Some good news
UN providing food, water systems, gender-based violence services across Gaza: OCHA
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been giving a daily update on its humanitarian relief work in Gaza. By October 21, OCHA stated that:
- Over 30,000 households were given general food parcel assistance across 27 distribution points in Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis since October 13.
- Nine distribution points were ready to begin operations in Gaza City.
- Seven shelters were connected to a main water network in Deir el-Balah, with four new solar-powered desalination plants also installed in southern Gaza to expand safe drinking water access.
- The New Women and Girls Safe Space was established within Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis to “provide multisectoral and integrated gender-based violence services”.
- On October 20, more than 100,000 2-kilogramme bread bundles continued to be produced at the nine WFP-supported bakeries in central and southern Gaza and distributed through partners across at least 230 sites or sold via 22 contracted retailers at a subsidised price.
- Since October 1, WFP partners reached an estimated 107,472 pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) and children under five with “blanket supplementary feeding for the prevention of malnutrition”, and 2,850 malnourished PBW with “targeted supplementary feeding for active treatment”.
- On October 20, UNRWA removed 266 tonnes of solid waste in Gaza.
- UNRWA staff conducted 55 hygiene promotion sessions across southern Gaza and implemented six rodent and insect control campaigns.
- The distribution of 29,000 blankets to 16 prioritised displacement sites in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis is nearing completion, with 24,764 distributed so far, including 10,000 on October 20.
- 540 tents entered Gaza on October 20.
- Between October 19 and 21,1,200 Palestinians were given psychosocial support, including group and individual counselling, and mental health services for people with disabilities.
- Between October 19 and 21, about 1,300 women and girls were given menstrual hygiene management items in Deir el-Balah and the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
- The launch of a programme focused on providing animation and theatre activities began in Deir el-Balah, aiming to reach 5,418 children, and designed to promote psychosocial wellbeing.
Baby steps, drops in the ocean compared to what is needed, but improvements nonetheless.
MSF says it partially resumed activities in Gaza Strip
The organisation, also known as Doctors Without Borders, stated that this includes reopening its wound care clinic in Gaza City, receiving more than 640 patients since October 15 who had not received treatment for weeks, and resuming water trucking in Gaza City, starting on October 14.
“For nine consecutive days, we have been providing between 90,000 and 180,000 litres of drinking water per day, across 9 to 14 distribution sites,” the organisation said.
MSF also continues to remotely support al-Helou Maternity Hospital and al-Shifa Hospital with incentives, supplies, and fuel, the organisation said. MSF added that it was forced to leave Gaza City on September 24 due to the “intensified Israeli offensive”.
“One of the facilities where we had to suspend activities, at the beginning of September, was the healthcare centre we supported in Sheikh Radwan,” the medical organisation said. “When our teams returned to the area last week, they found the facility partially destroyed, leaving the community there without a crucial source of medical care.”
