Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Today, a team from OCHA, the World Health Organization and UNICEF visited Shifa hospital in Gaza city.
They brought with them medicines, vaccines and fuel to help ensure that the medical facility remains functioning.
The team also met with people who were among those injured yesterday while seeking life-saving aid west of Gaza city.
Shifa hospital has reportedly admitted more than 700 people injured in that incident, about 200 of whom are still hospitalized.
By the time of the team's visit, the hospital had also received the bodies of more than 70 people who had been killed.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the overall death toll from the incident has reached 112.
This is the first time the UN has been able to deliver aid into besieged northern Gaza in over a week.
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Kaag, the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, has just completed a three-day visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, during which she met separately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas.
While in Israel, she also met with other members of the War Cabinet and President Herzog. In her meetings, she discussed the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2720 and emphasized the urgency of increasing the volume of aid to Gaza to address the needs of the civilian population.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
OCHA has warned about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in North Kivu, in the east of the country.
Since early February, more than 215,000 people have fled towards Goma, which is now hosting over 630,000 people.
Ongoing clashes have also impacted civilian infrastructure. According to humanitarian partners, at least seven health facilities have been looted and seven schools damaged by bombings since early January.
Fighting is disrupting aid delivery, with several roads cut off. Some partners have withdrawn from high-risk areas like Masisi territory. On February 26th, an aid organization suspended medical care for over 20,000 due to renewed clashes in Rutshuru territory, also in North Kivu.
Humanitarians continue to advocate for unimpeded access to people in need.
Zambia
The UN is supporting the Government-led response to the drought emergency in the country, as weather extremes, economic hardship and a cholera outbreak fuel a worsening of the humanitarian crisis.
OCHA is working with the UN team in Zambia to scale up our response over the next nine months – a plan that will urgently require some US$39 million in funding.
UN agencies aim to provide emergency cash transfers to some 475,000 people facing high levels of acute food security in more than a dozen districts in Zambia. These households will also receive drought-tolerant crop varieties and other critical agricultural support meant to help farmers maintain their livelihoods and prevent hunger-based migration.
More than 2 million people – or 21 per cent of Zambia’s population – is estimated to be facing high levels of acute food insecurity this year.