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SvennoJ on 10 February 2025
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Palestinians battle with severe lack of water in Gaza

The destruction of water facilities, roads and other vital infrastructure by the Israeli military means that many Palestinians have to carry their limited water supplies by hand over long distances.


UNRWA says 1.2 million reached with food aid in first two weeks of Gaza ceasefire

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says that in the two weeks of the Gaza ceasefire, it reached 1.2 million people with food aid together with the World Food Programme.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the organisation has also opened 10 new shelters to support people returning to the north, giving out tents, blankets, plastic sheeting and warm clothes as storms and rain continue.

The agency, which Israel is trying to dismantle, has also repaired water wells and provided water and waste disposal services for nearly half a million people in and around UNRWA shelters, and is giving medical supplies to patients in its clinics.


PA signs $80m agreement to remove rubble, establish shelters in Gaza

With support from Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, the UN Development Programme and the Arab International Organization for Reconstruction in Palestine have signed a memorandum of understanding to do work in Gaza.

The agreement was signed at the prime minister’s office in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and is worth $80m during its first stage.

This intervention is the first of its kind since the Gaza ceasefire, according to the official Wafa news agency, which said the aim is to limit damage and remove rubble in vital areas, deal with unexploded ordnance and establish a number of temporary shelter centres that could offer some basic services.

Mustafa said the MoU will “enhance the government’s efforts to work on the ground to respond to emergency needs” and provide relief to Palestinians in the enclave.

“The Palestinian government has developed a programme for the first six months to address the situation on the ground, as well as a three-year plan to move from relief to economic recovery and early recovery, and then to full reconstruction over 10 years as part of a programme developed in coordination with the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Nations.”