Briefing journalists Wednesday in New York, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Hostilities in parts of the Gaza Strip continue to cause casualties and repeatedly disrupt humanitarian operations.
On Tuesday, the UN and its partners coordinated eight planned humanitarian movements inside Gaza with Israeli authorities. Of these, only one movement was facilitated, while the other seven were hindered, refused or canceled.
Despite the difficulties, UN teams managed to recover more than 200 pallets of medicine and five tanker trucks of fuel at the Kerem Shalom/Kerem Abu Salem border post. Additional tents were also collected at the Kissufim crossing.
“Every delivery to Gaza makes a significant difference,” Mr. Dujarric said.
The health system barely works
The spokesperson stressed that Gaza’s health system remains in a state of extreme fragility.
“Not a single hospital in Gaza is fully functional,” he said, noting that only 18 of the Strip’s 36 hospitals are currently partially operational.
On Monday, teams from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) facilitated the medical evacuation of 33 Palestinians requiring intensive care, as well as more than 100 accompanying people. However, the scale of unmet medical needs remains overwhelming.
“There are still more than 16,500 patients who need to receive medical care outside Gaza,” Dujarric said.
WHO continues to call for safe access to all evacuation routes, particularly to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to expedite medical evacuation convoys at crossing points.
Maintain education
Meanwhile, UN agencies continue their efforts to maintain essential civilian services. The United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) maintains learning activities for displaced children across Gaza.
As of Sunday, UNRWA was operating nearly 350 temporary learning spaces in 64 shelters, providing in-person education to more than 47,000 boys and girls.
Humanitarians also continue to provide other essential support.
Call for unfettered access
Mr Dujarric said the United Nations and its partners were ready to scale up operations if restrictions were eased.
“We are once again calling for unhindered humanitarian access so that teams can reach everyone they need,” he said.
“We and our partners can do much more as soon as restrictions on essential items and humanitarian groups are lifted. »
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
