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“The Israeli military has also continued to issue displacement orders for Palestinians, including those in Gaza City, telling them to move to Al Mawasi area, even as strikes on this area continue. On 16 and 17 August, we recorded five attacks on tents of internally displaced people in Al Mawasi, killing at least nine people,” Al-Kheetan said.
“Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to Al Mawasi have little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents,” the spokesperson highlighted.
“The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza. This is a direct result of the Israeli Government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid. In the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that remain far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation,” he said.
“Reaching the meagre supplies available can be a deadly pursuit. Since 27 May and up until 17 August, we have documented that 1,857 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, including 1,021 killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, and 836 killed on the routes of supply trucks. Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military,” Al-Kheetan said.
For more information and media requests, please contact
Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Jeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Thameen Al-Kheetan: +41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Gaza
TRT: 02:19
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 19/08/2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot : Palais des Nations
- Wide shots : briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “In Gaza, the Israeli army has intensified its attacks in the north of the strip.”
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The Israeli military has also continued to issue displacement orders for Palestinians, including those in Gaza City, telling them to move to Al Mawasi area, even as strikes on this area continue. On 16 and 17 August, we recorded five attacks on tents of internally displaced people in Al Mawasi, killing at least nine people.”
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to Al Mawasi have little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents.”
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza. This is a direct result of the Israeli Government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid. In the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that remain far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation.”
- Cut aways: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Reaching the meagre supplies available can be a deadly pursuit. Since 27 May and up until 17 August, we have documented that 1,857 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, including 1,021 killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, and 836 killed on the routes of supply trucks. Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military.”
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