In response to a deteriorating security situation in and around Gaza, in recent weeks Israel has announced a series of heightened restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip, including closures of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The United Nations Special Coordinator, Mr. Robert Serry, is worried about the volatile situation on the ground, as exemplified by renewed firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel yesterday and this morning, and continued tensions over unresolved prisoner issues. It is of paramount importance to refrain from violence in this tense atmosphere and for parties to work constructively in addressing the underlying issues.

In his remarks to the workshop on “Developing National Disaster Inventory Management System – Disaster Losses Database”, the Humanitarian Coordinator Mr James W Rawley, commended the responses mounted by the Palestinian authorities, in particular the Palestinian Civil Defense. He also paid tribute to the important role played by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society supported by IFRC, the UN and national and international NGOs, all of which responded to the needs of 12,000 people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip affected by the winter storm in January this year. Mr Rawley also stated that while parts of the Disaster Risk Reduction framework are critical to the humanitarian agenda, they also require a longer-term development approach.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr. Robert Serry, is deeply saddened and concerned about the death in Israeli detention on 23 February of Mr. Arafat Jaradat, arrested on 18 February. He sends his condolences to the family of Mr. Jaradat.