Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service at the UN here in Geneva.
Today is Friday, 25th of October and we are going to have a few topics on the situation in the Middle East.
As you have seen from the agenda, we will start with UNHCR from a man, and then we will go together with WHO and UNICEF, and we'll have some announcements from other colleagues at the end.
So I'd like to start now by giving the floor to Rula Amin, the Senior Communications Advisor of UNCR, the refugee agency, who's reaching us from Amman for an update on the situation in Lebanon and Syria of the people on the move.
Rula, you have the floor.
I'm going to try to highlight the displacement crisis that's unfolding in Lebanon and beyond.
As you know, the intensified air strikes had forced thousands and 10s of thousands of people to flee within Lebanon, and this crisis is growing by the day.
And this is hindering and really putting at risk a main lifeline where that people use to escape the conflict in Lebanon and cross into Syria.
As you know, Lebanon is surrounded by the sea, Syria and Israel.
So the escape to Syria is the only route these people have to escape Lebanon.
And now we have seen two Israeli air strikes early this morning on just JUC border crossing in the northern part of Al Masna border crossing.
And this happened less than 500 metres away from the immigration office.
You can see the crater and UNHCR rub balls that we had established for people to be able to stay there in the shade while they are being processed.
There was another air strike at Al Masna border crossing and that is the main border crossing between Syria and Lebanon.
This has been hit twice before.
This is a border crossing that 10s of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians have used in the past to cross to Syria.
In the past two weeks, we have seen people determined and desperate to feed, walk on foot around the rubble and they create and the craters created.
But today, another strike, the Lebanese authorities are saying that Alger, you see Al Jazeera border crossing is no longer functional.
This is a major concern for UNHCR as it hinders people's ability to flee the violence and seek safety.
We still have most of those displaced inside Lebanon are still inside the country.
It's about 1/5 of Lebanon's population so far that have been displaced.
People have been fleeing from one place to another in, for example, in the city of Tyre.
This was considered a safe place where some of the people who escaped the border villages in the past year had fled to, and now it's being attacked, intense with intensification.
So many people have left.
We have seen a lot of destruction and devastation in border villages but also in towns and cities like Tyre, Nabatiya, which means that people's ability even to go back to their homes once this conflict is is over has been hindered.
And this is a major concern for those displaced who have been waiting very anxiously for the conflict to end so that they go back to their homes and villages and homes.
But now many of these homes are not around major areas, have been depopulated.
Our colleagues are on the ground in Lebanon.
They are trying to support with shelter, with COR relief items, with protection services.
But the needs are growing immensely by the day.
The government established schools and colleges that were established as collective shelters are almost at full capacity.
People's ability to rent and find other alternative shelters has also been hindered by the fact that this has been going on for a month.
People don't have the resources to pay for rent, especially vulnerable families, Syrian refugees and others, which means that many find themselves without any kind of shelter, staying in the open air, sleeping in the open air with their children, with their families.
As I said, our colleagues are trying to help with this acute need.
We are helping with participants in the collective shelters, with repairs, with food, correlative items, blankets, mattresses.
But it's not enough with the growing needs every single day.
And of course, we need more funding to be able to reach all those in need.
The fact that the security situation has been deteriorating means more challenges and obstacles even for us as humanitarian agencies to reach all those who are in need of assistance.
Our colleagues, along with other UN agencies, have been able to reach the Hasbaya area in southern Lebanon.
They sent there a lot of core relief items and other relief items for many people who are displaced there and are just stuck and trapped and they can't leave.
We have to also remember that the level of destruction and devastation is taking its toll also on those displaced as their their fears, their worry, the mental burden on this as they know that they're all villages have been almost erased.
Is is bringing a lot of stress and a lot of challenges to these families.
And it's not just the displaced population.
Because if you think about it, around 1000 collective shelters that were established in Lebanon are originally schools and colleges, which means not only the children of those displaced are not going to school, but even other children who had not been displaced.
Their schools are used as shelters.
So they can't go to school.
Most schools in Lebanon throughout are not functional anymore and also because of the security situation, many of the schools have not reopened after the summer recess.
So this is just an example of how life has been disrupted and the protection risks a lot of these families are facing now when they are sleeping in the open air, crowded collective shelters.
Their needs are growing, their reef, their own resources to be able to.
Pope has also been hindered with the economic crisis, with the loss of livelihood.
The fact that businesses throughout Lebanon has been impacted by this, that opportunities to work and find even any job to be able to support their families has also been affected.
Some of those who are fleeing are having no option but to cross to Lebanon.
So for now and up to yesterday, over 430,000 people have crossed from Lebanon to Syria.
About 70% are Syrians and 30% are Lebanese, but other nationalities have crossed as well, including Europeans, Palestinian refugees, migrants, all kinds.
So the attacks on these border crossings is a major concern as this will block the way for people fleeing the conflict from seeking safety in the way they see fit in Syria.
Our colleagues are at the five border crossings with Lebanon, but of course this these attacks are also putting our presence there at risk.
And our ability to be at the border to provide basic emergency relief such as water, food items, blankets, and to be able to follow up with those who cross is being hindered with these security attacks because it will mean that we have to think twice before our colleagues are at the borders.
Just last week we started actually having colleagues there for night shift because many people were also crossing during the night time.
But now we have to reassess every time there is a mission to the border.
It's also very important to remember the suffering of those people crossing does not end at the border.
Unfortunately, there there is another emergency and a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding at the final destinations where these people are crossing to.
Syria is a country that has suffered from its own conflict.
13 years of crisis means that the infrastructure, health facilities, education facilities, livelihood opportunities, even homes and houses have been destroyed.
So these people are going to areas and towns and villages that have been really battered throughout the past 13 years.
They are being hosted by vulnerable families themselves.
More than 90% of the Syrian population needs humanitarian assistance.
The new arrivals are staying with these families and they are being supported by these families.
So as UNFCR, we have been rapidly scaling up our support in the final destinations.
We have a system in place where we have more than 114 community centres throughout Syria.
So we are reaching out to all these new arrivals, but the need to support them and to support the host communities who are hosting them, including these vulnerable families, some of them displaced themselves, is immense and we really need funding.
We need to be able to do this in a sustainable manner and to be able to do it on the long run.
More than 7.2 million people in Syria are still displaced and not mentioning the new arrivals.
So the conflict in Lebanon is really spilling over to neighbouring countries in Syria.
But we have also people going into Iraq, about 19,000 Japanese have arrived in Iraq.
We have Syrians who are crossing into government controlled areas and then they make their way to northwest and North East where the situation is also very challenging on the ground.
We are aware that last week another border crossing had been opened between the Syrian government areas and Northwest where non state actors are in patrol.
And that will help those who decide to go to northwest have an easier route.
But again, it's a catastrophic situation.
This displacement crisis is creating a major protection crisis and a crisis on people who are trying to seek asylum.
And now I've been hindered and many obstacles are in their way.
It is a catastrophic situation.
And I like also to call the attention of the journalists to all the declaration statements that were done yesterday by the UN **** officials, including the secretary general at the International Conference in support of Lebanon's people and sovereignty.
And you have received this on your e-mail box.
OK, let's start from the room.
Robin is our correspondent of AFP English Language.
Firstly, the the strikes on the border was any warning given?
Daily flow of people crossing the border now, are you seeing more people?
Are you seeing fewer than you were in the in the earlier stages?
And and thirdly, when you spoke about the people who've lost their homes and and now have no homes to go to, do you have any idea of what at this stage of what the scale of that might be?
This happened overnight, around very early in the morning, actually today, so around 2:00 AM PM.
What we know are pictures.
Colleagues at the just just see the border crossing have served pictures and you can see how the crater is so close to the struggle that we had created for people to stay in.
So this was a very close air strike to where people usually are as they are in process to the immigration offices on the daily floor.
For example, this, this, you see a border crossing, the numbers varies during the day between a few 100 and maybe around 4 or 5000.
But of course it depends on what's happening on the other side of the border.
You see, it's good to remember that now because the must not border crossing, which is very close to Lebanon and close to Damascus, to Beirut, I mean, and Damascus.
Since this border crossing was attacked, many people have opted now to go through the longer route, sometimes a few extra hours of driving and more of course, cost to go through the northern borders to be to try to cross in a safer manner.
But now as this border crossing had been hit, it means people have to think twice before they attempt to cross on how safe the road the road is.
So Almathna border crossing, despite the two earlier air strikes, the craters the that were created were really big.
And people were so desperate.
I was at these border crossings less than 10 days ago.
So at Masna, you see people carrying all their belongings to their children.
They're really going to through this tough terrain to in order to reach Syria.
You talk to them and their voices are not almost and coming out and they will tell you we're so tired, we don't want to talk.
We have no energy to talk even and to see a border crossing.
I was also there and there were people crossing and not just crossing into Syria, but some people were crossing also to go, for example, to Iraq.
So the daily flow really depends on how safe people feel that it is OK to cross and on what's happening with Lebanon.
Because sometimes people have not decided to flee and cross to Syria and air strike happens very close to them and then they run and with very little notice, they run out of their homes sometimes without their documents.
And which is a major problem because when they get to Syria, they have to process their children.
They need the birth certificates, they need the marriage certificates.
Luckily, our teams have been on the ground at these borders for since the beginning of this conflict.
And we're helping, you know, helping them how to get their birth certificate for the children so that they can join the schools, helping, helping them with marriage certificates, all kind of legal issues that they will face as they increase trying to restart their lives.
We have to remember many of them are Syrian refugees who fled Syria in the past thirteen years thinking that they can find safety in Lebanon, to restart their lives in Lebanon.
And now they are on the run again, really being this trauma.
And many of them, they cross into Syria and you ask them, because I was there and you ask them what's your plan?
And they really have your plan.
All they're thinking about is they just want to run away from the bombings.
And and then it takes me again into Lebanon because now we're hearing from our colleagues.
Even those who are fleeing their homes, sometimes they find themselves forced to go back to these ones, even if they deem it unsafe because they have no alternative shelter and they want a roof on top of their children's to protect them.
Especially winter is coming.
The weather is getting cold, and it's a major problem.
Let's see if there are other questions.
Satoko Adachi, the correspondent of the Yumi Ru Shimbun.
You talk about the other situation in Syria, but there are also reports that the Turkey also launched air strikes in Syria and Iraq following the attack of the it's a defence company near Ankara.
So I'm wondering if you could talk about the impact of it to the people on the ground.
I don't have the specific right now with you, but we can come back to you with the specifics.
But you bring in another very good point is that you know, you have these strikes in in North East Syria, you have Israeli strikes inside the Syria like Homs, the Masters.
This has been happening almost on daily basis and this really illustrates the difficult situation that all these people fleeing are facing, because even when they are fleeing the bombing in Lebanon and they're crossing into Syria, the strikes continue.
It's not at the same level, it's not the same intensity, but it is making the security situation very volatile and it puts them at at a point where they every day they have to think, is this place safe or do I need to run again?
And, and that's why we also emphasise the need to end the conflict in Lebanon as soon as possible and in Gaza, because the spillover will mean further destabilisation and further displacement and further insecurities and further loss of lives.
It's literally cruel to see all these people trying to flee one time, second time, third time.
And there's no spot that they get to that.
They feel it's completely safe now with this escalation that's happening in Lebanon, Even those who are fleeing to Syria, you know, with the attacks near Damascus, near Homs, near other places, they feel they're not so sure what to do because they know the conflict could, could expand at any moment.
So the, the, the feeling of insecurity, the loss of options on how to stay safe and how to protect their children is just so profound.
It's sad, It's not right.
Indeed, there is situation.
Any other questions for the refugee agency?
So thank you very much, Ruler for this updates and good luck with your important work.
And let's stay in the region now and turn to Gaza with WHO and UNICEF.
I'd like to welcome Rick Peppercorn.
I don't need to introduce you Rick anymore.
Thank you very much for updating us once again on the situation in Gaza on the point of view of health.
And then we'll hear from James on the situation of the children and open the floor to question Rick.
Thank you very much and good morning and greetings from Derbyla.
I want to focus on on 2 areas.
First, our missions to come out one and and and which I think reflects a little bit the health situation in north of Gaza and secondly on polio.
So yesterday a WHO team and partners and I want to really to mention Palestinian Red presses society, Kados, some of our UN colleagues from Ochai and UMass managed to reach Carmel at one hospital amidst ongoing hostilities in the north.
It was a complex mission involving 3U NAV S2 trucks with supplies and and fuel 5 ambulances.
And it lasted for more than 20 hours.
We only came back to our guesthouse and there about 3:30 this morning, the VHO transferred 23 patients and 26 care givers from Kamal at one to Al Shiva Hospital.
We delivered you 180 units of blood, trauma, surgery, alcohol supplies to cover a 1600 intervention and medicines to cover 5000 patients.
In addition, 10,000 litres of fuel were delivered.
We also wanted to take food would not have been possible in the current situation and having another truck as well.
Lab supplies, anaesthesia, medicines and antibiotics were also delivered to Shifa Hospital for the health needs to cover 5 to 6000 people.
Another checkpoint is number of checkpoints close to Kamala, one WHO and and and part as we witness actually a stream of what we estimated initially we thought about hundreds, but then they were passing us and there were actually thousands of women and children leaving the area, walking limping with a with a few belongings towards Aladdin and actually towards Gaza City.
We saw very few men or adolescents, adolescent boys.
We we have indeed long delays at the checkpoints and military vehicles and closed vicinity as well.
We saw the boundary walls of Indonesian hospitals having been demolished.
And I think there was also an there's been a fire close to the school, close to the Indonesian hospital, which affected the hospital as well.
That hospital by the way is not in services anymore.
Arriving at Carmarthen one what we saw and what we witnessed in discussing with with a director or some at a hospital, we saw mayhem and and gayos and and just having been here a couple of days ago as well on the 20 and 21st of October when the hospital had 75 patients, 175 to 100 patient and then 15 on intensive care.
Now there were probably more than 200 patients.
The emergency wards was overflowing and we saw numerous patients and being brought in and, and horrific trauma patients and completely overwhelms the, the staff, the, the, and that I would say overwhelmed staff also are very much under equipped to deal with that.
We also saw hundreds of people in every corner of the hospital seeking shelter.
And we want to stress again, this hospital, it, it needs to be protected.
It's the currently what we, there's two hospitals in the north of Gaza, which we call minimum functional this Kamala 1 and all other and all other we, we don't know exactly what's happening and we we don't get the information.
We understand it's very isolated and it is even less than minimal functional.
One is definitely still partly A minimal functional.
It's absolutely needless and it should be protected.
I want to shift to to polio the well, first of all, maybe first good news, start with the good news Symphonium the campaign, the second round of this campaign and that is, I would say very much managed and supported what we call the technical committee, which is consisting of the Ministry of Health, WHOUDICE and RAH and many, many partners were part of the implementation.
The second rounds of this campaign started on the 14th of October where the targets to cover 590, 2019, 91,000 children under the 10 years of age with a second dose of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2.
And and also to and also to cover as many children as possible between the two and 10 years of age with vitamin A to boost their to boost their immunity.
We all know we, I mean, we brief you on the first round, which was an, I would say a hugest achievement against many odds.
And we started very well in the, in the South, in, in both in the central zone, we the, the coverage was 185,000 children with polio and 151,000 with vitamin A.
And that's a coverage close to more than 100% actually in the South, the same coverage of 266,000 polio and 213,000 with vitamin A.
So in total 451,452 thousand children are covered already with polio and and three of the 64,000 with vitamin A.
In those two zones we have actually surpassed 90%.
So we were really on the on the on the right track.
The last lap is of course the north.
And due to the escalating violence, the, the intense bombardment, the mass displacement orders, the lack of assured humanitarian pulses across most of northern Gaza, the Technical committee, Ministry of Health, WHO users and partners have been unfortunately compelled to delay the third phase of the polio campaign.
So we, we want to cover this 119,000 children in the north as well as we did in the first round.
But the current conditions, first of all, you need access.
You need access to all children wherever they are to make sure that you get to this 90% coverage, this 90% coverage.
We're almost there is needed to stop the transmission of polio.
You don't want to get more polio cases in Gaza, but you also don't want to see an, an, an, an an spread of the poliovirus in surrounding countries.
So we do this not only for the Gaza children, but for children all around.
We still have good hopes that we can do this campaign and the technical committee is constantly reviewing, you know, when would be the, the, the right moment.
We have this window between the 28th of October and 5th of November and, and I'm confident that it will happen.
What we need, we need access to children wherever they are.
Thank you very much, Rick.
And yes, speaking about children, James for UNICEF.
And before I start, just a thanks as well to WHO colleagues for so much support on this.
In terms of data, children are being medically evacuated from Gaza at fewer than one child per day.
Now, if this lethally slow pace continues, it would take more than seven years to evacuate the 2 1/2 thousand children needing urgent medical care.
So as a result, children in Gaza are dying not just from the bombs and the bullets and the shells that strike them, but because even when, when miracles happen, even when the bombs go off and the homes collapse and the casualty mount, but the child survives, they are then prevented from leaving Gaza to receive the urgent medical care that would save their lives.
So this year, from the 1st of January to the 7th of May, there was an average, a monthly average of 296 children medically evacuated.
However, since the Rafa crossing closed due to the ground offensive there, the number of children medically evacuated has collapsed to 22 per month.
That is, just 127 children suffering from head trauma, amputations, burns, cancer, severe malnutrition have been allowed to leave Gaza since Rafa closed.
Now one of the many tragedies of Gaza is that appalling numbers have failed to stir those with the power to act.
Allow me then, if you will, to show you three stories of children whose futures are bound by these crushing constraints.
These are, sadly, by no means unique.
When two rockets struck her home, she was thought dead.
She had no pulse when she was found under the rubble.
Her two siblings, Halla, 13, and Mohammed, ten, were both killed.
Mosunya sustained devastating injuries to her face.
Her face was literally torn off.
Now surgeons have held the remaining structure together but she urgently requires a medivac for specialised care and bone surgery.
Mosunya also has shrapnel in her neck.
This is a 12 year old girl now I I met Mosunya, she's incredibly brave but of course she is in immense pain and her condition is worsening.
The platinum that's been surgically used to to rebuild her face is coming out and doctors have stated that she needs surgeries outside of Gaza to save her life.
Mosunya has been denied medical evacuation 4 times.
Authorities suggested that the medevac may perhaps proceed without her mother accompanying her.
This is her mother who's had her other two children killed.
OK, so her father then attempted to take the next steps.
Her parents and siblings were sleeping in their in their house in Al Nusrat early last month when a shell hit the neighbouring house and engulfed both houses in fire.
Ilya, 4 year old Ilya has 4th degree burns.
She's been in hospital for 43 days.
Most recently, given delays in medical evacuation, doctors had to amputate fingers from her little right hand.
When I met Ilya earlier this month, her mum Eslam was in the bed beside her, also with 4th degree burns.
She also needs urgent medical evacuation, both for her burns and now for severe blood poisoning.
Her wounds were covered in fungus.
Ezlam was denied medical evacuation.
She died 2 days ago on Wednesday.
Since her mother's death, Ilya has received approval for medical evacuation.
Now, noting the immense number of cases, it's unlikely to happen soon.
Doctors have said they may have to amputate this little 4 year old's hand and her other leg if she is not medically evacuated soon.
Finally, atif he's six months old, he's battling muscle cancer and suffers from severe malnutrition.
He's also got a kidney tube inserted into into him due to other complications.
But despite the severity of this little baby situation, like so many thousands of children in Gaza, surgical medical care is close by.
Last month, a Teff's mother, Amal, was forced to evacuate from the north.
She carried a teff in her arms, walking long distances.
Under all the horrendous conditions that Rick has been speaking to, despite his despite it's size, when they got to Al Aqsa Hospital, Al Aqsa doesn't have the necessary resources to treat her son.
Now, with no hope to return, Amal has set up a tent in that Al Aqsa Hospital complex.
Every day Atef's condition deteriorate and he urgently requires medical evacuation for specialised care.
She's been waiting for news on his medical evacuation for two months.
It is not known how many child patients have been rejected for medical evacuation.
Only a list of approved patients is provided by Israel's Kogat, which controls Gaza's entry and exit points.
The status of others is not shared.
When a patient is denied, there is nothing that can be done.
In the grip of an indifferent bureaucracy, children's pain is brutally compounded.
And so Mazunya, her face shattered and siblings dead or a mile, and her news that her only child may die from a treatable illness, receive the unthinkable news.
No, no treatment, no pain relief, no escape.
All of this unfolds, of course, are amid relentless bombings.
Gaza's hospitals have been decimated, leaving them, despite the immense work of Gaza and health staff, unable to care for the flood of child patients.
Medical staff repeatedly report shortages of things like burn cream, IV fluids, needles, plasters along with critical items, wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids, even batteries.
After more than a year of attempting to shed light on the atrocities being committed against children, perhaps then this is the clearest and most damning reality.
Children, deeply unwell children are being denied the medical care that could save them in Gaza, and then prevented from leaving where help awaits.
Children are thus being denied medical care that is a basic human right, and those who barely survived the ruthless bombardments are then condemned to die from their injuries.
This is not a logistical problem.
We have the ability to safely transport these children out of Gaza.
It is not a capacity problem.
Indeed, we were evacuating children at much higher numbers just a few months ago.
It is simply a plot problem that is being completely disregarded.
Heartbreaking, James, really very hard to hear, but I think you're right.
It's important to remind us that behind all these numbers, there are people, there are children that are suffering while we are speaking.
So let me open the floor to questions now, Robin.
Just on, on the polio vaccination in the North, what gives you, what gives you confidence that that it might be able to happen in the in the window that you mentioned?
Are you, are you hearing indications from the Israelis?
And and secondly, what would it mean for immunity if these children in the North don't get vaccinated soon?
Yeah, thanks for the question.
Yeah, I think all, let's say all partners want this to happen.
We started all these roads on this polio campaign and, and, and against many odds, you know, we, we, and I say all these partners I just met mentioned this whole, all these people in the, in the, in the Ministry of Health, the OHO, UNICEV and Anwar and, and, and many partners with all the teams on the grounds in every think about in every, in every zone.
We talk about more than 400 teams, fixed term, mobile, etcetera.
We managed to do that in the first round.
I had a very good start in the, in the second round.
So it's it is critical import to finish and I think everyone realised that and all the parties and all the parts to this conflict as well.
So yeah, that's that gives me at least a bit of hope.
And I think also that I cannot we first be owed to children to finish this and not just the guys and children, but also the children around the teams and everyone who is ready.
So I think over the coming days, it will be really important that the technical committee analysis and we have constant discussions with whoever to make sure this is going to happen.
And yes, it is important because we want to make sure that we we have a coverage of of 90% to stop this transmission.
So for me over the over the coming week, we are constant dialogue technical committee with all the partners etcetera.
And yes, I think we are we are making plans that it will happen.
And, and, and I also want to be hopeful and convinced that it that it is going to to happen over to you.
Robin, just to to add that yes, if it doesn't happen, it means that they're not protected.
They can contract the virus, they can become paralysed and they can spread it to others.
So ultimately it would mean that transmission is not interrupted and the outbreak can continue and threaten children in Gaza and, as Rick says, in the region.
Sorry Musa, just a follow up from Robin.
Are you, are you ever given reasons as to why medevac cannot happen?
And secondly, is everything lined up ready to go if the situation?
The good news in this situation is that WHO is the lead?
So I'm going to, I will, I will answer, but I want to defer to Rick because he has the expertise on the ground.
I understand I have the answers, but I'd like to defer to Rick and WHO we agreed.
Before, before the Rafa crossing was closed.
So WHO and and and partners we assisted to matter of fact I think approximately 4700 patients mainly into Egypt and from Egypt to other places.
And since the Rafa crossing is closed, this is about 6th of May, only 282 patients have been manufactured again with support managed by WHO with our part PRCS etcetera.
And they were mainly going to the UAE.
The way HO is, is completely, we have been completely ready and and we have been actually from the start, start of this whole horrific crisis of war, we've been raising the issues.
We need a proper medevac structure out of Gaza, an organised structure.
And just to remind everyone that before this crisis between 50 and 100 patients per day were referred from Gaza to East Jerusalem and the West Bank and those were 40% of their oncology, I mean, children with cancer, women and men, etcetera, but also cardiovascular, all kind of diseases.
We currently, I think we always talk about trauma because that is the and rightly so because that's a huge part we talk about trauma and all these chronic patients.
So the way I show, we estimate that between 12:14 thousand critical patients have to be Medifax outside Gaza.
And we are constantly pushing for the for the, we want medical corridors first.
What would be needed to restore the traditional medical corridor, which is of course to the hospitals in East Jerusalem and West Bank.
And they are very much ready to receive patients from from Gaza, then the medical corridor to Egypt and if possible to Jordan from there they patients whenever countries are willing to receive them, they can go somewhere else.
We will continue, we are actually currently planning another matter of fact very soon.
We're continuing of course with what we call this, this, this approach is when countries are ready to receive patients As such, we will as much as possible go with the Ministry of Health priority list of of patients.
And then the screening as and I think James referred to that the screening of course happens and the security screening from the Israeli authorities, lots of patients and companions from the receiving country.
That's not for WHO we are not into that part.
We only dare to assist with getting the patients together or getting them for the last time when we did one that was more than 100 patients to the UAE.
And, and I remember I was also in Gaza and we got the last patients from the north.
I mean like to be, to be medevacs to the UAE and then we get them together on a place.
This time it was European Gas Hospital and then a huge operation, 100 patients 1 and almost 80 companions went to Kerch along from there to the UAE.
We can do this more often and with more if countries are willing and ready.
What I hear from Jane that it's really painful to see that many of these patients which are on this list are not approved, including including children.
Overall, we are always trying to prioritise children and in in general they always at least one third of those patients.
We try to prioritise them, but of course that's not up to end.
We are not doing the security screen.
Sorry, before, before Robin asked it again, he was asking whether you have had explanation for the new or I don't know if UNICEF or WHO has had explanations from the Israeli authorities on why not an evacuation is granted.
No, there's no explanation for that, except there is a security screening being done by the by the Israeli authorities.
So you've got your answer from Robin Mousasi Almayedin.
Alexandra, UNICEF this morning Israeli forces stormed or invited Kamal Advan Hospital and I listed something, some information about the destruction of oxygen medical service.
I think many, many injured, especially children in need of this oxygen.
And now there's in, in, in, in danger, I think.
And I have another question for Jens please after that.
Jens unfortunately left us at 11:00, so if you have a question for him, just just send it to him directly.
Musa Rick, you want to take this one?
Yeah, it's a complex one because I said, so we WHO mission we just come back from Kamal at one and and and we were there up till what was the time we left up till midnight.
We were there up till midnight.
Actually we, we only arrived at Shifa at 1:30 in the morning with the patients.
So we live at all the supplies etcetera.
I described the situation we saw, I described the situation on the road.
I described the, the, the what we expect thousands of mainly women and children.
We passed our vehicles on the way to to Gaza City.
Now we also so from the early morning we get this very concerning information.
We get this confirmation that's that currently.
So again, not confirmed by us.
So I really want to be also careful with that.
But that's that that soldiers are close to the hospital or enter the courtyard and, and and are are telling the people by a loudspeaker that that the displaced people have to come out and out of the hospital, not the patient of the staff, but the space people have to stop and have to be moved and are being separated in groups of men, men and women and children.
We need more information.
If this is true, this is extremely concerning, actually shocking, because first of all, the hospital should not be attacked.
And the people, people who shelter there, there's there's no way to, there's nowhere, nowhere, no way to go.
They should be protected and they should be protected in a shelter.
And the hospital is supposed to be a safe place, a place where people find care, get treatment, etcetera, and get shelter.
So yeah, deeply concerning information and messages, but most of that says we still need it.
For us it needs to be confirmed.
So we are checking out as good as possible, including which the staff had come out of one.
And Chris is and Chris is on the line.
So if there is any news, maybe he'll be able to share it with the journalist here.
Sir, please can you introduce yourself?
My question is about the polio vaccination in Gaza.
You mentioned it and there is a time window.
So I wonder if there is a that line for administrator the second doors to boost a strong enough for immunity.
Yeah, I can be short of that because I think I tried.
So polio, second rounds, I would say first good news, it started very well in the in the central and the southern zone, in the northern zone delayed because of the reason I described you.
We need to reach 90% plus of the children to, to stop this transmission, not just for the Gazan children, stop polio, but also for children in neighbouring countries and all around.
For that you need access.
You need access to wherever children are.
So the technical committee is constantly analysing and, and, and that I, I still have good hopes that the campaign will be continuing because we have to, we have to close this last lap.
We have to finish this job.
We, we, I think massive achievements against many odds and we will have to continue and, and continue this and, and finish the, the campaign in the North making sure that there's 190,000 children, which our targets are covered by polio and the others by vitamin A.
Maybe James wants to add something on that one over to him.
Let me go back to the platform.
Sorry, can you hear me now?
A couple of questions for Rick.
Thank you for the briefing.
How many people are thought to be sheltering in Camel and Juan and Hoover you think are therefore being ordered to leave?
Secondly, on the question of medical evacuations, you've talked about.
Nick, sorry, there there is somebody speaking in the at the same time, I don't know if it's from our regime here or somebody else who has opened the mic.
Yeah, I think you got the question about people sheltering in Kamala one.
The second question is in relation to medical evacuations.
You've been asking for this for some time.
I'm not quite clear, are you you're asking for this on a on a weekly basis or on a daily basis?
And have you had any diplomatic support from the United States or other Western governments who are supposedly have leverage with Israel to support your requests for a medical corridor?
And what is your understanding of where that request now stands?
And then a question to James.
Could you please just run past again the numbers of children who have been evacuated this year at different times?
And let's start with Rick.
OK, so first on the on the, I think the other one currently 200 patients and hundreds of Idps.
We saw them all over including I would have said many, many, many trauma, trauma patients.
And your, your second question was about the, the medevac.
First about the, the figures, we can be very clear.
The figures currently 4.4 point 9000 patients have been medevac out of out of Gaza, out of Gaza when the Rafa crossing closed it was like 4.4 point 700 etcetera.
Since that time, since early May, only 282 patients have been manufactured out of Gaza, all with support of WHO mainly to the UAE.
So how does it work if a country reports itself like we're willing to accept a number of patients and the UAE did US very generously, then they approach WHO they they also approach the Israeli authorities, etcetera.
And, and, and with the ministries health, we try to work as good as possible through a priority list.
Now we know, for example, that in the other countries also took Palestinian patients and Turkey and Oman and Qatar and, but the bulk has gone to Egypt.
Let me say this way before the Rafa crossing by far.
Now we understand that also a number of European countries have they are willing to, to and they're willing to receive some patients.
They have to be very clear how many and how and they will have to pressurise also the Israeli government, etcetera.
And we are ready to assist and and facilitate and manage that to make sure that we collect the patients, etcetera, bring them to Carem Shalom or whatever exits etcetera.
And from there they move on.
What we really want is this medical corridors because these are, it's fantastic that countries do that, but these are it's ad hoc.
There's needs for a sustained and organised medevac because we are talking about between 12 and 14,000 critical patients to be matter of fact outside Gaza.
And if we continue like that, we will continue for years.
The traditional referral pathway to the East Jerusalem and West Bank need to be restored and a proper pathway to Egypt and maybe Jordan as well from there onwards.
And again, WHO and partners are ready for, for, for that.
So let yes, of course, we push this with with every level, with every, every goals.
And I hope also now with you heard some of the figures, I mean from James, they're all figures from WHO we analyse them, etcetera.
I hope that this will ring a bell because much more is possible, just as much more responsible for delivery of your retail supplies all over Gaza.
Yeah, Nick, I've sent a briefing note, but to give you a couple of others to crunch.
So since 7th of October total number of children medevac is 2300 and three 934 last year 2023 since 7th of October 1369 this year.
Now the key here is the number of children medevacs since the Rafa closure and that's 100 and 27127 children.
Again full deference to WHO who crunch all these and so 127 as that's why I speak to now we are this catastrophic point of less than one a day.
The other way to look at that, Nick, is up until from the start of this year, 1 January, until Rafa Crossing closed, 296 children were medevac every month.
That of course speaks to the immense work being done by those running medical evacuations, WHO and partners.
It also very much speaks to the brutality and the indiscriminate nature of the offensive for now more than a year.
However, that 296 on average changed dramatically and that's now 22 children per month, despite as we know there has been absolutely no reduction in attacks on civilians.
The only reduction has been on hospitals capacity over.
Thank you for doing this.
I have a question to Doctor Pipakong on the situation in the nose.
Do you think that the the IDF is implementing so-called the General's plan in the North which is demanding the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian free to north or face death?
Rick, if you want to say something, I also have a few lines from OCHA.
But I think the main thing is that what, what, what we see and I think we've seen the report on this over the last week, this forced evacuations from the north and, and, and telling people to move to the to the South, which is already very disconcerting.
The UN estimates that approximately 450,000 people remain in the north, so north of Bali, Gaza, it used to be 200,000 in Gaza City and 250,000 N of Gaza City in Jabalia, Jabalia camp in Baid, Lahiya by anoon, etcetera.
Now over the last weeks, it's estimated we already saw 50 and 60, now probably more, 70,000 people moving from the north of Gaza towards Gaza City.
Incredibly disconcerting.
And, and, and, and, and we have seen it.
Now, we've witnessed this now as well ourselves yesterday on this mission to Kamala, one where I told you we saw hundreds, actually thousands, mainly women and children struggling, limping, walking with their belonging pastors towards Gaza City.
But I'm sure Orchard has a few more lines on this.
Yeah, yes, Since Yance is not here, I can read you what Archer just said yesterday.
That's that's the latest I have.
Turning to the situation in Gaza, Archer reports that intense fighting continues to **** and injure civilians and damage civilian infrastructure in northern Gaza.
Or just is that widespread devastation and deprivation brought on by the siege in north Gaza is indicative of a war being waged with little if any regard for the requirements of international law?
Ocho received reports that families in Tell al Zatar, North East of the Jabaliya refugee camp, as well as West of the camp in Alphalujah, remain trapped and unable to move.
They estimate between 50,000 and 70,000 people to remain in Jabaliya.
Since the Israeli ground offensive in the north began on 6 October, some 63,000 people have been newly displaced from North Gaza governorate to Gaza City, where, of course, the important word is newly.
As we have heard, this is not the first move.
They have to follow the move order that they had to follow.
So I should never say last question because there's always another one after and it's Lisa.
Lisa Shrine, Voice of America.
And it's just a very quick question to Rick, please.
And this is on what do you base your hope that the second round of polio vaccinations will go ahead in the North?
You did say earlier that that you are in constant dialogue with the partners.
What is it that Cogat tells you that gives you hope?
Well, first of all, I think, and I try to make the point were the partners the, the Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, Anwar and the many NGO parties and these hundreds of teams we've come from really far as a massive achievement in the first rounds and an incredible start in the second round.
So I, everybody notices that.
And I'm, I'm sure also the member state noticed that everybody would like to see this polio campaign to complete and be completed and as good as possible.
So we want to go for this 90% coverage and, and I think we can do it.
And this is, again, I mean, something what I think is so special that that should want to make that point still, that we can do a polio campaign amidst incredibly complex circumstances.
And as hundreds of teams have a cold chain operational, have intra and post campaign monitoring, etcetera.
And if we struggle still as humanitarian do something simple, simple as delivering fuel, medical supplies, food, etcetera.
And I think that's that is an issue which should change.
If you can do this, we can do much better there.
Now going back to where I believe I, I would, I would think though and, and, and yes, we are in constant discussion with our part that also include coal gas that everybody wants this campaign to finish because it's not just for the children of Gaza, it's also for the children all around Gaza.
And and and so that's where we not hope it's we should finish this just the last the last line.
I want to come back also, if I may, for one second.
Also what I heard from the former speaker and and talking about actually, you raised that where all those people came from.
And also something what James referred to, to the enormous number of trauma cases.
And also yesterday that hospital come out of 1.
So we had time to move around because took off everything takes way more time.
And and we talked to this whole family from Jabal Jabal, Yeah, with three kids, three kids and and the mother and father, the youngest kids, 4 year old boy, Adam, amputators, underarm and amputation etcetera.
The other one has a massive trauma, orthopaedic trauma on his shoulder, etcetera and knees orthopaedic services which he cannot get come out of 1 now.
And the third one something similar and their only daughter died of this bombardments.
So these are just many of those cases and well case, I don't want to say people we constantly see and and meet which also contributes to this whole manufact story which needs additional operational support and which need assistive technology.
WHO made this assessment that from the 100,000 injuries, 100,000 injured in Gaza 1/4 we'll need lifelong assistive technology and rehabilitation.
It means 25,000 people currently.
That's shocking we and already this was a problem before this crisis.
We need to assist them now in a better way, but also for a long, long time to come over to you.
James, if you wanted to add something.
It was just simply to to add that I, I do think it's important that I mean, obviously there, there is no doubting the criticality of what everyone is seeking to do around polio.
But I think it's also very important to realise as exhausted as everyone is on this crisis that we, we seem to have hit a a new phase in the crisis.
We seem to have hit a new level of devastation.
And that is because, as Rick has so perfectly, painfully pointed out, the attacks continue in civilian areas en masse.
The difference now, of course, is that these people have endured this for 12 or 13 months.
It is for those who are exhausted by reporting on this and listening to this.
No one is more exhausted than children and families on the ground.
And, and what we really need is peace in Gaza with an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the effective delivery of military need without obstacles.
And we need to make irreversible progress to end the occupation and establish the two state solutions at the Secretary General yesterday at the big summit.
I think, as you said, we, I think we, we are all exhausted, but nobody is more exhausted than the victim of this terrible conflict.
And we really need to see the end of it.
Thanks, Rick, for for coming again to brief our journalist.
And as difficult as it is to get out of this, we need also to hear from other agencies work and it's an important work.
So I give the floor now to Zain Awad for ILO.
You have an announcement.
Thank you very much and thank you for being here.
Just to let you know that the governing body of the International Labour Organisation will be holding its session starting next Monday.
The GB is the executive body of the ILO.
It overseas policy and agenda and sets the agenda of the International Labour Conference and overseas the ILOS programming and budget.
It meets three times a year and the next round of meetings are going to take place here in Geneva at HQ starting on the 28th and ending on the 7th of November.
There are a number of issues on the agenda.
There are the work related topics and country level issues that they will be going through.
They'll also be discussing the strategic plan of the ILO from 2026 to 2029 and also the Global Coalition for Social Justice, which of course has over 300 members at the moment.
They'll also be looking at efforts and ways to promote democratisation of the Ilo's governance and look forward to the Second World Summit for Social Development which will be taking place in 2025.
In terms of specifics, the I the GB will be looking at Palestine status within the ILO ILO as well as the war in Ukraine.
The Russia Ukraine conflict country cases include the countries of Belarussia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Guatemala and Myanmar.
Of course, each has its own dynamic.
And last but not least, journalists can follow the proceedings from the public gallery over at the ILO, but but are not won't be able to take photos or videos.
If you've got any questions or would like more information, you can always reach out to us on our newsroom at ilo.org e-mail.
Thank you, Zainab questions for Aylo in the room or online?
Good luck with the with the meeting.
Claire Claire Newis for WMO.
Claire, you have some reports to announce.
The World Meteorological Organisation, it is producing a number of reports in the run up to the UN climate change negotiations which start in Baku in Azerbaijan in November 1st.
Up is on Monday the 28th.
So apologies, that also coincides with the with the ILO event, we will be releasing the WMO Greenhouse gas Bulletin.
This reports on concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
So it's different but complementary to UN environments emissions gap report, which was released yesterday.
We're having a press conference with WMO Deputy Secretary General Paul Barrett on Monday at 10 AM.
Unfortunately, our Secretary General Celeste Salo is busy so couldn't attend.
So Doctor Barrett will be speaking to you instead along with Oxana Tarasova, who's the the coordinator of this report.
We've sent you the materials under embargo this morning.
We hope to get the press releases in the different languages late later today and they will all be on the Trello board and the link of that is provided in the press release.
Looking ahead a little bit further, on the 7th of November, we'll be releasing the State of Climate services report.
What climate services are.
It's sort of basically information products to help inform you know climate adaptation, a good example that is seasonal outlooks on El Nino, La Nina which inform decision making, agriculture, health etcetera, etcetera.
So this is a report which will be reporting on five years of progress in the provision of climate services.
We're not planning a press conference on on that, but there will be an embargoed press release which we will send you the report which obviously a lot of journalists wait for eagerly.
We plan to release it on the 11th of November.
This is the state of the Climate 2024 update.
We're not yet at the end of the year.
Obviously, there will be figures on, you know, global temperatures till the end of September.
I think the data, the data is now the main launch of that will be by our Secretary General in, in Baku, Azerbaijan, The report's coordinator, Dr Badour, he will be in Geneva.
So certainly if you have questions, interview requests and you don't have colleagues in, in Baku, please feel free to, you know, to contact me or Krishika.
We can set something up with Doctor Badour if there's demand and especially from Francophone journalists.
We can, you know, we can even organise a press conference that would be on the 11th the the 11th of November.
So please, you know, feel free to to reach out with me and I'll also discuss with my colleagues here as to, you know, whether we'll have a parallel press conference in Geneva compared to Azerbaijan.
So that's, we will send you again information on that Andrew embargo.
So that's everything from me for today.
Claire, any questions to WMO?
Hi Claire, just wanted to know when you will, when you expect to be sending us under embargo that last report that you mentioned the state of the climate of necessity it we always compile it, you know quite close to the deadline just because we're getting the data until the very last minute.
But hopefully we can share it with you by by Thursday the 7th or at the latest Friday the 8th of November.
But as I said, you know, a lot of the data does come in, you know, quite, quite quite late.
And so for it to be as relevant and as up to date possible, you know, we, it is, you know, it's a bit of last minute number crunching, but but it will be hopefully the, the Thursday or the Friday.
But you said the embargo was on the 11th, right.
OK, OK, we will send, we will send out the information under embargo on either Thursday the 7th or Friday, Friday the 8th.
It will be embargoed until Monday, Monday the 11th, November.
Claire, I don't see other questions for you.
I've got a few announcements on my side.
First of all, to remind you that on Friday, the 1st of November, starting at 10:30 and going on the whole day, we have invited you to the United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East.
We've been discussing that extensively today.
This is the seminar that the Department for Global Communication organisers every year as part of its special information programme on the question of Palestine.
We've heard that the alarmingly escalated crisis going on in this region.
So we will bring together journalists, media professionals, scholars, diplomats from Israel, the State of Palestine, Switzerland and other parts of the world to discuss 2 pertinent teams, freedom of the press and safety of journalists in a time of war and behind the headlines of Gaza, media challenges and perspective.
And of course, you are all invited to this event, which will be opened by the tenable of our Director General here at EUNOG and Melissa Fleming, the Under Secretary General for Global Communication, who will be in person here in Geneva.
Another press conference that we want to remind you about is the one organised by Ankhtad.
That's on Tuesday, 29th of October, just after the press briefing at 12.
It's the one that had been postponed to and it's the launch of the the publication of the Trade and Development Report 2024, Rethinking Development in the age of discontent.
Rebecca Greenspan, the even Trade and development Secretary General, will brief you together with Anastasia Misvatalova Hunter, the head micro Macroeconomic and development policy branch.
And Please remember that the report and the press conference is embargo until Tuesday, 29th of October at 2:30 Geneva time.
Last but not least, the Committees on Human Rights.
So the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is having this morning an informal public meeting with state parties for the launch of General recommendation #40 this is on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision making systems.
And then they will close.
The session is the 89th session at 5:00 PM.
The Human Rights Committee will begin next Monday afternoon at 5:00 PM.
The review of the report of Ecuador which will be the last one on their agenda.
The Committee Against Torture will open the next next Monday will open it's 81st session that will last until 22nd of November.
As you know they meet at Paula Wilson.
The countries that will come under report of the committee this session will be Kuwait, Namibia, Thailand, Jordan, Mongolia and Cameroon.
And then on the 14th of November, they will hold a **** level event for the 40th anniversary on the Convention against Torture.
And this is what I had for you.
Programme Special de la Palestine, New York a convo puevo souvenir sesame look the the the the difference in Russia can a organisation.
Geneva Padot question, don't Thank you very much to everyone who has followed this long briefing and Bon Appetit and above all Bon weekend and we'll see you next week.
