Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Yemen

Children engage in learning activities at a health facility managed by the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in the north of Gaza. Photo: OCHA

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Sharp spike in violence drives humanitarian needs, casualties

OCHA warns that insecurity – including airstrikes, shelling and armed clashes – is on the rise, leading to civilian casualties.

Last week saw the highest number of such incidents since the ceasefire went into effect, with more than 300 reported.

OCHA reiterates that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected.

Meanwhile, UN and humanitarian partners continue to distribute shelter assistance to people in need across the Strip. Since Sunday, they have provided more than 9,700 families with tents, mattresses, blankets and warm clothes, as well as hundreds of cooking pots and kitchen utensils.

OCHA continues to stress the need for the unrestricted flow of critical supplies into Gaza. These include timber, plywood, cement and tool kits to reinforce shelters and repair people’s homes, in addition to equipment to clear debris and break down rubble and water pumps and sandbags to drain stormwater and mitigate flooding.

Humanitarian partners report that since the ceasefire took effect, they have re-opened 36 health facilities and established 26 new ones. Aid organizations warn, however, that only around 40 per cent of health facilities are functioning, most of them only partially.

Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov, continued his visit to Gaza.

In Gaza city and North Gaza governorate, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov visited several health service points and nutrition facilities, as well as a temporary learning space. He met with humanitarian partners and heard from Palestinians who are receiving services at these locations.

Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov also visited a food distribution point in Beit Lahyia, which was activated to serve thousands of people who have recently returned to the area, as well as a joint distribution point in Gaza city. Dr. Alakbarov thanked humanitarian organizations for their tireless efforts to serve people in need and reaffirmed his support for their continued dedication.

Tomorrow, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov will visit more facilities in southern Gaza to see how the response continues to scale up and to discuss remaining challenges.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza with urgent support.

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

Fighting and red tape hamper cholera response in South Kivu

OCHA warns that severe access restrictions – resulting from both insecurity and administrative hurdles – are hampering life-saving operations in the territories of Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira in South Kivu province in the east of the country.

Although a period of relative calm this month has allowed schools to gradually reopen in the cities of Uvira and Baraka, the humanitarian situation remains in flux.

The area hosts more than 330,000 people who have fled conflict. It is also facing a surge in cholera cases. In the first half of this month, health authorities in the territories of Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira have reported more than 1,200 suspected cholera cases and 28 deaths.

While humanitarian partners are scaling up their response, fighting and red tape continue to slow operations down. Key roads have been designated as zones of military operations, and at least three vehicles belonging to aid organizations have reportedly been confiscated by armed groups since 22 December.

Restrictions on transport across lakes have delayed the delivery of supplies to respond to cholera.

OCHA continues to engage with local authorities to secure guarantees for humanitarian access and to advocate for the unhindered movement of aid workers and supplies.

OCHA urges all parties to respect international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles, and to facilitate immediate, safe and unhindered access to people in need.

#Haiti

Renewed violence forces 6,000 people from their homes

OCHA reports that clashes continue to drive people from their homes in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

According to the International Organization of Migration, 6,000 people have been newly displaced since 6 January. Most of them sought refuge with host families, while others settled in in two displacement sites.

The escalating violence has significantly impacted humanitarian programmes in the area. Doctors Without Borders announced on January 8th that it was suspending all its medical activities in the Bel Air neighborhood of Port‑au‑Prince until further notice. This comes at a time when only 10 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity in Haiti are fully operational, while approximately 4.9 million people need emergency health assistance.

Internal displacement linked to armed violence has doubled in the past year and has now reached 1.4 million people – or 12 per cent of the population.

This year, 6.4 million people in Haiti – or more than half that population – need humanitarian aid. The UN and its humanitarian partners are appealing for $880 million to help the 4.2 million vulnerable Haitians.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Haiti with urgent support.

#Yemen

At Security Council, Head of OCHA Geneva calls for the release of UN and other personnel held in Yemen

Ramesh Rajasingham, the Director of OCHA’s Humanitarian Sector Division – speaking on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – urged the Security Council today not to consign the people of Yemen to the margins at a time when they desperately need more, not less, support.

He noted that Yemen’s humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate, underscoring that needs are rising, access is contracting, and funding has not kept pace. The result, he said, is that millions of Yemenis are not receiving the aid they need to survive.

“We know that when humanitarian organizations can operate safely, effectively and in a principled manner, and when resources are available, humanitarian assistance works. It reduces hunger, it prevents disease, and it saves lives. But when access is obstructed and funding falls away, those gains are quickly reversed,” Mr. Rajasingham said.

He called on the Security Council to exert their influence and pressure to bring about the release of the 73 UN workers along with the dozens of INGO, NGO, civil society and diplomatic corps employees and former employees held by the Houthi de facto authorities.