State of Palestine

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Gaza, aid partners report being able to reach Al Aqsa Hospital, in Deir Al Balah, with about 15,000 litres of fuel. Consistent fuel delivery is vital to keep oxygen generators running, without which the lives of over 20 newborn babies would be at risk. Between 7 and 23 May, just over 900 aid trucks have entered Gaza.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN peacekeepers are conducting day and night joint patrols with the Congolese armed forces in several areas in North Kivu province to ensure the protection of civilians and prevent the free movement of armed groups, particularly the Allied Democratic Forces.

In Burundi, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $2.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to provide life-saving assistance to over 63,000 people, including water and hygiene kits, latrines, health support and cash, affected by severe flooding and landslides across the country.

In Burkina Faso, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the emergency response there. The funds will support 150,000 people in the Sahel, Centre-Nord and Est regions with life-saving assistance.

Saving lives and ensuring humanitarian access in Rafah and across the Gaza Strip are urgent priorities, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as delegates urged Israel to stop its military offensive in Rafah.

In Myanmar, the United Nations continues to follow closely the situation in Rakhine State, which is worsening the vulnerabilities of all communities in one of the country’s poorest regions.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that Uganda’s open-door policy for refugees is being strained by arrivals from Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In Haiti, the United Nations and its partners continue to support people affected and displaced by the ongoing violence. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its mobile clinics, and its partners have supported more than 20,000 displaced people in Port-au-Prince since the end of February.

In Nigeria, the UN, its humanitarian assistance partners and the Government have launched a $306 million appeal to support 2.8 million people in the country’s north-east — comprising the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe — where some 4.8 million people are facing food insecurity, the highest level in seven years.