Aid needs in Gaza, West Bank estimated at $1.2 billion – UN

The U.N. humanitarian office said on Friday it would cost an estimated $1.2 billion to meet the needs of 2.7 million people – the whole population of the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip and 500,000 people in the West Bank – until the end of the year.

On Oct. 12, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had initially appealed for $294 million in funding to support nearly 1.3 million people.”The situation has grown increasingly desperate since then,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.Aid supplies to Gaza have been choked since Israel began bombarding the densely populated enclave in the wake of attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on Oct. 7, with aid organisations saying it is nowhere near matching the needs of its residents.In addition to killing thousands, heavy bombardment by Israeli forces has hindered aid workers’ ability to deliver desperately needed supplies.

via Reuters