Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Ukraine
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA reports that it reached northern Gaza today for the first time in four weeks.
OCHA was leading an inter-agency assessment mission to Gaza city. However, they were only able to reach the north after being forced to wait for more than five hours before and at the Israeli checkpoint on the Coastal Road.
OCHA warns that access to the north remains extremely limited for aid workers from the UN and beyond.
During the first half of this month, out of nearly 50 missions led by seven different UN agencies – all of which were fully coordinated with the Israeli authorities – only a quarter could cross into the north through the Israeli checkpoints along Wadi Gaza.
Even when these missions could cross, they often faced impediments along the way, with some convoys stopped at gunpoint, shot at, or forced to wait for hours in the middle of a war zone. These incidents posed unacceptable risks to our staff’s safety and prevented these missions from completing their life-saving work.
Meanwhile, 20 missions were denied access before they even hit the road. Only two of the nearly 50 missions were fully facilitated as required.
OCHA stresses that when humanitarian missions are not facilitated, it deprives Palestinians in Gaza of the food, water, shelter, health and other services essential for their survival.
People in Gaza need more supplies, including items as basic as soap, to enter the Strip. It is also critical that these humanitarian goods and services are able to reach all parts of Gaza, wherever they are needed.
Without exception, security assurances provided to aid organizations and humanitarian missions must be reliable and fully respected.
#Haiti
OCHA reports that violence continues to displace families in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, Haiti.
The latest clashes between armed groups in the neighborhoods of Cité Soleil and Delmas have displaced more than 2,000 people between 11 and 13 September.
More than 170,000 people are now displaced in the capital. While most of the displaced are staying with host families, three new temporary sites have sprung up.
The UN and humanitarian partners in Haiti continue to support people in need across the country, including by providing food, water and sanitation and health care support.
The World Food Programme plans to provide school meals to 495,000 children throughout the coming school year. Many of these meals will be sourced from local smallholder farmers.
The International Organization for Migration also continues to distribute blankets, solar lamps and kitchen kits to displaced people.
The US$674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is currently 39 per cent funded with $263 million received. The UN calls on for increased support for the humanitarian response in Haiti to help people in need.
#Ukraine
OCHA reports that overnight attacks have left hundreds of thousands of people without power in the Sumy region in north Ukraine.
According to local authorities and the regional power company, 280,000 consumers – which include households, public facilities and businesses – were left without power. Water supply and critical services were also affected. Water facilities and hospitals, among other civilian infrastructure, are running on backup systems.
Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance across the country. In the first seven months of the year, the UN and partners provided aid to 6.2 million people, despite the challenging circumstances. Nearly 2.9 million people received food aid, 1.4 million received health services, and 1 million benefitted from winter energy support and the distribution of emergency shelter materials and essential items.
The $3 billion Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 44 percent funded with $1.37 billion received, leaving a significant gap in addressing urgent emergency needs and preparing for winter.