Gaza, Lebanon, Senior Personnel Appointment & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (11 January 2024)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Gaza. - Lebanon. - Senior Personnel Appointment. - Ukraine. - Security Council. - Mali. - Afghanistan. - Honour Roll. GAZA The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that between 1 January and 10 January, only 3 out of 21 (14 per cent) of planned aid deliveries of food, medicine, water, and other lifesaving supplies to the north of Wadi Gaza proceeded. These included multiple planned missions to provide medical supplies to Gaza City and fuel to water and sanitation facilities in Gaza City and the north, which were denied by the Israeli authorities. The UN’s ability to respond to extensive needs in the northern part of Gaza is being curtailed by recurring denials of access for aid deliveries and lack of coordinated safe access by the Israeli authorities. These denials and severe access constraints paralyze the ability of humanitarian partners to respond meaningfully, consistently and at scale. Overall, the rate of access denials seen in January so far presents a significant deterioration when compared to those of December 2023, where more than 70 per cent of planned UN missions to the north were coordinated and undertaken. Every day the UN is unable to provide assistance results in lost lives and suffering for hundreds of thousands of people who remain in northern Gaza. Yesterday, Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said in a social media post that “the health sector in Gaza is being slowly choked off as hospitals continue to come under fire. And what happens when the health system collapses? Pregnant mothers can’t deliver their babies safely. Children can’t get vaccines. The sick and wounded can’t get treatment. People die. This war needs to end.” Mr. Griffiths also mourned yesterday the loss of the four members of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance crews who were killed while on duty. He said that the rules of war are clear and that parties must protect civilians, including humanitarian workers. LEBANON The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is continuing his visit to Lebanon. This morning, he arrived at the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura – in the south of the country. He is meeting with the Mission’s leadership and peacekeeping personnel to express his solidarity and support for their work in very challenging circumstances. Mr. Lacroix was in Beirut over the past two days, where he met with senior Lebanese political and military leadership as well as the diplomatic community. He reiterated the importance of de-escalation and stressed the need for all sides to reaffirm commitment to Security Council Resolution 1701. SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Major General Cheryl Pearce of Australia as Deputy Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations. Major General Pearce succeeds Major General Maureen Patricia O’Brien of Ireland to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication and leadership. Currently serving as the Deputy Chief of the Army of the Australian Defence Force, Major General Pearce brings to this position more than 35 years of miliary experience. UKRAINE The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, as another wave of attacks hit Ukraine yesterday, the UN and partners continue to support those civilians suffering the consequences of these widespread attacks. In the Sumy Region in northern Ukraine, humanitarians provided assistance to dozens of people whose homes were damaged in an attack on Tuesday. This included supplies to cover damaged roofs and windows, psychosocial services and legal support to obtain compensation for repairs. In the Kharkiv region, several civilians were reportedly killed or injured, according to regional authorities. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities said that attacks in the Donetsk Region in the east and the Kherson Region in the south of the country injured several civilians and damaged more than a dozen houses, education facilities, and other buildings. An attack earlier this week in central Ukraine reportedly left nearly 18,000 people without power in Kryvyi Rih [Kree-Vee-Ree] City in the Dnipro Region, after an energy facility broke down. Electricity and water supplies have been partially restored today, as repairs continue. Full Highlights January 2024 Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Website