The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
As plight of Rafah’s displaced spirals, humanitarians plead for reopening of aid corridors
With all crossings into Rafah closed or unsafe, the situation in Gaza has reached even “more unprecedented emergency levels”, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned on Friday.
At least 110,000 people have fled Rafah since Monday after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for those sheltering in the east of the city. The closure of Rafah crossing since it was seized by the Israeli military on Tuesday has severed access to fuel and other vital relief supplies, while also curtailing the movement of staff and entry of critical humanitarian items.
“We are scraping the bottom of the barrel,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Senior Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, Hamish Young, who told journalists in Geneva that no fuel or humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip for five days. “This is already a huge issue for the population and all humanitarian actors but in a matter of days, if this is not corrected, the lack of fuel could grind humanitarian operations to a halt.”
The closure of Rafah crossing from Egypt and Kerem Shalom from Israel close by “has severed access for us to fuel, supplies and the movement of humanitarian staff,” explained Georgios Petropoulos, head of OCHA’s Gaza sub-office, adding that the development had also affected the movement of civilians across the border and medical evacuations out of Gaza.
A continuing lack of fuel will affect all key sectors as it could force hospitals to close and lead to a further worsening of malnutrition. Over the next 24 hours, five hospitals run by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and 28 ambulances are expected to run out of fuel.
This is a major concern for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) which cannot run equipment without power. “Even if you've got somebody back from the brink, you've operated on them, you've put them on a ventilator, (the) ventilator stops, they no longer breathe,” explained Dr Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson. “Without fuel, no matter what everybody has done, the whole system collapses.”
In terms of growing malnutrition, Mr. Petropoulos warned that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNWRA) will run out of food for distribution in the south by Saturday. “That means people will be left only with what has been distributed in their shelters, in their homes and and on site," he said. “As of today, we have 12 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners here in South Gaza: eight have ceased to operate due to lack of fuel and stock and those that are still operating at reduced capacities will be out of that stock by Monday.”
According to the WFP, northern Gaza’s “full-blown famine” is rapidly spreading across the Strip after seven months of war. Displaced people are subject to an even greater risk of disease, infection, malnutrition and dehydration, the WHO warned. To date, at least 30 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration, said Dr. Harris, adding that all three specialized feeding centres opened in Gaza to treat severe acute malnutrition caused by the lack of aid flowing into the enclave since war erupted are “full of patients”.
“A lack of sewage services, lack of clean water means that if the bombs don't get you, you die of thirst, infectious diseases or simply hunger,” Dr Harris said.
Only a ceasefire can avert further bloodshed and restore desperately needed aid deliveries, UN aid teams insisted.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 34,900 people have been killed in Israeli shelling and ground operation in Gaza since 7 October 2023. Some 1,250 people died in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that sparked the war, and more than 250 Israelis were taken hostage. Dozens are still being held.
Ends
Story: “Gaza urgent fuel needs – OCHA, UNICEF, WHO” – 10 May 2024
Speakers:
· Hamish Young, UNICEF's Senior Emergency Coordinator in the Gaza Strip (speaking from Rafah)
· Georgios Petropoulos, head of the Gaza sub-office of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza (speaking from Rafah)
· Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson
TRT: 01’58”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 10 May 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot of the podium with speakers in the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Hamish Young, UNICEF's Senior Emergency Coordinator in the Gaza Strip: "For five days, no fuel and virtually no humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip and we are scraping the bottom of the barrel. This is already a huge issue for the population and for all humanitarian actors. But in a matter of days, if this is not corrected, the lack of fuel will really grind the whole humanitarian operations to a halt.”
- Medium shot of the podium and the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Georgios Petropoulos, Head of OCHA Sub-office in Gaza: “The closure, especially of Rafah crossing and Kerem Shalom, has severed access for us to fuel, to supplies and the movement of humanitarian staff. It has also affected the movement of any civilian who could go out on a medical evacuation.”
- Medium shot of the podium:
- SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson: “Even if you've got somebody back from the brink, you've operated on them, you've put them on a ventilator, ventilator stops, they no longer breathe. So, without fuel, no matter what everybody has done, the whole system collapses.”
- Medium shot: journalists in the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Georgios Petropoulos, Head of OCHA Sub-office in Gaza: “The World Food Programme and UNRWA will run out of food for distribution in the south by tomorrow. That means that people will be left only with the aid that has already been distributed in their shelters, in their homes and outside. As of today, we have 12 bakeries supported by the humanitarian partners here in south Gaza. Eight have ceased to operate due to the lack of fuel in stock, and the four that are still operating at reduced capacity will be out of that stock by Monday.”
- Medium shot: journalists in the press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson: “A lack of sewage services, a lack of clean water means that if the bombs don’t get you, you die of thirst, infectious diseases or simply hunger.”
- Medium shot: journalists in the press conference room
- Close shot: cameraman recording the press conference
- Medium shot of the press conference room podium
- Wide shot: journalists in the press conference room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNFPA
The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months after deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN Security Council meets amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the biweekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson made the following remarks deplored the death in State custody of Brooklyn Rivera in Nicaragua.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Lebanon: Tyre hospital strikes leave patients without critical care – WHO
The UN health agency in Lebanon is verifying reports of strikes on a hospital in the southern city of Tyre on Monday, amid a concerning rise in attacks on healthcare in the country.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
El Niño confirmed, extreme weather events will be more intense, says WMO
The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis with WHO
Two weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating that there are 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on 29 May called for more robust measures by both states and tech companies to make online platforms safer for children, insisting on effective regulation, oversight and accountability. The digital world that connects children to learning, community and creativity also expose them to real risks, to their safety, to their privacy, and to their well-being. Online harms to kids’ safety, privacy, and well-being are not innate or inevitable.
See High Commissioner video: https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d357/d3579089
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: Life-saving medicines blocked as killing continues, disease gains ground
In Gaza, a dire humanitarian situation marked by continuing violence, rodent infestations and the spread of diseases is being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, warned against the continuing trend of involuntary returns of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers from host countries to Afghanistan, in violation of international human rights and refugee law, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OHCHR
Lebanon's first responders face high risks amid conflict, with 116 killed since March.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC Ebola outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine
A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.