However, the humanitarian response has been unable to meet needs due to continued restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, the UN aid coordination office said. OCHA said Tuesday.
This includes restrictions on the entry of supplies, such as new materials needed for the maintenance and repair of sewer systems.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to improve water purification capacity at the Al Bassa desalination plant in Deir Al-Balah by transferring specialized equipment to the facility, according to humanitarian partners, while the installation of the Al Manshia desalination plant in Gaza City has begun.
Violence and displacement in the West Bank
OCHA also provided an update on the situation in the West Bank, where ongoing operations by Israeli forces and settler violence continue to put Palestinians at risk and increase humanitarian needs.
Six Palestinians – including four children – have been killed in the past two weeks, five of them by Israeli forces and one by an Israeli settler. Three Israelis were injured by Palestinians during the same period.
At the same time, OCHA also expressed deep concern over the ongoing population displacements across the West Bank, with more than 100 Palestinians uprooted due to demolitions.
This includes 50 people – including 21 children – displaced Monday in a single Israeli demolition of a four-story building in the Silwan neighborhood due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.
In Aleppo, Syria, mothers wait for their children to be tested for malnutrition.
Millions of people in Syria need humanitarian aid
Humanitarian needs remain severe across Syria, with 16.5 million people – almost two-thirds of the population – still in need of assistance, according to OCHA.
The country continues its political transition after the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.
Contamination from explosive ordnance remains a major threat, OCHA said. Last month, 21 people were killed and more than 60 injured, half of them children.
In addition, some 2.5 million children are still out of school and 40 percent of schools are not functioning.
Since January, the UN and its partners have provided humanitarian assistance to more than three million people every month.
OCHA and its partners continue to coordinate with authorities and monitor developments in the city of Aleppo, where a ceasefire agreement was reached Monday evening following recent hostilities.
The fighting was linked to tensions linked to the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), mainly Kurds, into the armed forces.
The fighting led to the bombing of several neighborhoods, causing further displacement. Two civilians were killed and several others injured, according to health authorities
Burundi: Lawyers penalized for cooperating with the UN, according to a committee
A committee appointed by the UN Human Rights Council warned that Burundi had acted in violation of the Convention against Torture.
THE United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAR) announced his decision Tuesday after reviewing the case of four lawyers who were sanctioned for collaborating with the Committee in 2016 during its assessment of the country’s compliance with the Convention.
They had contributed to a joint civil society report submitted to the Committee, and three of them traveled to Geneva for the review process.
The lawyers said they participated in peaceful protests in 2015 to oppose then-President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term, which they considered unconstitutional.
The protests were violently repressed by authorities, with security forces targeting demonstrators and political dissidents. The lawyers publicly condemned the violent crackdown and, amid the crackdown, fled Burundi and went into exile out of fear for their safety.
In violation of international law
The Committee said the State party had refused to participate in the second half of a planned two-day session to object to the Committee’s use of information submitted by civil society. The same day, the Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, officially requested the lawyers’ disbarment.
The experts considered that Burundi’s actions constituted a violation of the Convention against Torture, and in particular Article 13 which states that complainants are protected against intimidation.
“The Committee reiterated that all States have an obligation to refrain from intimidation or retaliation against individuals who seek to cooperate with the Committee,” said Member Todd Buchwald.
Ten experts sit on the Committee, which receives its mandate from the Human Rights Council.
They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
