Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Yemen, Syria
Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has commenced a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In a social media post earlier today, Mr. Griffiths said that Palestinian and Israeli civilians have suffered enough, and he appealed to all parties to free the hostages; protect civilians wherever they are; swiftly allow the delivery of aid, safely and at scale; and respect international humanitarian law.
Mr. Griffiths said he will hold discussions with the leadership of both parties on how to ramp up the humanitarian response.
In Jerusalem today, he met with family members of some of the 230 Israelis who have been held hostage since 7 October. Mr. Griffiths said those families have been living in agony for the past three weeks, not knowing if their loved ones are dead or alive.
OCHA reported that yesterday, at least 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt. This is the largest delivery of humanitarian aid since 21 October, when limited deliveries resumed.
While this increase is welcome, a much larger volume of aid is needed on a regular basis to prevent further deterioration in 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.
Meanwhile, the cumulative number of internally displaced people since the start of hostilities in Gaza is estimated at more than 1.4 million, including more than 670,000 people staying in 150 UNRWA facilities.
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 to evacuate these facilities immediately. All 13 hospitals still operational in Gaza city and northern Gaza have received repeated evacuation orders in recent days.
Sudan
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, over the weekend welcomed the resumption of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, saying the negotiations couldn’t have started soon enough.
In a statement, Mr. Griffiths said the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces must fully adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure safe, sustained and unhindered access to people in need – including by breaking the bureaucratic logjam.
More than six months since the start of the conflict, the UN and partners have reached more than 3.5 million people with humanitarian assistance – but that’s just 20 per cent of the number we aim to help.
OCHA has a team in Jeddah to facilitate the humanitarian track of these critical negotiations.
Yemen
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, David Gressly, said he was deeply dismayed by the death of a humanitarian worker, who had been detained since 9 September.
In a statement, Mr. Gressly called on the authorities in Sana’a to provide complete and timely information regarding the circumstances that led to the death of Hisham Al-Hakimi, who had worked with Save the Children since 2006.
Mr. Gressly noted that three UN staff remain detained by the Sana’a authorities, and he urged the authorities to provide full information on their circumstances, as well as access to visitation.
Syria
Addressing the UN Security Council this morning, Ms. Edem Wosornu, OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, said several areas across northern Syria have experienced a serious escalation in hostilities.
This has 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 operations. Hostilities have also damaged critical services and infrastructure, including more than 40 health facilities, two dozen schools and more than 20 water systems, and temporarily affected the main power station in Idleb.
Ms. Wosornu said that 10 months into the year, the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan remains 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.