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
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
More than 280,000 people have now been displaced by fighting in Yemen and many vulnerable people are unable to access lifesaving relief because it is too dangerous to do so, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN
Tour guides at UN Geneva turned heads at the Palace of Nations on Thursday as they unveiled stylish new uniforms, designed in partnership with leading Italian sustainable fashion designers and manufacturers.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WFP
Aid agencies warned on Friday of the fast-developing humanitarian emergency inside Taiz City in Yemen, which has been encircled by de facto Houthi forces fighting government troops along the country’s west coast.
2
17
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | OCHA , WMO
Two UN agencies teamed up on Wednesday to issue an appeal for immediate assistance to help communities already being impacted by the strongest El Niño on record.
3
16
2
2
Edited News , B-roll , Conferences , Images | UNITED NATIONS , UNOG
Sixth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for Sudan
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , UNHCR
Yemen war continues to force families from homes amid hunger and disease
More than 250,000 people have now fled renewed fighting in Yemen, the UN said on Tuesday, citing particular concern for those sheltering in the southwestern city of Taiz and the wider governorate, where access is “essentially blocked”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives, but they will need sustained help as global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.