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Escalation of violence increases civilian suffering in Israel and Palestinian Territories - OCHA
As the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestinians takes an increasingly heavy toll on civilians, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed its deep concern for the effect the conflict is having on people’s access to water, sanitation, and health care, especially in Gaza.
“We are alarmed by the continued escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel,” UN OCHA Spokesperson Jeans Laerke said at a press briefing in Geneva today. “The casualty count continues to climb on both sides of the conflict and civilians are suffering,” Laerke added.
The situation appears especially dramatic in the Gaza strip, where fuel and medicines were already scarce, and where shortages affect an estimated two million Palestinians.
“We are in contact with all the relevant actors on the ground so that we can obtain two things: again, access in and out of the Gaza Strip – that’s through the Erez crossing point in the North which has been closed as of 10th of May – and for the goods that we need to get in, in particular fuel. So, these are negotiations that are ongoing”, Jens Laerke said.
OCHA reports that the North Gaza Seawater Desalination Plant is still not operational, affecting an estimated 250,000 people’s access to clean drinking water. Another 230,000 people from Gaza City and Khan Younis have limited access to piped water due to increasing power cuts and the damage to the networks.
“Extensive damage is reported to civilian properties in densely populated areas all over Gaza, with over 200 housing units destroyed or severely damaged”, Laerke reported. “Humanitarian partners working in shelter are supporting displaced families with non-food items and cash support”.
Laerke also said that “education partners inform us that 31 education facilities, including schools, vocational training centres and higher education facilities have been impacted since the start of the escalation.”
According to reports, hundreds of people, many from refugee camps in Gaza, are seeking refuge and shelter in schools run by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“UNRWA says that it has experienced in quickly turning its schools into shelters, but the challenge is the pandemic and the risk of people crowding and spreading the virus”, Laerke said. He added that “another major risk is the UNRWA has not yet been able to put in place necessary preparation in these schools-turned-shelters because of the restriction on staff movement in the past two days.”
Humanitarian workers continue to provide assistance on the ground, but the current insecurity limits the delivery of essential services, including needed response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as people are unable to safely access treatment and vaccination facilities.
“We continue to call for an immediate de-escalation of violence across the occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, reminding the parties to the conflict of their obligation to protect civilians and allow access for humanitarian groups to safely provide assistance,” Laerke said.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We are alarmed by the continued escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. The casualty count continues to climb on both sides of the conflict and civilians are suffering. In the Gaza Strip, home to an estimated 2 million Palestinians, hostilities are also having an impact on access to water, sanitation, healthcare and the COVID-19 response.”
- Medium shot, attendee with headphones, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We are in contact with all the relevant actors on the ground so that we can obtain two things: again, access in and out of the Gaza Strip – that’s through the Erez crossing point in the North which has been closed as of 10th of May – and for the goods that we need to get in, in particular fuel. So, these are negotiations that are ongoing.”
- Medium wide shot, attended typing on phone to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Extensive damage is reported to civilian properties in densely populated areas all over Gaza, with over 200 housing units destroyed or severely damaged. Humanitarian partners working in shelter are supporting displaced families with non-food items and cash support. Education partners inform us that 31 education facilities, including schools, vocational training centres and higher education facilities have been impacted since the start of the escalation.”
- Medium close-up shot, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke talking, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “UNRWA says that it has experienced in quickly turning its schools into shelters, but the challenge is the pandemic and the risk of people crowding and spreading the virus. Another major risk is the UNRWA has not yet been able to put in place necessary preparation in these schools-turned-shelters because of the restriction on staff movement in the past two days.”
- Medium wide shot, attendee sitting in front of laptop, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We continue to call for an immediate de-escalation of violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, reminding the parties to the conflict of their obligation to protect civilians and allow access for humanitarian groups to safely provide assistance.”
- Medium shot, TV broadcasting in foreground and podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, attendee using listening device, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Wide shot, UNTV camera in foreground and podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
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- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
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“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
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“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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