PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE

12 January 2024

Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, and the World Meteorological Organization.

Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory situation, 100 days on

Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said this Sunday would mark 100 days since Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched their horrific attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, were killed and around 250 taken hostage. Over the past 14 weeks, as Israel had pursued a military response, more than 23,000 Palestinians had been killed, around two-thirds of them women and children. As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk had repeatedly urged, there needed to be an immediate ceasefire on human rights and humanitarian grounds. The Office had repeatedly highlighted Israel’s recurring failures to uphold the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law during hostilities, stressing that breaches of these obligations risked exposure to liability for war crimes.

The Israeli Defence Forces needed to take immediate measures to protect civilians fully in line with Israel’s obligation under international law. In northern Gaza, where people faced dire shortages of food, water and other basic necessities and access to humanitarian aid remained extremely difficult. The situation in southern Gaza was becoming untenable, with over 1.3 million internally displaced people crammed into Rafah, which before the current escalation of hostilities had 300,000 inhabitants. According to the Israeli authorities, around 136 people were still being held in Gaza by Palestinian armed groups. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the UN Human Rights Office had verified the deaths of 330 Palestinians, including 84 children, from 7 October 2023 to 10 January 2024.

As OHCHR had stressed in December in their report on the West Bank, there needed to be an immediate end to the use of military weapons and methods during law enforcement operations, an end to arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of Palestinians, and the lifting of discriminatory movement restrictions. The UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to monitor and document the human rights situation in Gaza and the West Bank and would submit two reports to the UN Human Rights Council during its next session, on accountability and settlements. OHCHR also reiterated the call for UN Human Rights Office staff to have access to Israel and all parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to investigate human rights violations by all parties.

Responding to questions, Ms. Throssell said the proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had started today and were ongoing; these were serious allegations, and the issues were hugely complex. It was important to await the decision of the ICJ.

Ongoing Humanitarian Emergency in Gaza

Andrea De Domenico, Head of Office OPT, for the Organisation of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaking from Jerusalem, said it was three months into the conflict, and military operations continued to expand, now hitting the middle of Gaza which was previously considered a safer area. Hundreds and thousands of people had moved there with their families to find refuge. Troops on the ground had intensified operations in this area, which had put significant pressure on the population. Mr. De Domenico had been in Gaza and had been amazed to see that any public space, walkway, or available land, was being used as shelter. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) base was totally covered in tents. There was a lack of shelter, water, food, and health care. It was a situation of palpable desperation. This high pressure was increasing tension with the United Nations and humanitarian communities regarding their ability to address basic needs. So far people were positive with humanitarians and used to thank them, but tension would increase if operations were not scaled up.

The ability of the UN to move and operate was being compromised in the south, due to the number of tents, which were blocking the roads. There were still around 300 to 400,000 people in the north, where the situation was becoming increasingly complicated. Yesterday three missions had been partially permitted; however, the previous days, just three operations had been approved out of the 21 requested. At the crossing, there had been a series of corpses which had been left there, and no one had been permitted to collect them. It was also vital to scale up operations in the north. OCHA was leveraging on the recent negotiation by the humanitarian coordinator and the US visit, to get increased access. The focus was on the four fundamental sectors; wash, health, food, and shelter, in order to keep people alive. Those who received aid were clearly starving.

Responding to questions, Mr. De Domenico said the major concern the Israeli military had regarding the north seemed to be the distribution of fuel, or any support which could potentially go to Hamas. They had been particularly systematic in not allowing the UN to support hospitals, which was reaching a level of humanity beyond comprehension. The south and middle area had been reduced to two hospitals which were completely overflooded, and were unable to address the needs of the approximately 60,000 wounded people. After receiving treatment, patients in hospitals would flee as soon as they could walk, due to fear of attack. Israeli military were allowing in some aid, such as food, but were sensitive around fuel, which was why some of the missions were considered only partially complete. Every single mission was caught in crossfire and often delayed at the checkpoints.

Responding to further questions, Mr. De Domenico, said operations in the north were still ongoing. OCHA welcomed the assessment on access, to understand where in the north they could operate. Teams were ready to bring in 14 kitchens in the north, each of which would serve up to 15,000 people. There were some hospitals which had been particularly targeted. OCHA had been unable to return to Jabalia hospital, but Al-Shifa hospital had been permitted to receive some fuel.

Mr. De Domenico said the deconfliction system was a work in progress. There had been an effort from the Israeli side to maintain the dialogue and pursue it. The condition of crossing through the checkpoint had been the object of fierce negotiations, including regarding the screening of staff, who should be protected.

The reasons given for halting convoys was the inability to guarantee security. Fuel in particular was a complicated subject, and was only permitted in specific quantities for specific hospitals.

Dire situation of children in Gaza and three urgent bottlenecks

Lucia Elmi, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Special representative to the State of Palestine, speaking from Jerusalem, said she had just returned from Gaza where she spent a week with the team on the ground. With every passing day, children and families in the Gaza Strip faced an increased risk of death from the sky, disease from lack of safe water, and deprivation from lack of food. The nightmare for the remaining Israeli children held hostage in Gaza continued. The situation continued to deteriorate rapidly. Last week, UNICEF spoke of the ‘triple threat’ stalking children in the Gaza Strip: conflict, disease, and malnutrition. Thousands of children had already died and thousands more would follow if three urgent bottlenecks were not immediately fixed, including safety from bombardments, logistics for aid delivery and the resumption of the commercial sector.

An immediate and long-lasting ceasefire was the only way to end the killing and injuring of children and their families and enable the urgent delivery of desperately needed aid. All access crossings into the Gaza Strip also needed to open; the approval process for aid needed to be faster; civilian infrastructure like schools and hospitals needed be protected; and, access needed to be granted to the north of the Gaza Strip, to reach vulnerable children and families. The abducted Israeli children should be unconditionally and safely released.

Responding to questions, Ms. Elmi said 600,000 lifesaving vaccines had recently been brought into hospitals to restart vaccination campaigns for children. The only maternity hospital in the south had delivered over 1700 babies in a month, against 400 before the conflict, with women being released immediately after giving birth due to the overstretched capacity.

Responding to further questions, Ms. Elmi, said in the last two weeks alone, cases of diarrhoea among children had almost doubled to 70,000, which was very concerning. The conflict, the increased burden of diseases, and malnutrition – the triple threat - were putting 135,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition.

Situation of hospitals in Gaza

Answering questions, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said sometimes it was the areas around hospitals that were under siege and had evacuation orders in place, making it difficult to reach the hospitals. Seven missions to the north, from December till the present, had been called off, with the convoy ready to depart. Yesterday, Al-Shifa hospital was reached with some materials, including 9,300 litres of fuel, and medical supplies to cover more than 1000 dialysis patients. The biggest issue was the lack of ability to plan, as movement was always ad hoc and unsustainable.

Answering further questions, Mr Lindmeier said there were six partially functioning hospitals in the north, but only two were barely functioning. Al-Shifa hospital used to have more than 600 beds, but now had 40. In the south, there were nine partially functioning facilities, but these were smaller. This meant 15 facilities out of formerly 36, were functioning and only partially.

Emergency Situation in Ecuador

Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the Office was closely monitoring the situation in Ecuador, where there had been a surge in violence linked to organised crime groups, and where, in response, the Government had announced a 60-day state of emergency, declared an “internal armed conflict” and deployed the army. Over the past few days, violent incidents had been reported in different parts of the country, with cars being set on fire and reported explosions. At least 12 people, including two police officers, were reported killed. In addition, around 150 prison officers and 20 administrative workers were reported to have been taken hostage by inmates in seven different prisons.

It was understood that the Prosecutor’s office had opened several investigations into the recent violence, and OHCHR called for these to be prompt, transparent, thorough, and independent, in accordance with international standards. During his mission to the country last year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, highlighted the deterioration of the security situation due to transnational organised crime, and the impact on the most vulnerable people. The High Commissioner called today for all emergency measures addressing the violence to be proportionate and limited to the requirements of the security situation. The powers granted to armed forces for public security tasks needed to be exceptional, time-limited, subordinate, and accountable to civil authorities. Human rights needed to be at the centre of all policies to stem the violence.

Responding to questions, Ms. Throssell said the problem of transnational organised crime in Ecuador had been building over the past few years and was a key focus of the High Commissioner’s visit last year. The impact on the population had been immense. Ecuador faced huge challenges. Tackling organised crime needed to be a police-focused operation. At the heart of everything, the operations needed to be proportional and in line with international standards. The Office had a long relationship with Ecuador on a variety of human rights issues, including the situation inside the country. Ms. Throssell said the OHCHR were not the UN department with the most expertise in tackling organised crime, but they could say that whatever approaches were taken should be in line with human rights, including that policing had to be carried out by trained police officers. Ms Throssell also said that the COVID-19 had had a devastating impact on Ecuador which had caused major difficult consequences.

Anti-drugs operation in Sri Lanka

Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said OHCHR were very concerned that authorities in Sri Lanka were adopting a heavily security-based response to the country’s drugs problem, instead of public health policies grounded in human rights. Some 29,000 people had reportedly been arrested on drug related matters since 17 December, with allegations that some had been subjected to ill-treatment and torture. Security forces had reportedly conducted raids without search warrants, detaining suspected drug sellers and users, with hundreds sent to military-run rehabilitation centres. During and after these operations, people were reported to have been subjected to violations, including unauthorised searches, arbitrary arrests and detention, ill-treatment, torture, and strip searches in public.

While drug use presented a serious challenge to society, a heavy-handed law enforcement approach was not the solution. People suspected of selling or trafficking drugs were entitled to humane treatment, with full respect for due process and transparent, fair trials. People who used drugs should be provided with appropriate support programmes. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the Government of Sri Lanka to review its ongoing “Yukthiya” operation, and to implement human rights-based approaches, notably the right to health, in addressing the issues of illicit drugs in society. 

2023 temperature figures to be released this afternoon

Clare Nullis for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said WMO would be releasing the consolidated global temperature figures this afternoon at 5 pm. This had to be done in conjunction with NOAA and NASA. A press release had been distributed under embargo in all languages. Given the timing, there would not be a press conference, however the media could arrange interviews if necessary.

New WMO Secretary-General at briefing next Tuesday 

Clare Nullis for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that the new WMO Secretary-General, Professor Celeste Saulo, would speak to media ahead of the regular briefing on Tuesday January 16. WMO would try to accommodate requests for one-on-one interviews with the media. It was anticipated that once she had settled in, she would provide regular briefings and prioritise Palais journalists.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) said on Monday morning, the Palais des Nations would be fully reopened, and the briefing on Tuesday would be in person. At 8:30am on Monday, in the press room there would be a hybrid press conference on the launch of the Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and Regional Refugee Response Plan 2024, with Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.