The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
As death toll mounts in Middle East escalation, UN urges greater aid access
More than 220 people have now died in Gaza and the West Bank since violence erupted last week with Israel, where the toll has risen to 10 dead, the UN said on Tuesday, in a call for greater access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and an end to hostilities.
“Up ’til noon yesterday, in the Gaza Strip Palestinian fatalities stood at 200 at that point. In the West Bank, Palestinian fatalities stood at 20,” said Jens Laerke from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“There are combined in the West Bank and Gaza Strip more than 6,000 injured. In Israel, the casualty count tragically as well as of yesterday stood at 10 total deaths and nearly 800 injured…due to Palestinian rocket attacks from highly populated civilian neighbourhoods into civilian populations centres in Israel.”
Nearly 60,000 people have also had to leave or flee their homes in Gaza, the OCHA spokesperson told journalists, with 47,000 people now sheltering in UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) schools.
As of Monday, 132 buildings including 621 housing and commercial units have been destroyed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. An additional 316 housing units have been severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable, Mr. Laerke noted.
Health care professionals and medical facilities have not been spared either, said Dr Margaret Harris from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“In the Gaza Strip, 19 health facilities have been damaged including destruction of the Hala Al-Shawa primary healthcare clinic. In the West Bank, 41 health workers have been injured and 21 health vehicles damaged. The severe damage to the roads and infrastructure makes access to many of the hospitals very, very difficult.”
The WHO spokesperson added that there was also a drastic lack of medicines and materials in the Gaza Strip, with “46 per cent of essential drugs and 33 per cent of essential medical supplies….at zero stock; that’s less than one month’s (supply), it basically means they don’t have that so half - almost half - of essential drugs.”
Concerns have continued to mount over the deteriorating situation for Gaza residents, where power is only available for six to eight hours per day, owing to damaged feeder lines and networks.
This has disrupted the provision of healthcare and other basic services, including water, hygiene, and sanitation.
Against this backdrop, OCHA welcomed the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza for essential humanitarian supplies nine days into the crisis.
The transit point in southern Gaza was closed eight days ago, along with the Erez crossing in the north of Gaza, OCHA said in a statement on Monday.
“We very much welcome the Israeli authorities’ opening of Kerem Shalom crossing for essential humanitarian supplies, nine days into the crisis. It is critical that the Erez crossing is also opened for the entry and exit of critical humanitarian staff.”
“In days to come, humanitarian access into and out of Gaza for staff and goods must be sustained and appropriate measures taken to ensure safe movements within Gaza,” said Mr. Laerke.
ends
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- 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 OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): “Up ’til noon yesterday, in the Gaza Strip Palestinian fatalities stood at 200 at that point. In the West Bank, Palestinian fatalities stood at 20. There are combined in the West Bank and Gaza Strip more than 6,000 injured. In Israel, the casualty count tragically as well as of yesterday stood at 10 total deaths and nearly 800 injured.”
- Medium close-up shot, screen on UNTV camera filming, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Margaret Harris, World Health Organization spokesperson: “In the Gaza Strip, 19 health facilities have been damaged including destruction of the Hala Al-Shawa primary healthcare clinic. In the West Bank, 41 health workers have been injured and 21 health vehicles damaged. The severe damage to the roads and infrastructure makes access to many of the hospitals very, very difficult.”
- Medium wide shot, raw of seat and attendee sitting to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, spokesperson for OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): “In Israel, 10 people have been killed as of yesterday and hundreds have been injured due to Palestinian rocket attacks from highly populated civilian neighbourhoods into civilian populations centres in Israel.”
- Wide shot, UNTV cameras and UN staff member typing on phone, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jens Laerke, spokesperson for OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): “We very much welcome the Israeli authorities’ opening of Kerem Shalom crossing for essential humanitarian supplies, nine days into the crisis. It is critical that the Erez crossing is also opened for the entry and exit of critical humanitarian staff.”
- Medium shot, spokesperson speaking on the podium, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Dr Margaret Harris, World Health Organization spokesperson: “In the Gaza Strip, 46 per cent of essential drugs and 33 per cent of essential medical supplies are at zero stock; that’s less than one month’s (supply), but it basically means they don’t have that so half, almost half of essential drugs.”
- Medium wide shot, raw of seat and attendee sitting to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, TV broadcasting and UN flag, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
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.
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.