The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings, confirmed today, Thursday, that the cessation of hostilities reached last Friday, after 11 days of intensity, violence and escalation, "remains fragile."
This morning, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory launched an emergency plan worth $ 95 million "to support people affected by the recent escalation and violence in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem ." "She visited the Gaza Strip over the weekend," said Hastings, who was speaking from Jerusalem to reporters at the New York headquarters via video technology. The UN coordinator stressed that the coming days will be very important to "avoid a return to any active conflict," explaining that in the period preceding the escalation, there were tensions and hostilities that escalated in Jerusalem, the West Bank and "Israel", which led to deaths and injuries, as witnessed The whole world . Hastings stated that the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Thor Winsland, is working closely with all concerned parties, including the Security Council, Egypt and Qatar, to ensure that the cessation of hostilities continues and the fighting does not resume . Donors are invited to contribute generously Together with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, Hastings called on Member States to contribute generously to "a $ 95 million plan to allow rapid and full implementation over the next three months ." In this context, Secretary-General António Guterres said that over the past few weeks the world has seen civilians undergo another round of devastating violence and destruction, adding that "children and adults have been killed, thousands injured. Families´ lives are scattered ." During her visit to Gaza, immediately after the ceasefire, Hastings met with Palestinians who had lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the conflict, and witnessed damage to civilian infrastructure and left 800,000 people without regular access to and access to piped water . Significant damage to infrastructure According to the Special Coordinator, the damage to the sewage network has resulted in large quantities of untreated sewage being discharged into the sea, causing health problems and pollution. Damage to 54 schools undermines children´s access to education, and damage to six hospitals and 11 health care facilities impedes the provision of health services . She said that the fuel shortage and the destruction of the electricity network have reduced access to electricity supplies to 4-6 hours on average per day throughout Gaza, which further limits the provision of these basic services. "This comes at a time when health systems are under heavy burdens due to the Corona pandemic ." Hastings announced earlier this week that it had allocated $ 18 million from the Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in addition to an additional $ 4.5 million launched by Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock . According to the OCHA statement, the United Nations and partner NGOs are working to restore people´s access to food, water, health care and other basic services. "However, more funding is needed from Member States to ensure that humanitarian needs are met ." In this context, the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, explained that humanitarian aid has been a lifeline for many Palestinians for many years. He added that we are determined to continue to stand by them. "Therefore, we need funding and access ." Lowcock called on the parties not to obstruct the flow of humanitarian aid, saying: "I call on Israel and the Palestinian authorities to fulfill their obligation to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian workers and materials."
