Gaza, Haiti, Ukraine, & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (3 April 2024)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
-Gaza
-Gaza/damage report
-Children in armed conflict
-Middle East/Palestine refugees
-Security Council/Iran
-Haiti
-Ukraine
-Central African republic
-Guests tomorrow
-Democratic republic of the congo
-Uganda
-Malawi
-Financial contribution

GAZA
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that we have suspended night-time movements within the Gaza Strip for 48 hours to allow for further evaluation of the security issues that affect the safety of our personnel and the civilian population, following the tragic incident on Monday where staff from the World Central Kitchen were killed.
That’s the night-time movement. During the day, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that operations continue, including our daily efforts to send convoys to the north. People are dying and it is essential that we provide assistance to them, they say. And as famine closes in, we need humanitarian staff and supplies to be able to move freely and safely across Gaza.
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that today, it once again requested that Israeli authorities facilitate a mission to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. As we told you yesterday, multiple requests to reach the hospital over the past two weeks were denied, delayed or impeded.
WHO teams were also planning to visit two other hospitals in northern Gaza today – Sahaba and Ahli. However, they did not receive permission to move.
We can only underscore once more that delays and denials of humanitarian missions not only prevent us from reaching those in need – they also impact other operations and deliveries by diverting scarce resources.
The UN and its humanitarian partners will continue to do all we can to get life-saving assistance to civilians across Gaza.
Meantime, OCHA is working with the Palestine Red Crescent Society to assist in the repatriation of the remains of those international staff members from World Central Kitchen.

GAZA/DAMAGE REPORT
An interim report - released jointly by the United Nations and the World Bank estimates the cost of damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza is at around $18.5 billion.
An estimated 26 million tons of debris and rubble were left after the destruction, an amount estimated to take years to actually remove.
The “Interim Damage Assessment” report used remote data collection sources to measure damage to physical infrastructure in critical sectors incurred between October 2023 and end of January this year.
It also points to the impact on the people of Gaza; where 75 per cent of the population is displaced, and 100 per cent of children are out of school. The report also identifies key actions for early recovery efforts.
And just to say that a more comprehensive assessment will be completed as soon as the situation allows, and the losses and needs are expected to be significantly higher than that of the interim assessment.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=03%20April%202024