The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has launched a flash appeal worth 2.822 billion U.S. dollars for the occupied Palestinian territory.

According to UNOCHA, the money would be used to provide assistance to 3.1 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, through the end of the year.

“For this response, we need to see major changes to operating conditions on the ground.

“Humanitarian organisations must have safe and sustained access to all people in need across the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

“We need more entry and supply routes by land into Gaza, including to the north, as well as the use of Ashdod port,” the office said.

It added that fewer constraints are also needed on movements inside Gaza, visas and permits for aid workers, timely and flexible funding, and the need to be able to bring in critical humanitarian items.

Israel launched a large-scale military offensive against Hamas in Gaza in response to a deadly surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 others were taken hostage.

The Israeli onslaught has so far led to more than 33,700 deaths and more than 76,000 injuries, as well as an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

(Xinhua/NAN)