Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti
Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, visited Gaza yesterday for the first time since his appointment to see the situation on the ground and meet the humanitarian team.
Hadi visited sites in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, including a shelter for the displaced and a health centre, and spoke with members of the community. He saw firsthand the catastrophic situation in Gaza and how the ongoing hostilities are affecting people.
He spent the night in Rafah, where 1.4 million people are sheltering in dire living conditions, lacking basic necessities, including water, food, shelter and health care.
On the humanitarian response, last week, 16 of our partners were able to provide food assistance across Gaza – including hot meals, bread, and flour.
For its part, the World Food Programme reports that four bakeries in northern Gaza have resumed their operations. Across Gaza, WFP continues to provide fuel, wheat flour and other necessary resources to 16 bakeries.
On the health front, in the past week, two emergency medical teams have been deployed to North Gaza to support Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals. At present, there are 20 emergency medical teams across Gaza, including two in northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, fuel continues to be distributed daily to water and sanitation facilities, but the quantities are insufficient and inconsistent, including in northern Gaza.
Haiti
Insecurity and violence continue to affect people, not only in the greater Port-au-Prince area, but also in other regions, notably Artibonite and southern Haiti.
Despite the difficulties, we and our partners continue to support the most vulnerable people.
Since 1 March, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration and our humanitarian partners have facilitated the delivery of 5.3 million liters of drinking water to more than 60,000 displaced people across 29 sites. They also distributed thousands of hygiene kits to displaced sites.
On the health front, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization, Haiti continues to strengthen its surveillance for early detection of cholera and other potentially epidemic diseases.