Six schools run by the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem have been issued “illegal closure orders” after being forcibly entered by Israeli security forces, according to the agency’s head Philippe Lazzarini.
The schools were told they must close within 30 days.
Mr. Lazzarini said that some 800 boys and girls are directly impacted by these closure orders and are likely to miss finishing their school year.
He noted that UNRWA schools are protected by the “privileges and immunities” of the United Nations. “These illegal closure orders come in the wake of Knesset [parliament of Israel] legislation seeking to curtail UNRWA operations.”
Aid access blocked in Gaza
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York that since Tuesday, the Israeli authorities have denied eight of 14 attempts by aid workers in Gaza to coordinate access to people needing urgent assistance.
Since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire fell apart and hostilities recommenced on 18 March, the authorities have denied 68 per cent of the 170 attempts by UN aid workers to coordinate access.
“They also continue to reject all attempts to pick up supplies that were brought into Gaza and dropped at the crossings prior to the decision to shut those crossings on 2 March.”
Despite the increasingly challenging conditions, humanitarian partners have resumed services in northern Gaza, focusing on urgent case management, psychological first aid, and psychosocial support.
Dominican Republic: Secretary-General ‘deeply saddened’ by Santo Domingo deaths
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday he was “deeply saddened” by the collapse of a building in the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, in which more than 120 died, according to news reports.
Many others were injured when the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed during a concert featuring the renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who has been confirmed as among the dead.
Heartfelt condolences
It is estimated that between 500 and 1,000 people were inside the venue. Hundreds of rescuers are continuing to search for survivors and the cause of the disaster has yet to be determined.
Mr. Guterres expressed “his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people and the government of the Dominican Republic.”
