GENEVA, Nov 3 UN to request emergency assistance on November 6 $1.2 billion to help 2.3 million Gazans and 500,000 people in the occupied West Bank, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report.
«As the crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continues to worsen, we and our partners will issue an updated flash appeal on Monday covering the remainder of the year. The cost of meeting the needs of 2.7 million people — the entire population of Gaza and 500,000 people in the occupied West Bank — is estimated $1.2 billion,» the document says.
The organization adds that the initial appeal, published on October 12, asked for $294 million to support nearly 1.3 million people, but that «since then the situation has become increasingly desperate.»
«The revised flash appeal will specifically focus on the needs for food, water, health care, shelter, hygiene and other urgent priorities in response to the massive bombing of the Gaza Strip. We urge donors to immediately provide resources for the response,» the report notes.
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip exceeded 9 thousand people, over 32 thousand were injured. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.3 thousand people died. The Russian Embassy reported that during the escalation of the conflict, 20 Russians were killed, two were taken hostage, and seven were listed as missing. According to various sources, about 150 Israelis may be held captive by Hamas. The movement itself stated that there are about 200-250 prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.