The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Gaza: Acts of war bear hallmarks of atrocity crimes, warn UN humanitarians
According to local health authorities in Gaza, from 18 to 25 March, 830 people were killed, including 174 women and 322 children. A further 1,787 were injured.
“The acts of war that we see bear the hallmarks of atrocity crimes,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “Hundreds of children and other civilians have been killed in health and Israeli airstrikes. Intensely populated areas hospitals are once again battlegrounds; patients killed in their beds, ambulances shot at and first responders killed.”
It has been 10 days since Gazans woke up to renewed Israel bombing. “It has been 10 days of witnessing - because the UN remains on the ground in Gaza - a callous disregard for human life and dignity,” Mr. Laerke maintained.
Maryse Guimond, UN Women Representative for the OPT, relayed testimonies of Palestinians in Gaza who are refusing to heed new evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military on the grounds that “there are no safe places anyway”.
Speaking from Amman, she added: “It is a situation of pure survival and survival of their families because, as they say, there is simply nowhere to go. They are telling us they will not move again since no safe places anyway. As a woman recently said to us from Deir al Balah, ‘My mother says death is the same whether in Gaza City, or in Deir al Balah; we just want to return to Gaza.’”
Echoing those concerns, Dr Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that the situation “is as bad as it ever was”. A new ceasefire is needed immediately for the sake of all Gazans, she insisted. “We knew it was bad before the ceasefire, when we were constantly begging to be allowed to do our job and just to help the ordinary people. No, they can't keep going and that's why we're saying…we need a ceasefire right now.”
Healthcare in the enclave is also suffering from the aid blockade, with supplies dwindling dangerously low since the cut-off began on 2 March. “The key supplies now for safe labour and delivery and deliveries of so-called supplies for maternal and child health will be running out soon,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the OPT. A dozen ambulances have also been put out of action by a lack of fuel, the veteran humanitarian medic said, speaking from Jerusalem.
Sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, the war in Gaza has devastated the enclave and prompted widespread international condemnation over its impact on civilians, who should be spared from violence in times of war.
“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” OCHA’s Mr. Laerke insisted. “International law is clear, it prohibits indiscriminate attacks, obstruction of life saving aid, destruction of infrastructure indispensable for civilian survival and hostage-taking. The International Court of Justice’s provisional measures on the application of the Genocide Convention remain in place; yet the alerts that we issue in report after report reveal an utter lack of respect for the most basic principles of humanity.”
ends
STORY: Gaza Update – OCHA, WHO, UN Women
TRT: 03’27”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 28 March 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Speakers:
- Jens Laerke, spokesperson, OCHA
- Dr. Margaret Harris, spokesperson, WHO
- Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the OPT (from Jerusalem)
- Maryse Guimond, UN Women Representative for the OPT (from Amman)
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley
- Wide shot of podium with speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson, OCHA: “It is now day 10 of the return to full-scale war in Gaza after Israel decided to start bombing the enclave again. It has been 10 days of witnessing - because the UN remains on the ground in Gaza - a callous disregard for human life and dignity.”
- Wide shot, podium speakers, Press room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson, OCHA: “The acts of war that we see bear the hallmarks of atrocity crimes. Hundreds of children and other civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in intensely populated areas. Hospitals are once again battlegrounds; patients killed in their beds, ambulances shot at and first responders killed.”
- Medium, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr Margaret Harris, spokesperson, WHO: “We're looking at a situation right now that is as bad as it ever was. We knew it was bad before the ceasefire, when we were constantly begging to be allowed to do our job and just to help the ordinary people of Gzaa to live their lives. It is now worse because people have had a blockade of food but they’ve also got the ongoing fighting and supplies are running out. And they are exhausted. And this is on top of a situation where they were already very unwell. So no, they can’t keep going, and that why we’re saying we need this to be lifted right now. We need a ceasefire right now.”
- Medium-wide, TV screens showing speaker, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson, OCHA: “We repeat: nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people; international law is clear, it prohibits indiscriminate attacks, obstruction of life saving aid, destruction of infrastructure indispensable for civilian survival and hostage-taking. The International Court of Justice’s provisional measures on the application of the Genocide Convention remain in place; yet the alerts that we issue in report after report reveal an utter lack of respect for the most basic principles of humanity.”
- Medium, Press room, journalists.
- Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the OPT (from Jerusalem): “The key supplies now for safe labour and delivery and deliveries of so-called supplies for maternal and child health will be running out - soon. I mean, we were running out. Limited availability of benzene has put out a dozen of ambulances out of use.”
- Wide, Press room, TV journalist with camera.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Maryse Guimond, UN Women Representative for the OPT (from Amman): “From 18 to 25 March in just eight days, 830 people have been killed, 174 women, 322 children with 1,787 injured.”
- Medium, journalist.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Maryse Guimond, UN Women: “It is a situation of pure survival and survival of their families because, as they say, there is simply nowhere to go. They are telling us they will not move again since no safe places anyway. As a woman recently said to us from Deir al Balah, ‘My mother says death is the same whether in Gaza City, or Deir al Balah; we just want to return to Gaza.”
- Medium, journalist.
- Medium, TV journalist with camera.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised grave concerns about the recent constitutional amendments adopted in Pakistan.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson made the following comment on the most recent killings in the occupied West Bank yesterday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised concerns about the military-controlled election in Myanmar, which starts next month and will be conducted in an atmosphere rife with threats and violence putting the lives of civilians at risk.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
World AIDS Day 2025: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Gaza women are ‘last line of protection’ for their families amid attacks, hunger and harsh winter – UN Women
Women in Gaza are ensuring their families’ survival “with nothing but courage and exhausted hands” while violence continues and essentials remain in short supply, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Since the ceasefire began on 27 November 2024, Israeli military strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 127 civilians. Nearly a year later, these attacks continue to increase, causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian structures.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
A new report by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that the prolonged military operation and long-standing restrictions have driven the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory into its most severe contraction on record, wiping out decades of development gains and deepening fiscal and social fragility.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , WFP
Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday.
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.