evict four extended Palestinian families from their homes in Al-sheik Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. The threat of eviction triggered confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli settlers with Israeli forces. Confrontations that were initially cantered on Sheikh Jarrah and the Old City spread to other parts of the city and subsequently to mixed communities across Israel. Confrontations worsened and on 11 May a “day of rage” with protests across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as some in Palestinian communities in Israel was held. Protests and confrontations then continued both in the West Bank and Israel. On 10 May several rockets were fired from Gaza, some coming close to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Israeli forces launched airstrikes resulting in significant injuries and casualties in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Aerial bombardments and rocket fire continued for 11 days until a ceasefire came into effect.

Since the start of the escalation, PRCS has continued to assist and protect People in both the West Bank and Gaza, through the delivery of health services and provision of relief Items. Assistance has also been extended to cover all the needs of the population, in close coordination with other humanitarian partners. PRCS remains deeply concerned over the humanitarian situation and supports alleviating the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt). In addition to addressing the immediate humanitarian needs, PRCS is also committed to the long-term development of Palestinian society. While the ceasefire was in effect, the PRCS launched an Emergency Appeal (EA) to fulfill the requirements of response and recovery. A full-service provision in Gaza was as quickly as feasible to satisfy impacted families' immediate post-disaster needs. Initiatives to help long-term recovery efforts were also proposed.

Within 24 hours of the launch of the PRCS Preliminary Appeal, the IFRC released a DREF funding of CHF 1 Mil in support of the PRCS operation, aimed at restocking PRCS warehouses with medical supplies, non-food items (NFIs), and providing necessary materials to continue the operation of the EMS in Gaza Strip, to provide emergency services including shelter, healthcare, and protection needs for civilians affected by the latest escalation.