Edited News: Gaza situation update – UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini - 14 December 2023
/
4:08
/
MP4
/
304.9 MB

Edited News , Press Conferences

UNRWA Press conference with Mr. Philippe Lazzarini - 14 December 2023

STORYLINE

“This is a make-or-break moment for all of us and our shared humanity,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini

Returning from his third visit to Gaza since the war started, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said on Thursday that “every time I see more misery, grief and sadness”.

Briefing journalists in Geneva 69 days since the Israeli bombardment began in response to the 7 October Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel, Mr. Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, said that in in southern Rafah governorate, “basically, the lucky ones are those who have a place inside our premises and especially now that winter has just started. But the others have absolutely nowhere to go, they live in the open, they live in the cold, in the mud and under the rain. Everywhere you look is congested with makeshift shelters, everywhere you go people are desperate, hungry and are terrified.”

From the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Mr. Lazzarini explained that he saw people stopping aid trucks, offloading food and eating it immediately.

“This has nothing to do with aid diversion, this is something which has to do with a total despair the people are expressing in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “Hunger is something people in Gaza have never ever known before. But hunger has now emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven’t eaten for one, two or three days.”

With more than one million people looking for shelter there, Mr. Lazzarini said that UNRWA facilities are massively overcrowded.

“What continues to shock me is the ever-increasing level of dehumanization, the lack of empathy and humanity, the fact that people can laugh, cheer and mock and any type of wrongdoing that we observe in this war when in fact, what is happening in Gaza, should outrage anyone, should make us all rethink our values. Think, this is also a make-or-break moment for all of us and for our shared humanity,” he said, in reference to inflammatory social media posts.

Urging the media to help, Mr. Lazzarini said that he was “horrified at the smear campaign that targets Palestinians and those who provide aid to them. And on that, I am asking you to help us to push back against misinformation and inaccuracies...Fact-checking is absolutely key if we want accurate information.”

Mr. Lazzarini reiterated his call for the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing which handled the daily passage of hundreds of commercial trucks before it was shut on 7 October.

“We are confronted with an unprecedented war, […] a war of all possible superlatives, in terms of destruction, in terms of the number of people killed, in terms of needs, in terms of displacement, and more than ever, countries with a human tradition should continue to express their solidarity, and today the main agency in the Gaza Strip is UNRWA.” He reminded that should UNRWA collapse, “the entire humanitarian system in the Gaza Strip would collapse.”

Mr. Lazzarini concluded his briefing by saying that “in suffering there’s absolutely no competition and I believe that ultimately in this war there will be no winner.” He added that “the longer this war goes on, the largest loss, but beyond that, the deeper the grief. […] There is absolutely no alternative to a proper, genuine political process to end once for all the longest lasting unresolved conflict. 75 years without a solution.”

-ends-

STORY: Gaza situation update – UNRWA

TRT: 04:07”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 14 December 2023 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior wide shot: Global Refugee Forum at Palexpo in Geneva
  2. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““Basically, the lucky ones are those who have a place inside our premises and especially now that winter has just started. But the others have absolutely nowhere to go, they live in the open, they live in the cold, in the mud and under the rain. Everywhere you look is congested with makeshift shelters, everywhere you go people are desperate, hungry and are terrified.”
  3. Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
  4. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““This has nothing to do with aid diversion, this is something which has to do with a total despair the people are expressing in the Gaza Strip. Hunger is something people in Gaza have never ever known before. But hunger has now emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven’t eaten for one, two or three days.”
  5. Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
  6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““What continues to shock me is the ever-increasing level of dehumanization, the lack of empathy and humanity, the fact that people can laugh, cheer and mock and any type of wrongdoing that we observe in this war when in fact, what is happening in Gaza should outrage anyone, should make us all rethink our values. Think, this is also a make-or-break moment for all of us and for our shared humanity”.
  7. Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
  8. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““I am horrified at the smear campaign that targets Palestinians and those who provide aid to them. And on that, I am asking you to help us to push back against misinformation and inaccuracies. I know that some of you are constantly doing fact checking. But fact-checking is absolutely key if we want accurate information.
  9. Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
  10. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““In suffering there’s absolutely no competition and I believe that ultimately in this war there will be no winner. The longer this war goes on, the largest loss, but beyond that, the deeper the grief. So, I think like many of my colleagues, that there is absolutely no alternative to a proper, genuine political process to end once for all the longest lasting unresolved conflict. 75 years without a solution.”
  11. Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
  12. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: “We are confronted with an unprecedented war, I think it’s a war of all possible superlatives, in terms of destruction, in terms of the number of people killed, in terms of needs, in terms of displacement, and more than ever, countries with a human tradition should continue to express their solidarity , and today the main agency in the Gaza Strip is UNRWA. And would UNRWA collapse, the entire humanitarian system in the Gaza Strip would collapse.”
  13. Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva


Documents 2
Continuity Transcript unrwa press conference with mr philippe lazzarini English
Download

Audio Files 2
Download Continuity: Gaza situation update – UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini 14 December 2023 (Continuity)
Download
Download Edited News: Gaza situation update – UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini 14 December 2023
Download

Similar Stories

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights presents report on Sri Lanka to 60th HRC

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights presents report on Sri Lanka to 60th HRC ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his report on Sri Lanka to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

HRC 60 HC Volker Türk Global update speech

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

HRC 60 HC Volker Türk Global update speech ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

DRC: UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

DRC: UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity ENG FRA

A UN report on the Democratic Republic of Congo raises specter of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu, according to UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 05 September 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | IFRC , OHCHR

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 05 September 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the International Organization for Migration, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Global air pollution update - WMO 04 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WMO

Global air pollution update - WMO 04 September 2025 ENG FRA

As billions of people continue to breathe polluted air that causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths every year, UN climate experts on Friday highlighted how damaging microscopic smoke particles from wildfires play their part, travelling half-way across the world.

WMO Press conference: Global Air Pollution - 04 September 2025

2

3

2

Press Conferences | WMO

WMO Press conference: Global Air Pollution - 04 September 2025 ENG FRA

Launch of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)'s Air Quality and Climate Bulletin 2024.

OHCHR Press conference: 33rd CRPD Findings- 03 September 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | OHCHR

OHCHR Press conference: 33rd CRPD Findings- 03 September 2025 ENG FRA

The UN disability rights committee (CRPD) presented the findings of its 33rd session on DPRK, Finland, Kiribati, Maldives and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

HRC - Press Conference: President of the Human Rights Council - 03 September 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | HRC

HRC - Press Conference: President of the Human Rights Council - 03 September 2025 ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Council President Ambassador Jürg Lauber briefs the press in Geneva ahead of the Council's 60th session.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Cameroon

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Cameroon ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the on-going presidential election process in Cameroon at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva. 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Myanmar

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Myanmar ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office released a new report on Myanmar, describing death, destruction and desperation which reflect atrocities committed in 2017. 

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 02 September 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | OCHA , IFRC , UNHCR , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , UNFPA

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 02 September 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women, the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the International Federation of the Red Cross.

Afghanistan earthquake update OCHA - IFRC - UNHCR

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UNHCR

Afghanistan earthquake update OCHA - IFRC - UNHCR ENG FRA

Afghanistan: Humanitarians scramble to reach survivors of deadly quake; response at ‘breaking point’

In remote eastern Afghanistan, aid workers are racing to assist survivors of Sunday’s devastating earthquake as the death toll continues to climb, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.