Al Shifa Hospital, Israel’s Proposal for Dismantling UNRWA – Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (excerpt)

1 April 2024

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**Gaza

Turning to the situation in Gaza and more particularly at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, I can tell you that we are planning a mission to the hospital as soon as we can get there to help people receive medical attention and to assess the state of the hospital.  This comes as we saw the reports that the Israeli defence forces have vacated the premises of Al Shifa Hospital.

Yesterday, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros, said that, according to information received, 21 patients had died since Al Shifa came under siege, this time on March 18^th.

Meanwhile, at Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, a WHO team was conducting a humanitarian mission there yesterday when a tent camp inside the hospital compound was hit by an Israeli air strike.  Four people were reportedly killed, and 17 others injured. All WHO staff are accounted for.

The WHO team was at the hospital to assess needs and collect incubators, which are to be sent to health facilities in northern Gaza.

For its part, our colleagues at UNRWA said there has been no significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north.  From 1 to 30 March, a daily average of 159 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza per day.  The highest number this month was on 28 March, when 264 trucks entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing and the Rafah land crossing.  This remains well below the operational target of 500 trucks per day.

UNRWA also continues to provide storage and distribution capacity for other agencies’ food and commodities.  The Agency reported today that more than 1.8 million people — which is 85 per cent of Gaza’s population — have received flour, and nearly 600,000 have received emergency food parcels.

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Question:  Stéphane Dujarric.  Yes, that’s the pronunciation I was told.  The story in The Guardian yesterday that Israel lodged an official proposal with the UN for the dismantling of UNRWA and that the Secretary-General has been notified by UN officials in Israel who’ve received this from the Israeli Chief of General Staff.  We have talked about this weeks ago.  This was sort of floating around.  Can you confirm these elements of the story?

Spokesman:  No.  I’ve spent quite a lot of time this morning on the phone with various colleagues in the region.  Nobody seems to have seen such a document or where that such a document has been shared. No such document was received by the Secretary-General’s office as of this morning.  That being said, our position on UNRWA remains unchanged.  That UNRWA is the lifeline of hope of services for millions of Palestinians in the region, including in Gaza.  And currently it’s the backbone, the spine, the arms and the legs of our humanitarian operation there.  Georgia?

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