Palestinians Need Rp4.6 Trillion in Aid, Mostly for Food

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the intensity of Israeli attacks on Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip, has steadily increased since Sunday, October 8, 2023.

Conversely, attacks by the opposing side, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, have decreased.

"Israeli air, sea, and ground bombardments continue and are intensifying across the Gaza Strip for six consecutive days," OCHA stated in a report on its official website on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

"Palestinian armed groups in Gaza also continue to fire rockets into Israeli population centers, although with lower intensity compared to previous days," it continued.

They also reported that Gaza has experienced a complete power outage, pushing health, water, and sanitation services to the brink of collapse.

The outage occurred after Israel halted the supply of electricity and fuel to Gaza on October 8, 2023, subsequently depleting the fuel reserves of Gaza's power plants.

Under these circumstances, OCHA estimates that approximately 1.3 million Palestinians require urgent assistance.

The estimated amount of aid needed is US$294 million, or approximately Rp4.6 trillion (assuming an exchange rate of Rp15,714 per US$). Approximately 45% of this is needed for food provision.

"This war has destroyed the food supply chain in Gaza. Many families are acutely food insecure. This is no longer a crisis, but a catastrophe, a major disaster," OCHA stated in its October 12, 2023, report, *Hostilities in Gaza and Israel*.

"The Palestinian agricultural sector has suffered severe damage. Farmers and herders need urgent assistance to rebuild their lives, to restart agricultural, livestock, and fishing activities, and to restore their dignity," it continued.

After food security, OCHA prioritized approximately 11% of the funding needs for logistics distribution coordination, 11% for displaced persons' shelter, and the remainder for other sectors as shown in the graph.

"There is a need for strengthened civil-military coordination to facilitate the safe transport and delivery of aid supplies across the Gaza Strip border," said OCHA.

"Many displacement sites also lack adequate infrastructure. Most sites have reached maximum capacity, while more displaced persons are expected to arrive," it continued.