Highlights of the UN system, Monday 24 June 2024

24 June 2024

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OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that access constraints and security concerns continue to hinder efforts to scale up food and nutrition assistance in Gaza, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in need. The inability of humanitarian agencies to consistently and safely transport aid commodities from the Kerem Shalom crossing, combined with the continued closure of Rafah crossing, has compounded the challenges facing aid operations.

OCHA reports that, as of Sunday, fewer than half of 86 coordinated humanitarian missions to northern Gaza planned for this month were facilitated by Israeli authorities. More than a quarter were impeded, 12 per cent were denied access, and 12 per cent were canceled due to logistical, operational or security reasons.

In one incident on Sunday, a humanitarian mission returning to southern Gaza – after delivering fuel and medical supplies to Gaza city in the north – was delayed for more than 13 hours at an Israeli military checkpoint, putting the convoy in danger of being caught in crossfire.
OCHA says planned humanitarian missions requiring coordination to areas in southern Gaza also continue to face impediments and access denials.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that more than 10,000 people need medical evacuations outside Gaza. Earlier today, the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appealed for their sustained medical evacuation and timely passage via all possible routes.

Paediatric patients are among those who need to leave Gaza for specialized care. On Sunday, WHO and partners transferred five of these patients – four with cancer and one with second-degree burns – from Al-Ahli hospital to Nasser Medical Complex, where they will continue to receive care until they can depart Gaza.

The team also delivered medical supplies to cover the health needs of some 20,000 patients at Al-Ahli and As-Sahaba hospitals, as well as 19,000 litres of fuel.
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