Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

UNDERSTANDING THE STATUS OF LAND

RIGHTS FOR SUSTAINABLE RECONSTRUCTION
OF THE GAZA STRIP AND THE WEST BANK
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory

INTRODUCTION
The recent resurgence of hostilities between Hamas According to the United Nations Office for the
and Israel has led to the widespread destruction of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
the agrarian economy in the Occupied Palestinian between 7 October 2023 and 15 May 2024, 489
Territory (OPT), with long-term implications for Palestinians, including at least 117 children, have
Palestinian land and agrifood systems in both the been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
Gaza Strip and the West Bank. and 1 964 Palestinians have been displaced after
their homes were demolished or destroyed.9 The
The conflict has affected mainly the Gaza Strip. As year 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in
of 27 May 2024, approximately 1 200 Israelis and the West Bank since the United Nations Relief and
36 050 Palestinians have been killed, with many more Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
injured.1 Up to 1.7 million people have been displaced, (UNRWA) began systematically recording casualties
many multiple times,2 and an estimated 54 percent in 2005.10 In addition, since 7 October 2023, OCHA
of all buildings and housing have been damaged or has recorded 896 Israeli settler attacks against
destroyed.3 With regards to land and agriculture, as Palestinians that resulted in casualties and/or
of May 2024, 57.3 percent of all cropland has been damage to Palestinian property.9
damaged4 (60 percent of this orchards and other
trees),5 32.7 percent of the area in greenhouses Land rights are central to addressing this conflict
was damaged (covering over 84 percent of the area and post-war reconstruction. Israeli policies over
in greenhouses in the northern governorates)6 and land use and promotion of settlements have
1 049 agricultural wells have been impaired.7 In restricted access to land and land rights for
addition, as of 15 February 2024,8 more than 300 Palestinians for decades prior to the current war,
home barns, 100 agricultural warehouses, 46 farm with negative implications for land-tenure security
storage facilities, seven agricultural suppliers 119 and agrarian livelihoods. When Palestinians are
animal shelters, and over 500 farms related to different allowed and able to return to their homes and
forms of livestock production, have been damaged. lands, steps towards restitution and documenting,
The entire population of the Gaza Strip is now food registering and securing housing, land and property
insecure. Famine is imminent. One in three people rights will be necessary to restore Palestinian rights,
faced catastrophic food insecurity around mid-March; secure livelihoods and rebuild the economy.
this is expected to increase to 1.1 million people, half of
the population of the Gaza Strip, by July 2024.i

i According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), as of 18 March, all but 96 000 of the entire population in the Gaza Strip
(2.2 million) faces high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above: Crisis or worse), with over 40 percent (876 000) in Emergency
(IPC Phase 4) conditions. Almost one in three people (677 000) face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), experiencing extreme lack of
food, starvation and exhaustion of coping capacities.3

11
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Additionally, in 1995, the Oslo II Accord established

THE LEGACY OF THE the administrative division of the Palestinian West
ISRAELI–PALESTINIAN Bank into three areas (A, B and C), with various
CONFLICT ON LAND degrees of shared control.iii Designed as a 5-year
interim agreement, negotiations were envisioned to
OCCUPATION AND reach a final agreement on permanent status and
LAND RIGHTS resolve major issues in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict,
including water and settlements. Oslo II intended
Land ownership has been the key issue underpinning for the territorial divisions of the West Bank to be
the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, with both Palestinians temporary, with full jurisdiction of all three areas
and Israelis claiming historic ties to the land. gradually transferred to the Palestinian National
Authority (PA). Instead, the divisions persist, with
In 1945, under the British Mandate, Palestinians control over this land a continuing source of conflict.
still owned around 90 percent of the territory,
despite several waves of land acquisition by Jewish Towards the end of 2023, before the present conflict,
settlers from the end of the nineteenth century.11 the OPT land area consisted of two areas: the West
The UN-approved partition plan, Resolution 181 of Bank and the Gaza Strip.
November 1947, allocated 56 percent of the territory to The West Bank has a land area of about 5 640 km2
a new Jewish state and 44 percent to an Arab State, and an estimated population of 3 176 000 Palestinians
with special considerations for the City of Jerusalem.12 and just under 700 000 Israeli settlers.20 There are
After the Arab–Israeli war (1948–49), the newly 279 Israeli settlements spread across the West Bank
founded State of Israel took control of 77 percent of and the Golan Heights, including 14 in East Jerusalem
the territory of Palestine,13 with the remainder divided (with a population of 229 000 people). Of those
between the Gaza Strip (administered by Egypt) and settlements, at least 147 are outposts, which are
the West Bank (administered by Jordan), where most illegal even under Israeli domestic law.21
of the 700 000-plus Palestinians displaced by the war
became refugees.14 Jerusalem was divided into East ◗ Area A, about 18 percent of the West Bank, is
(held by Jordan) and West (held by Israel).15 administered by the PA. Of the three areas, Area
A is the most densely populated. Although under
Subsequent events further eroded the extent and Palestinian control, the limited amount of land
nature of Palestinian control over land. The Six- available for building and agricultural activities
Day War in 1967 ended with Israel capturing the lies on the borders with Area C and is not easily
Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Golan Heights accessible.
from the Syrian Arab Republic and occupying
the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza ◗ Area B, covering 22 percent of the West Bank,
Stripii – hence the United Nations use of the term is administered by the PA, with shared security
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).16 In addition, control. Palestinian administrative control includes
in contravention of international law,17 Israel over the education, economic and health sectors.
time established Israeli-controlled military zones Despite land being under the PA’s civil control,
and Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank Area B is often subject to the expansion of Israeli
and the Gaza Strip.18, 19 The settlements in the Gaza settlements and encroachments.22
Strip were unilaterally withdrawn in 2005, following
◗ Area C, representing 60 percent of the West
the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law; they
Bank, is fully administered by Israeli occupation
persist today and significantly shape landholding
authorities. An estimated 300 000 Palestinians live
patterns in the West Bank.
in 532 residential areas located partly or fully in
Area C. Most of the Israeli settlements are found in

ii Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982 when the two countries signed a peace agreement. In December 1981 the Golan
Heights passed under Israeli Law through the ratification of the Golan Heights Law by the Knesset. The law was declared “null and void and
without international legal effect” by United Nations Security Council Resolution 497, which reiterated the application of the Fourth Geneva
Convention to the Golan Heights as an occupied territory.

iii The Oslo II Accord in 1995 provided limited self-rule for Palestinians in parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip through the Palestinian
National Authority, which was established in May in 1994 after the signing of the Israel/PLO “Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho
Area”. This agreement was then superseded by the Oslo II Accord.

2
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

¥
Area C, with 400 000 Israeli settlers residing in
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip approximately 230 settlements.23 Approximately
January 2019

Occupied Gola n Heights

60 percent of Area C is made up of firing and
Palestine Registered Refugees *
West Bank 828,328 refugees
Lebanon P
military training zones (with 38 Palestinian

Syrian Arab Republic

Gaza 1,386,455 refugees
communities located within them), other military
Lebanon 469,555 refugees

Syria 551,873 refugees P

Acre land or state land and nature reserves. Although
Jordan 2,206,736 refugees the remaining 40 percent of Area C contains

TIB ERI AS

Syria
LAKE
Source: UNRWA, 2018
P
Haifa
Tiberias P
most of the West Bank’s agricultural land and
Nazareth
P natural resources, Palestinian residents struggle
Jordan River /
to obtain land permits for housing and farming.
Sheikh Hussein
According to OCHA, between 2009 and 2016
Jenin
P
only three percent of all requests submitted
ea

Tubas by Palestinians for building permits in Area C

n S

Tulkarm P

were granted (98 out of 4 422).23 In addition,

P

JORDAN RI VER
Nablus
nea

Israel occupation authorities have planned for

P
Qalqiliya
P

Tel Aviv-Yaffo Salfit Palestinian development in less than 1 percent

rra

P P

West Bank of Area C, with the rest of the area off-limits or

o
dite

Ramallah
P
heavily restricted for Palestinian construction.
Jericho
P Allenby / More than 70 percent of the Palestinian
Me

King Hussein
Ashdod
Jerusalem
communities in Area C are not connected to the
P
P

Safe Passage
water supply network, with water consumption in
P
(Non-functional) Bethlehem
Dead S ea

several communities dropping below 20 percent

Hebron
Gaza
P
P
of the minimum recommended standard (20 out
Gaza of 100 litres per day per capita).23
Strip
Khan Yunis
P

The Gaza Strip has a population of 2.2 million

Jordan
Rafah Be'er Sheva
P

inhabitants on approximately 365 km2 of land,

making it one of the most densely populated
regions in the world. The Gaza Strip has been ruled
Israel
Al ‘Ojah / Nitzana by Hamas since 2007. More than 70 percent of
the population of the Gaza Strip are refugees or
descendants of refugees. The nine refugee camps
in the territory are administered by UNRWA. Despite
its official withdrawal and closure of settlements in
2005, Israel has retained strong authority over the
Egypt Gaza Strip through its military control over land,
sea and air and by preventing people and goods
from freely entering or leaving the territory.24 The
International boundary Israeli army has also maintained a presence by
Boundary of former Palestine Mandate
establishing a buffer zone known as the Access
1949 Armistice (Green Line)

Area A and B
Restricted Area (ARA), which ranges in width from
Area C 300 to 1 500 metres along the eastern border of
Unilaterally annexed area (East Jerusalem)
the Gaza Strip. The ARA comprises 17 percent of the
Airport

Main City
total area of the Gaza Strip and 35 percent of all its
Border Crossing agricultural land.19, 25 Since 2007, Israel has severely
Wadi ‘Arraba
Eilat
P
restricted the movement of goods and people to
o

Taba
and from the Gaza Strip by air, land and sea.26
A OF

0 15 30 60
A

Km
A LF
B
U
Q
G

Figure 1. The scattered lands of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2019)

Source:
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2019.
The West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip | January 2019. East Jerusalem.
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/west-bank-including-east-jerusalem-and-gaza-strip-january-2019, country names modified by author.

3
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

average of 27.4 percent of Palestinian households own

LAND STRUCTURE AND a home garden (33 percent in West Bank, 16.8 percent
AGRICULTURE in the Gaza Strip) and 91.9 percent of households with
a home garden use these for agricultural activities.30
Despite the struggles around land in both the Gaza Olive trees are a case in point. Concentrated primarily
Strip and the West Bank, agriculture continues to in the West Bank, olive trees cover more than 50
play a vital role with its direct effect on the economy, percent of cropland in the OPT. Olive production
in building resilience and, more broadly, in forming supports the livelihoods of over 75 000 families,
the roots of Palestinian society, culture and identity. contributing 15 percent of agricultural gross domestic
The agrifood sector accounts for approximately product.31
6.4 percent of gross domestic product, of which
Agriculture is thus a significant employer. Some
agriculture accounts for 3.6 percent.27 Livestock
70 700 people are employed formally in the section,
accounts for 45 percent of total agricultural value,
half of them as employees and half self-employed.
followed by fruits, vegetables and olive oil.27 While the
This represents 6.4 percent of the working-age
OPT is heavily dependent on imports to meet domestic
population.32 However, if micro-holdings are taken
demand for agricultural products, particularly of
into account, it is estimated that an additional 40
cereals and animal feed, it is largely self-sufficient
percent of the population are engaged informally in
in vegetables, grapes, figs, olive oil, meat, eggs
the sector on a part-time and ad hoc basis, mostly
and honey, supporting dietary diversification in the
rural Palestinian women of working age carrying out
territory.25 Fish production is also important in the
unpaid work.33, 34
Gaza Strip and serves as a major source of nutritional
diversity.29 The fragmentation of land, movement restrictions
and fear of settler attacks limit Palestinians’ access to
According to the results of the Agriculture Census
land and water,iv with clear impact on agricultural and
2021, 18.9 percent of the total land area in the OPT
livestock activities.35 A 2017 study by FAO calculated
is cultivated (18.5 percent in the West Bank and 24.6
that mobility restrictions render an estimated
percent in the Gaza Strip).29 The Census identified 140
50 percent of agricultural land inaccessible.36 In
600 agricultural holdings, 82.4 percent in the West
addition, difficulties in obtaining land permits for
Bank and 17.6 percent in the Gaza Strip. This represents
housing and farming resulted in a total of 953
a significant increase from the 110 104 holdings
structures being demolished or seized in the West
identified during the agricultural year 2009/2010.
Bank in 2022, including in East Jerusalem – the
Agricultural holders are 92.3 percent male and 7.7
highest number since 2016. More than 80 percent
percent female. Size-wise, 51 percent of holdings are
of the structures affected were located in Area C.37
classified as small (less than 3 dunums or 0.3 hectares).
This situation has worsened since 7 October 2023 as
The most common type of agricultural holding was
a result of the ensuing tensions and the increase in
plant holdings (73.4 percent), while 14.2 percent are
settler violence and destruction.21, 38 The worst impact
animal holdings and 12.4 percent mixed holdings.
has been the loss of horticultural trees, especially
Agricultural producers are primarily small-scale olive trees. Also, many families in the Gaza Strip have
farmers, herders and fisherfolk.27 It should be noted lost their livelihood from fish production because of
that micro-holdings (home gardens or farms with a the destruction of fishing boats and ports.39 For the
few head of cattle) are not included in the agricultural Gaza Strip alone, the Palestinian Bureau of Central
census and agricultural statistics. However, such Statistics estimates about USD 2 million direct
holdings meet part of the household’s consumption daily losses in agricultural production as a result of
needs and are key to improving consumption levels cessation of agricultural activities.39
and food security. Statistics from 2015 show that an

iv Though aquifers ought to be a shared resource according to international law, the Israeli Water Company (Mekorot), uses at least 80 percent of
these groundwater resources and sells back the remaining 15 to 20 percent to the Palestinian Water Authority. The Oslo Accords (1995, Annex 3,
Article 40), which give Israel control of approximately 80 percent of the water reserves in the West Bank, was intended as an interim arrangement;
however, the allocation largely still stands despite the demographic, socioeconomic and natural changes affecting the supply and demand for
water since its signature.36

4
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Under Israeli occupation (1967–1994), the lack of

LAND RIGHTS, LAND registration was a decisive factor that allowed Israel
ADMINISTRATION AND to declare tens of thousands of hectares of land in
TENURE (IN)SECURITY both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as State land,
which was destined for establishment of official
Israeli settlements.19, 42, 43 Even when lands were
Land rights in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are
registered and kushans acquired, tenure rights were
still regulated by the Ottoman Land Code of 1858.
not secured. Methods by which Israeli occupation
The Code, however, has been repeatedly amended
authorities have taken over land since 1967 include:19
by legislation passed during the British Mandate, by
the Jordanian regime (West Bank), by the Egyptian ◗ Requisition or Land Seizure Orders: the Israeli
administration (the Gaza Strip) and by military orders Military Commander issued requisition orders
issued since the Israeli occupation.40 to allow the establishment of settlements and
military facilities. Requisition orders are forced
During the British Mandate (1920–1948), land
leasing of the land to the Government, whereby
registration was carried out systematically. By
the private owners give over possession for a term
the end of 1948, around 70 percent of the land in
the Gaza Strip had been registered. Following the as stipulated in the order (but the term can be
1948 war, the Egyptian administration (1949–1967) extended). The Government offers the landowners
continued land registration although the amount payment for its use, similar to rent, but in most
of land involved could not be verified.19, 41 In the cases, Palestinians refuse to take it.
West Bank, land registration under Jordanian ◗ Expropriation: this is forced purchase of the land
Administration (1949–1967) covered approximately from its owners and permanent transfer of all land
30 percent of the total area. In 1968, Israeli rights to the State.
occupation authorities froze most land settlement
procedures in the area: both systematic and sporadic ◗ Absentee land capture: this applies mainly to
land registrations were decelerated or delayed until land owned by Palestinians who fled their homes
the establishment of the Land and Water Settlement during the 1967 war. Administration of absentees’
Commission in 2016.42 land is under the responsibility of the Custodian

Box 1: The Ottoman Land Code

The Ottoman Land Code distinguishes between land ownership (raqaba) and land-use rights (tessaruf), and identifies
three main types of land:
◗ Mulk land is the only category of land where full use is given to the individual. Cultivation for 10 years
ownership – both raqaba and tessaruf – belongs to with no objection by the state confers the status of
the individual. Mulk land is private property, over a kushan, i.e. title deed. Most of Area C is miri land.
which the state has no right. In the Ottoman Land Mewat land (“dead land”) is state land that is not
Code, possession of land by an individual must be allotted nor cultivated by anyone and is 2.5 kilometres
by direct government allocation through a title deed or more away from the built-up area of the nearest
(kushan or kushan tabu). village; ownership is held by the state. An individual
can acquire rights to mewat land and convert it to
◗ State land is land used for public purposes, such
miri land only if he/she turns it to cultivation. Lastly,
as government offices, hospitals, schools, roads,
Metruke land is land left for public use, such as
parks and, in some cases, refugee camps. However,
abandoned land or common land. No building can
much state land is occupied by private individuals,
be erected nor trees planted by private individuals;
either legally with a government lease or unlawfully
the land cannot be bought, sold or cultivated by
without any form of contractual agreement. Several
individuals.
subdivisions exist: Miri land is state land designated
for agricultural cultivation. In miri land, the ownership ◗ Waqf land refers to religious endowment land, only to
of the raqaba is held by the sovereign, but the right of be used for charitable purposes.

Source:
Norwegian Refugee Council. 2015. Types of land ownership in Gaza. Oslo.
https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/pdf/fact-sheets/types-of-land-ownership-in-gaza-icla-hlp-fact-sheet.pdf;
Howlett, S. 2000. Palestinian private property rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational
Law, 34(1): 119–166.

5
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

of Government and Abandoned Property at the transactions made by the PA.41 An inventory of public
occupation Civil Administration, who is allowed to lands in Areas A and B, which are under PA authority,
rent and lease it. is not yet available. According to the World Bank,
systematic registration is expected to take decades
◗ Closure of areas by the Israeli Military
to complete unless significantly more resources are
Commander: these forbid the entrance of people provided.44
who were not present in it before the time of its
closure and their presence therein. As a result, in 2018, according to the World Bank,
90 percent of all land in the Gaza Strip is registered,
In May 1994, the PA was created as part of the Israel/ whereas only about 46 percent of land in the West
Palestine Liberation Organization “agreement on Bank is registered.44, v Table 1 provides a breakdown
the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area”. Article V of the of registered land in the West Bank by zone.
agreement gave the PA territorial jurisdiction over
land, subsoil and territorial waters. Over time, the Amid the escalating hostilities since 7 October 2023,
PA has created the necessary institutions for land the question of tenure security in the OPT has once
governance, but legislative frameworks and capacity again become pressing. The impact of the extensive
remain weak.44 The Palestinian Land Authority, displacements and destruction in the Gaza Strip on
responsible for registration and administration the tenure rights previously established is yet to be
of all types of land in the OPT, does not have the seen. There is no information on the current status of
necessary resources and capacity to undertake its farm registries or cadastres in the Gaza Strip. In the
mandate.45, 46 Progress with regards land registration West Bank, given the insufficient capacity and weak
remained sporadic.41 In addition, land registration legislative frameworks, it remains uncertain whether
was further hampered in the West Bank, where, land registration and tenure security can be improved
under the Oslo II Accord (September 1995), the Israeli in light of heightened damage to Palestinian property
Government retained land registration authority in and increased tensions over land.
Area C and does not recognize any registration or sale

Area type/ (Finished) Land Settled land as Unfinished land Unregistered/unsettled

registration status settlement in square percentage of all land settlement (financial) in land as percentage of all
metres in the West Bank square metres land in the West Bank
Area A 590 632 698 10 413 864 425 7
Area B 463 346 698 8 571 337 648 10
Area C 1 498 176 703 27 1 932 651 429 34
Natural reserves 29 986 017 1 135 024 344 2
Total 2 582 142 115 46 3 052 877 846 54

Table 1: Land registration status in the West Bank

Source:
World Bank. 2018. The socio-economic effects of weak land registration and administration system in the West Bank. Washington, DC.

v Other estimates exist and, although slightly different, reflect the same trends. Based on data provided by the Land and Water Settlement Commission
and cited in UN Habitat’s latest report on Palestine, 62 percent of the land in the West Bank is currently registered, whereas 98 percent of land is
registered in the Gaza Strip.47
The Norwegian Refugee Council, however, reported that in 2015 over 30 percent of privately owned land in the Gaza Strip was estimated
still to be unregistered.48

6
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

Support land-use and cadastral mapping,

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS ◗
combined with land registration and the
establishment of authoritative land registry and
Both the legal land framework and effective land cadastre records. Fit-for-purpose and broadly
rights are volatile in the OPT. The recent escalation accessible mobile applications that support data
of hostilities, displacements and destruction of collection for both individual and community-
property are likely to increase this volatility. based cadastre mapping, land adjudication and
Securing land rights will be crucial for establishing land registration activities foster participatory
peace, stability and resilience in the context of corroboration, facilitating the capturing of details
reconstruction. When reconstruction efforts in the of land parcels, geospatial evidence, information
Gaza Strip and the West Bank commence and the about land rights holders and their rights to those
hundreds of thousands of displaced persons return parcels, as verified by communities themselves.
to their land, it will be critical to establish ownership
over the land prior to rebuilding on the land or ◗ Provide legal representation for local litigation
allocating reconstruction grants. The sheer scale of against competing claims in (post) conflict
the devastation and displacement in the Gaza Strip, situations or in the case of contesting and
and the complex land-tenure context in the West redressing action against Israeli occupation
Bank, call for a special focus on land tenure in the authorities. This includes collecting and compiling
reconstruction process with the following steps. evidence for these cases as well as reinforcing
◗ Monitor and document changes in Israeli land the formal court system and alternative (often
regulation practices related to the West Bank and local and community-led) conflict-resolution
the Gaza Strip in order to understand the evolution processes. This could be achieved through
of land rights in the aftermath of the conflict. support to special local (field) land courts in the
aftermath of the conflict or, alternatively, through
◗ Compile and corroborate evidence from a special field-adjudication institution and
witnesses and inventories and quantification procedure. Both would require special legislation
of land, housing and property-rights losses in and significant capacity building and monitoring
both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as the of the adjudication practices.
basis for potential future claims. More precisely,
there is a need to quantify and value those None of the above can be deployed in isolation, but
losses and consolidate evidence by leveraging should be part of an integrated territorial approach
available technologies to ensure quick, cost- to the recovery, (re-)construction and land (re-)
effective and just resettlement, restitution and/ development of the OPT. This should combine
or compensation of land, housing and property land rights with the provision of basic welfare and
rights for returning/displaced populations. social services and security systems, as well as the
reinforcement of traditional forms of cooperation,
the rebuilding of infrastructure and the fostering
of economic development in harmony with
environmental sustainability.

7
Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank

NOTES

1 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2024. Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel – reported impact. Day 234.
In: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. East Jerusalem. [Cited 7 June 2024].
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-reported-impact-day-234
2 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. 2024. UNRWA situation report #79 on the situation in the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. New York,
USA. [Cited 7 June 2024].
https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-79-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem
3 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. 2024. The Gaza Strip: IPC acute food insecurity analysis, 15 February–15 July 2024. Rome.
https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf
4 FAO. 2024. Damage to cropland due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip as of 20 May 2024. Rome.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1141en
5 FAO. 2024. Damage to cropland categories due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip as of 20 May 2024. Rome.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1142en
6 FAO. 2024. Damage to greenhouses due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip as of 23 April 2024. Rome.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1132en
7 FAO. 2024. Damage to agricultural wells due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip as of 20 May 2024. Rome.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1136en
8 FAO. 2024. Overview of the damage to agricultural land and infrastructure due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip as of 15 February 2024. Rome.
https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/be623bad-4da1-4ca3-af55-f8b0fed84617/content
9 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2024. Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #169. In: United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. East Jerusalem. [Cited 7 June 2024].
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-169
10 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. 2024. UNRWA Situation Report #61 on the situation in the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. New
York, USA. [Cited 7 June 2024].
https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-61-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem
11 United Nations. 1980. Acquisition of land in Palestine. Prepared for, and under the guidance of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable
Rights of the Palestinian People. New York, USA. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-208638.
12 United Nations. 1947. Palestine plan of partition with economic union – General Assembly resolution 181 (II) Future government of Palestine. In:
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