Children collect drinking water in Rafah, southern Gaza. Top news of the day | Thursday: Ukraine, Gaza, Russia, Myanmar UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: night strikes on Kharkov, the resumption of night movements in Gaza, the prosecution of Oleg Orlov, the crisis in Myanmar.
Strikes on Kharkov
UN Coordinator in Ukraine Denise Brown condemned night attacks on Kharkov, where she is currently on a business trip. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the strikes injured more than a dozen civilians, including emergency workers. In addition, power supply was disrupted in several areas of the city. Humanitarian organizations have been supporting the efforts of rescuers and municipal services since early morning, providing hot meals, repair materials and other emergency assistance.
Humanitarian Operations in Gaza
On Thursday, after a 48-hour pause, the UN resumed night movements in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) was able to visit two hospitals in Gaza City. The organization assessed the situation at Al Sahaba Hospital and delivered food and emergency supplies. At Al Ahli Hospital, WHO distributed medical supplies and transported one patient and his caregiver to the south. The WHO team has not yet gained access to the destroyed Al-Shifa hospital. Patients who were able to leave the facility told WHO of terrible conditions during the siege, where they had no food, water or medicine.
The trial of Oleg Orlov
Russian authorities must immediately drop all criminal charges against human rights activist Oleg Orlov and reverse the unfair trial against him. This was stated on Thursday by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katsarova. According to Katsarova, the Golovinsky District Court of Moscow appears to be deliberately rushing the process in order to reach a final verdict on the appeal, which Orlov filed on March 12, 2024. She emphasized that the international community expresses its solidarity with Oleg Orlov and other suppressed voices in Russia.
Security Council on the situation in Myanmar
Violence is rising in Myanmar, population displacement continues, and the political and humanitarian crisis deepens. This statement was made by Assistant UN Chief for Asia Khaled Hiyari at the Security Council on Thursday. Today’s meeting on Myanmar, focusing mainly on the situation in Rakhine State, was the first open briefing at the Security Council since the military seized power in the country more than three years ago in February 2021. The Assistant Secretary-General said that given the current situation in Rakhine, Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar in 2017 still have no opportunity to return home. The UN calls for more efforts to ensure this opportunity.