Thousands of Gaza residents remain homeless and hospitals still have a large number of intensive care patients, over a week after a ceasefire ended Israel's devastating three-week offensive against Hamas militants, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
"At this stage, the initial response is focusing on the re-establishment of basic services for the population of Gaza, including water, health, food, cash assistance, education and psychosocial support," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
This includes safety of movement by marking and clearing unexploded ordnance, removing rubble, repairing priority infrastructure, and securing access to services.
The UN agency also called for immediate unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants.
Although fewer than 500 displaced people remain in the three UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East emergency shelters, most displaced Gazans are staying with host families who are overstretched and face shortages of food, non-food items such as blankets, water and electricity.
Hospitals are gradually finding capacity for routine care for chronically-ill patients who are now returning for treatment. Repair of medical equipment, already a priority before the conflict, remains a priority, as does the import of spare parts.
Some people still have no access to piped water and the sewerage network in parts of Gaza is still damaged. The United Nations Children's Fund has warned that continued shortage of drinking water and overflowing sewage in residential areas poses serious health risks, and immediate assistance is needed to rebuild the infrastructure, including pipes, generators and pumps.
Spare parts and other equipments are also needed for the electricity sector, the agency said.
All 10 United Nations Relief and Works Agency distribution centres are open, feeding 25,000 people per day, and the UN World Food Programme has distributed 95 tonnes of food aid to 993 families in Gaza City and North Gaza, it said.
All schools opened on Saturday, with an 80 per cent attendance rate in government and 89 per cent at UNRWA schools. There is focus on psychosocial and mental health support for students, with UNRWA fielding 185 counsellors.
OCHA cited Gaza's most critical needs as spare parts and fuel for the power plant, hospitals, water and sewage treatment facilities, and cement, sand and other construction materials to rebuild the destroyed schools, hospitals, clinics and homes.
It added that it was critical that full and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza be granted immediately by all parties. International agencies have faced unprecedented denial of access to Gaza since November 5, 2008, it said.
