Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (12 February 2024)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Occupied Palestinian Territory Syria Sudan Abyei Democratic Republic of the Congo Yemen Security Council Ukraine Afghanistan Trinidad and Tobago World’s Migratory Species Report Prevention of Violent Extremism Financial Contribution OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that strikes in Rafah have heightened concerns of an escalation in Gaza’s southernmost city, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge. Of the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza, the majority are situated in Rafah governorate, where humanitarian operations are now based. The growing insecurity in Rafah is greatly impacting humanitarian response activities. Ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported, particularly in Rafah and Khan Younis. In Khan Younis, intense fighting – especially near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals – continues to jeopardize the safety of medical staff, the wounded and the sick, as well as internally displaced people. Across Gaza, people displaced by the hostilities are facing acute shortages of shelter, clean water, food and medicine. Despite the worsening situation, the UN and partners are doing everything to deliver life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in need. The UN’s humanitarian partners are reaching about 450,000 people weekly with a variety of health services. Each week, partners carry out nearly 300,000 primary health care consultations, on average. They are also planning to open stabilization centres for acute malnutrition cases with medical complications. More than two dozen partners are providing shelter assistance – and some 28,000 tents and other equipment are currently in the pipeline. However, the cost of these supplies is rising, and there is an urgent need to restore the role of the private sector in providing basic commodities. SYRIA The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that on February 10th, the Government of Syria extended its consent for the United Nations to deliver humanitarian assistance through both Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra’i crossings for an additional three months, until 13 May 2024. This extension follows the renewal of consent on January 11th for the UN and its partners to utilize the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for an additional six months until 13 July 2024. These extensions are crucial, as the UN’s cross-border operations remain a vital support system for people in north-west Syria. Every month, we and our partners deliver critical assistance and protection services to an average of 2.5 million people. Since February last year, approximately 5,000 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to north-west Syria via the Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’i border crossings. Moreover, UN personnel have completed more than 350 cross-border missions during this time. SUDAN The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, urged all those involved to immediately restore network access across Sudan, and warned that outages are preventing people from accessing essential services and transferring funds, as well as hindering the humanitarian response. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros, echoed those concerns, and said that the disruptions are impeding health operations, as well as access to health services. This comes at a time when humanitarian needs in Sudan are at record highs. Nearly 25 million people – that’s every other person – need humanitarian assistance this year. Just last week, the UN and its partners launched the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to reach some 14.7 million people inside Sudan with life-saving aid and protection services. Full highlights: February 2024