The United Nations Office at Geneva
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UN Geneva Press Briefing - 03 October 2025
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1:51:18
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MP4
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7 GB
UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
3 October 2025
Situation in Gaza
James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), speaking from Gaza, said that Gaza City remained home to tens of thousands of children, under dire circumstances and relentless air strikes. “Where can we go that is safe?” was the question Mr. Elder heard over and over again in Gaza City. Dozens of children were being admitted to hospitals for malnutrition and injuries every day. The evacuation orders did not mean that those who stayed behind could be legitimate targets, stressed Mr. Elder. Some 85 percent of families in the crowded southern areas now lived in the vicinity of open sewage areas. The notion of the safe zone in the south was farcical, with many so-called “safe zones” regularly reduced to rubble. In Al Nasser Hospital, Mr. Elder had seen children paralyzed and burned by direct air hits, as well as children hit by quadcopters.
Something was profoundly broken in the international system when such a situation was being tolerated. The situation for mothers and newborns in Gaza was never worse, with mothers and their babies lying on the floors of hospitals, and a number of premature babies sharing one oxygen bottle. Reports showed that a thousand babies had been killed in Gaza over the past two years; it was not known how many had died of infectious, preventable diseases. Mr. Elder said that UNICEF had continuously reported on the war on children, polio outbreaks, and starvation. The situation was now worse than ever, and Palestinian boys and girls were still paying the highest price.
Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, also speaking from Gaza, stated that the WHO had estimated life-changing injuries counted for one quarter of all reported injuries. Some 42,000 people had life-changing injuries; of them 10,000 children. Some 5,000 people had had to have amputations, informed Dr. Peeperkorn. There was a growing prevalence of facial and eye injuries, for which the shaken health system was inadequate. Many of the pre-war therapists had been displaced, and there was hardly any manufacturing for artificial limbs. Such heavy bodily injuries carried a grave mental health toll as well. There was a need for urgent protection of health care, stressed Dr. Peeperkorn. Only 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remained partially functional, while less than one-third of pre-conflict rehabilitation services were operating.
He said that eight hospitals remained partially functioning in Gaza City, serving a vulnerable population, while health services in the North Gaza Governorate were only provided through one partially functioning medical point. There were fast declining supplies of essential items, including blood supplies for transfusion. Speaking of medical evacuations, Dr. Peeperkorn that they remained a flagship WHO programme because Gaza’s health system could not provide many needed systems. Some 15,600 patients, including 3,800 children, needed evacuations right now. Many more countries needed to reach out and express readiness to accept those patients, particularly children. Most of the 7,800 patients evacuated so far had been welcomed in the countries across the region. Restoration of the referral system to the West Bank and East Jerusalem could help absorb thousands of those patients needed medical evacuations.
Answering questions, Mr. Elder, for UNICEF, confirmed that she was speaking from the south of the Gaza Strip. He reiterated that people in Gaza did not have a real choice to leave, partly because it was not safe, partly because they did not have the necessary means, or they could not leave old or ill family members behind. Gaza was in this condition because of the ongoing, systematic deprivations and systematic breached of international humanitarian law. It was the responsibility of the occupying power, Israel, to ensure that the so-called “safe zones” had the essential conditions for life, including safety from air bombardment, which was not the case. Dr. Peeperkorn, for the WHO, elaborated on the process of moving surviving equipment out of damaged, non-functional hospitals to those medical centres that were still operational. There should be humanitarian corridors, even at a time of war, for the UN and partners to move between hospitals and access people in need.
On another question, Mr. Elder spoke of paralyzed and severely injured children he had met and who would now need lifelong support. So many brave doctors from the frontlines provided first-hand testimonies of attacks against children, but that had unfortunately not been enough to move global leaders to act. Dr. Peeperkorn spoke of the role of the WHO and other UN agencies to inform the public and the Member States of facts and what was really happening on the ground. The recent report on life-changing industries contained accurate, well document statistics.
Christian Cardon, for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reminded that the Gaza Strip was only 42 kilometers long. The war was everywhere in Gaza. Remaining medical staff often worked around the clock and frequently on an empty stomach, he said. Entry of supplies into Gaza City had to increase, but given the dire security situation there, no humanitarian actors were currently present there. Many people were still staying in the City because they had no means to leave or could not leave the loved ones behind, some of whom stuck under rubble. The Palestinian Red Crescent was still present in Gaza City and doing what it could do under the current circumstances. Mr. Calderon stressed that humanitarian actors ought to be allowed to operate even in war conditions.
Ricardo Pires, for UNICEF, emphasized the need for a ceasefire and opening of various corridors to bring aid into Gaza. Dr. Peeperkorn, for the WHO, also stressed the need to have multiple entries into Gaza; the UN and partners had plans in place to bring and distribute supplies, but they needed basic conditions and guarantees to do so. On another question, Dr. Peeperkorn spoke of patients who were unable to evacuate themselves from one hospital to another, and the WHO was increasingly being called upon to assist with those evacuations. Mr. Elder provided several examples of children getting shot and injured while sleeping or waiting in lines to get bread. Over 20,000 children had been killed and over 41,000 children injured since the start of the war in October 2023, stressed Mr. Elder. It was the intention of UNICEF and other UN agencies to return to Gaza City as soon as possible, he said. Mr. Calderon, for the ICRC, added that the ICRC had no more international staff present on the ground there today. People in Gaza needed a ceasefire now, emphasized Dr. Peeperkorn. There were no safe zones in Gaza now. Currently, the entry of humanitarian aid and supplies into Gaza was extremely limited, he said, as well as medical evacuations from Gaza.
Any decision to suspend any Member State from the United Nations would need to be taken by UN Member States, and not the Secretary-General, said Rolando Gómez, for the UN Information Service, responding to a question.
Announcements
Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), informed that UNHCR's 76th Annual Executive Committee (ExCom) meeting would be held in the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations from 6 to 10 October. The meeting would start on 6 October at 10 am with the opening remarks by the High Commissioner Filippo Grandi. There would be a live feed on UNTV. More information is available here.
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that on 5 October, new guidelines would be launched on preventing, diagnosing and treating postpartum hemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal deaths that affected millions of women globally. The recommendations highlighted the urgent need for early detection and fast intervention steps that could save the lives of tens of thousands of women. The guidelines would be published by WHO, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and the International Confederation of Midwives.
WHO's global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 would be presented at a global press conference on 6 October at 2:30 pm.
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), referred to the Secretary-General’s statement on the attack against the synagogue in Manchester.
Voting at the Human Rights Council would commence voting on draft resolutions on 6 October, which would last till 8 October. The High Commissioner would be briefing the Council on Ukraine today.
On 8 October at 9 am, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) would hold a press conference on the Ministerial Meeting on Housing Affordability and Sustainability. Speakers would be: Tatiana Molcean, UNECE Executive Secretary; Martin Tschirren, Switzerland’s Director General of the Federal Office for Housing, Chair of the Ministerial Meeting; Ċ½eljko Uhlir, Croatia’s Secretary of State, Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, Croatia; David Lucas Parrón, Spain’s Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing and the Urban Agenda; and Susan Aitken, Mayor, Glasgow City Council, and Chair of UN Forum of Mayors.
Finally, 6 October would be the World Habitat Day, on which occasion the Secretary-General’s message had been shared.
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Teleprompter
[Other language spoken]
Let's start the briefing of the UN Information Service here in Geneva.
Today is Friday, the 3rd of October.
And I would like to start immediately by going to our colleagues who are connected from Gaza.
And we thank them very much for being with us in spite of the difficulties that you can imagine at the moment for them to, to, to connect and to brief you.
So we have James with us, James Elder for UNICEF.
I've got also Ricardo here on the podium with me to tell us about the situation of children and Rick Peppercorn, who as you know, is the representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Rick, you're also in Gaza at the moment to tell us about the health situation there and more general the humanitarian situation.
So I'll start with James.
I go to Rick and then we will go to questions.
[Other language spoken]
Also, thanks so much and thanks everyone.
I think this is particularly timely with everything the news coming out of the North.
If ever there's been a time that's so important for for WHO and UNICEF to be sharing those testimonials with people who really are silenced in the north, it's probably now.
[Other language spoken]
And let me begin.
The Gaza City remains home to 10s of thousands of children.
So you've got shoeless children who push grandparents around the rubble.
Amputee children are struggling through the dust.
Mothers are carrying exhausted children whose literally their skin is bleeding because of the severity of rashes.
Children are there shuddering at this relentlessness of airstrikes.
And children then gazed skywards to try and track the fire from helicopters and and quadcopters.
This is what I've seen on multiple visions in the last week to Gaza City.
Now the question I'm asked everywhere in Gaza City, from women, from the elderly and yes, from children, is where can we go that is safe?
And the answer remains, sadly, the same as as as it has been for almost 2 years.
Nowhere, nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip.
Yet today you have a further 200,000 civilians who've been warned to leave Gaza City, in addition to the more than 400,000 people who've been forced to flee to the South.
One hospital I was in yesterday, the patient friendly hospital that sees 60 to 80 children, 60 to 80 children every single day.
They're admitted for malnutrition and other illnesses.
The intensive care unit for infants and newborns at Al Helu Hospital that's overflowing, absolutely packed.
[Other language spoken]
The logic imposed on people in Gaza is both brutal and contradictory.
The north has been declared A hostile ground, so those who remain to be branded as suspects.
Let's be clear, the issuance of a general or a blanket evacuation order to civilians does not mean that those who remain behind lose their protection as civilians.
The South, OK, the South and it's so-called safe zones, these are also places of death.
Alma Wasi is now one of the most densely populated places on earth.
It's grotesquely overcrowded and and it has been stripped of the most basic essentials of survival.
85% of families live within 10 metres of open sewer or rat infestation or garbage.
85% of families, 2/3 of families have no soap.
I spoke to dozens of families or dozens of people in the in Gaza City, and they all said the same thing.
They've got no money to move, they've got no space nor tent to move into.
And the South is too dangerous.
Indeed, as we've spoken about many times going back as far as December 2023, the notion of a safe zone in the South is farcical.
Bombs are dropped from the sky with chilling predictability.
Schools which have been designated as temporary shelters are regularly reduced to rubble.
Tents get pitched in areas and they of course offer no protection from shrapnel.
And indeed those same tents as we've seen are regularly engulfed in fire from air attacks.
Now 2 days ago I was at NASA hospital and I saw children who've been paralysed, who've been burnt and who've had amputations, all following direct hits on their tents or tents in this in the surrounding area, all at around 2:00 in the morning.
Couple of days earlier to Al Aqsa hospital, I met children who've all been shot by quadcopters.
When the world adjusts and normalises this level of of of violence and of deprivation, something is profoundly broken.
The strength of international law doesn't lie in paper, but it's in the resolve of member states to uphold it.
Finally, and I think Rick will will add to this, very, very importantly, the situation for mothers and newborns in Gaza has never been worse.
In NASA Hospital, we're seeing hospital corridors lined with women who've just given birth.
In my 6 missions to Gaza, I have never seen it this bad.
So you've got new mothers and vulnerable newborns who are lying on the floor hospital corridors.
I sat with three premature babies who were sharing a single oxygen source.
They share it 20 minutes each.
The other two children cry while whilst the third child gets that oxygen for 20 minutes.
A premature baby I met, Nada, who was in intensive care for 21 days, was discharged and now lies on the hospital floor with her mother.
Nada weighs 2 kilogrammes, less than half of what she should weigh.
Women are having miscarriages as they're forced to make this trek from north to South.
Doctors fear winter viruses have arrived early.
Reports state that 1000 babies have been killed in the last two years in Gaza 1000, and we have no idea how many more have died from preventable illnesses.
Meanwhile, frontline workers, UNICEF, our partners are still doing everything they possibly can, supplying ready to use therapeutic food for malnourished babies in Gaza City, repairing water lines, delivering cash assistance, providing trauma support, mental health waste collection.
But until all restrictions are removed on the entry in the safe delivery, safe delivery of humanitarian aid, the provision of life saving aid will continue to be woefully inadequate.
Colleagues, the media in this press room has been very generous to listen to UNICEF Brief dozens of times since we first bore witness to the carnage in Gaza.
Now, in that time, we've reported on a war on children, a famine and a polio outbreak.
Always, always and only with data and testimonials.
And yet somehow today things are worse than any other time.
Everyone bears responsibility for this, but there's only one victim.
Yesterday, today, and without meaningful action tomorrow.
Palestinian girls and boys.
Thank you very much, James, for this briefing and the terrible situation, the figures you are giving.
And I'm sure we'll hear more from Rick now.
Thank you very much and thank you very much also, James.
Yeah, greeting from Deraballa and, and, and coming to Gaza since this crisis exploded actually it's the start every other month.
So a lot of the observations James made and shared etcetera.
I, I definitely yeah, I can't contest to that.
I want to focus now and I'll come back to some of the issues actually raised by James, but I want to focus on three topics.
First on injury rehabilitations nice and Gaza.
I want to say a little bit about health functionality, the current especially the north and on medical matter of fact.
So first of all, yesterday WHO actually launched a report on estimates and a report on estimated trauma rehabilitations needs in Gaza.
So life changing injuries account for 1/4 of all reported injuries.
So for total of 167,300 people injured, nearly 42,000 people have life changing injuries caused by the ongoing conflict.
One in four of these injuries are in children.
So you talk about over 10,000 children with with with with life changing injuries and probably a need for lifelong rehabilitation.
Over 5000 of people faced amputation and the majority the severe injuries includes arms and specifically legs over 22,000, spinal cord over 2000, brain over 1300 major burns 3300.
And also while further increasing the need, well, this is further increasing the need of specialised surgical and rehabilitation services, deeply affecting the patients and and the families across Gaza.
The report also highlights the prevalence of complex facial and eye injuries.
We saw a lot of that of the patients listed for Meditac medical ovation outside Gaza and new injuries as they, I mean the new injury amount to the, the, the amount the health needs rights, the health systems on the brink of collapse.
Only 14 of the Gaza 36 hospitals remain partly to minimum functional.
I'll get back to that Gaza once at around 1300 physiotherapists 4th 400 occupational therapists that many have been displaced at least 42 have been killed since that is as of September 24 and Gaza has actually that has hardly any manufacturing for artificial limbs currently, for example, going on this ACE prosthetist displacement, malnutrition, disease, lack of assisted products means the true rehabilitation burden in Gaza is far greater than the figures presented report.
So actually we we talk about the underestimation, the conflict related injuries all also carry profound mental health toll not just for the for the injured but also for the families, etcetera.
And the caregiving mental health and psychosocial supports must be integrated and scaled up alongside rehabilitation to ensure that this care and that the scalable services, you know, first of all, we need, of course, urgent protection of healthcare.
Well, we are definitely first of all need a ceasefire.
We're the urgent protection of healthcare, unhindered access to fuel and supplies and the removal of restrictions on the entry of essential medical items, including some of those assistive assistive devices.
So we we want to call again ongoing investments sustaining future rebuilding of strong health system, including rehabilitation.
Let me say something now about the health functionality and of course starting in the in the north.
However, yesterday afternoon spent most of the time at Nasser Medical Complex and and having been there so often.
So I completely agree with James observations.
Never seen it so crowded.
I mean, every, every, every corridor you see bats, mattresses and pages on the floor.
There's a huge increase because I think we estimate there's maybe still 200, estimation is 200,200, three, 100,000 people in the north.
The rest moved South.
So all these hospitals in the South, which were already 2 to 300% of the bat capacity 6 weeks ago when I was here.
[Other language spoken]
It has vastly increased.
Also in, in, in interestingly, going around the hospital and having meetings with the director and staff, I met a number of senior health workers from medical specialists from Shifa in the north.
Shiva, once the most important referral hospital of the whole Gaza Strip and even six weeks ago when I was there, it still has over 600 patients in more in more patients, patients all over them.
There are a lot of trauma patients here all over in the floor, in the in, in the maternity and the chart, the paediatric departments, etcetera.
They told me currently they cannot even call Shiva minimal functional anymore.
The only unit which is still a bit functioning is dialysis unit and what we call an outpatient department emergency.
[Other language spoken]
They only have 40 patients.
They said there's probably only 40 patients left and they estimated more than 90% of the health workers have left.
So this is Shiva.
8 hospitals remain partly to minimum functional in Gaza and serving an extremely vulnerable population.
44 Health service appointment out of service between 11 and 28 September, including around TC Paediatric Hospital, Saint John High Hospital, the Ministry of Health Atomic Hospital and the Hamas Rehabilitation Hospital, which actually shifted their stuff now also to the South.
In addition to 13 primary healthcare sensor, 27 medical points, a total of 1 of the 30.
Just an example, one of the 13 dialysis patients, representing around 50% of the estimated dialysis population in Gaza City have been displaced of the city and of them, over 60% are currently receiving care at the hemodialysis unit of Alzoeda Field Hospital.
I don't know where the others are we already yesterday in in in in NASA and discussing with teams as just like in the past and I've been part of these missions very quickly.
Who will be asked.
It's already currently ongoing to to take out to, to evacuate the last patients from hospitals in the north and the staff.
Currently there's a mission ongoing to El Hilu Hospital and it was planned to take out four neonates, 4 neonates and incubators.
They've arrived.
We just got the information.
They've arrived at the hospital.
The latest information is very tragic that one of the neonates passed away last night and such that we will report for you.
So when they are hopefully back here in the in the South we see also overall fast declining shortages of essential items such as dressing kits, gauzes, etcetera, trauma, but also everything related to blood and blood supplies and and and transfusion kits.
WHL has the supplies, we have the supplies and so we struggle to get them in with a lot of entries from Jordan, from Egypt, etcetera.
We, we have those supplies, but we struggle to get it in now.
[Other language spoken]
James also alluded to the neonatal unit.
For example, you see now 2 infants in, in, in, in one, in a single incubator, etcetera.
I've met quite a number of the, the molars and patients and a lot of them actually are coming from the north and yeah, and, and I'll share the the their horrific stories with us.
My last point is on medevac.
So which is increasing violence and, and, and particularly which is incursion in Gaza City still going on and intensifying medical evacuation remains a flagship WHL programme and the Gaza health system is unable to provide the specialised care of services beyond the most basic emergency treatment.
We still have almost 8000 patients have been manufactured of which over 5000, three 5400 children.
That's a massive achievement, but there's still 15,600 patients in need to be manufactured of which 3800 children and and since So what we actually have been pushing for and it is good to note that we get some more traction.
First and foremost, we need much more countries to reach out and to open their arms to receive those patients.
And yes, we will always prior prioritise children, but we have to look of course at all priority cases, all the children, men, women and also the elderly.
The second thing what, what, what gets a bit more traction now is of course the what we have been arguing for all along from this crisis is the restoration, the restoration of the traditional referral pathway to the West Bank and E Jerusalem hospitals.
If that would open up, could they, could they absorb 15,600 patients?
No, of course not at once, but they definitely could absorb over the time I would say thousands of patients and, and, and we would have, we have plans to then support those hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
So there's again two requests we need to have.
We are also planning to expand the medevacs, but that we need to be allowed as WHO to have more medevacs to not have one medevac per week or one medevac per two weeks.
We just had the last one last Monday, Medevac in one of the 80 patients and including their companions etcetera.
We want to to to massively expand us and we need more countries to receive patients.
[Other language spoken]
I say finally, I think some of the European countries are stepping up because most of this 8000 children by far most have been received in the region.
Over to you.
Rick.
Thank you very much, and thanks so much also to James.
I hope he's still connected.
I don't see him anymore, sorry.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So we have both colleagues.
I'll start with the questions in the room.
Isabel Sacco, Spanish News Agency.
[Other language spoken]
Is this is for James.
[Other language spoken]
I didn't hear exactly where you are.
So if you can precise that.
And also I would like to if you, if you could elaborate on the situation of you describe the, the situation in South of Gaza as a place of death.
So could you please give us some more details?
You, you mentioned that the people don't have space, there are not enough tents, no money, they are not able to move.
And can you also explain in this context, what is the international of the, I mean a that they, they are able to, to get these days?
[Other language spoken]
James, hi there.
[Other language spoken]
Nice to see you too.
So right now I'm like Rick, I'm in Delhi Valle, where I stay is in the South and Amawasi.
But throughout the course of this week, it's been multiple missions to Gaza City going in, going out.
The reason that's very important is both because of this narrative that we're hearing around people having a choice to leave.
They don't have a choice as we heard from people.
I, I would time and again ask people, will they leave?
And they would ask both is it safe?
And then they would explain that they are either caring for an elderly relative, someone's disabled, but equally they don't have money for transport, they don't have a tent.
And they know what the South is like.
Many of these people lived in the South.
Many of these people have been there.
They've seen that level that the population density, even saying tents is quite a is is a bit generous right now.
And remembering it was almost for three months after the ceasefire was broken that no tents were allowed in.
So all these things as ever are not logistical.
They are they are absolutely political.
And that's very important when we talk about a man made famine, when we talk about why people don't have shelter, when we talk about the restrictions that have been on water, there has been consistently, as we all know, basically an information war.
And I think there's a feeling that there's been a systematic fault.
And I'm sorry it's a longer version of answering your question, but I think it's important so we really convey what the South looks like and why it looks like that because of all these deprivations, systematic deprivations.
And yet, of course, people have been regularly told by authorities that everything is needed in the Gaza Strip, that that, that, that you can bring in whatever you need in the face of a famine.
So we're in the place where a government is accused of systematic breaches of international humanitarian law.
And even when it's past denials are shown to be false, demonstrably false, that voice is still somehow treated as as indispensable in balancing a story.
Now that's giving a platform to those engineering starvation.
That's a real problem.
So, so in terms of where I am, that's where I am.
I've been going to the north.
For example, today I desperately wanted to do this briefing, but I also didn't because we've been trying to get to the north.
Why are we trying to get to the north?
Because we're trying to get to a hospital called Rantissi Hospital that's now had to do a full evacuation.
It's a paediatric hospital and in that paediatric hospital there are ventilators, incubators and oxygen.
And when you link that back now and they, so we want to take those to Shifa Hospital and we want to take those to NASA, NASA Hospital.
So when you listen to Rick brief on NASA or if I think what I saw in NASA, where I see that children will die because of the lack of those ventilators and oxygen, where you see children on, on hospital floors sharing oxygen, not in incubators.
[Other language spoken]
We've had that mission denied.
3 * 1 other time was successful, got within 150 metres, but such was the ferocity of both attack of fighting, but also the road was entirely covered in rubble that it was physically impossible to get there.
So that mission again today has been denied.
That's three times to simply get incubators, ventilators and oxygen to another hospital.
Obviously the easiest thing would be to bring in huge quantities across the border, but we are in the same place with those restrictions.
So they're the restrictions.
And then what does that mean the South looks like?
Yeah, it's grossly overpopulated people.
And remembering people were living at homes and apartments and holiday houses, They're now in tents, or many of them not in tents.
They're on street corners.
They're in roundabouts.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
She's meant to be eating for three.
She gets a meal in a day.
[Other language spoken]
She's feared.
She used to be fearful she'd give birth in a car when she came South.
Now she's fearful she'll give birth on the back of a donkey.
So all people there, despite all the effort for humanitarian agencies, they lack proper shelter, they lack sanitation.
We're talking around 1 1/2 thousand people to 2000 people for toilets in some areas.
Certainly they lack food and they lack protection.
I'm sorry, it's a long answer, but we first spoke about safe zones, debunking this concept of the unilaterally declared safe zone in late 2023.
Because the law is very clear international humanitarian law.
It is the responsibility of the occupying power, Israel, to ensure that a safe zone has all the essentials for survival, that is, nutrition, shelter and sanitation.
None of those are present in a level that is fitting of a population.
What we didn't assume was in the same way that those obligations were aggregated, we at least assumed that these places would not be bombed.
We've now seen over the last 18 months, dozens, dozens of times safe zones, people in tents have suffered from air strikes.
That's what the South looks like.
There is a level now of despair, of desperation, of humiliation, of a proud people that, yes, deteriorates hour by hour, day by day.
[Other language spoken]
I see Rico like to add something.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
So I think just a couple of things to to add what we erased and and having been unfortunately in this, in this crisis, in this exploded crisis of the last two years, we've seen these cycles.
And let's not forget, I mean, like many of the hospitals we are discussing with many of the health facilities we are discussing over the two years time, they were partly functional.
And then the conflict came near, military operations started, the war came close.
And then even when, when it was said, Oh no, hospitals will be protected, they can continue.
We have warned for this time and again, hospitals are not protected because if the war comes close, patients cannot leave or they cannot attend, health workers cannot come and and leave and we WHL cannot bring in the supplies with the partners and the emergency medical teams etcetera.
So very quickly hospital we call minimal functional electricity cuts off, etcetera, becomes non functional.
We've seen this in the past with Shifa, with NASA medical complex with from Al at one with Al AFLI with the three hospitals in Rafa which are Indonesian etcetera.
And the amazing thing was that some of those hospitals, when we talk about not serve at WHO and we're very well part of the mission, took out the last one of the 20 patients and, and, and 80 staff in February 24 that within six weeks it started operate being operational again.
And, and, and then with, I mean, I would again stress that the incredible resilience of the Gaza health workers WHO and, and, and and partners.
However, what we see now in the north, we we have seen again, those hospitals will all become non functional and in the past, in all those cycles.
So then WHO is there to actually get out the supplies, the, the, the, the most useful supplies and, and also the Ron TC mission James was referring to was an WHO UNICEF mission which indeed got, got, got, got impeded a couple of times and we still hope to complete that, but we will have more of his missions.
They are horrible missions.
We took out so many supplies from various hospitals, brought it somewhere else, oxygens, actually oxygen plants, etcetera, everything and of course, patients, patients and staff.
And and you really think this is I mean, this is not the I've never thought that this was the going to be the war WHO or UNICEF, you know, we would be doing it should not be needed.
And, and, and and I'm very much concurrent.
This has to stop.
Over to you.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Very shortly, what is the distance to the place, the distance from the place you are to the place where you the hospital, you have to take back, take the these ventilators, these incubators.
How do you know the units?
How many, how many incubators, how many all this stuff you mentioned?
And if you have to take back another kind of supplies from there?
James or Rick, Rick, go ahead.
Yeah, this is, this is so we've done this many times in this crisis.
And of course, it's all the requests from the the hospital and, and, and the senior hospital team director and Ministry of Health that they, they don't want to lose this valuable equipment.
And even even bats, I mean like you know, everybody can see there's there's shortage of everything, shortage of bats, shortage of incubators, oxygen plants, the other of course medical equipment, etcetera.
So everywhere when something like that happened, when the war comes close and the hospital becomes non functional, then the question is, but first, if if nothing happens, some of the supplies we've seen this as well in some place might get loaded at some of the beds and trauma people are desperate so they will they will get some of the supplies out.
So if we have the chance and of course we do it only based on the request to to get that equipment out, we will do that.
But even that even those missions are often impeded or structured etcetera and made very complex other missions like taking out patients and and the remaining staff etcetera.
[Other language spoken]
When, when, when nothing is is.
For example, currently we are asked to bring some supplies to the North, which we will do.
Yeah, which we will do.
However, we have to be very careful with the lack of supplies.
So what is currently possible in those hospitals in the North?
So if you look at the North, most people are around Al Ugly Hospital and and a few other places etcetera.
So we have to be very careful where do we bring the supplies, what level of supplies etcetera.
But we have witnessed this before.
I remember that was probably 1/2 year ago and we had the same situation when it was mainly run by one or two senior physicians and for the rest junior doctors and a lot of staff had moved South.
Then when it was possible they came back etcetera and hospital again for minimal functional became again partly functional or become from non functional, became again minimal functional and then partly functional.
I think it's very sad that we, it's incredibly sad, unnecessary.
We see these cycles constantly happening and I'm afraid what happened now in the north it will be even even more complex.
Hospitals, health facilities, they should be properly protected.
There should be corridors, corridors for the even when there is a war, there should be humanitarian corridors for UN and partners to access those hospitals in a reasonable pace to make sure that supplies can be delivered, that they can be supported and and that they can be maintained.
Over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Agnes Agence France Presse Yes, thank you.
It would be a question for James.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thanks to to see you again some at least even if on the screen.
I want to ask you about what you said on on this idea that the safe zone are farcical, with tents being targeted, temporary shelters reduced to rubble, etcetera.
I want to ask you if you are sharing those concerns with Israel and what is, what are their answers on that?
And then another question.
About the Gaza, Gaza plan of, of Trump, do you still the Gaza plan of, of Trump, do you still have hopes that that this could change anything on the ground?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I give the floor to James Patrick if you want to add anything afterwards.
[Other language spoken]
Safe zones, yes, it's, it's been consistent again just a few days ago, talking to a teenage girl who's now paralysed.
It's quite a, it's a, it's a very desperate scene to see a child now who's, who's, you know, paralysed in a hospital because she was lying asleep in, in her bed at night time.
And the chance of anything, as Rick said, you know, 3800 children, I think WHL will confirm who need medical evacuation, Not all of them trauma, some oncology.
But these are the numbers.
And that's, that's the little girls, the little girl's future.
Another child who had an horrific head wound from an air strike near their tent, just near their tent.
But the tents are crammed on top of each other and obviously a tent doesn't offer protection.
This little child missing part of the skull.
And the, the father grabbed the child to run them to the hospital, but he'd been struck as well.
So he passed out on the way.
These are just testimonies you get every single time.
Now I think it's fair to say the highest levels of the United Nations that these these are being relayed all the time to officials.
The problem, as I mentioned earlier, is this is this information war.
I mean you, you, if you speak to the, the brave doctors through WHO, or speak to the many, many doctors and nurses who have been in Gaza from, from Australia, from the United Kingdom, from from the United States of America, When they speak, it should cut through politics.
They're, they're trained to save lives.
They're not trained to posture.
And so one would think that when they testify around children with shrapnel wounds, sleeping when they were sleeping in their beds or shot by quadcopters when they were getting water or denied oxygen, this is the raw truth from the frontline.
However, what makes it ever more devastating is these most trusted voices in our society, doctors, nurses, surgeons, even when we hear their testimonies in halls of power and they share these horrific stories of of children and indiscriminate attacks, it's not moved leaders to act.
I don't have an answer for that.
But that is a it is a problem that we will face.
We face now we may fit well face as a precedent going future going forward into other conflicts in terms of hope.
Look, all we can do here is to is to paraphrase and and be a conduit to the voices of Palestinians.
They are very well tuned into international relations.
They watched time and again the charades of of discussions around cease fires in 2024.
They saw those dreams blown up all the time.
I never forget one period, I think it was March 2024, where it came very close.
And her mother said to me as she heard news, this is the first time with my little daughter in a tent.
I will promise her tonight that she will wake up tomorrow morning.
I haven't been able to do that for six months.
Of course, those hopes and dreams were blown up like all ceasefire attempts apart from those, those two.
So Palestinians hold on to hope because it's all they have.
I think what's very, very important though, is that if this ceasefire does not, or if this peace deal does not come forward, we must be very, very clear.
Whoever bears responsibility, it does not sit with civilians, it does not sit with 1.1 million children.
That type of collective responsibility is a grave breach, the gravest breach of international humanitarian law and any decency the international community is clinging on to.
Thank you very much.
Rick, you have to mute yourself.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So let me add one thing on, on, on, on whatever plan I remember very vividly, because coming here so often when there was a ceasefire for two months in the, in the start of this year and, and then travelling around all over Gaza, a little bit easier.
And specifically, for example, in the, in the north, very, very close by the known by the Nina, etcetera, Jabalia, you saw all these people coming back, back through their destroyed or damaged houses.
They were trying to set up, you know, put their tents next to the house, etcetera.
Lots of them the same in Rafa Rafa in in both their wastelands, people coming back, etcetera.
We were even visiting the Al Najar and other hospitals, etcetera.
[Other language spoken]
Could we at least help facilitate to to start with the primary healthcare centres, etcetera, Because people were moving back.
There was a lot of, there was a ray of how and people were really, I mean, they were going for it and they were saying this is, this is what we want and just, you know, give us the peace, etcetera and we will work on it.
We will move forward.
In Gaza City.
Then you saw a little bit more diverse, diverse foods, the the shops, people are repairing the shops, private sector came in, etcetera.
All of that and what I hear now currently, whatever happened, people want a ceasefire.
They are so disappointed with this constant cycle of violence and being disappointed also I think why the global world And so it has to stop.
That's basically what you get from from everyone I speak to etcetera, including all my staff, patients, etcetera.
[Other language spoken]
I think we as the UN and, and, and, and specifically who we have a role to inform, inform the public, inform the Member states, etcetera.
And I would expect they bring this forward.
We've been informing the, the public in the Member States from the start incredibly.
And we, we always, we inform on health and we inform as factual as possible.
That's why we came out now with this report, for example, on, on injuries in Gaza and the consequences of that and the, the insane kind of statistics that one quarter 45,000 people will have.
We will need lifelong rehabilitation of which more than 10,000 children only that kind of facts.
We, there's been a lot of reports on, on malnutrition and a lot of debate on that.
Well, I've seen and I've witnessed the children, I've talked to the mothers and fathers of children.
Whereas sought as a, as a medical doctor myself, this child is 2 years old.
I mean they look like 2 years old and they're four or five years old.
We've seen the the horrific trauma all over the place and, and, and, and, and that even even stronger patients difficulties to recover because of their nutritional status there in we reported on the health functionality constantly and the shrinking health and the shrinking space etcetera.
We have reported on mental health and have estimates now that most likely over 1,000,000.
So before this crisis, 460, sixty 5000 gases were affected by mental health issues, let me say affected by mental health.
They've been gone through a lot of crisis estimations now is at least more than a million.
But of course, you could almost state that everyone is affected one way or another and and and we will have to tackle that in a completely different way.
Community integrated in all health in in essay on all health levels etcetera.
But coming back, I think we have been consistently reporting and we are reporting the facts.
The facts speak for themselves and I would hope they would be taken straightly over.
Thank you very much, Rick.
[Other language spoken]
And before we have a very long list of questions, but we only have Gaza today on the programme.
So that's fine apart from announcements, but I have the pleasure to also give the floor to our colleague, Christian Cardone, who's the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, who would like to add something Christian.
And then we will have a long, long list of other questions.
So please, Christian, thank you very much.
I I just indeed wanted to to also add few elements coming directly from our colleagues in the field and starting with probably paying attention to.
Making this difference all the time between the north and the South.
Let's not forget that we are talking about the distance of 42 kilometres from the north to the South of the Gaza Strip.
And adding to what James explained very well, The war is everywhere in Gaza.
Our colleagues who have to relocate, as you know, we were present in Gaza City until before yesterday, Just describing now the situation that they are facing in the South, in the Rafah, Deep South of the Gaza Strip, where we have a hospital.
We still have wanted people coming there on a daily basis.
And these people are not all coming from Gaza City.
These people are still coming from the distribution sites where there are security issues on daily basis.
I also believe it's important to remind that that means that for medical staff, surgeon, nurses, they're working obviously around the clock, still 24/7, sometimes with empty stomach.
You can imagine the the conditions when it comes to Gaza City in particular.
I also wanted to add what our colleagues have seen over the last weeks and just before they had to leave.
By the way we were forced to leave for a second time in these two years of war.
We know what this means was when humanitarian organisation like the ICOC and others have to just put down the flag where the needs are the most important.
The families that our colleagues have met over the last weeks had nothing.
What we could bring there was just like a glimpse of of hope breads, a a bit of medical assistance to the remaining hospitals who are trying their best to function.
But this is nothing and and obviously should be much more and substantially increased.
We're talking about 10s of thousands of families that are still there.
And while we speak, there are no more international organisation represented in Gaza City.
We are hoping that we can cope, go back in and out, but that will certainly not be enough considering all the needs and what these people are telling us, what the families are telling us is that first, they don't have the means.
It's not a just a question of willing to stay there because they want to stay close to their rebel house.
They don't have the means.
It has a cost to do the the remaining 35 kilometres to go to the South.
In addition to the fact that you don't know where you are going because most probably you will face another intense situation where war is everywhere.
In addition to that, I think we should also highlight the fact that many want to stay because they still have relatives under the rubbles.
Do you want to leave that place when you know that a brother, a sister, a mother is just close to you under the rubbles?
Do you really want to wait this place?
So what we could feel now and what we haven't seen in the past two years is total despair.
It's families that are just willing to stay there have lost any hope that anything will change.
The PRCS, the Palestine Red Crescent is still present there, active in Gaza City as much as much as it can.
You need to know that movements are just impossible right now.
Shifa Hospital, 1 kilometre from the Gaza ICRC office we had open until recently one kilometre.
Just to do that one kilometre has become like a massive challenge.
[Other language spoken]
Medical infrastructures and humanitarian workers should be able to work even in the difficult conditions of work.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much, Christian.
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, Thank you for taking my question.
My question goes to two gentlemen in Gaza, James and the guy from The Who.
[Other language spoken]
I have a brief question about what has been taken place in the past few days.
The Internet that the global perseverance for Taylor.
You are representing the two aid organisations on the frontline.
Who should be on?
I mean, who should be on the receiving end of the massive aids pouring in should have been.
You must be confronted with the grim fact that almost none of the Fertila made through the blockade but put up by the Israeli naval forces or what they have on the on the surface.
So what is your would you like to make any?
What is your stance or your statement on another formal statement?
What is your feeling on the feasibility of the idea and the practise of having Gaza merit supplied in a maritime manner?
Not on the route, the route not not the road route, which has been an idea floated by the Israeli authority and then rejected by the Fatila Arena.
So what is your stance on the feasibility of the idea of having Gaza supplied in a maritime manner?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Lee, I'm sorry I missed the beginning of your question to you.
To whom were you asking that both gentlemen's on the frontline Gaza.
[Other language spoken]
I think Ricardo wants to answer for UNICEF and then I'll go to Rick Ricardo.
[Other language spoken]
Obviously the world is very frustrated and outrage with what's happening in Gaza for nearly two years now.
And the global flotelia is just a symbol of that.
And the fact that they couldn't go through and they got intercepted and no humanitarian aid was managed to get into Gaza and no corridor was open.
It's just another example of the struggles that the UN is also going through day in and day out, as our colleagues just briefed.
So we, we obviously understand the, the and sympathise with the activism that is happening and, and with the outrage and indignation that the world is seeing.
We're seeing protests everywhere.
Italy today is an absolute shutdown, strikes everywhere because the population feels helpless and wants to, to add in and, and have their voices heard.
But again, what we're calling for is a ceasefire and for all corridors or as many as possible to be open so aid can flow in within the UN system, which is proven to work in a safe and efficient manner as long as we are allowed to do our jobs, which right now, as my 2 colleagues just briefed, is just not the case.
Thank you very much, Rick.
Yeah, thank you very much.
I think the question is, is more general.
We've seen over this two years and I think very in many periods and and lack of proper humanitarian supports being able to be provided to Gaza.
First of all, the entries and the entry points are currently there's only Karim Shalom and as an entry point, but it's in general, we can all argue that way too, too little Unitarian supplies if it is in the area of food and specifically diverse foods, water, shelter specifically as well.
Shelter and medical supplies have come in over the last two years and, and yes, it has gone with its faces.
Sometimes it was a little better and sometimes it was way worse, etcetera.
[Other language spoken]
It is never, never, it's never, it's never straightforward and even what you would say simple, relatively simple missions to bring medical supplies from from the South to the the north or or or or from other place or get or get supplies in what we were now discussing with OEO and UNICEF to get some of the of the valuable supplies incubators from the north to the South, etcetera.
Everything is complex and often get impeded, delayed etcetera or it's not not happening.
So I think that what the UN partners have consistently erased, we need multiple entries into Gaza, multiple entries and we need a constant flow.
And I want to remind everyone when we had this two months of ceasefire, we saw between 4 to 600 trucks per day.
I don't like to talk about trucks, but relatively quickly some of the basics was absolutely not good, but some of the of the basic supplies came in the UN and partners handled that.
There is a plan for that.
We can do that as a we need to be facilitators and we need to be supported.
We need to be properly supported and consistently supported that we can go ahead.
I don't want to be able to discuss that.
Some medical devices, some medical equipment, it takes forever before they get approval and some it's easier if it's assisted devices, etcetera.
That that should not be an issue.
I mean they are medical supplies and, and, and medical equipment that says that should be a straightforward discussion and they should be facilitated.
So it has been, I think immensely frustrating, first and foremost for the people in Gaza, but also I think for all the humanitarian organisations operating there.
Over to you.
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
I have a meeting, I have to go to 11:30, so I leave you in the capable hands of Rolando.
We still have a lot of questions, so we will.
Go now to the platform.
Rolando, if you can replace me, thank you very much.
Sorry.
[Other language spoken]
Do we have further questions in the room before we go back online?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much, Satoko.
Yes, thank you very much for doing this.
I have a question to WHO Doctor Pipakong.
Could you talk about the emergency medical teams that The Who has coordinated in recent days or?
[Other language spoken]
Have you seen more denials or delays to bring foreign doctors in together?
And how many following doctors are there at this point in Gaza?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, yeah, thank you very much.
I think it's difficult.
We've seen trends in, in EMTs and, and, and, and definitely I think the emerging medical teams have been more affected by denials or delays to get in.
So that is definitely we've seen this as an, as an, as I would say almost like a trend We currently for a lot of EMTs is difficult to operate.
You heard from our colleague from, from ICSC and by the way, I, I, I, I should have started with that.
I when I expressed my condolences specifically with the MSF and MSF team and, and specifically, of course, the families of the one colleague with God kills and the four colleagues I understand which were injured and MSF as a whole.
It's just another, I'll take an example.
And I think which many of us have gone through and, and, and, and many of our agencies have been sometimes attacked one way or another.
And that is also it's, it's insane and it should stop now on you heard also from our ICFC colleague and, and, and the MSFK colleague currently it's very difficult.
We were at plans to who is supporting and not only the coordination of the emerging medical teams, but we also supporting them very directly with supplies and also bringing them to the stations, you know the where they work.
And there were plans to actually get an EMT in in the north, but currently they cannot operate there.
So you know they they refrain from them and rightly, rightly so.
So if you ask if it is a trend we've seen definitely over the time over then I talk over the last year, we've seen relatively more denials and or or let's say reduced entries of emergency medical teams.
Yes, over to you.
Thank you very much, Rick.
[Other language spoken]
We have Muhammad of Anna Nadul, Anna Dulu.
Go ahead, Muhammad, We can unmute Muhammad from Anadolu.
[Other language spoken]
OK, let's move on then to Olivia Reuters.
Olivia, thank you very much for this detailed briefing this morning.
If I may start with you, please, Rick, are you able to say a bit more about the neonatal patients you mentioned coming from the North in terms of how many they are and any other kind of anecdotal details you could share from what you observed?
And also in terms of other patients coming, I mean you're mentioning there about mothers and young children, but just wondering as well if you're seeing a large influx into NASA hospital specifically of other patients from from the north perhaps with different injuries.
And I also just had a question from a health perspective.
We've talked a lot about the health impact of people being displaced and, and facing dire hunger and malnourishment.
I was just wondering if there is also a health impact that you're seeing in terms of when these buildings are being hit by air strikes and are coming coming down, whether there's any health issues there, be it respiratory issues that you're you're you're seeing ongoing.
And just a question please for James, you're mentioning about children being targeted by quadcopters.
Can you just kind of give a bit more detail about what you saw there, where it was and what were the circumstances?
Thank you both very much.
OK, go ahead Rick, and then we'll go to James after.
Yeah, on the on the neonatal, I don't have actually, we don't have data.
How about how many neonates, how many children you know should be meta facts from the from the north to the to the South.
We got this request to to manifact immediately this 4 neonates from Alilu Hospital and I thought that is ongoing.
That admission went in this morning and I told you very unfortunate that it seems I just got that message that one of those neonates passed away last evening.
I make the point, I think I'm afraid we will get in more, we will get more of this request to evacuate the patients which which cannot solve.
I, I informed you about Shiva, what we got from the Shiva senior staff that most of their patients have left.
So they have either self evacuated to, for example, more, it's a very small strip, but more in to, for example, to Al Aqli, which is a little more South of, of Shiva or to the South of Wali Gaza and Aqsa hospital, NASA Medical complex, etcetera.
But there's of course, always patients which cannot be, they cannot self evacuate.
And, and I'm afraid we will be asked very soon to, to do some of those medevacs now on the, on, on.
So where, where do they go?
Indeed, like in NASA Meta Complex Alaska, Al Aqsa also mentioned for example, the dialysis patients which were actually which have been transferred to, we're now getting the services from Alzueta.
[Other language spoken]
I mean, like where you know, what, what, where did these other patients, patients go about respiratory, you know, how does it affect all the bombardments etcetera.
[Other language spoken]
And I think it's definitely the, these bombardments and the dust and everything around that.
And we see a lot of respiratory infections.
I mean respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases are far the largest we've seen.
Of course, other search of infectious diseases, we've seen search in meningitis etcetera.
We've seen Gilane by a syndrome, etcetera.
And all associated.
It's associated of course, yeah, with the horrific conditions, water and sanitation etcetera.
I mean maybe you'll remember that just I think months ago we did polio campaigns etcetera.
All of that is, is, is related water and sanitary conditions which are horrific etcetera, malnutrition conditions which are horrific.
So yes, I think there will be currently we are also trying to assess for example the the indirect death.
We will try to, to, to in future to make an assessment on that.
I think all of that will come up, including how many people are affected by respiratory diseases because of the the situation they live in, including the bombardments.
Over to you.
Thanks, Rick.
James on the second part of the question.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I'll just give you in case it's of any use, because you mentioned anecdotally one of the hospitals yesterday, Al Hello, which has got many, many, many children and incubators.
For example, the the health staff which Rick has spoken to, the health staff who either live in the hospital or live in tents.
Let's never forget that these are health staff who have had family members killed and have had their homes destroyed, their entire homes destroyed there.
Now they live in a tent.
They start their day at 5:00 in the morning.
They go looking for water or for wood or for plastic to burn.
Imagine a doctor's family knowing full well the the risks of burning plastic, and then they go to work all day.
They spoke to me, those doctors and nurses looking after the premature babies in the incubators, that quite a few of those babies, their mothers are in the South.
Those mothers gave birth obviously premature babies.
So in a stressful situation, they gave birth in the hospital, but then given the ferocity of fighting, their husbands took them to the South.
But now, of course, they can't return.
You can't return to the north.
So those mothers are separated from those babies again.
The heavy lifting falls to WHO incredibly, how they keep trying to do these medical evacuations.
But for now, those mothers are in tents in the South.
They call, they try to speak to their to the nurses every day who, you know, put them next to a baby if it's crying so they can have some contact.
But that kind of separation, I think that, you know, displacement does not convey the grief behind it.
It's not abstract, it's not neutral.
In Gaza, displacement is violent, it's repetitive and it's devastating for those people because I think too easily we talk about people moving 567 times without really understanding what that must mean to a, a mum, a new mum or a nine year old girl.
To your question though, Olivia and I can get more information because I'm going back tomorrow.
But yeah, it was within.
It was the first.
The first room I walked into an Al Aqsa hospital, which was actually a tent.
It's a tent now, outside, and there were three children, Three children I spoke with.
The first one was Amna, who's nine years old, who was getting water and was shot when she was getting water with her, with her brother.
The second one was a boy who was seeking to move, to relocate.
He was shot in the back.
And then the third boy, a nine year old boy.
So I'm just going through my notes from days ago.
A nine year old boy who was shot whilst getting bread.
I can't overstate the consistency of the level of violence here.
You don't get to a point where the reports are of almost 20,000 girls and boys, 20,000 girls and boys killed into you since the horrors of October 7th.
41,000 children injured.
So in that small space, when I'm in Alexa Hospital, that very first day that I returned, first thing I saw Olivia, was those three children all been shot by quadcopters.
Then I went in and, and again, it's a war zone.
Children on the floor.
There's a boy who'd been shot at GHF was bleeding out on the floor.
You, you, you cannot the, the sides of the corridor was absolutely packed with those people who'd been wounded, shot or shot or shrapnel or burns.
I turn around and there's a little a little girl, Sham, who has just been pulled from the rubble.
So she's covered in that dust and smoke with that terrified expression on her face, being held by an aunt or an uncle.
Now, Sham didn't have any broken bones nor internal injury.
Sham was not told, though, that her mother and her sister were both killed in that attack.
Next, I go into a makeshift ICU, the first time I've seen any ICU here that's not been perfect because it's a makeshift ICU.
And I'm talking about a little girl, Aya, who's six years old.
I'm really noticing not just the wound, but the attention that the bobs in her hair, the care that a parent's given before the air strike.
As we're talking to the surgeon there, she dies on the bed in front of us.
That's 30 minutes in a hospital.
Absolutely horrific.
Thank you for sharing that testimony, James and Rick, we have a few more questions online.
In this order.
We have Muhammad of Anadolu, then Iman from the Kuwait News Agency, then John Zaracostas, and then Gabrielle will get to you as well.
I know you've had your hand up, so let's turn to Muhammad, who I think we can connect with now from Anadolu.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
My question is also for Global Summit for Italia that the speakers mentioned a couple of minutes ago.
As you know and also anyone can answer this question, James or Rick or anyone else.
As you all know, Israeli sees the ships belonging to Global Estimatoria in the international War 2 year yesterday.
My question is, do you consider it legal for Israel to use military force against this unarmed civilian activist?
Hi, Mohammed.
It's very good to connect.
It's outside of my mandate.
I'm sorry, but they'll be clear.
The, the, the, the, the rules of engagement would be very clear, but not UNICEF's mandate.
[Other language spoken]
Though I think Mohammed the the best, the the colleagues best place to respond to this are our colleagues from perhaps who I see maybe Christian has something to add.
But of course OHCHR is best place.
But of course, the use of lethal force against civilians is against international human rights law and humanitarian law.
So it's quite clear we've been saying this, we're pronouncing this in many, many different conflict in different theatres around the globe.
But this is a firm stance of the United Nations.
Of course, the Israel must comply by international human rights standards.
Of course, human rights.
You may wish to liaise with them.
I don't know if anyone else wants to chime in on this particular point, but of course we appreciate the question and and the reporting there on.
Let's let's move maybe to the next question.
E men of the Kuwait News Agency.
[Other language spoken]
E men, thank you so much.
So I have three question please.
So the first one for UNICEF, do you have an estimated number of the children left without any surviving relatives in Gaza and even a WHO or ICRCI don't know who have the good answer, but I think UNICEF is more mandated than that.
And the second one, if you have any number of those killed and injured in in aid distribution centre.
And the last one actually for the UN team.
So WHO, UNICEF I'm if I will, understanding that you are still working or operating in Gaza City.
Do you think that the decision of the ICRC and Ms Mid sense of frontier for the suspension?
Of their.
Activities in Gaza City could affect your presence there, especially in light of the the evacuation order and the Israeli defence minister's statement that said that anyone, including children, will be remaining, will remaining in Gaza City will be considered as a terrorist and will be considered as a target.
So do you think this will affect your operation in Gaza City?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I think there are responses from all panellists on, on these questions.
So maybe we'll start with James.
[Other language spoken]
We don't have a number.
I mean, it's, it's no cliche in terms of children who are separated from or have lost all family members.
Anecdotally, it's something I experienced the first time in November 2023.
Never thought I would hear such a thing.
I've certainly now heard it so many times that it's no longer remarkable.
[Other language spoken]
It's just happening with a frequency.
[Other language spoken]
Many children, of course, lose certain members of their family and the extended family is immense how they, how they bring those children to that.
And equally the communities, as you know, have a real strength that is under attack.
2 very clear things under attack here.
1 is a sense of community.
The other is education, the the bedrock of Palestinian society.
But I'm sorry, we don't have a number of those children who are, who have no family members.
We do a lot of family tracing and if you'd like, you can talk to Ricardo who's there and we'll get you a number.
A lot of family tracing, children who get separated through movements, children who get separated when there's air attacks on their homes.
So we do a lot of tracing back to families.
That's very important.
And I think maybe the only other thing I would I would add to this is that one of the reasons that the international community cannot turn away from this is that is that the the baseline keeps being pushed further and further below for what Palestinians are enduring and children are enduring horrific events that none of us had imagined possible twice.
[Other language spoken]
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I met a six year old little girl who who it was in an air attack in November, in November 2023, where her mother and her father and her siblings were all killed.
This little girl, Dana, didn't speak for six months.
But then under the immense care of her family members, aunts and uncles, they got her talk again.
They brought, they brought her, you know, childlike nature back out.
Despite all the deprivations, despite the attacks, despite not having training, that's what they did.
But when I met this little girl, she was again in hospital, this time with the worst wound, her head, because there'd been another strike 18 months later on the extended family home, killing aunts and uncles.
So horrific events that children have somehow survived are now happening again to that child.
To your final piece on Gaza City from UNICEF.
Our intention is very, very much to programme, to operate, to be there as quickly as humanly possible.
As Rick said, we would like to be there right now today, but to have a presence and our our last colleague left yesterday was heartache and would like to return return there again today.
There is no denying how dangerous the theatre is, but I think the United Nations and very brave Palestinian partners have shown that this is, you know, uncharted territory in terms of the dangers to humanitarian workers.
You've seen what happened to MSF colleagues only yesterday as they were preparing to go to work.
I gave you earlier an anecdote of that.
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UNICEF's new head of office was at Al Ochsa Hospital yesterday seeing health workers, talking to doctors, seeing what else UNICEF can do.
30 minutes, I beg your pardon, 15 minutes after he left, there was a drone attack on the very place where our vehicle had been parked.
These are not normal conditions to operate in, but they're certainly not normal conditions for children and families to try and live in.
So yes, our intention is to get back to Gaza City as soon as possible.
[Other language spoken]
I'm going to throw it to a Christian who wanted to add something.
Yeah, maybe just on, on the figures in, in our hospital in the South, in, in the Rafah, we have an average of 20 patients, people injured per day coming from the distribution side yesterday to give you a, a very clear picture was 25 people injured who were brought to the hospital.
It's an occupation of more or less one hundred 158% occupation.
We have a 60 bed hospitals and today 95 people are in the hospital.
Also important to stress on the security within the hospital.
We've mentioned that before but again very recently and that happened yesterday, stray bullets which obviously put in danger the patients and those walking in the hospital.
We had several occasions of people being injured brought to the hospital and while they were being treated were wounded again because of stray bullets coming in the hospital.
To describe the the situation and when it comes to Gaza City and and how is it impacting, impacting the work of humanitarians and ICRC in particular drastically.
I mean, we had to close the office with obviously as to be able to go back as soon as possible because again, the needs are straggling.
We've been very clear with the authorities on both sides, by the way, the Israeli authorities and Hamas, that there are still 10s of thousands of people that should be protected, that should be respected.
International humanitarian law is very, very clear about that.
And we've been very clear with the with the parties.
And I just wanted to to to to be clear on one information I shared before when it comes to there are no more international staff present in Gaza today on a permanent basis, no more international staff, not about international organisation, no more international staff present on the ground in Gaza today.
Thank you, Christian, over to you, Rick.
Thank you very much.
So let me first talk to the children.
Try to be, you know, it's always difficult to, in this, it is crisis to, to get some facts.
But I mean, we, as I said yesterday, the, the report estimated trauma rehabilitation in Gaza was launched by WHO and will be shared by us as well.
We also will have updates on attacks on healthcare.
We've updates on the work of EMTs over the last two years and, and, and we want to also expand that to mental health, psychosocial support and some other topics as well.
Now going back to that report estimated trauma rehabilitation needs in Gaza.
So I raised the, the key figure for it is that the trend is the same as what we reported last year between January and May 24.
Now it's from January 24 till September 25, that 1/4 that is currently nearly 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip have life changing injuries.
And of that one quarter, 1/4 of that are children.
[Other language spoken]
So over 10,000 children actually will have that life changing injuries disproportionately affect us.
We the the, the the majority of the injuries are related to legs and arms, but we also see over 5000 people face amputations.
Many of them are children.
We still need to get down to the details there, but many of them are children so disproportionately affecting with children and and and women.
Then also on the system about Gaza City, because we have gone through this crisis, this exploded crisis for two years.
I just want to remind everyone we've been before they're initially the same in the north when the north was so heavily bombarded etcetera that some of the health facilities, hospitals became minimal malfunctional, set to close, the health workers had to be removed, patients evacuated etcetera.
We've gone through this, We saw that in in in Khan Yunis and Nasr Metal complex and other hospitals and the whole area around Khan Yunis emptied of population etcetera.
And the same cycle we've seen it in Rafa saved in three hospitals became very quickly non functional etcetera and also EMTs, NGOs, etcetera couldn't work anymore in those areas.
And on the end it was WHL who took out the last patients and staff etcetera.
We've seen always bouncing back, bouncing back except for a Rafa which is still completely on wasteland.
We've seen a bounce back in many of these hospitals.
So currently, what is happening in the North, I fear it will be very difficult to bounce back if this is continuing.
But I want to stress that we've gone through these cycles before and it's insane that we still are having these cycles of violence where, where, of vastly increased violence, where health workers, gas and health workers cannot do their job and are forced to leave when the war comes so close.
And, and, and, and, and they have seen facilities attacks attack, but even if they are not attacked, they cannot do their work anymore.
There's no supplies, there's no staff basing as well.
Hopefully people are scared.
People are scared and rightly so.
I mean, everyone, I mean many on this mission, everyone is scared.
So this we've seen these cycles and, and, and I just actually referring to what James said, we will continue doing missions to the north to assist wherever is needed and we are there to stay.
[Other language spoken]
And if you ask me now can we do our work?
I said no, of course we cannot do our our work in the north and, and, and look what's happened with the Gazan health workers, but also organisations like MSF being operational in these areas and other EMT's.
I said that needs to stop and we need to to be back that we can become proper, properly operational.
And I think whatever plan there is, I mean, people want a ceasefire.
This is what we hear.
Everyone.
Thank you indeed.
Thanks very much Rick.
OK, last two questions, John Zaracostas, France Vankat and The Lancet.
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Can you hear me there?
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My question is I think to to Rick Christian and to James.
I was wondering if you could bring us up to speed on the the ability to get rehabilitation equipment into Gaza given the high number of amputees that you just mentioned, Rick and also especially for children, I think there's over over 1300 documented by WHO is amputated.
And my second question is the you mentioned the in the report the partial functioning of hospitals.
Is there any hospital in Gaza which has an ability for interventions concerning eye surgery or eye treatment?
Because I see some reports coming out of Gaza that over 1500 people have lost their eyesight and up to 5000 could be at risk of losing their eyesight through lack of intervention or medication, whether it's cataract operations or glaucoma, etcetera.
If you could bring us.
Some information on that, that would be great.
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John, thanks very much on, on, on getting goods and supplies in on assessive, assessive technology.
We've seen over the the two years, I mean, and, and yeah, a real mix.
So initially incredibly difficult to get a lot of those supplies in and, and don't ask me why, because we constantly erase it and we constantly put those lists.
This list had to be approved and we got a lot of denials specifically when it came to assisted technology.
Of late that seems to be a little easier.
So we're trying to push.
Of course, we will need flexible resources for that as well.
And and as WHO and making sure that we will currently get entries.
The entry in Gaza is extremely limited.
What I say is Karam Shalom and it's really slow.
We even see a reduction of the matter of fact.
We want to expand the matter of fact currently.
I mean, like there's too few matter of fact.
So that's all part of that.
So assisted absolutely needed and and please, I mean, like, I know you read the report.
I hope you will publish on the report as well.
We, we brought in, in just September.
We actually we brought in quite a bit of devices, a lot of wheelchairs as well and other device we brought them in.
But it has been a real mix from I would say a lot of obstruction in the first part of this crisis etcetera.
A little bit better now, but there is an enormous need where where and for example, currently in Nassimeter Complex.
And that is I think I want to say it's it's, it's amazing what happened when you know that that hospital was malfunctional in January, February 24 and start-ups because of the Gaza Hells war of WHR partners to again become functional already in April, May 24.
And now have most of the specialisations that actually working, including rehabilitation supported by a number of EMTs.
I'm not going to mention them, there's a few round, but a number of EMTs in that area that should be expanded and that should not only be expanded there, etcetera.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
When you, when you're there, you see, I mean almost every 10 minutes you see somebody indeed like amputated or something like that in, in, in this.
And they're incredibly busy now.
Also, Hamas, I just want to say the the Palestinian organisations are working one of them and I mentioned that is not functional anymore in the north and they've been moving to the South.
The same St.
John's Eye Hospital from the north, functional staff have been moving to the South.
They should be, of course, assisted as quickly as possible that they can continue doing, doing their work wherever they do.
I think so when there's a ceasefire, he would focus on rehabilitation.
Rehabilitative services will be an immense an immense should be an immense topic of of any early recovery of health, including related to mental health and psychosocial support.
I mean, we always focus on trauma, but should be Primary Health care, non culminal diseases.
The whole readings as well on the well, I also tried to address the the area of the eye surgery.
I will try to get better data on that set on on on the currently I don't have it.
But yeah, we heard similar stories over to you.
Thanks, Rick.
I'm going to think, James, you wanted to jump in on this.
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Hi there, John.
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So there's need for thousands of prosthetics.
They used to be, of course, made here in Gaza.
That's no longer the case.
Consistent denials, not blanket, but enough to make it incredibly difficult for those children who need prosthetics, who need hearing aids, who need crutches, who need wheelchairs.
I mean, question probably should go to the authorities not to ask.
Why would such things be denied?
You know, a child loses a leg to a bomb and then any chance of mobility to indifference or worse, they risk losing their life, as Rick says, because they're not allowed medical evacuation.
So yes, John, and remembering of course, too, just to try and get into the life of a child who who's had that amputation and it doesn't have all these basic things that are just across the border.
It's the same time their sidewalks have been devastated.
So these children with amputations without the equipment that they need pushing through sand to go to their torn tent on a beach.
And that's before you then look at the psychological trauma alongside the physical pain of that girl or boy.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks to James Christian is going to jump in on.
Yeah, very briefly, John, thanks for the, the question.
I just wanted to, to, to provide 2 information that may give you a better, better understanding of the reality.
One thing is an example that we were supporting an orthopaedic centre in Gaza, which unfortunately had to close because was looted.
And that's the reality.
Also the security preventing you know that response to to continue.
And the second thing is that confirming what what I've heard from UNICEF and WHO extremely complicated to get materials in, in particular these ones.
And to cope with that situation, our colleagues, particularly in our hospital in Rafa had decided to build our own materials.
We have just for your information, crutches that are homemade wooden crutches to face a situation where basically we just cannot wait to have this to come in and we need to find solutions.
So that's the situation we we are facing on on daily basis in Gaza.
Thanks for sharing that, Christian.
OK, almost done colleagues, it's been an immense briefing, but very important.
We have Gabriella and then I think and yes, you wanted, but let's go to Gabriella who's been waiting patiently.
Gabby over to you.
Thank you Rolando for taking my question.
And but you know, I was I raised my hand since the beginning of the briefing.
I know that you already are there, but sorry.
OK, so my questions are, well, Palestinians are really, I mean, they don't have to to die to know how hell looks like they are living in hell.
So my questions are that at the General Assembly, we heard that a lot of countries, even friends of Israel, they condemn this genocide by starvation.
So my questions are that I heard that there is an initiative to suspend Israel of the UN.
So my question is if the United Nations will support this initiative.
Then my second question on the safe zones that you mentioned on your on your explanation, I think it was UNICEF, are you worried that this safe zone and this safe zone call so-called that could happen something similar what happened to the Tamils in Sri Lanka?
And then my other question is to to UNICEF, why Israel is targeting children who are the most vulnerable?
Is this a way to to disappear Palestinians or something like that, do you think?
And on attacks on hospitals to the ICRC and to your that is against international law and to your teams in Gaza, are you going to take this issue to an international court?
Are you thinking about that?
[Other language spoken]
OK, there are lots of questions there.
Gabby and colleagues can certainly address them.
Let me just address the first one very shortly.
Quickly the Gai mean any, any decision, any proposal to suspend, revoke or any action against member states is a state driven decision.
And then of course this is this is not some taken by the secretary itself is taken by states.
So obviously, if there were any moves of this nature, we would comply at the behest of the member states who are the ones who are would orchestrate that.
But nothing more I can say about that.
Maybe James, if you can address the issue of safe zones and then we'll move within and children, then the hospital attacks.
I guess both Christian and and Rick can chime in on that.
Over to you, James.
Thanks, Rolando.
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Thanks for thanks for holding on.
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I think the parallels, again, objectively I, I think that we're already seeing those parallels to Sri Lanka of promises made by officials for areas to be declared safe, that there will be no heavy weaponry used around those areas.
Civilians will be safe and they are then followed almost immediately by indiscriminate attacks leading to large numbers of children being killed.
So I, I, I, unfortunately, I think UNICEF's position would be we, we don't fear that this may occur.
We are very much in the throes of continued indiscriminate attacks in densely populated civilian areas, despite official statements leading to demonstrable very, very large numbers of girls and boys being killed and wounded.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks very much Christian.
Yeah, on on attack on hospitals.
That has been obviously it continue to be the sad reality in Gaza and many other conflict zone.
By the way, the way we, we we deal with that obviously is to to have the dialogue with the concerned parties, making sure that they have all the details of what happened, making sure that they can take the necessary measures, making sure that they that they can take the necessary sanctions also on on what happened that day.
The other things that we've did repeatedly and since day one of this conflict.
It's also publicly to raise our concern publicly several times.
As you know, this is not necessarily a traditional for the ICSC, but that particular issue and the fact that in Gaza hospitals and medical workers are not able to do their job because they are just afraid to go to the hospital.
By the way, that's the same for the the the the population or just afraid to reach any hospitals, any medical centres.
Is is is a major issue that that we have raised in bilateral with the parties and in public several times Over to you.
Thank you very much, Christian.
We do have a question any yes in the room, but John, is this seeking clarification?
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Yes, exactly.
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I was wondering, James or or Rick, if you have any information from your counterparts in the field about malnutrition triggered blindness in children under 5?
[Other language spoken]
Sorry, no, I will ask colleagues tomorrow.
We're visiting children who have become deaf through through the explosions.
You're talking of a of a different disability, but but related.
[Other language spoken]
I will find out and also thank you to Ricardo.
The podium is is good with numbers, explaining to me that the latest we have on assisted devices is 600 wheelchairs.
600 wheelchairs are still waiting approval for entry, but you've seen 2 uses of wheelchairs here.
1 is for children who've had their limbs blown off.
The other is for children dragging water through dusty streets to their tents.
Thank you over.
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Rick, I saw you put your hand.
Oh, there's your camera on.
[Other language spoken]
Well, the last question from John, no, we don't have a specific answer.
So you know, we will try to look up and get back to you.
There was a question also about safe zones.
And I think I want to express what everyone says that I think that's for the Gazans and, and, and they feel like that there are no safe zones in Gaza, so including in the South.
And just want to remind everyone that also applies for organisations on the the 21st of July.
As you know, a WHO there was a military operation in Derivalla and, and WHO guest house which was supposedly protected, got attacked.
One of our staff member has been detained for more than a year.
And that whole guest house is, is is destroyed.
I mean destroyed, but equally war.
The war thing was our staff member details unfortunately is being released after more than a month.
But also just beside that guest house, we had the best warehouse possible, over 3 1/2 thousand square metres and all the operations from the Oihr went from that warehouse.
There were millions of medical supplies in that warehouse including for example saline where now all hospitals when I was in Nasser yesterday.
That's what they're asking for all this right.
I think that's something about say safe zones or not safe zones.
Over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks, Rick.
And I'm compelled is to serve sound a grim reminder of the well over 300 UNRWA staff members who have been killed during this conflict.
Nearly two years old now colleagues.
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And yes I'm going to go to you.
Did you have your question answered or your you're OK?
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And then Gabby, this will be the last.
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I think there was a clarification you're seeking on one of your questions.
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Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
My second question was for UNICEF, why Netanyahu is targeting children.
I mean, I think James, well, James, if you want to jump in on that, of course, I'm sure you'll provide an eloquent response.
But of course, it's a question I would say ask the Israelis.
But James, over to you.
Yeah, I, I, I can, I can't speak to, but I can't speak for a government.
I can't speak to intent.
I can certainly speak to an unprecedented level of indiscriminate attacks on homes, schools, hospitals, water points, nutrition points, tents, makeshift shelters that have led to almost 20,000 girls and boys reportedly being killed.
It's staggering to me.
My, my last point, Gabby, and thank you for the question.
But it's yeah, it's not for it's not for UNICEF.
But I think we're all relieved when global attention came back to Gaza on the back of of course, bad news, on the back of horrific news being the fat and but it was, it was finally to again to think is there going to be pressure there?
But what also struck me or worried me, troubled me, Gabby, was that the world seemed OK that 20,000 girls and boys had reportedly been killed, that somehow this type of warfare had been normalised.
It's why today I mentioned the idea that a thousand 1000 babies have been killed since the horrors of October 7, 1000 babies.
I don't know what else can can resonate with those in power.
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Thanks to you, James, Rick and Christian who had to leave and of course, Ricotta though here.
I mean, I guess the only thing is think of it.
You're many of us are parents and just think of it in this context, how horrific this must be for those who've been suffering for for far, far, far too long.
So thank you very, very much, and we will certainly be hearing more from you in the coming days.
And so thanks again for joining us, colleagues.
We will now turn to a couple of announcements before we wrap up this very important briefing.
And of course, colleagues do say safe.
Of course, the paramount importance is your safety.
[Other language spoken]
A couple of announcements starting with Christian of WHO?
Christian Lindenmeyer, you have an announcement for us.
So over to Christian and thanks for your patience.
Yeah, thank you very much and thanks so much for to all our colleagues now for this important briefing today.
And that's why it's good to wait to raise something different.
2 quick announcements you for our journalists here.
You will receive 2 embargoed notes today.
One is new guidelines will be launched on Sunday 5 October in the early morning at 0 thirty, so 12:30 on Sunday morning, on how postpartum haemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal deaths that affects millions of women globally, is prevented, diagnosed and treated.
And maybe not in Gaza, but that's a different story.
The recommendations highlight the urgent need for the earlier detection and fast intervention steps that could save the lives of 10s of thousands of women.
Defined as excessive bleeding after child birth, PPH can escalate extremely rapidly, making one of the most dangerous childbirth complications.
Published by W Joe, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics and the International Conversational Midwives, the guidelines introduce new diagnostic criteria for detecting PPH based on a large strategy which will be published on five October by The Lancet.
So these are being launched at a presidential event on opening day of this of an annual conference in Cape Town on Sunday 2nd.
You will also receive.
An invitation to a global virtual press conference on Monday the afternoon.
It's on the global tobacco trends, a very other very important topic.
Embargoed press release and embargoed material will be available among for you directly and then we will send it or so later upon request.
But for the parade journalist, we'll send it straight this afternoon.
Thank you, Cooper.
[Other language spoken]
Gabby, is this a question for for WHO?
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Is that or another subject?
Yeah, no, it's not for WTO.
I just wanted to make a comment.
OK, let me let me just before let me just get to the next announcement and we can come back to you if you want to make your comment.
And then we have Babar of UNHCR who has announcement as well.
Over to you, Babar, and thanks again.
Oh, you're in the room.
I didn't even see you there.
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Nice to have you in person.
Announcement from you and thanks for your patience.
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Yes, yeah, this is just a reminder.
We already have shared with you the media advisory.
This is about unit CRS 76th Annual Executive Committee which we call it XCOM Yearly meeting.
This will start on Monday here in Geneva and Assembly Hall and it will run through till 10th of October.
This is our annual governing bodies meeting.
This year's meeting will take place in Geneva, the paladinations in the Assembly hall.
As I said, proceedings will start 10 AM on Monday with the opening remarks from Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
This will be HC Grandy's last ex-con meeting as the High Commissioner for Refugees.
All of you can attend the proceedings, just be in touch.
It will be the feed will be live through thanks to UNTV and and UN Information colleagues.
Also in the hall on Monday.
In the beginning you will be able to find a seating place for yourself.
It's on the 5th floor of the Assembly Hall.
It's through the lift 15.
But also some of you have already been in touch.
If you need to access the ground floor with your filming or camera or other equipments, be in touch with us.
We'll re share this all the details for you.
So you know, I mean you have already our contact details and names.
[Other language spoken]
This is the annual gathering.
So because of security, so you have proper access as you need it.
That's it.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much Babar and and good luck next week.
Of course the UN Information Service is here to support you.
You have a question on this Isabel, Go ahead.
I just for when we expect the, the announcement for the, the new High Commissioner on Refugees, this is handled at New York level.
It's not a fast for us to, to say anything honestly.
I mean, I have nothing to add.
It's, it's at the behest of the secretary general, the, you know, Antonio Guterres, but I have nothing, no news to share with you at this point.
But of course we will if we hear anything.
And yes, did you have a question?
Yes, on that on Monday is the deadline for for the candidates to to to present their candidate here who will publish the the list?
Is it here or unit here or is it New York?
I'm not entirely sure, but we can certainly inquire.
I'm sure there's a standard procedure for these appointments of course from for many years which are not familiar with the top of my head, but I'll certainly inquire and get back to you on that.
Of course, it's of interest for you all.
[Other language spoken]
I have announcements, but I do see that there are hands up online including I note that Gabby also had a question, but Paula, Catherine and then Gabby have questions, but I do have announcements.
But if you go ahead now, that's fine, Paula.
Yes, good afternoon.
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Had a question for Babar regarding the conversations that took place last week on the sidelines of the of UNGA between Filippo Grandi and the US Deputy Secretary of State's Christopher Landau.
It was basically focused on asylum, the US wanting to sort of redefine asylum.
But my question is more about, you know, there was there was sort of hope at the end of that discussion that's perhaps the US may be working a bit with the with the organisation, with UNHCR.
And I was wondering if there's any sense of how this this may take place, if there's been further talk about that renewed support from the US and and what you may expect in terms of participation by the US at the X com and you know, regarding potentially their contributions.
Thank you very much, Paula.
Indeed, High Commissioner Grandy was present at that event.
I have no added information in terms of the follow-ups to that.
I can check with colleagues and XCOM is our governing bodies annual meeting.
All our member states will be present there.
They will also have a a chance to take the floor and give statements.
So welcome if you want to follow the proceedings online or want to be in the room.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you, Catherine.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
OK, maybe if you can pose your question in the chat, I'm happy to recite and and respond.
In the meantime, maybe we can go back to Gabby, who had a comment.
But I do still have some announcements.
But maybe Gabby, while Catherine is trying to sort out the audio issues.
Gabby, over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you, Rolando, for taking my questions.
You know, I thought that with the batch of permanent correspondent, we could enter UN agencies headquarters.
So I wanted to do some interviews this week to NGOs at the High Commissioner for Human Rights office.
And I was detained in the in the, in, you know, at the entrance like for 20 minutes because I didn't have an invitation to enter the, the, the Wilson.
So my question is if you can clarify if we can enter to UN agencies headquarters with a blue badge with a permanent batch.
And also another question, when is the renovation of the Palais is going to end?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
And everyone is like not nobody knows where to go or, or this is the world.
And then, you know.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks, Gabby, for your comments and your questions.
Listen, on the latter point, you know we we have been communicating the construction is definitely off.
The initially end date has shifted very for various factors as we have communicated to you.
Of course COVID was a factor.
The budget crisis is a factor.
There are lots of different while it has a separate budget, there have been lots of factors that have that have delayed this process.
We don't have exact date, but we have been committed again this to you.
We hope that sometime early next year things will be pretty much complete.
Of course, there's the bigger project of the E building, but this is rather as we call in the US inside baseball, which I could certainly share more details with you once I have those.
In terms of the access to the Polly Wilson, of course, this is something we've been discussing with our colleagues at, at the OHGHR at Polly Wilson.
And of course, our, our objective is to, you know, to make sure that you are able to do your jobs as effectively and, and as smoothly as possible.
This is something that our colleagues of course at OHAHR have been striving to do.
So we'll, we are discussing with them at present and we'll return to you with the, with the problem with the proper answer.
But of course, again, the objective is to make sure you can get in and do your job effectively, which is what we have been doing for, for, for quite a long time now.
So I'll come back to you on that with specifics.
Catherine, did you have OK the audio problems?
Let's see if we can hear you now.
[Other language spoken]
I'm sorry, Catherine, we just can't seem to connect with you.
If, if you don't mind, just to maybe connect with us afterwards.
[Other language spoken]
Or again, if you want to put, I'm going to recite some announcements from my half.
If you want to put something in the chat, I'm happy to take a look at that in a minute.
In the meantime, colleagues, let me just recite a couple of things.
Firstly, I just want to make sure you're, you've seen the statement that we did issue last night on behalf of the spokesperson for the Secretary General concerning the the horrific attack in the United Kingdom and in Manchester, the attack on a synagogue, the deadly terrorist attack on a synagogue.
So I just want to make sure that you saw the statement that was issued yesterday late in the afternoon.
In terms of the no treaty body meetings today we have the Human Rights Council, which as you well know, is still underway.
Voting at the Council will commence on Monday, this coming Monday, and it will go for three days, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
It will take place in a room 16.
As Pascal had mentioned to you.
I should mention in terms of the Council proceedings today, High Commissioner Volcker Turk is briefing today on Ukraine.
I don't have the precise time, but do consult the programme of work that was shared with you by our colleagues at the Human Rights Council media team.
We have a press conference to announce taking place on Wednesday next, the 8th of October at 9:00 AM.
It's with the UNECE Economic Commission for Europe on Ministerial on the ministerial meeting on Housing and affordable housing affordability and sustainability.
A long list of speakers including the the UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary Tatiana Molkan of the UNECE.
So that's 9:00 AM on Wednesday.
[Other language spoken]
Just to mention that Monday the 6th is that Monday?
Yes, indeed, Monday the 6th of October is World Habitat Day.
We have a message from the Secretary General for you which speaks to a rapidly urbanising world which which shoulders the impacts of today's crises, conflict, political instability and climate emergency have forced 123 million people from their homes.
So this is the main messages from this important observance.
Habitat Day being observed Monday.
And lastly, it's just more of a housekeeping note just to note that given the lot, lots of conferences taking place here over the course of next week.
You just heard from Babar with the X Comm and the continuing council will have high level conferences here, which will make the traffic a bit of an issue.
There will be traffic congestion and limited parking available even further limited parking I might add.
So you may choose to, if you can maybe choose alternative forms of transportation over the course of next week.
This is information which we received from our colleagues, which I'd like to share with you.
So that's it from me.
It's been a rather long but important briefing.
I see that there are no further questions, so maybe, Catherine, if you want to connect with us afterwards, I'm happy to, unless there's something in the chat before I Yeah, sorry.
I think in that case I will have to.
[Other language spoken]
Oh, sorry.
[Other language spoken]
If there's a follow up, Anya and yes's question regarding HCR candidates, OK, But Barry's just left the room, but who are they for the moment, 6 candidates.
OK, Again, we don't have that information.
This is something that the Secretary General is managing from New York.
And certainly, Catherine and colleagues, as soon as we have information on this important process, we'll share that with you.
So on that note, I wish you a good afternoon, Bon appetit and bon weekend.