UN reports Israeli demolition in East Jerusalem displaced 69 Palestinians

Sixty-nine Palestinians, more than half of them children, were displaced on Tuesday, 6 October, after Israeli authorities approved the demolition of their residential building in the At Tur area of East Jerusalem, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) reported. OCHA said this is the highest number of people displaced in a single demolition in occupied East Jerusalem since UN records began in 2009.

Families told the UN and humanitarian partners on the ground that Israeli forces had prevented them from retrieving their belongings, which are now buried under rubble, according to OCHA. UN aid partners assessed the displaced families' immediate needs, providing rent support and other essential items.

OCHA reported that Israeli authorities have so far this year demolished, or forced owners to demolish, the homes of more than 1,800 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. It said most were demolished for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which it described as rarely granted to Palestinians in the affected areas. Aid teams have provided emergency shelter, essential items and psychosocial support to those affected, OCHA said.

In Gaza, OCHA reported that water and sanitation support is being held back due to funding shortfalls and restrictions on the entry of critical supplies. Restricted items include engine oil, spare parts and equipment critical to keeping vehicles and machines running, according to OCHA.

Partners said the shortages have reduced water production at two desalination plants in southern Gaza, where equipment could not be properly maintained, leading to some rationing of drinking water for roughly 500,000 people in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. Partners estimate that three in every four families across Gaza rely on water delivered by truck until water infrastructure can be fully restored, OCHA said. Partners are delivering 25,000 cubic metres of drinking water every day through 3,200 collection points, but the vehicles need maintenance and access to certain areas is often suspended due to insecurity, OCHA said.

OCHA said access must be restored to Gaza's two landfills close to the Strip's perimeter to prevent waste building up in populated areas, in addition to approvals for restricted items. It said sustained funding for fuel is also critical. Shortages of import-restricted items have prevented vehicles from collecting and transferring solid waste, forcing reliance on donkey carts and UN trucks, according to OCHA.