United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

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Developments Since October 7

  • On October 12, 2023, UN OCHA-oPt launched the “OPT Flash Appeal,” seeking $294 million “to address the most urgent needs of 1,260,000 people in the Gaza Strip (Gaza) and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for three months.” On November 3, the target amount was raised to $1.2 billion. The flash appeal was extended through March 2024 due to “continuing impediments to an effective and appropriately scaled humanitarian response.” 
  • An additional $2.8 billion “updated flash appeal” was launched on April 17 “to cover the period through the end of 2024.”
  • The money will go to “13 UN Agencies, 29 International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), and 38 National NGOs (NNGOs).”
    • Many of these same UN agencies and NGOs were responsible for the hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid that Hamas systematically diverted for terror purposes – including for rockets and tunnels. Some of the recipients actively lobbied the US and European governments to significantly relax vetting standards meant to prevent this theft of aid.
    • Additionally, one recipient. Al Awda Health and Community Association, is affiliated with the PFLP terror group, while others regularly partner with terror-linked groups.
  • A number of recipients are listed as “International NGOs (Confidential)” and “National NGOs (Confidential)” illustrating a lack of transparency and a possibility that the grantees are problematic actors (emphasis added).

Manipulation of Casualty Figures

  • As part of its agenda, OCHA publishes weekly reports on “Protection of Civilians,” monthly “Humanitarian Bulletins,” fact sheets, case studies, and various other publications that promote a narrative based solely on Palestinian victimization and Israeli aggression, while minimizing Palestinian terror, rejectionism, incitement, and legitimate Israeli national security concerns.
  • These publications often repeat the unverified and unreliable claims of political advocacy NGOs, many of whom are terror-linked, as well as claims by the PLO and Hamas. In turn, OCHA’s repackaging of these claims are subsequently referenced, cited, and quoted at an extremely high volume by international media and government officials, as well as in official UN documents.
  • While OCHA publishes numerous resources on casualties claims and “Gaza Crossings’ Operations” (including the amount of people and goods allowed into and out of various border crossings), repeating the claims of politicized NGOs, it rarely, if ever, cites relevant Israeli government statistics, such as information published by the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israel Defense Forces, or the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • In addition, OCHA regularly presents data in a manipulative way that erases the context of terrorism and distorts law and morality. For example, OCHA fails to make distinctions between Palestinian civilians and attackers, thereby amplifying Palestinian casualty claims, and drawing a false symmetry between legal Israeli self-defense and illegal attacks by terrorists.
  • OCHA’s website also highlights a number of biased videos reflecting the Palestinian narrative, including “How long does it take to demolish a house?,” “Gaza: Only Rubble Where Homes Once Stood,” and “Walled Horizons.” These videos show scenes of destruction and despair, while completely omitting Palestinian terrorism, including rocket attacks against Israeli population centers and tunnels running beneath the border into Israel. The videos are devoid of all context and are aimed solely at demonizing Israel.

UN OCHA oPt Humanitarian Fund

UN Humanitarian Aid Clusters

  • As part of its “Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP),” OCHA organizes “Thematic Clusters” including Protection, Education, Shelter, Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene), and the Food Security Sector (FSS). Within each cluster, NGOs serve as implementing partners with UN agencies, and in some cases, are responsible for leading the cluster.
  • In practice, the cluster system is a key international lobbying and action mechanism through which the PA advances its nationalist and political agenda, sustaining conflict.
  • As part of the 2023 HRP, NGOs received $377.9 million (out of a requested $376.7 million) in government-provided humanitarian aid within the different clusters.
  • Numerous NGOs that receive funding under the HRP support BDS and other overtly political campaigns against Israel, and several have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.

Clusters

Advocacy within Humanitarian Clusters

  • Within the Protection Cluster, UNICEF-oPt heads the “Working Group on Grave Violations against Children” to monitor and report on alleged instances of grave violations against Palestinian children. The Working Group includes organizations that have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group and/or are prominent actors in anti-Israel BDS and lawfare campaigns. 
    • UNICEF and the NGO members of the Working Group are active in a coordinated attempt to place Israel on a blacklist of “grave” violators of children’s rights, alongside ISIS, Boko Haram, and Al-Qaeda. The list appears as an annex to the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC). (For more information, see NGO Monitor’s report “UNICEF and its NGO Working Group: Failing Children.”)
  • On March 21, 2017 and March 29, 2017, in meetings held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza City and Ramallah, the Food Security Sector (FSS), along with representatives from international and Palestinian NGOs, were urged by its partner Action Against Hunger (ACF) to participate in an advocacy “hashtag” campaign to mark “50 Years of Israeli Occupation,” using #thisisoccupation and #endtheoccupation.
  • Connie Martinez-Varela Pedersen is the current Cluster Coordinator for the Protection Cluster and a Human Rights Officer at OHCHR. Pedersen previously worked as the director of international advocacy for the politicized Israeli NGO Yesh Din.
  • In 2017, the Food Security Sector (FSS) stated that it would “conduct Bilateral meetings (lobby trip, Consulate, Embassy), hearing at the European Parliament and other international fora.” FSS also stated that it would focus on sending “clear messages about the illegality of the following”:
    • “Israeli settlements, hence settler violence are illegal under IHL”
    • “Stop settlements expansion”
    • “Stop the forcible transfer of Palestinian Bedouins and herders with its negative consequences on their livelihoods.”
  • In August 2014, the Protection Cluster relied on B’TselemAl Mezan, and Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) for reporting on Palestinian casualties in Gaza during the 2014 Gaza war. Most, if not all, claims were based upon those of the Hamas Ministry of Health.
    • Former and current senior PCHR officials have ties to the PFLP.
  • Since 2013, under the “oPt Education Cluster,” UNICEF has partnered with Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) in providing “protective presence” to Palestinian children going to and from school.
    • EAPPI brings volunteers to the West Bank for three months to “witness life under occupation.” Upon completion of the program, the volunteers return to their home countries and churches where many engage in anti-Israel advocacy, including advocating for BDS campaigns in churches, comparing Israel to apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany, and other delegitimization strategies.
    • EAPPI also participates in the UN’s Protection Cluster Working Group (PCWG) and the Settler Violence Core Group (SVCG). EAPPI’s role in these groups is “ongoing submission[s] of incident reports to the SVCG, UN agencies and other relevant actors. Participation in meetings of the Silwan Task Force/East Jerusalem Task force and AIDA, and the Education Cluster.” EAPPI volunteers “monitor for human rights violations and do a lot of administrative work which is fed into UN systems” (emphasis added).

2020-2024 Funding Received by Cluster

Cluster202420232023202220212020
Protection$56,011,458$26,126,280$10,798,287$10,254,404$24,088,807$40,976,958
Education$48,043,002$15,360,193$5,332,537$4,083,293`$25,432,732$8,431,172
Shelter/NFI (Non Food Item)$48,034,881$16,313,817$4,087,219$7,644,579$15,975,086$4,892,118
Health and Nutrition$187,711,863$27,249,812$14,479,886$6,258,356$45,756,609$46,654,706
WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene)$70,738,206$6,140,386$3,555,465$13,283,682$14,260,608$14,930,602
Food Security Sector (FSS)$359,764,093$244,885,298$82,672,551$46,316,779$220,049,875$126,664,789
Coordination and Support Services$38,613,290$5,046,348$9,570,721$7,298,363$8,171,238$3,652,787
Total NGO Funding$808,916,793$341,122,134$130,496,666$95,500,071$472,356,238$253,659,523

UN OCHA oPt –HF Funding to NGOs (amounts based on the UN’s Financial Tracking Service)

(* = PFLP linked NGO)

NGOProjectYear/sAmount
Medical Aid for PalestiniansProvision of post-operative and wound care care for people with conflict-related injuries in the Middle Area of Gaza2024$456,498
Strengthen the healthcare system’s capacity to respond to emergencies and build community resilience to cope with the impact of current and future crises2023$435,000
Provision of life saving preposition trauma and emergency supplies2023$565,000
Ma’an Development CenterRepositioning 48-Hours Response Mechanism in the West Bank - Emergency Shelter and NFI2024$750,000
Repositioning 48-Hours Response Mechanism in the West Bank Water Sanitation Hygiene2024$500,000
Building Resilience of Vulnerable Families Addressing the Shelter-Related Vulnerabilities2023$254,021
Humanitarian Response to Improve Access to Water and Sewer Services for the Unserved Communities2023$450,000
WASH assistance and flood mitigation for vulnerable families and schools across Area C and the H2 area of Hebron, West Bank2022$349,680
WASH assistance and flood mitigation for vulnerable families and schools across Area C and the H2 area of Hebron, West Bank2022$374,817
Emergency Shelter Assistance for IDP Families in the Gaza Strip 2021$698,181
Save the ChildrenProviding Education and Psychosocial Support Services for Vulnerable children Affected by Conflict and Displacement in Gaza Middle Area2024$322,498
Provision of MPCA to improve access to basic needs and resilience of children and their caregivers, in conflict-affected areas within the West Bank2023$250,000
Emergency quality education support to conflict affected schools and students2022$300,000
Ensuring Access to Quality and Inclusive Education for Vulnerable Children2022$199,999
Access to Safe and Inclusive Education through Providing Rehabilitation Services for Governmental schools in 3 Governorates of Gaza Strip2021$315,514
Urgent Food E-Voucher support for the War-affected most vulnerable families in Gaza strip 2021$438,378
Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS)Repositioning 48-Hours Response Mechanism in the West Bank Health2024$500,000
Health Response to Gaza Emergency2023$800,000
Providing comprehensive PHC services for affected population in Gaza strip2021$496,944
Improving access to adequate health and nutritional care services for children under five and women in Access restricted areas of Gaza Strip.2020$501,502
Mobile outreach providing accessible and equitable primary healthcare to H2 via mobile outreach and community building capacity building.$195,700
OxfamWASH Emergency Response and support for affected vulnerable population in the Gaza Strip2021$257,000
Urgent Cash Support for Affected Farmers in Gaza and North Gaza.$651,614
WASH Emergency Response and support for affected vulnerable population in the Gaza Strip$90,000
Oxfam NovibRepositioning 48-Hours Response Mechanism in the West Bank Food Security2024$500,000
Life-saving WASH assistance to the Gaza Population2023$600,000
Food assistance for under-served food insecure households 2023$316,703
Strengthening resilience and improving economic opportunities of vulnerable groups and communities in Gaza and the Jordan Valley2022$380,000
Emergency Livelihood Support to Affected Farmers2021$535,303
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)Repositioning 48-Hours Response Mechanism in the West Bank2024$500,000
Providing a life-saving emergency multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) to Gazan households affected by the current conflict2024$571,865
Food Security Response to Gaza emergency2023$800,000
Providing Adequate, Sufficient and Affordable Drinking Water2023$434,086
Enhancing farmers' resilience through Improving food security for most vulnerable households2023$483,147
Supporting farmers' resilience by improving agricultural inputs2022$301,644
Enhance Farmers' resilience through Improving food security for most vulnerable Households2022$545,764
Immediate Support for Small Scale Farmers Affected by May 2021 Escalation of Hostilities in the Gaza Strip 2021$301,247
Women’s Affairs CenterImproving access to safe and inclusive life-saving GBV specialized services for most vulnerable conflict-affected women and girls GBV survivors in hotspots of KhanYounis and Middle Area Governorates2024$248,228
Improving access to safe, inclusive and coordinated multi-sectoral GBV services for most vulnerable women and girls GBV survivors including with disabilities and cancer patients2023$319,908
Improving accessibility to dignified and safe multi-sectoral protection and prevention services for acutely vulnerable women and girls survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in high priority areas in the Gaza Strip2021$327,292
Protection of Most Vulnerable Women and Girls including GBV Survivors with Disabilities, Chronically Ill, and Women With Breast Cancer Through Coordinated and Multisectoral Specialized Responses.2020$200,000
Al Awda Health and Community Association*Provision of protection and PSS services for women and children in Khanyounis Governorate – Gaza Strip 2024$250,000
Provision of primary health care services in Khanyounis and Dair Al Balah2024$543,458
Health Response to Gaza emergency2023$800,000
Gaza Community Mental Health ProgrammeEnhancing the availability and accessibility of mental health services to boys, girls, men and women in vulnerable communities, and integrate MHPSS services into healthcare service delivery2023$300,002
Provision of Specialized Mental Health Services to Boys, Girls, Women And Men with and without Disabilities who Affected by the Ongoing Crises In The Gaza Strip2021$401,247
Health Work Committees*Increase Access to Essential Health Services for Marginalized Communities in Hebron H22020$305,054
Norwegian Refugee CouncilEmergency Cash Response to the Gaza Strip2024$1,250,000
Adequate Shelter Solutions for vulnerable households at immediate risk of eviction2023$400,000
Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian Territory2023$200,000
Provision of remedial education and learning support to vulnerable school aged children 2022$300,000
Immediate shelter solutions to the conflict-affected people in North Gaza Strip2021$540,000
Addressing the emotional and learning needs of the most affected children in East and North Gaza$360,000
First Standard Allocation 20202020$349,999
Islamic Relief WorldwideUrgent food assistance for the most vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19 lockdown in Gaza Strip2020$353,503
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)*Advocacy, monitoring and documentation of HR and IHL violations and related trends in the Gaza Strip and West Bank2021$194,255
Terre des HommesProvision of multi-sectorial services to vulnerable children and their families affected by May's escalation2021$119,032
Lutheran World FederationSupport to Augusta Victoria Hospital and 2022 Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) in oPt2022$499,996
Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC)Emergency support for affected vulnerable farmers through the rehabilitation of their agricultural facilities2023$351,730
NGO Development CenterEnhanced emergency relief and basic needs support for affected households through MPCA in Khan Younis and Middle Areas2024$428,004
Enhancing vulnerable farmers access to essential lifesaving basic services through cash support and assistance for agriculture workers through CfW modality2023$394,527

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