STORYLINE
Gaza truce raises hopes of respite, more aid access: UN humanitarians
Trucks with relief supplies continued to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt on Friday after the entry into force of a four-day pause in fighting at 7 am local time, UN humanitarians said.
“The United Nations can confirm that, as I speak, trucks with humanitarian supplies continues to cross into Gaza through the Rafah crossing point,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA). “We hope the agreement between Israel and Hamas now in force will bring respite to the people of Gaza and Israel and some relief to the hostages and detainees who will be released and to their families.”
Besides the 96-hour humanitarian pause in fighting, the agreement announced earlier this week stipulates the release of hostages taken during the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October as well as of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons.
As the death toll in the enclave passed 14,800 as of Thursday evening, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office quoted by OCHA, thousands of people are still estimated to be trapped under the ruins of their houses.
Mr. Laerke said that “we hope that the truce will allows grieving families to honor the dead and bury them with dignity, and we hope that this humanitarian pause leads to a longer-term humanitarian cease fire for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and beyond.”
Mr. Laerke reiterated the importance to get “access across the Gaza Strip, especially in the north. That's where the damage and the humanitarian needs are the greatest. So, we continue to call for access to reach all parts of Gaza.”
OCHA reported that 68,383 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Thursday, following an Israeli decision from 18 November to “allow the daily entry of small amounts of fuel for essential humanitarian operations”. The UN Office said last week that some 200,000 litres of fuel per day were needed.
“It is very important to get fuel in, to be able to operate any machinery that will be required to get people out of the rubble”, stressed Mr. Laerke. “We see that in all kinds of situations where you have massive infrastructural damage and collapse.”
Welcoming the humanitarian pause while stressing that “more was needed”, UN health agency (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that work was under way “on further evacuations from hospitals as soon as possible.”
He recalled that on 22 November “together with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, a WHO-led joint UN mission evacuated 151 patients, relatives and health workers accompanying them from Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza. This was undertaken specifically following requests from health authorities and hospitals and hospital officials in Gaza.”
This was the third mission to Al-Shifa carried out by WHO and partners in less than a week; the first had been an assessment mission on 18 November and the second an evacuation mission to transport 31 infants on 19 November.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety of the estimated 100 patients and health workers remaining at Al-Shifa and due to the limited time that the mission members were able to spend in the hospital and the urgency of moving the most critical, it was difficult to determine exactly how many remain”, said Mr. Lindmeier.
Out of 24 hospitals operating in the north prior to the war, 22 are either out of service or unable to admit new patients, while of the 11 medical facilities in the south, eight are functional. WHO said that of those, only one has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery.
-ends-
STORY: Gaza Start of truce WHO - OCHA 24 November 2023
TRT: 2:40”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 10 November 2023 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
Exterior medium shot: UN building with UN flag, UN Geneva.
Wide shot, press briefing room with spokesperson, journalists and screens, UN Geneva
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson: “The United Nations can confirm that, as I speak, trucks with humanitarian supplies continues to cross into Gaza through the Rafah crossing point. We hope the agreement between Israel and Hamas now in force will bring respite to the people of Gaza and Israel and some relief to the hostages and detainees who will be released and to their families. We hope it allows grieving families to honor their dead and bury them with dignity. And we hope that this humanitarian pause leads to a longer-term humanitarian cease fire for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and beyond.”
Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing room with spokesperson, journalists and screens, UN Geneva
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson: “We need access across the Gaza Strip, especially in the north. That's where the damage and the humanitarian needs are the greatest. So, we continue to call for access to reach all parts of Gaza.”
Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing room with spokesperson, journalists and screens, UN Geneva
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson: “It is very important to get fuel in, to be able to operate any machinery that will be required to get people out, out of the rubble. We see that in all kinds of situations where you have massive infrastructural damage and collapse.”
Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing room with journalists and screens, UN Geneva
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “We're working on further evacuations from hospitals as soon as possible. To remind you that on 22 November, together with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, a WHO-led joint UN mission, evacuated 151 patients, relatives and health workers accompanying them from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. This was undertaken specifically following requests from health authorities and hospital officials in Gaza.”
Cutaway: Close up, journalist listening, UN Geneva
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “We're extremely concerned about the safety of the estimated 100 patients and health workers remaining at Al-Shifa and due to the limited time that the mission members were able to spend in the hospital and the urgency of moving the most critical, it was difficult to determine exactly how many remain.”
Cutaway: close up, technicians listening, UN Geneva
Cutaway: wide shot, press briefing room with journalists, UN Geneva
Cutaway: close up, journalist listening, UN Geneva
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
1
1
1
Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur
Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.
2
1
2
Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN
Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.