The UN has appealed for $4.07 billion to provide desperately needed aid in conflict-battered Gaza and the West Bank next year, saying that the actual amount needed is far higher, reports. The aim will be to assist “the entire population of Gaza, estimated at 2.1 million people, and 900,000 people in the West Bank”, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said in its appeal. It said that the actual needs amounted to “at least $6.6bn”, but suggested that Israeli constraints placed on aid delivery meant it would be difficult to scale up operations to that level. “To be able to implement the full scale of what is urgently needed, Israel must take immediate and effective measures to ensure the essential needs of civilians are met,” the appeal said.