This olive tree is situated on the Hebron Road just outside Bethlehem. It marks a contrast with the brutal and life-restricting Wall of Separation behind it, which fences in the Palestinian people.

Advent Calendar Day 7

 

The olive tree is a significant symbol of Palestine. The tree has been grown and olives harvested here for thousands of years. They are long-living and tough, surviving all weather conditions; they produce oil which is essential for the Palestinian cuisine. 

 

This olive tree is situated on the Hebron Road just outside Bethlehem. It marks a contrast with the brutal and life-restricting Wall of Separation behind it, which fences in the Palestinian people. Despite their oppression they survive, like the olive tree. This tree has seen it all and still it stands as a witness. 

 

“One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.' “But the olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’” Judges 8:8-9

  photos from

St.George's College Jerusalem

Palestinian Tatreez designs decorating a Christmas Cake

Palestinian Tatreez embroidery patterns decorating a Christmas Cake

Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice

“Palestinian Tatreez تطريز "is a form of arts of hand stitched colorful threads into materials that create designs of traditional dresses/thoubs, accessories, pictures, bedcovers, table tops and etc. Here tatreez design is used to decorate a beautiful Christmas cake 

#palestiniantatreez

Christmas Carols & Lessons with Bethlehem, Praying for Peace in the Holy Land and celebrating hope - December 16th 2023 at 10am EST & 5pm Bethlehem time

 Join Bishop Gutiérrez  for the 17th annual Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols simulcast live between the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral in the United States and the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine,  on Saturday, Dec. 16th at 10 am EST and 5 pm Bethlehem time.  Hear familiar carols and readings in Arabic and English, and a word of hope preached by by Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Arabic

The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral is located at 23 S. 38th Street in Philadelphia. 

For questions, please contact the Rev. Canon Shawn Wamsley, swamsley@diopa.org. For those that can't make it in person, please join us online. 

https://www.diopa.org/bethlehem

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

& Support the work of Episcopal and Lutheran churches in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the Holy Land. 

Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is less complicated than you've been taught

There is mass murder [GENOCIDE] being carried out in Gaza and the world is just watching. This can’t go on

A Palestinian child in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, which was hit by Israeli air strikes on Thursday 7 December 2023. Photograph: Adel Al Hwajre/Imageslive/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

 

There is mass murder being carried out in Gaza and the world is just watching. This can’t go on

Husam Zomlot

Right now, the rules-based global order doesn’t seem to matter. Major powers have responsibilities and must take them seriously

• Husam Zomlot is the Palestinian ambassador to the UK
   

  Sat 9 Dec 2023 05.00 EST

Today, the United Nations marks the International Day of Commemoration for the Victims of the Crime of Genocide.

The designation of genocide as an independent crime under international law – alongside war crimes and crimes against humanity – was in reaction to the horrors of the second world war, when Nazi Germany, driven by ideas of “Aryan superiority” and a desire for “racial purity”, pursued an extermination campaign against several peoples they deemed inferior.... READ MORE

 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/09/mass-murder-gaza-world-watching

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

SHAME ON US for the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza!

United Nations

 

Dear American Leadership

SHAME ON US for the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza!

Foolishly, all our country seems to see and care about is Israeli propaganda- the lies and deceptions that a very foreign country circulates so that it can gain more American money and weaponry.

How many American officials are being bribed and brainwashed by that very foreign country called Israel?   Israel really is the ultimate Ponzi scheme on a global scale:  Israel gathers pennies from children, thousands from congregations, millions from billionaires, and billions from governments, all the while flagrantly violating international law and the Palestinians basic human rights.

Israel does not care about Jewish people- the aggressive bombing of Gaza where Jewish hostages are being held proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jewish people are merely pawns for Israel, the more innocents that die the more Israel can fund raise and weaponize religion.

How many more Palestinian men, women, and children will be cruelly persecuted, impoverished, displaced and murdered by sovereign Israel's never ending state sponsored terror before you notice that this really is a crime against all of humanity.

Israeli claims that they are targeting HAMAS are false.  Israel is doing what it has been doing since 1948- destroying Palestinian homes and families. So far most of the Palestinian deaths in Gaza have been from Israeli bombs, but soon the deaths will be from dehydration and disease.

CEASEFIRE NOW

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES

Condemning Congress’s attempt to distract from the ongoing genocide in Gaza by dangerously equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism and targeting our students of color... We will not be silenced.

Happy Hanukkah Governor Shapiro- May the Festival of Lights bring you hope- and more clarity

The Palestinian poet, writer, literature professor, and activist Dr. Refaat Alareer was killed today in a targeted Israeli airstrike that also killed his brother, his sister, and her four children.

UNRWA shelters are OVERFLOWING. There is NOT ENOUGH aid to meet the overwhelming needs - Heavy bombardment & resumption of [Israeli] military operation[s] have made the situation in #Gaza desperate. Conditions required to deliver aid DO NOT exist.

Palestinians at UN distribution points in Gaza - 2.2 million people are food insecure. People are dying from bombs and soon many will die from consequences of the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza.

We are not numbers- Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year-old prodigious musician, aspired to achieve international acclaim as a violinist, proudly representing her homeland #Palestine: Killed by Israeli bombs with her family in Gaza 2023.

Who Shall Remember How? Palestinian Poets Respond- gems in The Los Angeles Review of Books December 4th 2023

The sacred between mother and child captured in two images across time... Palestine past & Palestine present.

The Little Prince and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - both 75 years old & And both impart messages of hope and dignity that are available for all.

“It’s super dangerous. It sets a really, really bad precedent. It’s aiming to criminalise our liberation struggle and our call for justice and peace and equality,” Husam Marajda

Pointing out facts about Israeli Apartheid and Zionist brutality is not racism... my letter to my elected leaders

We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights - Greta Thunberg

U.S. and Israeli MILITARISM fuels GENOCIDE and ECOCIDE

Pray for Palestine

An Ongoing Displacement- The Forced Exile of the Palestinians since 1922

Invest Time & Money in American Ideals - NOT ISRAEL ... letter to my elected officials

Today's Nativity scene inspired by Israeli Bombing Campaigns 2023 #Gaza #Bethlehem, #Palestine #Christmas

GAZA UPDATE: More than 6,600 Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, according to the Governmental Media Office. Thousands more are still missing under the rubble.

The Universal Declaration is a roadmap, helping to end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all. Learn more & join the movement to help achieve a world of freedom, equality & justice for all

My letter to The Guardian RE The people of Gaza need a UN protection force

The daily, grinding violence in the West Bank is worse than ever before. Why does it go unseen? ... in The Guardian

Symbols of #Palestine

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Palestine

"We collect, translate and publish texts from Palestinian writers confronting the genocide in Gaza, to lift up their words." @arablit : Hiba Abu Nada 1991-2023

Israeli settlers steal Palestinian farmers’ land in occupied West Bank: Emboldened by curfews and raids on Palestinians, illegal settlers have stepped up violence and property theft.

Dear Elected Leaders- Yes there are still some useful idiots willing to idolize Israel. But good leadership should not.

To quote a well known American hero...  "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."  I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr.  in 1963

1948: Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world... READ MORE

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

Condemning Congress’s attempt to distract from the ongoing genocide in Gaza by dangerously equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism and targeting our students of color... We will not be silenced.

Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee

Harvard for Palestine

@HarvardPSC

THREAD: We, the undersigned, condemn Congress’s attempt to distract from the ongoing genocide in Gaza by dangerously equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism and targeting our students of color. We will not be silenced. Read our attached statement.

 

 

Our Mission

The Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee is a non-sectarian student organization dedicated to supporting the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, justice, and equality through raising awareness, advocacy, and non-violent resistance. The PSC operates under the principles that justice in Palestine means:  

1. Israel ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall of separation; 

2. Achieving full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel; 

3. Securing the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

The PSC stands for justice and equality everywhere. We stand in solidarity with all struggles against discrimination of any racial, religious, or ethnic group.  

https://www.harvardpsc.com/

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

Happy Hanukkah Governor Shapiro- May the Festival of Lights bring you hope- and more clarity

Menorah

Happy Hanukkah

Dear Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro,

May the Festival of Lights bring you hope- and more clarity:  Antisemitism is evil & wrong AND there is a huge danger right here now in America with political leaders foolishly claiming that criticizing Israel or Zionism is antisemitism.  

Since early autumn this year U of Penn Pres. Liz Magill has been slammed & harassed for allowing a Palestinian Literature Festival on the U of Penn Campus. That was more than a month before HAMAS's despicable attack on the music festival. 

American tax payers are being forced to fund, arm, & empower Israel as Israel persecutes & bombs Palestinian men, women and children- and the Jewish hostages.

Our college students have a right to research and object to injustice and flagrant violations of international law and basic human rights. 

Far too many of our elected officials and news anchors misuse their podiums & fame to persuade America to look away while Israel displaces, impoverishes, harasses, & kills the native non-Jewish people of the Holy Land.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Pennsylvania USA 

NOTES

The Palestinian poet, writer, literature professor, and activist Dr. Refaat Alareer was killed today in a targeted Israeli airstrike that also killed his brother, his sister, and her four children.

UNRWA shelters are OVERFLOWING. There is NOT ENOUGH aid to meet the overwhelming needs - Heavy bombardment & resumption of [Israeli] military operation[s] have made the situation in #Gaza desperate. Conditions required to deliver aid DO NOT exist.

Palestinians at UN distribution points in Gaza - 2.2 million people are food insecure. People are dying from bombs and soon many will die from consequences of the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza.

We are not numbers- Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year-old prodigious musician, aspired to achieve international acclaim as a violinist, proudly representing her homeland #Palestine: Killed by Israeli bombs with her family in Gaza 2023.

Who Shall Remember How? Palestinian Poets Respond- gems in The Los Angeles Review of Books December 4th 2023

The sacred between mother and child captured in two images across time... Palestine past & Palestine present.

The Little Prince and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - both 75 years old & And both impart messages of hope and dignity that are available for all.

“It’s super dangerous. It sets a really, really bad precedent. It’s aiming to criminalise our liberation struggle and our call for justice and peace and equality,” Husam Marajda

Pointing out facts about Israeli Apartheid and Zionist brutality is not racism... my letter to my elected leaders

We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights - Greta Thunberg

U.S. and Israeli MILITARISM fuels GENOCIDE and ECOCIDE

Pray for Palestine

An Ongoing Displacement- The Forced Exile of the Palestinians since 1922

Invest Time & Money in American Ideals - NOT ISRAEL ... letter to my elected officials

Today's Nativity scene inspired by Israeli Bombing Campaigns 2023 #Gaza #Bethlehem, #Palestine #Christmas

GAZA UPDATE: More than 6,600 Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, according to the Governmental Media Office. Thousands more are still missing under the rubble.

The Universal Declaration is a roadmap, helping to end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all. Learn more & join the movement to help achieve a world of freedom, equality & justice for all

My letter to The Guardian RE The people of Gaza need a UN protection force

The daily, grinding violence in the West Bank is worse than ever before. Why does it go unseen? ... in The Guardian

Symbols of #Palestine

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Palestine

"We collect, translate and publish texts from Palestinian writers confronting the genocide in Gaza, to lift up their words." @arablit : Hiba Abu Nada 1991-2023

Israeli settlers steal Palestinian farmers’ land in occupied West Bank: Emboldened by curfews and raids on Palestinians, illegal settlers have stepped up violence and property theft.

Dear Elected Leaders- Yes there are still some useful idiots willing to idolize Israel. But good leadership should not.

To quote a well known American hero...  "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."  I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr.  in 1963

1948: Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world... READ MORE

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

The Palestinian poet, writer, literature professor, and activist Dr. Refaat Alareer was killed today in a targeted Israeli airstrike that also killed his brother, his sister, and her four children.

 

Let it be a tale, for Refaat.

Targeted by an Israeli missile, Poet Refaat AlAreer was killed with his family today in Gaza. 

Refaat AlAreer 1979 – 2023 was s a university professor & writer & editor. He cofounded the organization We Are Not Numbers, which matched experienced authors with young writers in Gaza.

Alareer was born in 1979 in Shuja'iyya in Gaza City.  Growing up in Gaza, he said, meant "every move I took and every decision I made were influenced (usually negatively) by the Israeli occupation."

Alareer wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in which he recounted he and his wife had lost more than 30 relatives. During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Alareer made media appearances on the BBC, Democracy Now!, and ABC News.[ 

In the 2014 Gaza War Israel killed his brother Hamada, and his wife Nusayba's grandfather, her brother, her sister and her sister’s three kids.

Following Israel’s offensive on Gaza in 2008-9, Refaat Alareer, a lecturer at the Islamic University of Gaza started requesting that his students write short stories as a means of releasing their anger and frustration. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/story-behind-gaza-writes-back-video/

He and his wife had two daughters, Amal (~8 years), and Linah (~10 years). Alareer was killed, along with his family, by an Israeli airstrike on December 7, 2023.

 

Poet and scholar Refaat Alareer has been killed by an Israeli airstrike.

UNRWA shelters are OVERFLOWING. There is NOT ENOUGH aid to meet the overwhelming needs - Heavy bombardment & resumption of [Israeli] military operation[s] have made the situation in #Gaza desperate. Conditions required to deliver aid DO NOT exist.

 UNRWA

@UNRWA

Heavy bombardment & resumption of military operation have made the situation in #Gaza desperate. Conditions required to deliver aid DO NOT exist. 

 

@UNRWA

shelters are OVERFLOWING. There is NOT ENOUGH aid to meet the overwhelming needs. 

 

@UNRWA

operations are being strangled.

 

https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-46-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem 

 

Thursday, December 7, 2023

All information is valid as of 4 December 2023 at 22:30 local time and covers 4-5 December

Day 59-60 of Hostilities

 

Download UNRWA multimedia resources here 

 

KEY POINTS

---

Key Points  

The Gaza Strip 

• On 5 December, UNRWA was able to confirm that at least two additional colleagues were killed. In total, 132 UNRWA colleagues have been killed since 7 October.
• Over 1.9 million people (or over 85 per cent of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since 7 October.
• On 5 December, one UNRWA shelter in Khan Younis was evacuated. Verification of details and casualty figures is ongoing.
• As of 5 December, almost 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were sheltering in 155 UNRWA installations across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the North and Gaza City.  
• More than 1 million IDPs were sheltering in 98 facilities in the Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas.  Of those, 64 are in Khan Younis and Rafah.
• In the period between 21 October and 4 December, UNRWA distributed 10,059 metric tons (MT) of flour.
• In the same period, UNRWA delivered to Gaza:
  • 323 MT of medicines and medical supplies with a total value of more than US$ 1.3 million.
  • Nearly 10 million litres of water.
  • 2.5 million units of high energy biscuits.
  • Over 990,000 cans of protein-based food, including beans, chicken, beef, and canned meat.
  • Nearly 1.9 million units of dairy items (cheese).
  • Other food items including dates, cake, and juice.
  • Non-food items (NFI) including 23,025 mattresses; 39,680 family hygiene kits; 1,1 million diapers; 47,530 blankets; and 90,240 cleaning supply items.
    

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• On 4 December, Israeli Security Forces (ISF) conducted search and arrest operations in Jalazone refugee camp, Ramallah, in Aqbat Jabr and Ein el-Sultan refugee camps, Jericho.  
• An ISF search and arrest operation was also reported in Dheisheh refugee camp, Bethlehem, during which 16 Palestinians were reportedly detained. This delayed the start of UNRWA operations in the camp, including of UNRWA four schools.
• On the same day, an ISF search and arrest operation and exchange of fire were reported in Kalandia refugee camp and in Kafr 'Aqab. One Palestine Refugee was killed, and 33 others were injured, including 17 by live ammunition. One ISF soldier was also reported injured. UNRWA services were running when the operation started, with students and education staff sheltered in place in the four schools in the camp, and patients and health staff staying in the health centre. These installations are located at the entrance of the refugee camp, overlooking the main street. Installations were evacuated, and staff and refugees were released once the operation was over.
• On the night of 5 December, the ISF conducted a search and arrest operation in Jenin city and Jenin refugee camp. ISF entered with bulldozers, and infrastructure sustained damage, in the refugee camp, the city centre and in the vicinity of a governmental hospital. ISF conducted another search and arrest operation in Jenin refugee camp in the afternoon, with confrontations taking place around the UNRWA health centre inside the camp. Six Palestinians were reportedly injured by live ammunition.
• An overnight ISF search and arrest operation took place in Dheisheh refugee camp, as a result of which four Palestinians were reportedly injured with live ammunition, including one minor and one UNRWA guard who was on duty at the UNRWA girls’ school. 
• An ISF search and arrest operation took place in Kalandia refugee camp early in the morning. One Palestine Refugee was killed, and two persons detained. 
  

 

A child on a bike among the rubble of collapsed buildings in Gaza City, 25 November 2023. © 2023 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra

Overall Situation 

The Gaza Strip

• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 7 October and 5 December, at least 16,248 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, about 70 per cent of whom are reported to be women and children. Many more are missing, presumably under the rubble.
• Overall, around 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to Israeli Authorities, the vast majority on 7 October (OCHA).

 

The West Bank

• According to OCHA, since 7 October, 249 Palestinians, including 65 children, have been killed by ISF in the West Bank. In addition, eight people, including one child, have been killed by Israeli settlers. 

 

Humanitarian Access, Protection of Civilians 

The Gaza Strip

• On 4 December, four incidents were reported impacting UNRWA schools and IDPs sheltering there. While verification of details and casualty figures are ongoing, initial reports indicated:
  • One school in Beit Lahiya was directly hit, causing severe damage to the school and killing and injuring many IDPs (exact figures were not yet confirmed);
  • One school in Deir el Balah was indirectly impacted by an armed conflict incident, injuring two IDPs.
  • One school in Gaza City was directly impacted, as a result 50 IDPs were reportedly killed and dozens injured.
  • One school in Nuseirat camp was indirectly impacted, reportedly resulting in around 50 IDPs injured.
• On 5 December, two incidents directly impacting UNRWA schools in Khan Younis have been reported, resulting in at least one person killed and three injuries, and the evacuation of one of the shelters. Verification of details and casualty figures is ongoing.
• 126 incidents impacting UNRWA facilities have been reported since the beginning of the war, with some facilities hit multiple times. 33 different UNRWA installations were directly hit and 57 different installations sustained collateral damage. UNRWA has also received reports of the military use of its facilities on at least five occasions.
• UNRWA estimates that in total at least 273 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and at least another 966 injured since the start of the war. UNRWA is still verifying the number of casualties caused by incidents that impacted its facilities, and notes that these figures do not include some reported casualties where the number of injuries could not be determined.

 

UNRWA Response  

The Gaza Strip  

UNRWA Shelters 

• In total, almost 1.2 million displaced people are now sheltering in 155 UNRWA installations.
• The average number of IDPs in UNRWA shelters is 10,700, more than four times their capacity.

 

Health 

• On average, there are 10,500 medical consultations in UNRWA health centres per day. 
• On 4 December, nine (out of 22) UNRWA health centres were still operational in the Middle and Southern areas, recording 9,126 patients visits, including Palestine Refugees and non-refugees. 
• Midwives are providing care for post-natal and high-risk pregnant women at the nine operational health centres. There are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with more than 180 giving birth every day. A total of 313 post-natal and high-risk pregnancy cases were attended to at health centres on 4 December. In addition, post-natal care continued in the shelters, with 1,356 cases attended to since 7 October. 
• On 4 December, at least 209 children were vaccinated at seven health centres, according to the national vaccination programme, bringing the total number vaccinated to 13,583 since 4 November. 
• On the same day, emergency dental services (bleeding, swellings, trauma and extraction) were provided to 165 cases at seven health centres. 
• UNRWA continued to provide health care to IDPs at shelters through 103 medical teams on 4 December. 273 health workers attended to a total of 11,388 patients. Each team is composed of 1-2 doctors and a nurse. 
• In total, the medical team responded to 919 mental health cases, including individual consultations, awareness sessions, and support for gender-based violence cases.

 

Psychosocial support (PSS)

• UNRWA teams, including 196 social workers in the shelters, provided psychosocial first aid and other specialized protection services to IDPs. Since 7 October, 94,280 IDPs people have been reached.

 

Food Security

• UNRWA distribution of flour outside of shelters continued on 5 December in the southern governorates. A total of 50,280 families have been reached so far.

 

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• On 4 and 5 December, UNRWA continued to operate nine water wells pumping about 10,000 cubic metres to provide potable and domestic water supply. Potable water trucking operations to the shelters in Rafah and Khan Younis areas continue.
• Shelters in Rafah began to receive potable water through tankers from the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility.
• Deir Balah UNICEF Desalination Plant stopped due to security reasons.
• Solid waste collection from the camps, emergency shelters and transfer to landfills continued in the Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas on 4 and 5 December. About 55 loadings were transferred to temporary dumping sites on 3 December. There is an urgent need for additional sanitation trucks and vehicles.
• Emergency transfer service of solid waste from shelters continued with available resources. There is a shortage of sanitation trucks and vehicles. A private contractor started to support the collection and transfer of solid waste and preparation for a temporary dumping site in Rafah.

  ---

 

Quote from Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications

“It is not just that there is no safe place to go – it is also that there is nowhere to go.”

 

#HearTheirVoices 

 

 Your donations can help provide emergency humanitarian assistance. Donate today

 

Palestinians at UN distribution points in Gaza - 2.2 million people are food insecure. People are dying from bombs and soon many will die from consequences of the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza.

Starvation in Gaza 2023

Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa

This photo needs to be the front page of every news paper in the world. People at UN distribution points - 2.2 million people are food insecure. People are dying from bombs and soon many will die from consequences of the siege imposed on Gaza. Don’t stop talking about Gaza.

 #StandUp4HumanRights

We are not numbers- Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year-old prodigious musician, aspired to achieve international acclaim as a violinist, proudly representing her homeland #Palestine: Killed by Israeli bombs with her family in Gaza 2023.

We are not numbers

tsropSodnetc3a63f09c7046mul9c0umi619m054g29t1gulif6lmfha1mll  ·

Lubna Alyaan, a 14-year-old prodigious musician, aspired to achieve international acclaim as a violinist, proudly representing her homeland. #Palestine

 

She devoted herself as a diligent student at The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music-GAZA Branch (ESNCM), showcasing her musical prowess on the violin.

 

On the 21st of November, 2023, Lubna, along with 45 members of her extended family, which included her parents, siblings, and others, became martyrs. Killed by Israeli bombs.

 

Sources: https://web.facebook.com/gazaesncm

https://web.facebook.com/sabreen.alghoul

#WeAreNotNumbers