Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Haiti
-Secretary-General/ECOSOC
-Syria
-Sudan
-Myanmar
-Libya
-International Days
-4th International Conference on Financing for Development
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that yesterday and today, the Israeli authorities granted us access to Kerem Shalom so that our teams could reach additional humanitarian supplies that crossed into the Strip on Monday and Tuesday, crossed from Israel into Kerem Shalom loading areas. Other critical items such as hygiene products or fuel have not been allowed by the Israeli authorities into Kerem Shalom.
So far, and this is as a few minutes ago, but the situation is obviously fluid, none of the supplies have been able to leave the Kerem Shalom loading area. This is because, by yesterday evening, Israeli authorities had only allowed our teams to go through one area that was highly congested, that we felt was insecure and where we felt looting was highly likely to take place, given the prolonged deprivation in Gaza since the blockade by the Israeli authorities for over 11 weeks. The UN hopes that will change very soon. The discussions are ongoing as we speak between our colleagues and the Israeli security authorities.
The UN is continuing to are engage with them to identify the best possible routes out of Kerem Shalom towards Gaza to ensure that the flow of aid is not disrupted or suspended. Partners are in touch with community leaders in Gaza to mitigate the risk of looting and ensure that the supplies entering Gaza reach the people who need them.
However, it is important to underscore that the limited supplies finally being allowed to enter Kerem Shalom are nowhere near enough to meet the needs in Gaza, which are vast, which are tremendous. Much, much more aid needs to get in.
Meanwhile, bombardment and shelling are continuing across the Gaza Strip. Today, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported dozens of people killed in the last 24 hours, and yesterday, it made an urgent call for blood donations for the sick and for those injured.
OCHA is telling us that 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip is now either subject to displacement orders or located in Israeli-militarized zones. These zones require humanitarians to coordinate their movements with the Israeli security authorities.
UN partners says that over the past few days, almost half of the newly displaced people have fled with none of their belongings. The ongoing displacement of Gaza’s population is putting immense pressure on humanitarian teams, especially when there is no food or any basic items being allowed in.
In Gaza City, our partners report an extreme lack of shelter space: Displacement sites and residential buildings are all very much overcrowded. People are settling in abandoned, unfinished, or destroyed or damaged structures. Some are sleeping out in the open.
And as we have been saying over, and over and over again, civilians need be protected, including those fleeing or forced to leave through displacement orders or those who remain despite the displacement orders.
Meanwhile, continued attacks on healthcare facilities are ongoing. Earlier today, Al Awda Hospital, which is the only partially functional hospital in North Gaza governorate, and still treating a dozen patients, was hit. Yesterday, Kamal Adwan Hospital ceased operations.
As of yesterday, UN partners report that about 304,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered through about 70 kitchens. Five kitchens resumed operations, including two in Khan Younis and three that relocated to Gaza City following recent displacement orders from North Gaza. However, five others in Gaza City and Khan Younis were forced to shut down after their supplies were depleted.
UN partners providing water, sanitation and hygiene services say that the water situation is worsening by the day. For example, the largest desalination plant in the north of Gaza is in an area slated for displacement. This has disrupted access to drinking water for about 150,000 people.
In southern Gaza, in Al Mawasi, the water situation is also dire, as the area is not connected to the water network and relies heavily on water trucking. This requires both vehicles and fuel to serve the needy population.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=21%20May%202025