UNITED NATIONS, Dec 24 (APP): Although “significant restrictions and impediments” continue to hamper humanitarian operations in Gaza, teams are still responding to the population’s needs, the UN aid coordination office — OCHA — said Wednesday.

“As part of these efforts, the UN and its partners offload more essential supplies at crossings around Gaza every day,” it said.

On Monday, the agency said, humanitarian workers offloaded nearly 4,000 pallets of aid at two border crossings – Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem in the southern Strip and Zikim in the north.

Around 65 per cent of the pallets contained food supplies, while 12 per cent carried shelter items. Another 12 per cent were water, sanitation and hygiene items, and 7 per cent comprised health and nutrition supplies.

The UN said it also attempted to coordinate five humanitarian movements with the Israeli authorities on Tuesday. While three were facilitated, one was initially approved but never received clearance to proceed, and another was cancelled by the organisers.

“As a result, teams could redeploy staff and carry out some of the planned collection of food and health supplies from Kerem Shalom crossing, alongside other missions in areas where coordination with the Israeli authorities was not required,” OCHA said.

On the education front, partners distributed more than 2,000 winterization kits to children aged 12 to 14 years, as well as deploying and distributing 58 specialized tents across 16 learning centres.

The move aims to expand classroom space and is expected to accommodate nearly 25,000 children.

Other partners working in mine action continue inspecting key areas for potential explosive hazards. In this regard, two assessments were to support the removal of rubble in Deir al Balah and Gaza city were carried out on Monday.

Meanwhile, more than 72,000 families in the West Bank who grow crops or raise animals require urgent emergency assistance, according to a survey by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

It finds that around 90 per cent of agricultural families have recently lost income, mainly due to sharp declines in both crop and livestock production as well as sales.

FAO stressed that supporting farmers and herders in the West Bank is critical to produce food, sustain livestock and avert a deeper crisis.

“Agricultural families urgently need assistance – both cash and in-kind – to mitigate the impacts of widespread settler violence, a deepening economic crisis and near-ubiquitous loss of income,” said Rein Paulsen, Director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience.

Agriculture remains a vital lifeline in the West Bank. Of the approximately 700,000 families there, around 115,000 depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, highlighting the sector’s importance to food security and income.

The Data in Emergencies (DIEM) survey also reveals the mounting pressures facing agricultural families. Nearly 9 in 10, or about 100,000 households, have recently experienced at least one acute “shock” such as conflict and violence, rising living costs, and job loss.

Other challenges they face include limited access to water, movement restrictions and land access constraints, as well as high fuel and transport costs.

The survey was conducted between July and August, marking the second time it was carried out this year.