UN says aid falling far short in Gaza, Syria, Pakistan and Haiti; calls for more funding and access

United Nations officials told reporters at a New York briefing on Thursday that humanitarian needs in Gaza, Syria, Pakistan and Haiti far exceed available aid and that access restrictions are preventing life-saving assistance from reaching many people.

The UN spokesperson said Syria’s humanitarian appeal for the year is 18% funded. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the Gaza Strip has seen more than 1,000,000 displacements since a ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, including roughly 200,000 displacements in the past month and about 56,000 since last Sunday, according to the briefing.

The spokesperson cited intensified military operations in Gaza City and said OCHA reports that 11 premises serving as emergency shelters for roughly 11,000 people have been damaged in five days. The briefing said partners collected more than 12,500 metric tons of wheat flour, food parcels and bulk supplies from crossings and that UN partners deliver nearly 560,000 meals daily through 116 kitchens and provide about 10,000 loaves of bread a day for people moving south.

‘‘We need a ceasefire. We need hundreds of trucks every day,’’ the UN spokesperson said, listing demands for safe and open routes, an end to bureaucratic delays, restoration of power and water, increased commercial imports, and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.

The briefing said inspection rules for aid vary by route, creating unpredictability and delays, and cited an example that one crossing into northern Gaza had been closed over the weekend. The spokesperson said Israeli authorities had designated some items, including peanut butter, as ‘‘luxury’’ items and were not allowing them into Gaza, leaving some procured aid stuck outside.

On Pakistan, the UN briefing said nearly 7,000,000 people have been affected by monsoon floods, with about 3,000,000 people evacuated and some 150,000 sheltering in 1,580 evacuation centers. UNICEF and WFP have provided medicines, nutrition supplies, temporary learning materials, food and cash assistance, the spokesperson said. The UN said it released $5,000,000 from the Central Emergency Response Fund and $1,500,000 from the Asia Pacific Humanitarian Fund to local NGOs.

In Haiti, the UN said last week’s deadly attack in Cabaret in the West drove more than 4,700 people from their homes; about two-thirds sought refuge in nearby Arcahaie and many displaced people are hosted by families or sheltering in schools. The humanitarian response in Haiti was described as severely underfunded, the briefing said, at about 12% of the requested $908,000,000.

The World Meteorological Organization released a report, the briefing noted, saying 2024 is the third straight year with widespread glacial loss and that only about one-third of global river basins had normal conditions. The briefing linked erratic water cycles and extreme swings between floods and drought to humanitarian strain.

The briefing also addressed internal UN matters raised by reporters: nearly 1,000 UN staff protested in Geneva today as part of a ‘‘UN for Gaza’’ movement, and reporters asked why permission for protests in New York was not granted. The spokesperson said staff rules govern such activities and that staff must respect impartiality.

When asked about the status of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the spokesperson said funding continues to be a challenge but that UNRWA is continuing to operate in the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The briefing did not provide a full funding breakdown or detailed staffing numbers for UNRWA.

The spokesperson said aid deliveries, funding shortfalls and access constraints mean assistance is reaching only a fraction of people in need and warned that opportunities to support starving people are being blocked by restrictions.