Today’s top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Ukraine

Occupied Palestinian Territory

OCHA has called for the immediate release of all hostages and an end to the devastating war that has caused unfathomable suffering for the people of Gaza.

In a briefing to the Security Council, the director of OCHA’s Coordination Division, Ramesh Rajasingham, noted that 7 April 2024 will mark six months since the attacks of 7 October 2023, the start of a “horrific chapter in the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Speaking on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, Rajasingham also echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ deep concern over clear violations of international humanitarian law that we have witnessed in Gaza, calling for allegations of serious violations to be investigated and the suspects to be prosecuted.

He said staving off famine in Gaza and addressing the humanitarian catastrophe there requires that all impartial humanitarian organizations – including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) – have safe, rapid and unimpeded access to all civilians in need. There is simply no replacement for the services UNRWA provides.

Rajasingham said the UN and partners were finally able to reach Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza city today, following the end of the Israeli siege on the hospital. This follows repeated denials of UN requests to reach the complex in order to triage remaining patients and assess needs on the ground.

UN and its humanitarian partners continue to do all they can to provide life-saving assistance to civilians across Gaza. Yesterday a 10-truck convoy delivered about 150 metric tons of food parcels and wheat flour to northern Gaza.  

Haiti

Aid organizations continue to deliver emergency assistance to people affected by recent violence, despite security and funding challenges.

Yesterday, the World Food Programme and its partners delivered 21,500 hot meals to displaced people in Port-au-Prince and 216,000 school meals in Cap Haitien, Gonaives, Jérémie and Miragoâne.

Our partners also distributed more than 48,000 liters of water in three displacement sites across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

However, displaced families in Haiti’s capital continue to live in appalling conditions and struggle to receive and access the most basic needs.

Ukraine

Today two convoys delivered aid to hard-to-reach communities in Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Kherson Regions, in the east and south of the country. Communities in these regions are exposed to frequent shelling and face water, electricity and gas cuts.  

The convoy brought hygiene items, medical kits, repair materials, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, bed linen and kitchen sets.

Meanwhile, in the east of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region, local authorities report that intense fighting resulted in civilian casualties and damages to civilian infrastructure.