Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine
Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA warns that if aid does not begin to enter Gaza in massive quantities, desperation and hunger will spread.
The closure of the Rafah crossing and limited functionality of Kerem Shalom in the south have choked off the flow of life-saving supplies.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says there are no food distributions taking place in the south, except for some limited stocks that are being provided to community kitchens for hot meals.
WFP hopes to work with partners to see more community kitchens open in areas like Khan Younis, which his hosting people who fled the escalating hostilities in Rafah.
Since the beginning of this month, WFP has worked with more than 70 community kitchens across Gaza to provide some 4.4 million hot meals to people in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that many hospitals lack fuel and medicines due to the continued closure of the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza.
In a social media post, WHO’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that access to health care across Gaza is shrinking. He said Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north is no longer functioning, amid reports that all patients and staff were evacuated.
WHO said another hospital in the north, Al-Awda, was reportedly invaded earlier on Wednesday, after days under siege. Dr. Tedros called for the protection of patients, their companions and health workers inside the hospital – as well as safe passage for their evacuation.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, OCHA reports that 12 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation in Jenin, which concluded yesterday. More than two dozen others were injured, including one medical worker. Multiple UNRWA facilities were damaged, and residential shelters and civilian infrastructure were destroyed.
United Arab Emirates
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has wrapped up a visit to Abu Dhabi.
There, he met with Emirati officials to discuss humanitarian issues and ways to further strengthen the collaboration between the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations.
Ukraine
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, issued a statement condemning the deadly attacks on Kharkiv City today, which follow two weeks of attacks on the region.
Homes, businesses, transport and other civilian infrastructure have been destroyed, and thousands of civilians – including older people and people with disabilities – have been forced to flee, leaving their entire lives behind.
The UN and humanitarian partners continue to support evacuated people and those affected by the strikes.
The humanitarian response also continues across the country. As of the end of April, nearly 500 partners provided assistance to 4.4 million people in Ukraine as part of the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan.
Meanwhile, in a social media post today, Griffiths thanked Qatar for its efforts to reunite six children, who had been displaced by the conflict in Ukraine in Russia, with their families, noting that this underscores the strength of Qatar’s humanitarian leadership.