Schoolchildren in Haiti receive hot meals provided by the UN and partners. Top news of the day | Monday: Gaza, Lebanon, Haiti, Afghanistan UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: Israel is preventing humanitarian supplies to Gaza, UN observers were injured due to an explosion in Lebanon, humanitarian efforts in Haiti, mine explosions in Afghanistan.
Humanitarian operations in Gaza
Despite recent demands from the International Court of Justice and the Security Council, Israeli forces are blocking humanitarian supplies to the northern Gaza Strip, where the population is starving. The UN calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and compliance with the Security Council resolution on the suspension of hostilities during Ramadan and the rulings of the International Court of Justice. Last Thursday, the Court ordered Israel to take all necessary measures to ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since March 1, Israeli authorities have rejected 30 percent of aid missions in the north of the strip, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Explosion in Lebanon
Over the weekend, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement condemning Saturday’s explosion along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel. As a result of the incident, a UN Monitoring Group patrol in Lebanon was damaged and three personnel were injured, as well as a Lebanese translator. A UN spokesman said on Monday that the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon was investigating the incident. The UN called for ensuring the safety of peacekeepers and stated that such violations of the cessation of hostilities contradict Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
The situation in Haiti
Despite the fragile situation in Haiti, the UN World Food Program has provided assistance to approximately 480,000 Haitians since early March. UN humanitarian agencies are delivering water and medicine and providing psychosocial support to adults and children. More than 360,000 Haitians have been forced to flee their homes due to violence. More than 1,000 schools have been closed across the country, and the health sector has also been severely affected. Meanwhile, there are not enough funds to implement the Humanitarian Plan for Haiti: of the required $674 million, only $45 million has been received—less than 7 percent.
Mines in Afghanistan
More than 10 children were killed or seriously injured in two landmine explosions in Afghanistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday. The incidents occurred in the provinces of Ghazni and Herat. UNICEF expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Since 1989, nearly 44,000 Afghan civilians—an average of about 110 a month—have been killed or injured by landmines and other war-era munitions, according to the UN Mine Action Service. According to a UNICEF report, about 700 children were injured or killed by mines and explosive ordnance in 2022, about two such incidents per day.