Middle East crisis update UNHCR - OHCHR - UNICEF 15 October 2024
/
3:21
/
MP4
/
393.7 MB
Transcripts
Download

Edited News | UNHCR , UNICEF , OHCHR

Middle East crisis update UNHCR - OHCHR - UNICEF 15 October 2024

Lebanon crisis: UN human rights office calls for probe into Israeli strike

With no let-up to the ongoing Israel-Lebanon conflict, the UN human rights office on Tuesday called for an independent probe into an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment block in northern Lebanon a day earlier that left a reported 22 dead.

“What we’re hearing is that amongst the 22 people who were killed were 12 women and two children,” said Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “We understand it was a four-storey residential building that was struck. With these factors in mind, we have real concerns with respect to [International Humanitarian Law], so the laws of war and principles of distinction, proportion and proportionality. In this case, we would - our Office - call for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into this incident.”

Since the Israeli military escalated its offensive against Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon last month whose deadly rocket attacks at Israel have not stopped, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported that the death toll in Lebanon is now more than 2,200 since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023. That number “continues to climb as the situation becomes more dramatic”, said Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director for the Middle East.

Over 10,000 people have also been injured amid Israeli airstrikes and Israeli evacuation orders that have left more than 25 per cent of the country “under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”, the UNHCR official told journalists in Geneva.

Some 1.2 million people have now been displaced across Lebanon, according to the country’s government, while the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned that all those impacted “are enduring the worst humanitarian crisis in decades”.

“Violence is pushing an already overwhelmed health system to the brink, with devastating impacts on care. Attacks on health facilities are a violation of international humanitarian law. They must end now,” OCHA said in an online post.

“People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they're fleeing with almost nothing,” UNHCR’s Ms. Imseis said. “Many of them are being forced out into the open, they're sleeping under the skies as they try to find their way towards safety and support.”

Providing assistance to those in need remains dangerous and difficult, she continued, noting that “for the last three days running, we've had to endorse and approve and reapprove an interagency convoy movement which is now scheduled to take place today”.

Desperate scenes have also been reported on Lebanon’s border with Syria, where more than 283,000 people have now crossed into northern Syria “seeking safety, fleeing Israeli airstrikes”, the UNHCR official said. About 70 per cent of those people are Syrians and roughly 30 per cent are Lebanese.

“We saw women with - two women - with about nine children between them who described their journey on foot for 10 hours to reach that point. They had seen directly the impact of the violence, an airstrike had hit a home 100 metres from their home and they fled, literally, with just the clothes on their backs.”

In Gaza, meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) condemned Monday’s strike on the al Aqsa hospital courtyard, where people from northern Gaza were told to relocate. At least four people were burned to death, and scores of others, including women and children, suffered severe burns.

“There are far too many children there with burns and with burn wounds” needing treatment that [the] hospital does not have the medicines and the antiseptics and the painkillers that are required,” said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder. “On my last mission to Gaza earlier this month, I discovered such a thing as fourth degree burns; I met a little six-year-old boy, Hamid with fourth degree burns. So what we saw last night will have again been large numbers of people, including children, with horrendous burns to which that hospital simply doesn't have the resources to treat.”

Providing assistance to those in need remains dangerous and difficult, she continued, noting that “for the last three days running, we've had to endorse and approve and reapprove an interagency convoy movement which is now scheduled to take place today”.

Story: Middle East crisis update – UNHCR, OHCHR, UNICEF

Speakers:

  • Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director Middle East
  • Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson, OHCHR
  • James Elder, spokesperson, UNICEF

TRT: 03’21”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 15 October 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RESTRICTIONS: None


SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
  2. Wide shot of the UN Geneva Press room.
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director, Middle East: “The death toll in Lebanon continues to climb as the situation becomes more dramatic and we see continued Israeli airstrikes and people on the move seeking shelter and safety. Over 2,000 people - over 2,200 rather - have now been killed by Israeli airstrikes and we have over 10,000 people who have been injured as a result of the conflict.
  4. Medium-wide shot of Press room.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director, Middle East: “Israeli airstrikes and Israeli evacuation orders continue to increase the areas impacted, so now that we have over 25 per cent of the country under a direct Israeli military evacuation order.”
  6. Medium-wide, Press room, journalists, TV cameras.
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson, OHCHR: “What we're hearing is that amongst the 22 people who were killed were 12 women and two children. We understand it was a four-storey residential building that was struck. With these factors in mind, we have real concerns with respect to IHL, so the laws of war and principles of distinction, proportion and proportionality. In this case, we would - our Office - call for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into this incident.”
  8. Medium, participant.
  9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director, Middle East: “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they're fleeing with almost nothing. Many of them are being forced out into the open, they're sleeping under the skies as they try to find their way towards safety and support.”
  10. Medium, podium from above, TV screen showing remote speaker.
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director, Middle East: “We also have challenges as humanitarians reaching people who are in need of our assistance; for the last three days running, we've had to endorse and approve and reapprove an interagency convoy movement which is now scheduled to take place today.”
  12. Medium, TV journalist operating camera.
  13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director, Middle East: “The latest count is that we have over 283,000 people who have crossed from Lebanon into Syria seeking safety, fleeing Israeli airstrikes. About 70 per cent of those people are Syrians, roughly 30 per cent of them are Lebanese.”
  14. Medium-wide, Press room, participants and TV screens showing speakers.
  15. SOUNDBITE (English) Rema Jamous Imseis, UNHCR Director, Middle East: “We saw women with - two women - with about nine children between them who described their journey on foot for 10 hours to reach that point. They had seen directly the impact of the violence, an airstrike had hit a home 100 metres from their home and they fled, literally, with just the clothes on their backs.”
  16. Medium-wide, Press room.
  17. SOUNDBITE (English) James Elder, spokesperson, UNICEF: “There are far too many children there with burns and with burn wounds that simply need that… which that hospital does not have the medicines and the antiseptics and the painkillers that are required. On my last mission to Gaza earlier this month, I discovered such a thing as fourth degree burns; I met a little six-year-old boy, Hamid – H-A-M-A-D - with fourth degree burns. So what we saw last night will have again been large numbers of people, including children, with horrendous burns to which that hospital simply doesn't have the resources to treat.”
  18. Medium-wide, journalist taking video images with mobile phone.


Audio Files 1
Download Middle East crisis update UNHCR - OHCHR - UNICEF 15 October 2024 (Edited Story)
Download

Similar Stories

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO ENG FRA

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.

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025 ENG FRA

Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end”

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end” ENG FRA

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.

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC ENG FRA

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.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti

2

1

2

Edited News | OHCHR

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti ENG FRA

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.

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025 ENG FRA

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.

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO ENG FRA

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.

UN Report: Civilian detainees subjected to troubling patterns of torture and ill treatment since Russia’s full scale attack on Ukraine

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Report: Civilian detainees subjected to troubling patterns of torture and ill treatment since Russia’s full scale attack on Ukraine ENG FRA

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. 

Sudan cholera update WHO - UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNICEF

Sudan cholera update WHO - UNICEF ENG FRA

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.

Afghanistan earthquake response – UN Women 19 September 2025

2

1

2

Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN

Afghanistan earthquake response – UN Women 19 September 2025 ENG FRA

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.

UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung ENG FRA

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.

'Not a Target' UN Geneva Protest - 18 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNITED NATIONS

'Not a Target' UN Geneva Protest - 18 September 2025 ENG FRA

United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.