The Monthly Humanitarian Bulletin | December 2019

The Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip imposed in 2007, citing security concerns, as well as the access restrictions imposed by Egypt, were eased in some ways during 2019. However, the movement of people and goods to, from, and within Gaza remained severely constrained.

As we enter 2020, this Humanitarian Bulletin presents the key figures and trends that OCHA has been monitoring in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) during 2019 and over the decade since 2010. These relate namely to casualties, destruction of property, access restrictions and displacement. While these figures and trends are indicative, they do not represent a comprehensive overview of all factors that shaped the humanitarian situation during the decade.

In 2019, Israeli forces killed 135 Palestinians, mostly by air-launched explosive weapons or live ammunition: 108 were killed in the Gaza Strip and 27 in the West Bank. Another 15,369 Palestinians were injured during the year by Israeli forces: 42 per cent required medical treatment after inhaling tear gas, 16 per cent were hit by rubber bullets and 13 per cent were shot with live ammunition.

In 2019, over 700 Palestinians in Gaza were displaced following damage sustained to their homes during three limited escalations in hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. The past decade witnessed two rounds of large-scale hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza (in November 2012 and in July-August 2014)

A total of $244 million was raised during 2019 for the humanitarian interventions, included in the oPt Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). While this represents almost 70 per cent of the $351 million requested (the second highest rate in a decade), in absolute terms it marks the lowest amount raised during the 2010-2019 period for the oPt.