The United Nations Children's Organization (UNICEF) said that between 7 May and 31 July this year, Israel killed nine Palestinian children, injured 556 children, using live ammunition and rubber bullets, and arrested at least 170 Palestinian children during the same period in occupied Jerusalem.

In a Thursday report, UNICEF warned that it would not be able to resume operations in support of Palestinian children owing to a severe budget shortfall, noting that during the recent war in the Gaza Strip, Israel had targeted 116 private kindergartens and 140 damaged public-school buildings, as well as 41 UNRWA schools.

During the recent "Israeli escalation," the need for humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of children had increased to $47 million, with a gap of about $33 million (68%).

The humanitarian situation had deteriorated recently with the escalation of tension in eastern Jerusalem, the escalation in the Gaza Strip in May 2021, and the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, further complicating the financial crisis.

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation remained a major daily conflict for many people.

What it described as the "escalation of hostilities" in the Gaza Strip had damaged 290 water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure and caused power outages. Restrictions on access to critical water supply, sanitation and hygiene have increased, undermining the capacity of partners to provide water, sanitation, and hygiene services. Thus, some 1.3 million people in the Gaza Strip alone do not have access to safe drinking water, sanitation.

Health services in the Gaza Strip were also severely affected by the escalation in May 2021, with 33 health facilities affected during the conflict. The spread of COVID- 19 continued for the second consecutive year, exacerbating current vulnerabilities, affecting the well-being of children, and limiting access to basic services for boys and girls.

In the Gaza Strip, restrictions remained on supplies for necessary reconstruction, livelihoods, and basic services. As of the end of July, the Karem Abu Salim crossing into the Gaza Strip was only open to access to specific basic materials and limited humanitarian goods.

The report stressed that humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip remained a source of concern, with a significant reduction in the provision of essential materials on the local market, and the urgent need to import certain items, particularly for water, sanitation and hygiene projects and other reconstruction projects that had been significantly affected. "Dual-use" to the Gaza Strip, which hampers the transport of commodities, affecting the operation and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities, critical infrastructure, and the only power plant in the Gaza Strip. The prolonged import of supplies also poses a challenge to the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance.