Queue for food distribution in Gaza. On the first day of Ramadan, the UN chief called for a truce in Gaza Peace and security
The UN Secretary-General called on Monday to honor the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan by silencing the guns, releasing all hostages and organizing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Ramadan is a period when Muslims around the world celebrate and spread the values of peace, harmony and solidarity,” Antonio Guterres said at a briefing in New York. “But this year, even though Ramadan has begun, the killings, bombings and bloodshed in Gaza continue.” into an even deeper circle of hell,” the UN chief warned, calling on political, religious and social leaders around the world to do everything possible to ensure that this holy period becomes a time of empathy and action for peace.
By land and sea
It has been almost six weeks since the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was last able to deliver aid to north of Gaza.
“There is a need to increase the amount of humanitarian aid delivered through land routes, including through UNRWA, because we have the largest presence on the ground and we know what to do and how to do it,” said UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Tuma.
The European Commission, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries, in close cooperation with the UN Senior Humanitarian Coordinator in the enclave, Sigrid Kaag, announced joint efforts to open a safe sea corridor to Gaza.
On Monday, a ship carrying humanitarian supplies set sail from a port in Cyprus for the northern part of Gaza, where the threat of mass famine is growing every day. The Open-Arms, carrying about 200 tons of food, was anchored in Larnaca, southeast Cyprus, about 200 nautical miles from Gaza, awaiting permission to sail from Israeli authorities.
At the same time, the Cypriot government confirmed US President Joe Biden’s announcement last Thursday that the United States would build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to speed up the delivery of aid. According to media reports, construction will take at least two months.
Hunger and shortages of essentials in hospitals
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over the weekend in A consignment of goods was delivered to two hospitals in northern Gaza, including medicines for trauma departments and 13 thousand liters of fuel. However, medical teams still lack basic essentials, including food, fuel, anesthetics and antibiotics, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sunday. “We need stable and safe access to health facilities to regularly deliver life-saving medical care,” he stressed.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition among adolescents in Gaza is extreme: to date, at least 18 children have died from starvation and dehydration in the north of the strip. In turn, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that the enclave is also experiencing a sharp increase in the rate of malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women.