HAMILTON, Canada
The UN on Thursday said humanitarian agencies continue to assist vulnerable families in the Gaza Strip amid severe winter conditions, while warning that Israeli restrictions are preventing the expansion of education services for children.
Citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at a news conference said: "Despite impediments, we and our humanitarian partners continue to support the most vulnerable families affected by harsh winter conditions and the dire consequences of the past two years' crisis."
Stressing that expanding education services remains a critical priority, he said: "This depends on the timely entry of essential supplies, which continues to be denied by the Israeli authorities, who say that education is not a critical activity during the first phase of the ceasefire, which we continue to be in."
Turning to the occupied West Bank, Dujarric said OCHA reported that "over the past two weeks, dozens of tents and makeshift shelters in Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities across the West Bank have been damaged or destroyed due to severe winter weather."
He also warned of continued demolitions, saying Israeli authorities "demolished 50 structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, displacing more than 50 Palestinians and affecting the livelihood of more than 14,000 people."
Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,102 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained around 21,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.