The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
OCHA - Press Conference: Humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory - 18 March 2024
STORYLINE
GAZA: Famine is imminent as half of Gaza experience catastrophic food insecurity, warn UN humanitarians.
The latest food security report from the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) on war-ravaged Gaza published on Monday indicates that more than half of all Palestinians in Gaza –1.1 million people– have completely exhausted their food supplies and are facing catastrophic hunger.
“The IPC mentions that famine is imminent if the steps are not taken. But I would also say that for a lot of young children there, especially the under two year olds, who have shown some serious signs of malnutrition, dehydration and anemia and pregnant mothers and new mothers, I think that the damage to the development potential of a lot of these young people has probably been affected in something they might never ever recover from and reach their full potential,” said Jamie McGoldrick, U.N. aid coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking from Jerusalem to journalists at the United Nations in Geneva.
He added that “this one IPC records the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by an IPC anywhere at any time in the world. So, it shows the severity of that, especially in the north part of the country, where over 70 per cent of the people are in real difficult circumstances there.”
Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering. The IPC report noted that virtually all households now skip meals every day in Gaza. Adults have reduced their meals so that children can eat.
The IPC acute food insecurity analysis conducted in December 2023 warned of a risk that Famine may occur by the end of May 2024 if an immediate cessation of hostilities and sustained access for the provision of essential supplies and services to the population did not take place. Since then, the conditions necessary to prevent famine have not been met and the latest evidence confirms that Famine is imminent in the northern governorates and projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024.
“The environment we're working is very, very uncertain, unstable. We're not sure how to plan for more than 48 hours, 72 hours because of the uncertainties there. And with the fear of a Rafah incursion, it makes it all the more difficult. If there is some sort of humanitarian pause or some sort of ceasefire in the future, obviously, we'd like to exploit that,” said the UN’s aid coordinator.
Particularly concerning is “the very low number of trucks that we get in, the 200 trucks, is far smaller than the 500 before October seven, and with very little in the way of private sector it will be very difficult for us to actually do anything meaningful unless we can scale up very, very quickly. And that means opening up as many borders as we possibly can,” Mr. McGoldrick emphasized.
In reply to a journalist question about aid deliveries via airdrops and maritime as alternatives to the limited road access, Mr. McGoldrick said that “we would rather spend time getting the roads opened, get the roads graded because they've been heavily destroyed by the military activity and by the weather. And we'd also have to look at the unexploded ordnance to be removed as well. And having all roads and all entry points to the north and elsewhere open, that is the best way to address the humanitarian crisis, the famine that you mentioned is imminent, as the report indicates.”
The only real way to get heavy loads of material, food and others into all parts of Gaza would only be by road, Mr. McGoldrick emphasized.
To allow more aid deliveries by trucks, as many borders as possible would need to be open, and there’s also a need for additional crossing points towards the north.
“We haven't been allowed by Israel to bring in sufficient ability for us to communicate with each other. And we are sending people on convoys to the north into quite hostile areas, and we have no means of tracking them, no means of talking to them if something untoward was to happen. So, while Israel talks about enabling environment, I just have to point out some of those facts.”
-ends-
STORY: Humanitarian Coordinator OPT
TRT: 2:54”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 18 March 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot: speaker at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for the oPt (speaking from Jerusalem): “The IPC mentions that famine is imminent if the steps are not taken. But I would also say that for a lot of young children there, especially the under two year olds, who have shown some serious signs of malnutrition, dehydration and anemia and pregnant mothers and new mothers, I think that the damage to the development potential of a lot of these young people has probably been affected in something they might never ever recover from and reach their full potential.”
- Medium shot: moderator at the podium during the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for the oPt (speaking from Jerusalem): “This one IPC records the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by an IPC anywhere at any time in the world. So, it shows the severity of that, especially in the north part of the country, where over 70 per cent of the people are in real difficult circumstances there.”
- Wide shot: Journalists in press room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for the oPt (speaking from Jerusalem): “The environment we're working is very, very uncertain, unstable. We're not sure how to plan for more than 48 hours, 72 hours because of the uncertainties there. And with the fear of a Rafah incursion, it makes it all the more difficult. If there is a some sort of humanitarian pause or some sort of ceasefire in the future, obviously, we'd like to exploit that.”
- Medium shot: Camera woman filming
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for the oPt (speaking from Jerusalem): “The very low number of trucks that we get in, the 200 trucks, is far smaller than the 500 before October seven, and with very little in the way of private sector it will be very difficult for us to actually do anything meaningful unless we can scale up very, very quickly. And that means opening up as many borders as we possibly can.”
- Medium shot: journalists in the press room
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for the oPt (speaking from Jerusalem): “We would rather spend time getting the roads opened, get the roads graded because they've been heavily destroyed by the military activity and by the weather. And we'd also have to look at the unexploded ordnance to be removed as well. And having all roads and all entry points to the north and elsewhere open, that is the best way to address the humanitarian crisis, the famine that you mentioned is imminent, as the report indicates.”
- Close up, journalist in press briefing room
- Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for the oPt (speaking from Jerusalem): “We haven't been allowed by Israel to bring in sufficient ability for us to communicate with each other. And we are sending people on convoys to the north into quite hostile areas, and we have no means of tracking them, no means of talking to them if something untoward was to happen. So, while Israel talks about enabling environment, I just have to point out some of those facts.”
- Medium shot, technical staff monitoring briefing
- Medium shot, journalists listening
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNDP , UNHCR , WHO , UNECE , OCHA , WMO
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
UN Humanitarians reject Israeli plan to take over aid delivery
The reported Israeli proposal to deliver humanitarian supplies through hubs controlled by the military would be a breach of the core principles of neutral, impartial and independent aid delivery, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News , B-roll | OCHA
Gaza: ‘Worst-case scenario’ unfolds as two-month aid blockade deepens suffering - OCHA
Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.
/Includes OCHA footage from Gaza City/
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNDP , OCHA , UNHCR
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Children in Gaza are going to bed starving, says aid agency
The biggest UN aid agency in Gaza on Tuesday condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza that has left families sharing a single tin of food at mealtime and the sick and injured without lifesaving medical help, amid daily bombardment.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , UNHCR , UNRWA
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine force frontline areas to empty: UNHCR
With Ukrainian cities still reeling from this week’s deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, communities on the front line continue to be targeted too, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | BRS
2025 BRS Conventions Conference of the Parties (COPs)
1
1
2
Press Conferences | WFP , UNHCR , WHO
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Funding and supply shortfalls for the UN World Food Programme (WFP)'s work in Ethiopia will halt lifesaving treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children at the end of the month. “We are at the breaking point,” it said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WFP
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, attended by the representative of the World Food Programme (WFP).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.