The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNICEF
Gaza key Rafah crossings closed - OCHA, UNICEF, OHCHR 07 May 2024
STORYLINE
Gaza aid choked off by closure of key southern border crossings
Amid ongoing uncertainty about a ceasefire in Gaza and an escalation of the military operation in the southern city of Rafah, UN aid agencies expressed deep concerns on Tuesday that the two main access points into the Strip remained closed, while families are scared and “hanging on psychologically and physically by a thread”.
Gaza is “choked off” from aid warned Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “We currently do not have any physical presence at the Rafah crossing, as our access to go to that area for coordination purposes has been denied by COGAT, he told journalists in Geneva, making reference to the Israeli agency that oversees Palestinian civilian affairs. “Currently, the two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off.”
UN humanitarians estimate that the enclave has only a one-day buffer of fuel stocks. “If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time, it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave,” the OCHA spokesperson insisted.
Israel's military took control overnight of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a vital entry point for humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian border. The incursion comes after Hamas said it had accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal by Qatar and Egypt, but Israel said it would continue talks while pushing ahead with Rafah military operations.
The border closure is a blow to efforts to maintain the flow of food, medicine and basic supplies to keep Gazans alive. The World Food Program has warned the northern part of the Strip is already experiencing “full-blown famine.”
A warning echoed by James Elder, from UNICEF, who questioned “how aid agencies could avert famine across the Gaza Strip if the borders remain closed for an extended period.”
With the population of Rafah increasing fivefold, from 250,000 to 1.4 million people, the physical and mental health conditions for civilians have been deteriorating rapidly over the last seven months of war.
“Families’ coping capacity has been smashed,” explained Mr. Elder, UNICEF spokesperson. They are hanging on, psychologically and physically, by a thread. I do not recall meeting a single family in Rafah -and I met scores-, who hadn't lost a home or a loved one.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah saying it would be a ‘human catastrophe’ and reiterated his appeal to both parties to secure an ‘essential’ cease-fire agreement now.
Palestinian civilians under orders to evacuate eastern Rafah by the Israeli Defence Forces have described their fear and despair. More than one million Palestinians have fled to the city from other parts of Gaza since 7 October 2023.
“They must have access to aid where they go,” insisted Jens Laerke. “That is not the case, particularly in Al Mawassi, the major problem is that there's no infrastructure. What underpins a humanitarian operation is access to electricity, access to water and sanitation systems, sewage system and so on. That's not there,” he added.
The UN's human rights office warned that Israel has strict obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the safety and access of the population to medical care, adequate food, safe water and sanitation. “Failure to meet these obligations may amount to forced displacement, which is a war crime,” said Ravina Shamdasani, OHCHR spokesperson.
Ends
Story: “Gaza vital Rafah crossings closed – OCHA, UNICEF, OHCHR” – 07 May 2024
Speakers, agencies spokespersons:
- · Jens Laerke, OCHA
- · James Elder, UNICEF
- · Ravina Shamdasani, OHCHR
TRT: 02’06”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 07 May 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot of the podium with speakers at the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson: “We currently do not have any physical presence at the Rafah crossing, as our access to go to that area for coordination purposes has been denied by COGAT (the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories). So that means that the two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off.”
- Wide shot of press room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson: “If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time, it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave.”
- Medium shot: journalists at the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) James Elder, UNICEF spokesperson: “It's hard to see, if that closes for an extended period, how aid agencies avert famine across the Gaza Strip.”
- Cutaway journalists in press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) James Elder, UNICEF spokesperson: “Families’ coping capacity has been smashed. Families are hanging on, psychologically and physically, by a thread. I do not recall meeting a single family – and I met scores – a single family in Rafah who hadn't lost a home or a loved one.”
- Wide shot of press conference room and control room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson: “They must have access to aid where they go. That is not the case, particularly in Al Mawasi. The major problem is that there's no infrastructure. What underpins a humanitarian operation is access to electricity, access to water and sanitation systems, sewage system and so on. That's not there.”
- Cutaway: journalist taking notes
- SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, OHCHR spokesperson: “Israel has strict obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the safety and access of these individuals to medical care, to adequate food, to safe water, to sanitation. Failure to meet these obligations may amount to forced displacement, which is a war crime.”
- Various shots of the press conference room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA
Gaza: After Security Council vote humanitarians urge aid scale-up as winter rains hit families hard
Following the UN Security Council’s Monday endorsement of a US peace plan for Gaza, UN humanitarians urged prioritizing aid access under the scheme as severe rains and flooding deepened Palestinian suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks on the ongoing violence in the occupied WestBank.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk made the following remarks on the situation in El-Fasher, Sudan.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
UN Human Rights Council holds special session on Sudan as mass atrocities reported in El Fasher
The UN Human Rights Council convened an emergency session on Friday on the situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan, following reports of mass killings in the North Darfur capital. States passed a resolution that will mandate an investigation into likely mass atrocities during the capture of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 October.
1
1
2
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Sudan: Women’s bodies ‘a crime scene’ as tens of thousands flee El Fasher atrocities – UN Women
In war-torn Sudan, rape is being systematically used as a weapon and simply being a woman is “a strong predictor” of hunger, violence and death, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday called for an end to continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where “unchecked” settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
The crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to worsen amid ongoing fighting that has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and created acute hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.