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UN humanitarian chief to make first visit to occupied Palestinian territory, Israel

UN humanitarian chief to make first visit to occupied Palestinian territory, Israel

John Holmes
The United Nations’ top humanitarian official will travel to Jerusalem tomorrow to start his first official visit to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.

John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will make field trips to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Israeli town of Sderot during the five-day trip.

Mr. Holmes is also scheduled to meet senior officials, UN staff, representatives of aid agencies and members of the donor and diplomatic community.

In its latest report on the situation there, covering the week leading up to 6 February, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) killed four Palestinians and injured a dozen others in the Gaza Strip.

Thirty-four rockets and 13 mortar shells were fired towards Israel. As a result, three Israelis, including one woman, were injured, OCHA said.

In the West Bank, the IDF injured 21 Palestinians, including six children and one woman. Two Palestinian men from Hebron City carried out a suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Dimona, killing one Israeli woman and injuring six others, according to the report.