Highlights
During the month of January the situation in Palestine remained tense with 21 recorded incidents, resulting in 17 Palestinians and two Israelis killed. Since the start of 2016 more than 600 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli forces in West Bank and Gaza.
In January, six Palestinian children aged between 13 and 17 years were reported killed, and more than 130 injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There were two Israeli women killed and two others injured in January.
During the reporting period, 73 children were arrested in the West Bank by Israeli Security Forces (ISF). Since the beginning of the clashes and escalation of violence in September, a total of 464 children have been arrested or detained.
In January, UNICEF, through its NGO partners, provided legal assistance and counselling to 56 arrested children. Since the beginning of the violent clashes UNICEF has provided legal assistance and counseling to 273 children in detention.
During the reporting period, UNICEF continued to support NGO partners in ensuring protective presence on the way and around schools, especially in Hebron and East Jerusalem. More than 4,100 children and 300 teachers, who cross checkpoints daily are benefiting from the programme.
In January, UNICEF continued water distribution to the most vulnerable communities in water scarce areas in West Bank. More than 28,500 people (50% children) benefitted from improved access to drinking water.
UNICEF continued to support young mothers through the Postnatal Home visit Programme. In January, 804 mothers and newborns were supported during the post-natal period. A total of 6,702 mothers and their newborn babies have benefited since the beginning of the programme.
Situation Overview
During January 2016, the situation in the State of Palestine has remained tense, with violent incidents and clashes across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. There have been multiple attacks and incidents resulting in deaths and injuries of Palestinians and Israelis, including children and women.
During the past month, a total of 17 Palestinians have been killed, including six children aged between 13-17 years, and more than 600 were injured, including 130 children, the vast majority in protests and confrontations with Israeli security forces. During the same period there were two Israeli woman killed, and two injured.
On 3 January, three rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip hitting southern Israel, without causing casualties or damage. Israeli forces responded with a series of air strikes on 4 January, targeting several locations across the Gaza Strip, which caused no casualties but extensive damage to properties. On 12 January, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during an attempted stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank while a third was killed in unrelated clashes. Two of the victims were young Palestinians, 17 and 21 years old killed after one of them attempted to stab an Israeli soldier near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. On 15 January, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinians in a stone-throwing clash near the Gaza border. The two young men, 18 and 26 years old, were shot across the dividing fence while throwing stones along with dozens of others near the border.
On 27 January, the second semester of the 2015/2016 school year started in government and UNRWA supported schools across the Gaza Strip. The start of the semester was delayed for two days due to the stormy weather conditions, including heavy rain and flooding.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces have deployed hundreds of ad hoc ‘flying’ checkpoints across the West Bank, affecting movement of Palestinians in West Bank. New road blocks were erected in villages around Bethlehem and Nablus. Access for Palestinians to the settlement area (H2) within Hebron City has remained severely restricted, including a ban on the entry of males between 15 and 25 years of age to some areas, except for residents whose names are registered with Israeli forces.
In January, electricity supply in the Gaza Strip saw further deterioration, due to repeated breakdowns in the Israeli and Egyptian feeder lines. Blackouts reached up 20 hours per day, in harsh winter weather conditions and heavy rainfall. The longstanding energy crisis continues to heavily disrupt the provision of basic services and affect children and the most vulnerable population across Gaza. In addition to creating hardship, the lack of regular electricity is lifethreatening particularly in regards to the Gaza Strip’s health infrastructure, where the lack of light in emergency rooms can have dire consequences for patients.
From the beginning of 2016, there have been a total of 79 Palestinian-owned structures demolished in Area C and East Jerusalem, resulting on 65 people being displaced including 22 children.