Gaza, Lebanon, Haiti & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (1st April 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Gaza
-Lebanon
-Haiti
-World Autism Awareness Day
-Financial contributions
-Escalators
-Briefing today

GAZA
Turning to the situation in Gaza and more particularly at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, the UN is planning a mission to the hospital as soon as possible to help people receive medical attention and to assess the state of the hospital. This comes as we saw the reports that the Israeli defence forces have vacated the premises of Al Shifa Hospital.
Yesterday, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros, said that, according to information received, 21 patients had died since Al Shifa came under siege on March 18th.
Meanwhile, at Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, a WHO team was conducting a humanitarian mission there yesterday when a tent camp inside the hospital compound was hit by an Israeli airstrike. Four people were reportedly killed, and 17 others injured. All WHO staff are accounted for.
The WHO team was at the hospital to assess needs and collect incubators, which are to be sent to health facilities in northern Gaza.
For its part, our colleagues at UNRWA said there has been no significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north. From 1 - 30 March, a daily average of 159 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza per day. The highest number this month was on 28 March, when 264 trucks entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom/ Karem Abu Salem crossing and Rafah land crossing. This remains well below the operational target of 500 trucks per day.
UNRWA also continues to provide storage and distribution capacity for other agencies’ food and commodities. The agency reported today that more than 1.8 million people – which is 85 per cent of Gaza’s population – have received flour, and nearly 600,000 have received emergency food parcels.

LEBANON
In a statement issued over the weekend on the situation along the Blue Line, the Secretary-General condemned an explosion on Saturday that impacted an Observer Group Lebanon patrol, injuring three of the UN military observers that belong to UNTSO, the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and one language assistant, a Lebanese language assistant. And our peacekeeping colleagues updated, telling us today that the four people are recovering after Saturday’s incident. The UNIFIL head of mission and force commander, Major General Aroldo Lázaro, today visited one of the military observers, who is being cared for in a hospital in Beirut.
An investigation is ongoing by the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The Secretary-General reiterates that the safety and security of peacekeepers must be ensured.
And we keep saying that these repeated breaches of the cessation of hostilities are in violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
The impact on civilian areas on both sides of the Blue Line is unacceptable, and we urge all sides to pursue a diplomatic solution to this crisis.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=01%20April%202024