The UN is talking about the need to expand humanitarian operations in Gaza. Gaza: UN calls for all crossings to be opened to expand aid supplies Humanitarian assistance
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher headed to Rafah after his visit to Cairo. He noted how important this route is for delivering aid to the Gaza Strip.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Fletcher heads, says shipments from Egypt are still being diverted and inspected on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. The opening of the Rafah checkpoint will ensure more timely delivery of aid. Fletcher stressed the need to open all checkpoints to expand humanitarian operations.
Speaking to reporters in Cairo yesterday, he stressed that humanitarian organizations have been preparing for this moment and now need full access to deliver the necessary volumes of aid. UN.
“Israeli authorities currently do not issue visas to a number of international NGOs and do not allow many of them to send supplies to the Gaza Strip. At the same time, humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to make the most of the opportunities provided to them by the ceasefire,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a press briefing in New York.
On Tuesday alone, UN partners distributed nearly 960,000 meals through 175 soup kitchens, and UN-supported bakeries produced more than 200,000 kilograms of bread. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided more than a million diapers to families in Gaza. And three World Health Organization (WHO) trucks delivered medical supplies, including surgical ones, from their warehouse in Deir el-Balah to Gaza City.
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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said they would be transferred to a hospital “Al-Shifa” and used to treat 10 thousand people. WHO also deployed an international emergency medical team to strengthen orthopedic surgery and trauma care in Gaza. WHO teams have opened two new operating rooms in Gaza and are planning to add 120 more beds at Al-Shifa Hospital.
OCHA reports that teams from across the UN system have completed clearing the main roads leading to the Erez and Zikim crossings in north of the sector.
“Today our teams are checking the Salah al-Din road, which has not been used for several months,” Dujarric said.
The UN is also continuing to supply supplies, including flour, food parcels and personal items hygiene, at the Kisufim and Kerem Shalom checkpoints.
Staff from several UN agencies visited the Sheikh Radwan area in Gaza City, which was seriously damaged by the recent military operation. Its residents are trying to return to their homes and clearing away the rubble.