New York - Gaza: Europe and the Arabs
After welcoming the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a humanitarian truce, the United Nations said that it would mobilize all its capabilities to support the implementation of the agreement “and maximize its positive impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
According to the UN Deputy Spokesperson, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynne Hastings, said that the UN and its humanitarian partners stand ready “to seize this opportunity to increase humanitarian operations wherever there are people in need.” According to what was stated in the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received on Thursday morning
She stressed the need to allow humanitarian operations to be conducted throughout Gaza, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.
During a press conference held in New York yesterday, Wednesday, United Nations Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said that Ms. Hastings stressed that civilians in Gaza cannot rely on humanitarian aid alone, but rather, “the entry of commercial goods must resume, especially through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which has... With the carrying capacity for that.”
Regarding current humanitarian efforts, Mr. Haq reported that 63,800 liters of fuel entered Gaza via Egypt yesterday. He said that fuel is being distributed by UNRWA to support food distribution and operate hospital generators, water and sanitation facilities, shelters and other vital services.
79 trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies had entered from Egypt by yesterday evening, bringing the total number of trucks, excluding fuel trucks, to at least 1,399 trucks, “compared to a monthly average of about ten thousand trucks loaded with commercial and humanitarian goods, excluding fuel, that were entering Gaza before.” October 7th.
Attacks on health
Mr. Haq also referred to the attack that took place yesterday on Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, which led to the killing of three doctors and a patient’s attendant and the injury of many patients. He said: "Since the beginning of the war, the World Health Organization has documented 178 attacks on health care in the Gaza Strip, which led to the death of 22 people and the injury of 48 others among health care workers while on duty."
It is estimated that only two small hospitals located north of Wadi Gaza, one in Gaza City and the other in Beit Lahia, are partially functioning to receive patients, while the remaining 22 hospitals are out of service. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, 7 are currently operational.
The Deputy Spokesman said that approximately 770,000 displaced people out of 1.7 million displaced people are sheltering in 99 UNRWA facilities south of Wadi Gaza and are living in conditions characterized by severe overcrowding. In the past two weeks, the agency has recorded a 35 percent increase in skin diseases and a 40 percent increase in diarrhea cases in these facilities.
Visit DiCarlo
On the political level, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo today concluded a visit to the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel and Jordan, during which she met with senior officials there. Its discussions focused on the war in Gaza and the attacks of October 7.
Ms. DiCarlo also met with Palestine Red Crescent leadership and UN staff, and paid tribute to many colleagues who paid the ultimate price during the violence, including at least 108 UNRWA staff and colleague Dima Al-Hajj from the World Health Organization, who were killed in the Gaza Strip.
At the conclusion of the visit, DiCarlo stressed the priorities identified by the Secretary-General, which are:
“Humanitarian ceasefire, improving humanitarian access to Gaza, immediately and unconditionally releasing all hostages, and preventing escalation or expansion of the conflict.”
She affirmed her conviction of the urgent need for everyone to commit to a political horizon through a two-state solution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, security and dignity. “We know very well what failure means,” she said.