Tag: Peace and security

The UN’s health agency WHO said on Sunday night that according to the Gaza health authorities, 37 premature babies at the hospital were relocated over the weekend to an operating room without their incubators, with health workers trying to heat the room. According to the latest media reports on Monday, six babies at Al-Shifa have died.

“The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation and despair,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reiterating calls for an immediate stop to the fighting.

Al-Shifa is the epicentre of armed clashes in Gaza City following claims by the Israeli military that Hamas has built a command centre under the hospital. The claims have been denied by medical professionals working there.

The UN in mourning

Meanwhile on Monday, the UN flag flew at half-mast at the Organisation’s offices around the world in memory of the 101 staff members of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s retaliation for Hamas’ massacres perpetrated in southern Israel on 7 October.

“Today, we join the UN community in a moment of silence to mourn and honour our colleagues killed in Gaza,” UN World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain wrote on social platform X.

At a solemn ceremony at the UN Office in Geneva, Director-General Tatiana Valovaya thanked staff for their sacrifice, highlighting the importance of their work at a time when multilateralism was under threat.

The flag at UN Headquarters in New York was raised and lowered to half mast at 07:30 AM local time and there will also be a minute of silence observed at Headquarters due to take place at 09:30 AM.

UN guest house under fire

UNRWA said on Monday that its guesthouse in Rafah “sustained significant damage from Israeli Force naval strikes” on Sunday, with no reported casualties.

“The disregard for the protection of civilian infrastructure including UN facilities, hospitals, schools, shelters and places of worship is testament to the level of horror that civilians in Gaza are living every day,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

‘Not a target’

No matter where conflicts happen, the UN has reiterated that humanitarians should never be a target, and that hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law.

UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said in addition to the deceased infants, 10 other patients have died at Al-Shifa, while three nurses were killed amid bombing and armed clashes. Critical infrastructure, including the oxygen station, water tanks and a well, the cardiovascular facility and the maternity ward, has been damaged.

While many internally displaced persons who were sheltering at the hospital and some staff and patients have managed to flee, “others are trapped inside, fearing to leave or physically unable to do so”, OCHA said. According to media reports on Monday morning, thousands could still be inside the complex.

Other attacks on health facilities have been reported over the weekend. OCHA said that on Saturday an airstrike reportedly hit and destroyed the Swedish clinic in Ash Shati camp, west of Gaza city, where some 500 displaced persons were sheltering.

On Saturday night another airstrike hit Al Mahdi Hospital in Gaza city, reportedly killing two doctors and injuring others.

Struggle to survive

OCHA said that on Sunday, for the second consecutive day, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza, the Ministry of Health in the enclave did not update casualty figures.

The latest update provided on Friday showed that 11,078 people had been killed in the Strip since 7 October. According to Israeli official sources, 47 soldiers have been killed since the start of ground operations.

Hundreds of thousands of people remaining in the north are struggling to survive, OCHA said.

Consumption of water from unsafe sources “raises serious concerns” about dehydration and waterborne diseases, hunger is rampant, and WFP has sounded the alarm over risks of malnutrition and starvation.

Tens of thousands of displaced persons continued over the weekend to flee the north through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military but their lives were still at risk in the south amid ongoing bombing and desperately overcrowded shelters.

“Nowhere in Gaza is safe,” UNRWA’s Mr. Lazzarini stressed, yet again.

The situation is unfolding as “lives are hanging by a thread”, including those of babies in incubators at hospitals that depend on fuel for electricity, Andrea De Domenico, Head of OCHA’s office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told journalists in New York on Monday.

“Humanitarian ceasefire, fuel supplies – all of these should be happening now. We are running out of time before really facing major disaster,” he said, speaking from Jerusalem.

Death, displacement and devastation

The UN continues to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza since Hamas militants launched deadly attacks against Israel six weeks ago and seized some 240 hostages, including babies and older persons.

Israel’s response to the incursion and massacre of 1,200 citizens has included continued bombardment, electricity and communications blackouts, and restrictions in accessing the enclave, which is home to 2.2 million people, some 1.5 million of whom have displaced mostly to the south.

Thousands have been killed, including 101 staff from the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA. They were remembered during a minute of silence observed by personnel across the UN system worldwide on Monday.

Snipers, shooting and staying put

This past weekend saw intensified fighting around Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, said Mr. De Domenico. Critical infrastructure was damaged, such as water tanks, oxygen stations, the cardiovascular facility, and the maternity ward. Three nurses reportedly were killed.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society also reported on Sunday that Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City – the second largest in the enclave – was no longer operational due to damage to the main generator line, which could not be fixed.

“In any case, PRCS told us that they have fuel only for 24 hours, and any possibility of looking (for) or finding fuel was almost impossible and very dangerous given that there were snipers shooting in and around the hospital,” he continued.

Efforts were underway to evacuate seven intensive care patients and four babies in incubators, he said. While some staff and patients have managed to flee the hospital, others remain trapped inside either because they fear leaving or are unable to do so for medical reasons.

Fleeing northern Gaza

Mr. De Domenico underscored the critical need for fuel and medical supplies in Gaza, noting that some patients have already died, while access to water and food has become increasingly difficult.

OCHA teams have observed the movement of some 10,000 people from north Gaza who have headed south following evacuation orders issued by Israel. People are arriving mainly by foot. They are thirsty, exhausted, and often have no concrete idea on where they will be staying, with shelters already overstretched.

On Sunday, 76 trucks delivered aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, an arrangement that has been in place since 21 October. On board were health supplies, bottled water, blankets, tents and hygiene products. To date some 980 trucks have made the journey butis still far below the level needed.

No fuel, no comms, no aid

“Actually, instead of a much-needed increase of this assistance, we have been informed by the colleagues of UNRWA that due to the lack of fuel, as of tomorrow the operations of receiving trucks will no longer be possible,” he said.

“Operational conditions in general are deteriorating by the hour,” he added. “We have no fuel, no comms, and no guarantee of respecting UN premises or in any case notify(ing) premises, which is of course reducing progressively our ability to operate.”

Humanitarian ceasefire critical

UN agencies continue to amplify the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages, and sustained and continued aid access to people in need, wherever they are located.

Earlier on Monday, humanitarians from across the region highlighted their appeal for $1.2 billion to meet the needs of 2.2 million people in Gaza and another 500,000 in the West Bank through the end of the year.

A grim toll

Lynn Hastings, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said the situation in Gaza is beyond any they have ever seen “almost anywhere in the world”.

She said at least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities – together with around 1,200 Israelis – a death toll that is “the same as in 18 months in Ukraine and as in Sudan in six months.”

Furthermore, an estimated 55 per cent of the water supply infrastructure requires repair or rehabilitation. People have resorted to using unhealthy water sources “and we’re expecting this to lead to more of a public health crisis”.

She also drew attention to the devastation sustained by the humanitarian community in Gaza, which is “heavily localized and reliant on national staff”.

Ms. Hastings also urged humanitarians to be mindful of rising fatalities in the West Bank, where 100 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed since the start of the Gaza conflict on 7 October.

The regional directors of the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), children’s agency UNICEF and health agency WHO, said they were “horrified” at latest reports which indicate many have been killed – including children – in facilities across Gaza city and other northern areas of the Strip.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society is reporting that the second largest hospital in Gaza, Al-Quds, is in effect out of service due to fuel shortages with the NGO saying it has only been able to make sporadic contact with the facility.

Al Shifa ‘not functioning’: Tedros

Writing on social media platform X, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said having managed to establish contact with the largest hospital, Al Shifa, in the past few hours, “the situation is dire and perilous.”

He said medics had been three days without electricity and water “and with very poor internet which has severely impacted our ability to provide essential care.

“The constant gunfire and bombings in the area have exacerbated the already critical circumstances. Tragically, the number of patient fatalities has increased significantly“, he added.

He said the hospital “is not functioning as a hospital anymore”, concurring with the regional directors that there must be international intervention.

Communications down

News reports quoting the health ministry, said earlier on Saturday that five wounded patients have died because they could not be operated on due to a lack of fuel.

Two babies in the intensive care unit there were reported to have died on Saturday, with water, food and electricity cut off.

Tedros expressed grave concern for the safety of staff and patients caught in crossfire late on Saturday noting that Israeli tanks were reportedly surrounding Al Shifa.

The Israeli military has repeatedly denied its forces are targeting hospitals, claiming that Hamas and other militants are using the facilities as shields with their headquarters located beneath Al Shifa.

“Intense hostilities surrounding several hospitals in northern Gaza are preventing safe access for health staff, the injured, and other patients”, said the statement released by Laila Baker of UNFPA, UNICEF Regional Director Adele Khodr, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, of WHO.

Babies dying

“Premature and new-born babies on life support are reportedly dying due to power, oxygen, and water cuts at Al-Shifa Hospital, while others are at risk. Staff across a number of hospitals are reporting lack of fuel, water and basic medical supplies, putting the lives of all patients at immediate risk.”

Over the past 36 days, WHO has recorded at least 137 attacks on healthcare in Gaza, resulting in 521 deaths and 686 injuries, including 16 deaths and 38 injuries of health workers, the regional directors said.

The world cannot stand silent while hospitals which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation and despair

Attacks on medical facilities and civilians are unacceptable and are a violation of international law, they continued.

Right to medical assistance

“They cannot be condoned. The right to seek medical assistance, especially in times of crisis, should never be denied”, the statement said.

More than half of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are closed while those remaining “are under massive strain”.

Shortages of water, food, and fuel are also threatening the wellbeing of thousands of displaced people, including women and children, who are sheltering in hospitals.

Death and despair

“The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair.

“Decisive international action is needed now to secure an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and prevent further loss of life, and preserve what’s left of the health care system in Gaza”, the directors said.

“Unimpeded, safe and sustained access is needed now to provide fuel, medical supplies and water for these lifesaving services. The violence must end now.”

The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings, warned that fuel is not only putting lives at risk in hospital, but water pumps, desalination plants and wastewater treatment centres are all “grinding to a halt.”

She tweeted that public health crises are emerging and “humanitarian operations will be next.”

Philippe Lazzarini was addressing an emergency summit convened by the League of Arab States and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation where he called for urgent support for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory on three fronts.

He called on leaders at the Arab-Islamic summit to “act now to change the trajectory” of the crisis that began with the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October.

According to news reports, The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in his opening remarks called for an immediate end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the release of all hostages and prisoners being held by all parties to the conflict.

The “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza has underlined the failure of the international community and UN Security Council to end Israel’s “gross violations of international humanitarian laws”, he said, adding that Palestinians were victims of double standards.

‘Dehumanized and abandoned’

The UNRWA chief told ministers assembled in the Saudi capital from across the Islamic world that Gazans “feel dehumanized and abandoned”, yearning for reassurance that their plight is being recognized by “Arab and Muslim brothers and sisters”.

He said beyond Gaza, the West Bank is also at “boiling point” while the Lebanon-Israel border is “simmering with tension”.

Mr. Lazzarini highlighted the desperation he had seen for himself in Gaza last week: “Every little girl and boy I met in an UNRWA shelter asked me for bread and water. Children used to learn and laugh in the school I visited.

“Now, the school is an overcrowded shelter that lacks the minimum standards for a dignified life.”

He mourned the loss of 101 UNRWA colleagues during the Israeli bombardment, noting that UN flags will be lowered to half-mast worldwide on Monday to honour them.

Ceasefire paramount

The UNRWA chief said his first urgent request for support was to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire “with strict adherence to international humanitarian law” that would prevent further loss of civilian life, including UN facilities and hospitals.

“I am sure that many of you can influence action on the ground. No effort should be spared”, he told the summit.

Secondly, he said there must be a meaningful and continuous flow of humanitarian aid which can match “the immense humanitarian needs.”

Third he said UNRWA urgently needs both funds, and strong advocates from across the Arab and African Islamic world.

“UNRWA is not only the largest UN agency in Gaza but also the last remaining lifeline for 2.2 million people”, he said. “We can offer much more if we have the means.”

Finally, he called on leaders to “firmly defend the agency against false and insidious claims that its schools teach hatred or that it has let the civilians in Gaza down. These accusations come from those who want us to fail.”

‘We must step back from the brink’

A lasting political solution, he said, was the only way to prevent future cycles of violence:

“A genuine prospect of Palestinian statehood is critical.”

“We must step back from the brink before it’s too late. I urge you, members of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to act now to change the trajectory of this crisis.”

More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in just one of month of conflict, they said, citing local health authorities. Children, women and the elderly account for 75 per cent of the victims, and upwards of 26,000 people have been injured.

“Furthermore, according to multiple sources, the number of Palestinian children reported killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones since 2019,” they added.

Healthcare under fire

The joint call was issued by 70 Ambassadors to the UN Office at Geneva, 41 of whom appeared there in person on Friday.

Their statement said hospitals in Gaza are “coming to a halt” as fuel and electricity supply have been cut.

“Doctors are performing surgery without anesthesia; mothers are watching their babies fighting for survival in incubators that are running out of electricity; the only cancer hospital in Gaza has shut down while other hospitals are bombed,” they said.

“Moreover, more than 50 entire families have been wiped off the population registry in Gaza, they have been decimated.”

Humanitarians killed, homes destroyed

They also pointed to the many aid workers who have been killed, including from UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees in Gaza and across the Middle East.

Separately, UNRWA confirmed that 101 staff have lost their lives since the conflict erupted on 7 October. UN offices across the world will on Monday observe a minute of silence in their honour, and the UN flag will be flown at half-mast.

The Ambassadors said civilian infrastructure in Gaza, such as refugee camps, apartment buildings, schools, bakeries, mosques and churches, has been directly targeted and reduced to rubble, while at least 45 per cent of all housing has either been destroyed, rendered uninhabitable or damaged.

Ceasefire and aid access

They appealed for an immediate ceasefire and urged the international community “to exert maximum pressure” to ensure emergency humanitarian access and assistance, as well as the restoration of basic services.

Additionally, all hostages and political detainees must be released, and action must be taken to protect civilians and safeguard civilian facilities, particularly UNRWA schools that are being used as emergency shelters.

They also demanded action to end the forcible transfer of Palestinians within or from Gaza.

The statement urged Israel to grant immediate access to the Independent International UN Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory. It also emphasised the importance of addressing and eradicating the root causes of the current crisis and recurrent cycles of violence.

“Water is scarce and fear is pervasive” in Gaza, Mr. Türk told journalists in Amman, recounting a conversation he had minutes earlier with a colleague in Gaza who had to flee Israeli bombardments with his family. “His children, aged nine and seven, are asking him questions he does not know how to answer: ‘Why is this happening to us? What did we do?’”

Later on Friday, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees UNRWA, confirmed that more than 100 of its staff members have been killed since the Israeli bombardment began.

Mr. Türk’s comments came amid fresh reports on Friday morning that a yard at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering, was struck by bombardments.

“Stop the violence, guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers, provide safe access to ensure that humanitarian assistance can be delivered to all those in need, make sure people have enough to eat, clean water to drink and medical care and shelter, free the hostages, serve accountability and bring to justice in line with international humanitarian law the perpetrators of serious violations,” the UN rights chief insisted.

Justice for victims of Hamas attacks

Speaking about the massacres perpetrated by Hamas in southern Israel on 7 October, Mr. Türk said that these attacks “should outrage each and every one of us”.

“There needs to be justice, accountability and remedy for the victims of these atrocious crimes”, he insisted.

He called for the 240 hostages to be brought back home and for the “indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel” by Palestinian armed groups to cease.

Children ‘suffering terribly’

The UN rights chief was wrapping up a five-day visit to the Middle East and spoke of his visit to El Arish Hospital in Rafah, Egypt, where he saw young children who had been seriously injured in Gaza.

“These were the ‘lucky’ children who suffered terribly but are still alive and receiving proper medical treatment”, he said, recalling that according to the enclave’s health authorities, some 4,400 other children have been killed in Gaza in the past month and over 26,000 injured, while people with disabilities had lost caregivers and were stranded under the bombs.

Stop ‘agony’ of Gaza civilians

“The complete siege now lasting over one month has made it an agony for residents in Gaza to find basic necessities, and frankly to survive”, Mr. Türk said, insisting that “all forms of collective punishment must come to an end”.

To date, a total of 821 aid trucks have been allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing since deliveries resumed on 21 October. Prior to the current crisis, 500 trucks a day on average crossed into the enclave.

Call to investigate attacks

The UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday that there is no aid access to hundreds of thousands of people who remain in northern Gaza. That dire assessment echoed earlier comments by the UN rights chief who described how the “extensive Israeli bombardment of Gaza, including the use of high and of high impact explosive weapons in densely populated areas”, had razed “tens of thousands of buildings to the ground”.

“Israel must immediately end the use of such methods and means of warfare, and the attacks must be investigated,” he said.

‘Nowhere is safe’

The UN rights chief reiterated that while civilians should be protected under international law “wherever they are”, right now “nowhere in Gaza is safe” and Israeli Defense Forces-designated safe-zones raise questions over real security guarantees.

On Thursday, reacting to an announcement by the United States announced that Israel had agreed to halt military operations in northern Gaza to allow daily four-hour humanitarian pauses, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that any plans for short-term pauses in the fighting in Gaza must be carried out in coordination with the UN and following agreement by all sides.

Over 100 UN staffers killed in Gaza

More than 100 staffers from the UN’s Palestine refugee agency UNRWA have been killed in just a month, the agency’s head Philippe Lazzarini confirmed on Friday morning in a tweet.

“Parents, teachers, nurses and doctors, support staff. UNRWA is mourning, Palestinians are mourning, Israelis mourning. Ending this tragedy needs a humanitarian ceasefire now”, he wrote.

Respect laws of war

Speaking to the “particularly intense” strikes on hospitals and in the vicinity of hospitals in Gaza City, Mr. Türk stressed that international humanitarian law extends special protection to medical units and requires that they be protected and respected at all times.

“Any use by Palestinian armed groups of civilians and civilian objects to shield themselves from attack is in contravention of the laws of war. But such conduct by Palestinian armed groups does not absolve Israel of its obligation to ensure that civilians are spared – that the principles of distinction, precautions in attack and proportionality are respected,” he said.

The UN rights chief also said that it was “extremely distressing” to see what is happening to UN staff in Gaza – the loss of life among UNRWA colleagues “is unprecedented”.

Mr. Türk called “unacceptable” the fact that in UNRWA-run schools over 600 people displaced people seeking shelter have been killed. “There is a principle of inviolability of UN premises,” he insisted.

West Bank: ‘end the cycle of violence’

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Mr. Türk called on the Israeli authorities to ensure protection of Palestinians there as they face daily “violence from Israeli forces and settlers, ill treatment, arrests, evictions, intimidation and humiliation”.

About 200 Palestinians had already been killed in the West Bank before 7 October and a further 176 have been killed since then, Mr. Türk said. Settler violence was destroying lives and livelihoods and fuelling displacement amid continued impunity.

Mr. Türk urged the Israeli authorities to implement the recommendations of his Office’s “numerous human rights reports on the Occupied Palestinian Territory” issued throughout the years and heed calls for “meaningful investigations and accountability to end this cycle of violence and vengeance against entire communities”.

“Where national authorities prove unwilling or unable to carry out such investigations, and where there are contested narratives on particularly significant incidents, there needs to be independent, international investigation,” he said.

Step up

High Commissioner Türk, who has not as yet been granted access to Israel and to the Occupied Palestinian Territory as part of his visit to the region, said that he had spoken over the phone with human rights defenders from both sides.

Palestinian human rights defenders “emphasized the failures by the international community to step up to their obligation to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and to use their influence to halt the unconscionable suffering of civilians in the midst of this madness,” he said.

The UN rights chief strongly urged the international community to rise up to its responsibilities, stressing the need to apply universal standards “in each and every situation around the world”.

“Member States with influence need to work harder than ever to bring the parties to a ceasefire, without further delay,” he said.