Gaza, Syria, Haiti & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (30 Oct 2023) | United Nations
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Secretary-General/Travels Deputy Secretary-General Gaza Syria Lebanon Democratic Republic of the Congo Sudan Haiti Bangladesh Senior Personnel Announcements Guests Tomorrow GAZA Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, yesterday, at least 33 trucks carrying water, food, and medical supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing in northern Egypt. This is the largest delivery of humanitarian aid since 21 October, when limited deliveries of humanitarian aid resumed through Rafah. While this increase is welcome, a much larger volume of aid is needed on a regular basis to prevent further deterioration of the dire humanitarian situation, including civil unrest. In particular, the entry of fuel to operate medical equipment and water and sanitation facilities is urgently required. The cumulative number of internally displaced persons since the start of the hostilities in Gaza is estimated at over 1.4 million men, women and children. This includes more than 670,000 people who are sheltering in 150 shelters run by UNRWA. And all these shelters are way over their normal capacity. Over the weekend, the vicinities of Shifa and Al Quds hospitals in Gaza city and of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza were reportedly bombarded, causing damage. This followed renewed calls by the Israeli military authorities to evacuate these facilities. All [the] 13 hospitals still operational in Gaza city and northern Gaza have received repeated evacuation orders in recent days. For his part, Martin Griffiths, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, has started a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Mr. Griffiths said he will hold discussions on how to ramp up the humanitarian response for civilians in Gaza. Going back to Saturday, UNRWA reported that thousands of people broke into several UNRWA warehouses and distribution centres in Gaza, taking flour, hygiene supplies and other items. UNRWA’s Operations Director, Tom White, said “this is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza.” SYRIA Meanwhile back here, the Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, briefed Security Council members on the situation in Syria. He warned that the Syrian people are facing a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation, given the alarming developments in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He sounded the alarm that the situation is now at its most dangerous for a long time and called for an immediate de-escalation while advancing the political process. Also addressing Security Council members, Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She said that several areas across northern Syria experienced a serious escalation in hostilities. This had a deep impact on humanitarian workers and operations, particularly in the north-west of the country. Three aid workers were among those killed, and many organizations were forced to temporarily suspend their operations. Hostilities have also damaged critical services and infrastructure, including more than 40 health facilities, two dozen schools and some 20 water systems; and temporarily affected the main power station in Idlib. Ten months into this year, Ms. Wosornu said, the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan is less than 30 per cent funded, and without additional funding, OCHA fears that many people will go without the support they need to get through the harsh winter months, and we’ve seen how harsh the Winters in Syria can be. HAITI The World Food Programme tells us that since mid-August, violence in Port-au-Prince has forced about 40,000 people to flee from their homes. These recent movements bring the total number of displaced people across the country to 200,000. In the Haitian capital, displaced people have taken shelter in over 90 different locations, including schools, churches and abandoned buildings. WFP has set up three central kitchens in the capital, where, each day, as many as 22,000 meals are prepared and then transported to various sites where displaced people are staying. The food agency is in the process of shifting from serving hot meals to providing cash assistance to displaced people. However, and we often tals about what underfunding means for people. Funding cuts mean WFP has been unable to deliver continuous assistance to all those in need and is urgently calling for US$ 136 million to reach the most vulnerable Haitians over the next six months. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon... Full Highlights:
