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UN Geneva Press Briefing - 21 November 2025
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Press Conferences | WHO , WFP , UNICEF , OCHA , UNCTAD
UN Geneva Press Briefing - 21 November 2025
UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
21 November
Humanitarian situation in Gaza
Abeer Etefa, for the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking from Cairo, said that Gaza was facing heavy rains and falling temperatures. Flood waters had washed away many families’ meagre possessions and supplies, indicating of what the winter ahead could bring. Hundreds of thousands of people remained in urgent need of food assistance. Access to basic needs items was still very limited, and the rain was making it worse. Since 10 October, WFP had brought in over 40,000 tons of food into Gaza, which amounted to about two-thirds of its monthly target; this had reached over 530,000 people, one-third of the WFP’s monthly target. WFP-supported bakeries supported 160,000 bread bundles per day, meeting WFP’s daily targets, said Ms. Etefa. Hot meals were back, with over 35 kitchens providing 210,000 meals per day, about half of the target. The digital cash assistance had reached some 125,000 people, half of the November targets. This was the ideal time to scale up cash assistance, which would allow families to access food supplies. WFP was also conducting winterization activities along with its humanitarian partners. Logistical challenges persisted, with some key routes closed or congested. WFP needed full access to all crossings and routes in Gaza and welcomed the opening of the northern opening in Zikim, the critical entry point for the people in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Martin Penner, also for the World Food Programme (WFP), connecting from Gaza, said that there was a lot of uncertainty among the people of Gaza, who were worried about the very concrete, practical realities of life: whether the ceasefire would hold, how to keep warm, rebuild and provide for their families. While things were improving under the ceasefire, the improvement was not fast enough for many families. The upcoming winter was a reminder of how fragile many families in Gaza still were, being exposed to the elements and having their food and possessions washed away. Markets were coming back to life, food was out there, but prices were out of reach for many people, with chicken, for example, costing USD 20. People needed fresh food, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs. While these items existed on the market, they were out of reach for most people. An example was provided of a woman who would divide a single apple among her four children. Mr. Penner emphasized that the situation was better than before the ceasefire, but there was still a long way to go. It was critical to provide sustained support for families in Gaza, he concluded.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, speaking from Jerusalem, said that at least 266 people had been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire. Needs remained immense compared to health care availability. Only half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were partially functional, 40 percent primary health care centres were functional, and ten field hospitals were functional. There were no functioning hospitals in North Gaza where at least 20,000 people were estimated to be. Twelve hospitals were currently partially functioning in Gaza City. At Shifa, for example, WHO was working on setting up a desalination plant to serve the hemodialysis unit, which was the only unit serving Gaza and North Gaza. Meanwhile, access to European Gaza Hospital continued to be denied, as this hospital remained outside the “yellow line” (ceasefire line). WHO needed to access the hospital to transfer critical cardiac equipment which was urgently needed for use in other hospitals. Dr. Peeperkorn further informed that since the beginning of the ceasefire, WHO had brought in 2,050 pallets of medical supplies into Gaza, including for partners. Zikim border crossing had reopened after two months of closure, bringing the total number of open crossings to three, along with Kerem Shalom and Kissufim. Meanwhile, Rafah crossing remained closed. Within Gaza, Salahuddin road was blocked, due to which coastal road needed to be taken for missions causing delays as well as exposure to risk of looting. According to the local Ministry of Health, 343 out of 622 essential drug items were currently at zero-stock levels, including 74 per cent of chemotherapy and blood disease drugs, and 64 per cent of primary healthcare drugs.
Speaking of immunization, Dr. Peeperkorn stated that the first round of the catch-up immunization campaign in the Gaza Strip had concluded the previous day. Between 9 and 20 November, more than 13,700 children had been vaccinated during a campaign led by UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO and partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The campaign had also integrated malnutrition screening. Of the 6,827 children screened, 508 children had been identified as acutely malnourished and referred to the nearest nutrition facility for treatment. Preparations were already underway for rounds two and three, to ensure children have received the necessary vaccine doses required for full protection. Over 16,500 patients in the Gaza Strip needed medical evacuation outside the Gaza Strip. WHO continued to call for more countries to show solidarity with patients in urgent need of specialized care outside Gaza and for the opening of all evacuation corridors, especially to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which was the most cost and time effective route, and hospitals were ready to receive many patients.
Ricardo Pires, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that UNICEF welcomed the fact that the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) had facilitated customs clearance and, together with Israeli authorities, allowed 1.6 million syringes to be dispatched to Gaza, essential items for an ongoing routine immunization campaign. The first round had finished the previous day, with over 13,000 children vaccinated. UNICEF hoped that other pending supplies that had been awaiting customs clearance for several months would also be released for entry into Gaza by the authorities at the earliest opportunity.
Turning to the grim reality in Gaza, Mr. Pires stated that the previous day, a baby girl had been reportedly killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis while the day before, seven children had been killed in Gaza City and the south. Since 11 October, with the ceasefire in effect, at least 67 children had been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more had been injured. That was an average of almost two children killed every single day since commitments were made that the killing would stop. These were not statistics; these were real children with their dreams and futures cut short. The reality of Gaza’s children remained brutally simple and cruel. The aid had to enter faster, and the stakes remained incredibly high, especially for hundreds of thousands of children living in tents and among rubble. Respiratory infections were on the rise, and polluted water was leading to waterborne diseases. Gaza’s doctors were telling UNICEF that they knew how to help children but had no means or supplies to do so. For many sick or injured children, save and immediate evacuations would make a difference between life and death. There were some 4,000 children in Gaza waiting for swift evacuation. The medical corridor to the West Bank and East Jerusalem needed to be reopened, but other States ought to welcome more children from Gaza. Too many children in Gaza had already paid the highest price, and too many were continuing to do so even under the ceasefire. The world had promised to protect them and had to act now.
Answering questions from the media, Martin Penner, for WFP, said that in early November, WFP had experienced some difficulties getting food supplies into its warehouses, but the situation had been better over the last week. WFP’s rations were currently the size of 75 percent of what they should ideally be. The attacks from the previous day had not significantly affected WFP’s operations, explained Mr. Penner. Dr. Peeperkorn, for WHO, said that the UAE Hospital was out of reach for patients because it lay behind the “yellow line”. WHO was focusing its operation on the “red zone”, where a huge majority of Gazans lived. With winter coming, there was an increase in acute respiratory infections as well as acute water diarrhea. To visit Gaza, interested journalists would need to apply for and get their clearances individually, explained Mr. Pires responding to another question. Ms. Etefa, for WFP, said that the problem with food supplies was that many of them spent many hours at crossing points, which could affect their quality and expiration. She was not aware of the restrictions on fresh supplies getting in, but the private sector might prefer products with a longer shelf life.
Mr. Penner explained that WFP discussed its operations with the Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) and Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Not all 800 trucks entering Gaza per day, reported by CMCC, were WFP trucks or even humanitarian agencies’ trucks, she said. WFP was currently getting into Gaza some two-thirds of necessary supplies through an average of 100 trucks per day. Dr. Peeperkorn, for WHO, stressed the “One Gaza” approach, even though the Gaza Strip was currently divided into two parts by the “yellow line”. While incremental changes had been made since the October ceasefire, much more was needed, including medical evacuations, which was something WHO was regularly raising with CMCC and COGAT. Throughout this crisis, WHO had proven its operational capacity and had delivered, thanks to the support of over 30 partners. It was hoped that early recovery and rehabilitation efforts would also be supported.
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said that while the Security Council resolution on Gaza was welcome and provided a path forward, what was needed was practical and concrete action on the ground.
Humanitarian situation in Ukraine
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that OCHA had briefed the Security Council on Ukraine the previous day. There were no longer any safe places in Ukraine, he stressed. Relentless Russian missile and drone attacks continued to injure and kill civilians across the country, while the situation was most dire in frontline communities. In Lyman, for example, some 3,000 people were out of reach of humanitarian assistance all together because of the ongoing strikes. Earlier this week, air attacks had claimed over 20 civilian lives and injured more than 100 civilians. Children remained among the most exposed in this war, and many had been displaced multiple times. They no longer had a safe place to play, learn, or live. Nationwide frequent power cuts were depriving families of heating and drinking water. Some 3.5 million people were displaced within Ukraine and over six million Ukrainian refugees remained abroad. More than 4.2 million people had been reached by the UN and partners this year, informed Mr. Laerke. Civilians, civilian infrastructure, medical and humanitarian personnel had to be protected. Children needed to be shielded – there was no excuse for not doing so.
Replying to questions, Mr. Laerke said that the situation was getting worse, with attacks on humanitarian convoys and warehouses. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine had recently spoken of “energy terror” against Ukraine.
Announcements
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), informed that a new UNCTAD report, “Developments in the Economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, would be presented at a press conference on 25 November at 9: 45 am. It documented an unprecedented collapse of the Palestinian economy, with serious social and environmental consequences. Ms. Huissoud reminded that for nearly 40 years, UNCTAD had been conducting research and providing technical cooperation services and capacity building support. Speakers at the conference would be Pedro Manuel Moreno, UNCTAD Deputy Secretary General, Mutasim Elagraa, Coordinator of UNCTAD Assistance to the Palestinian People, and Rami Alazzeh, an UNCTAD Economist.
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service, said that on 25 November at 2 pm, ahead of the World AIDS Day, Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, would hold a press conference on overcoming disruption and transforming the AIDS response.
The Committee against Torture was going to have a public meeting, on 24 November, at 4 pm, devoted to the follow-up of articles 19 and 22 of the Convention and to the question of reprisals.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was concluding this morning its review of the report of Sweden.
Mr. Gómez informed that the UN Secretary-General was in Johannesburg, where he would at end the annual G20 Summit and deliver three addresses. After South Africa, he would go to Luanda, Angola, where he would attend the seventh African Union-European Union Summit.
Finally, he said that today was World Television Day.
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Teleprompter
Right where I think we can start our briefing today.
Today is the 21st of November and welcome to this press briefing at the UN office at Geneva, hosted by the UN Information Service.
Once again, another busy brief, a very important brief.
We have 3 colleagues who will address the situation in Gaza.
On my right, you know, Ricardo the well from UNICEF, who will be speaking momentarily, but we'll first connect with colleagues who are joining us remotely.
Tarek is online as well from WHO we have Rick Peppercorn, who you know very well who's WH OS representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, who's joining us from Jerusalem.
And then we have Abira Tefa, who's with the World Food Programme, who you know as well, and she is going to introduce a guest at Martin Penner, who is joining us from Gaza.
So without further ado, I don't know.
Tarek, did you want to start off or can we go right to Rick in June?
OK, OK, hold on, give it a second.
Thank you very much, Rolando.
Rick has just dialled in, so we can start immediately with him.
OK, So we'll go to the Rick second.
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That's what if I understood that correctly.
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In that case, Abir, who's joining us from Cairo again, senior spokesperson for the World Food Programme.
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I think I'm ready now.
[Other language spoken]
Good morning everyone and nice to talk to everyone again.
So let me give you today the the latest that we have on the situation on the ground in Gaza.
And I'm going to be joined in this briefing with my colleague Martin Penner, who is the Head of communications for WFP in Palestine and he's currently in Gaza.
He's going to give you eyewitness account of what he's seeing on the ground.
So you know, as you've briefed, I think we've seen in the briefing in the last few days that Gaza is face was facing heavy rain and falling temperature last week, which caused more misery for families living in tents and damaged buildings.
The floodwaters spoiled and washed away food and supplies that many families were storing.
Overflowing sewage also increased the risk of disease.
It was a taste of what is going to face these families in the coming winter, which threatens to be very rough for families who've lived through two years of war and have little left to face another winter in the open.
Hundreds of thousands of people remain in urgent need of food assistance.
Most are displaced food systems have completely been shattered, so the access to basic necessities is still limited and the rain made it worse.
So let me move into food assistance.
So and, and you know, update on WFP operations.
Since the the ceasefire started on the 10th of October, WFP has brought over 40,000 tonnes of food assistance into Gaza.
That's from the 10th of October until the 19th of November.
That works out at around 2/3 of our monthly target.
We now have 54 distribution points operational across Gaza, 17 of them in the north and we've reached around 530,000 people with food parcels.
Again, that's 30% of our monthly target.
Of the 1.6 million people WFP supported bakeries are now operational around 18-9 of them in the north and they are producing around 160,000 bread bundles per day that that meets our daily targets.
The breadth is distributed through more than 430 points across Gaza.
We are also, you know, glad to say that hot meals are back and these kitchens are operating again in Gaza, 13 in the South, 12 in the middle and in and 11 in the north.
So they're producing around 200 southern meals, over 200 southern meals every day.
The target is still 400,000.
A lot of people don't have access to cooking facilities and it's very important that we keep keep these hot kitchens, hot meals kitchens going, especially in light of the upcoming winter.
Again, the the digital cash assistance have reached around 125,000 people.
That's still half of our November target and it's very important to get the cash assistance going because with prices falling and and dropping since the ceasefire, this is an ideal time to scale up cash support so families can access fresh food and other essentials.
In terms of winter preparedness, the WFP LED logistics cluster is facilitating facilitating transport of tents, blankets, wash stations and madnesses for humanitarian partners to distribute ahead of winter.
WFP is also providing sacks to be used as sandbags to protect camps from flood water.
The challenges still persist.
Logistic challenges remain.
Closure of key Rd arteries in Gaza the last few weeks has been a significant constraint on cargo movements from Karem Shalom, causing congestion and insecurity around convoys.
The damage to infrastructure during the conflict has severely impacted warehousing and storage capacity.
It's an issue for our operations.
We need full access to all crossings and routes into Gaza so we can bring in the volume of aid needed.
And we welcome the opening of the northern crossing at Zikim for humanitarian assistance, which is urgency urgently needed for the population in the north of Gaza, that region that suffered the most severe hunger during the war.
In conclusion, I think the immediate focus is on expanding food assistance while gradually extended the cash support and strength, strengthening the efforts to to get Gaza's private sector back on, on, on, on, on its feet.
Gaza needs the ceasefire to hold and with full implementation of the ceasefire and full humanitarian access, we can operate at the scale needed for a crisis of this magnitude.
With this, I hand it over to Martin who is on the ground in Gaza to just give you a bit of colour of what he's seeing on the ground.
Over to Martin.
Good morning, everybody.
I'm very happy to be here.
So what is the mood like on the ground in Gaza at the moment?
Well, WFP staff here in Gaza spend every day out in the field at distributions, talking to people.
And there are a few themes that keep recurring in the conversations that we're having.
The first is the uncertainty.
The joy and relief that that was there when the ceasefire was announced has now been replaced by worries about very concrete, practical realities of life.
What comes next?
Will the ceasefire hold?
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Will we be able to feed our families?
Hope is still there in the background, but it's very evident to most people that it's going to be a long road to recovery.
You know, after the ceasefire, people were expecting something to happen, expecting to see some visible improvement in their situation.
And things are improving, but not fast enough for the families that that we speak to.
The next theme, as a beer mentioned just then, the next theme is the winter.
People are worried about the winter.
The heavy rains earlier this week really were a reminder of how fragile most families in Gaza still are.
But the makeshift tents that they're living in are barely holding up.
And when you get the wind and the rain, they sometimes don't.
So soaked mattresses and belongings exposed to the elements, food and stores washed away or spoiled.
It really focused minds on the coming winter and the bad weather that must be endured in the months ahead.
And then the third theme is food, of course, the thing that my agency is primarily concerned with.
Markets are coming back to life.
Food is there, but prices are still out of reach for most people.
A chicken costs $25, a kilo of meat $20.00.
So many people still rely on food aid, food parcels, bread from bakeries, hot meals, kitchens.
One woman told us that she feels like her whole body is crying out for different kinds of food, different from the canned food and the dry rations that people have been living on for two years.
Basically a diet with fresh food, fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs.
These things are on the markets, but as I say, most people can't afford them.
They don't have income or a job, so they can't afford what's there.
A woman we met in Khan Eunice said that she doesn't take her children to the market so that they won't see all the food that's available, but that they can't afford.
If they go near the market, she tells them to cover their eyes.
Another woman in the same town said she buys 1 apple and divides it between her four children.
Better than nothing.
This, by the way, as a beer said, is why WFB is increasing its digital payments programme.
We provide the support so that the families that are really struggling can actually buy some of the food on the markets.
So the short version of all of that is that things are better than before the ceasefire.
But we have a long way to go and sustained support is as important as ever to help families rebuild their health, their nutrition, their livelihoods and their lives.
Thanks very much.
Thanks to you both, Abir and and Martin, thanks very much for joining us here.
I'm going to throw it now to Rick Peppercorn, who you know well, WHS representative in the OPT joining us from Jerusalem, if I'm not mistaken.
Rick, over to you.
Thank you very much.
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Let me first start that that although there's a ceasefire, people still get killed.
The Ministry of Health reported 266 guards has killed, 634 injured, in addition to 548 bodies recovered from under the rubble since the ceasefire.
Looking at healthcare availability, the needs remain immense compared to the healthcare availability half.
Eighteen of the 36 hospitals partly functional, 82 of the 194 primary healthcare and medical points partly functional.
And then there's an addition on the number of field hospitals partly functional.
7 of the 36 hospitals are located what we call beyond the ceasefire line, the beyond the so-called yellow line, 2 Hyundais, 2 N Gaza, 3 Rafa, two of those by the noon and Kuwait specialised hospital destroyed.
The remaining are heavily damaged or inaccessible beyond the yellow line.
What happens is ceasefire that's we get a question also.
So what happened with regard to health, for example, on early recovery and relief and talking about health functionality?
So 26 health service point have reopened, 4 hospitals, 8 medical points and six primary healthcare centres.
I want to stress all partly functional 8th health service point, newly established medical points and and seven primary healthcare centres of the newly functional hospitals, WHO is working on the renovation of paediatric intensive care units and a neonatal in cancer care unit that run tissue hospital to expand neonatal care.
There are no functional hospitals in North Gaza.
Estimated 20,000 plus people are there.
12 hospitals are currently partly functional in the Greater Gaza City, providing service to the vulnerable population in Gaza and North Gaza.
The Surgeon N Surfs are are partly supported by the the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Javalia Sport of The Who and two medical points.
So what also WHO part is trying to do is to establish a primary healthcare centres in the courtyard of Kamala one in North Gaza.
Former PDF hospital destroyed last year.
But for today, for the second time we were denied access to reached hospitals with supplies, delaying operations and delaying.
I mean to make sure that at least a PC centre can be partly functional.
Shifa WHL working up to setting up a Desalina tion plan to serve the EMO dialysis units.
It's the only him of the others units in serving in Gaza.
N Gaza 165 patients versus 32 machines, so expected to reach around 300 patients.
Currently 4 out of 32 diodes mentioned machines are out of order.
We also plan on one of the 20 bed extension and Shiva to increase the capacity.
The access to the European gas hospital we reported there on the part is just behind the yellow line.
On the other on the east side, Saladin continues to be denied, denied.
This is potentially an important referral hospital.
So WH embarkment access to transfer also the critical cardio equipment which is still there which is needed for urgent use in other hospitals.
WHS sport of her hospital High Newness which became partly functional again along the attacks and February 24.
And also established, we established 20 bed nutrition stabilisation centre for the hospital to provide inpatient care for children.
And already we talked about 825 admissions to the so-called clearly acute malnourished stabilisation centre.
I want to say something general on, on health functionality.
There is a, a well document and, and I would say and, and very focused strategic plan from the Palestinian Authority for early recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
When you look at health, it's very pragmatic.
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If you, if you focus from top down on the health sectors, it talks first about that.
There should be at least three Level 3 hospitals in in all of Gaza, one in the north, centre in the South, a group of general hospitals around that and then most important, a network of primary healthcare facilities 70 plus.
And when you calculate and and primary healthcare centre, a Level 3 or level 4 for each 30 thousandth population.
They those those hospital, those hospitals and primary healthcare centre should of course become fully functional.
That's the aim the UNWHO we are very complementary to this plan and and and focusing along the way.
Initially there will be also need for mobile units and and of course prefabs.
We struggle, I just want to mention that as well.
We struggle to get those prefabs in it.
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So since the ceasefire began, WHOI brought in more than 2050 pallets of medical supplies, including for the many for the for the key HealthPartners as well WHL brings them in from Karen Shalom.
The Secant border has just reopened as you know, we hope, but this will also be will be functioning for medical supplies as well.
We still notice that moving supplies from the West Bank to Gaza remains extremely challenged as the complex procedures and permissions delaying the WHL ability to move the stocks and also for infection prevention and control and essential supplies including our supplies from Jordan etcetera still not coming in including a prefab.
The Saladin Rd is blocked and the coastal roads needs to be taken for for all missions which cause a lot of delays and, and, and I would say also a risk for exposure to looting unnecessary.
Ministry of Health reports that 343 out of the 622 essential drugs, 55% are currently at 0 stock levels.
Includes 74% of chemotherapy and blood disease drugs, 64% of the primary healthcare drugs as well and 56% of drugs essential medicines related to modern child health medical consumables also to a large extent 67% at close to 0 stock level.
We continue to call for all crossings and roofs to be opened and and that we can scale up the operations and supplies.
You might have heard about immunisation campaign and catch up immunisation campaign in the concluded yesterday.
There will be more catch up campaigns between 9 and 20 November, more than 30,000 seven of the children were vaccinated, led by UNICEF, Unride, WHL partners, the collaboration with the Ministry of Health supported by GAVI, the the vaccine Alliance of children who participated, less than 2% had never received any vaccines, reflecting and that's a positive that huge health awareness among Palestinian families, even under extreme difficult circumstances.
We also noticed that with the polio campaigns you you might remember during the wartime, the quarter of all children who visit the vaccination point has begun their routine vaccination but missed some due to the latest capital doses for the entire vaccine series.
So we need to highlight the importance for the catch up efforts.
Also, the campaign integrated malnutrition and up to 6827 children screened over 505 hundred and eight children were identified as acutely malnourished and referred to the near nutrition facility for treatment.
Preparations are in a way for future rounds 2 and 3 to ensure that children have received the necessary vaccine doses.
What of course, should really happen fully functioning primary healthcare centres where children regularly parents will bring the children for vaccinations as it used to be, including the routine growth monitoring.
The last point medevac.
So over 8000 patients now have been a medevac out of Gaza 8025, including 5562 children to over 30 countries.
Still, over 16,500 patients, including an estimated 4000 children, still need medical evacuation outside the Gaza Strip.
So what?
We continue to call for more countries to show solidarity with patients in urgent need for specialised care outside Gaza and for the opening of all evacuation corridors, medical evacuation corridors, especially to the West Bank, including E Jerusalem, which is, as we all know, the most cost effective route to the hospitals, which are ready to receive many more patients.
That would really make a difference.
So to make it very clear who is ready to medevac every day, we need more countries to receive critical patients and we need the West Bank and the East Jerusalem Hospital and the corridor to open now.
Thank you very much.
Thanks to you, Rick, and thanks Tarek for for sending the notes.
Staying on the subject of children, I'm going to throw it out to Ricardo of UNICEF.
Thanks, Rolando.
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Let me start welcoming that the Civil Military Coordination Centre, the CMCC, has facilitated custom clearance and together with Israeli authorities, allowed 1.6 million syringes to be dispatched to Gaza, essential items for an ongoing vaccination campaign.
As mentioned by Rick, the first round finished yesterday with over 13,000 children vaccinated.
We hope other pending supplies that have been awaiting custom clearance for several months will also be released for entry into Gaza by the authorities at the earliest opportunity.
Turning now to recent events in Gaza, yesterday morning a baby girl was reportedly killed in Khan Yunis by an air strike, while the day before seven children were killed in Gaza City and the South.
This is during an agreed ceasefire.
The pattern is staggering.
Since 11th of October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict related incidents in the in the Gaza Strip.
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That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect and the agreement that the killing would stop was finally achieved.
As we have repeated many times, these are not statistics.
Each was a child with a family, a dream, a life suddenly cut short by continued violence.
Our colleagues in Gaza describe what they see every day, from children sleeping in the open and living with amputations to children orphaned and trembling, trembling in fear while living in flooded makeshift shelters, stripped of of their dignity.
I saw this myself when I was left last there in August.
The reality imposed on Gaza's children remains brutally simple.
There is no safe place for them and the world cannot continue to normalise their suffering.
UNICEF is responding at Scaled in Gaza, but it's still not enough.
We could do a lot more if the aid and the aid that is really needed was entering faster.
The stakes are incredibly high, especially for the entry of winter and shelter supplies.
For hundreds of thousands of children living in tents or the rubble of their of their former homes, the new season is a threat multiplier.
Children are shivering through the night with no heating, no insulation and two few blankets.
Respiratory infections are on the rise while contaminated water fuels the spread of diarrhoea.
Storms tear apart but little protection.
Families have left and children continue to clamber over broken rubble barefoot.
On Wednesday, 66 year old Tahim, who has a heart issue, got new boots and winter clothes from UNICEF.
His mother is still waiting for the same for his three siblings.
At the same time.
Gaza's doctors tell us of children they not they know how to save but cannot.
Children with severe burns, shrapnel wounds, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, children with cancer who have lost months of treatment.
Premature babies who need intensive care, Children who need surgeries that simply cannot be done inside Gaza today.
For many of these children, safe, fast and predictable medical evacuations are the difference between life and death, and between recovery and lifelong disability.
Right now, around 4000 children are still awaiting for urgent medical evacuations, including two year old Omima, whose heart is failing because of a congenital issue doctors in Gaza cannot treat.
She needs surgery urgently to save her life.
Children who require specialised urgent care not available in the Gaza Strip must, with their caregivers, be evacuated swiftly and at scale, with firm guarantees that both patients and their caregivers will be allowed to return to Gaza once treated.
As a first option, the medical corridor to the West Bank, including E Jerusalem, should be restored so children can be treated there.
We also urge Member States to accept more children for medical treatment.
Finally, yesterday we celebrated World Children's Day, a reminder that children rights are not abstract.
A child's right to life is measure in whether they survive the night.
A child's right to health is measure in whether they can reach a functioning hospital.
A child's right to protection is measured is measured in whether the cold or hunger or another strike takes them before help arrives.
Too many children have already paid the highest price.
Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire.
The world promised them it would stop and we would protect them.
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Thanks, Ricardo.
Hard to hear heartbreaking stories like this, but let's face it, colleagues, this is also a reminder how fragile the ceasefire is and that it really must hold.
So thank you all.
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Now we'll throw over to you for questions, colleagues, starting in the room, if any.
Yes, Olivia, Reuters, thank you very much everybody for your contributions.
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If I could just start actually back with the World Food Proof Food programme.
There was a mention about the target for food parcels.
Currently only 30% of that monthly target has been met.
If you could just outline why that is.
And also in terms of food parcels, I recall a mention of some food parcels being lower in the rationing.
I just wondering if that is still the case.
Some details would be helpful on that.
Doctor Peppercorn, if I, if I may, just on the medical situation that you mentioned about medical evacuations also we had there just about patients still incurring injuries from conflict, conflict related incidents.
I'm just wondering the the UAE field hospital, is that receiving patients?
I know you've mentioned a lot of hospitals that are partially functional, but the United Arab Emirates 1, is that currently receiving patients, be it injured or are they helping in any way with medical evacuations or any going through that that hospital?
And and finally, if I may, Ricardo, thank you for that contribution.
Just any more details on the, the child's, the baby girl killed the yes and Kanye's just checking.
[Other language spoken]
And just in general, if you have any details on where most child patients are, are being treated and Gaza would be helpful.
And maybe Doctor Peppercorn might add on that too.
Thank you all.
[Other language spoken]
Lots of important questions there.
[Other language spoken]
So we'll start off with WFPI, don't know Abir or Martin who want to tackle those early questions.
I'll pass this over to Martin.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks, Martin, over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Yes, so on, on the food parcels at the beginning of the month we did have some problems getting supplies, sufficient supplies into our warehouses to fit for these food boxes that we give out at the at the distributions.
Recently that's been going better.
So I would say it's not so much a problem and we are starting to catch up.
I hope we'll get to our target this month.
But in the last week or so it's been going better.
You also asked about how, how big a ration because yes, as you rightly said, to begin with, we were only able to give say, about 1/3 of a full ration because of the we didn't have enough supplies in place.
At the moment, we're up to about 75% rations.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you, Martin.
Rick on the medevacs in the UAE hospital.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
The UAE hospital is, is, is, is very much outside what is called the red song.
So it's very much in the outside the yellow line.
So there's no access to that for let's say, no proper access for patients and definitely not for a medevac.
And, and let me also say something about these patients.
As a matter of fact, we have seen over over time there's more than 8000 patients since October 23.
So more than half of that is very much trauma related.
And and my we've raised many times, my UNICEF colleague was raising it as well.
And from the 8000 patients that's actually there were over 5000 children were referred and over half of that was very much related to trauma and and it is related to amputations, extensive burns, spinal injuries, etcetera, etcetera, children who need children and adults only multiple operations as such to recover and a lot of rehabilitation.
But I also want to get back and we released it so many times that before this crisis exploded that between 50 to 100 patients per day were referred to the West Bank and his original hospitals.
That's mainly not for trauma.
That was mainly for what we call non comical diseases and 40% that was related to cancer, oncology of children, adults etcetera.
And the other were groups where complex cardiovascular diseases, complex diabetes etcetera.
And we see this now as well.
If you talk about the impact of non chronicle diseases in in Gaza, we see the lack of treatment of diagnostic services affected cancer patients, limited treatment on the three facilities and and according in the cluster, it's only in our Ghaziolu and Nasser limiters.
Critical medical shortages in that area also affected the access of diabetic patients.
And according to the data, there's over 71,000 people living with diabetes in Gaza.
I just mentioned that and it includes 20 to 30% who require approximately 25,000 vials of insulin per month and related supply.
And and though they shall, we've been shipping in this virus, but two small fraction from WHL on this part.
And so this is just a few.
And then I'm not even talking about patients who should be mad about.
My last point I want to raise also related to diseases and I think my inner side colleague also referred to that you talk about infectious diseases we see with winter coming.
We've always seen an, an A huge increase in acute respiratory infections in in Gaza over this whole crisis including of course acute watery diarrhoea.
And there remain the most reported conditions we expect with winter and we have had already some really bad rains to combat this little further in increase.
And it's accounting I mean only those two on the children that for morbidity of 64% and and and 6036% and a mild increase in, in this acute watery diarrhoea morbidity of the children over five years of age has been observed.
So this is also something we and it's everything to do with the environment, the the lack of proper shelter, the lack of proper water and sanitation etcetera.
And then of course, the partly functional health system, which we have to make fully functional again.
Over to you.
Thanks, Rick Ricardo.
[Other language spoken]
So on the issue of the baby girl that was killed, we don't have a lot of details.
We know that she was killed in the residence in Bani Suhaila, which is Easter Han Yunis with her parents.
So that the Israeli, the Israeli strike came in that in their residence and killed her and and her two parents.
As far as the the children being treated with injuries, I mean, you, you heard from from Rick how, how challenging the situation is on the medical front.
But mostly these children are being brought to Nasser Hospital or Shifa Hospital, Al Ahali Hospital and Al Aqsa.
These are the the main ones that are receiving children with with severe injuries.
[Other language spoken]
All right.
Thanks very much, colleagues.
I'll go online and let's.
Oh, yes.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Just two questions, maybe one for Martin regarding the the bombings that occurred yesterday and the day before.
Can you tell us how did it affect your work and your teams a little bit in detail?
And 2nd for for Ricardo about the figure of 67 children killed since the October 11.
Can you tell us which was your source of the figure, please?
Thanks very much, Martin.
On the first part of the question, so far, we didn't feel too much in the way a bit of impact on our operations.
Obviously we're aware of these these events and obviously we were being very vigilant and very, very careful and sort of concerned about the future because all of this makes operations more difficult.
But for the time being, there have been no significant impact on operations.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks for that, Ricardo.
Yeah, the the source, it's important to clarify.
So thank you for your question.
These are reported figures.
They are not verified in the UNMRM process, which takes longer.
And the final verified numbers are shared with the Secretary General for his report on children and armed conflict.
But we do have teams on the ground, child protection teams and partners who are monitoring and following up on reports of of grave violations and whenever children are injured or or killed, we get these reports from our partners on the ground and and therefore we, we, we share them externally.
Thanks very much.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Gabby of processor.
Thank you, Rolando.
Thank you for taking my question to to UNICEF.
We would like to see what you are describing with our own eyes.
Now with the ceasefire, do you think you could organise a visit to Gaza and West Bank for the UN correspondence?
Gabby, I would love to say yes, we could organise a media visit, but the reality is the UN, it's not the the right path to facilitate these these visits.
Right now.
Journalists have to get their clearance to get to go in individually, independently and once in, obviously UNICEF can help and facilitate visits to sites, to projects to, to interview and speak to to locals and mothers and children who've been suffering for over 2 years after this horrible war started.
[Other language spoken]
And as, as you know, colleagues, we've been advocating for this since day one for more eyes and ears on the ground.
We need you to be on the ground there to be witnesses to these horrific stories that we hear about here.
So of course, of course, thanks to colleagues who are on the ground reporting back to us.
But of course, we need journalists, more journalists in the country in in the region.
So thanks for that, Gabby.
I'll take a question now from Iman from the Kuwait News Agency.
Thank you, Ronaldo.
I have a question for the WFP on the food actually enter into Gaza.
Many Palestinians said that the prices remain very high because the occupation forces are not allowing the entry of nutritious food.
Instead it they flew the market of unhealthy, unhealthy product in many in many areas.
Do you have any information about this issue or do you observe more restriction on vegetables, vegetables, fruits, eggs and meats compared to unhealthy food?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Martin or a beer perhaps?
[Other language spoken]
I think the, the main issue that face faces everyone, including the commercial sector is the fact that a lot of these food supplies stay in border crossing points for long hours, for long days.
And therefore, you know, the possibility of them going back is high.
And I don't necessarily know that there are restrictions on, on the, you know, the choice of food items going inside, but I think it is probably the self choice of merchants and, and the private sector to go for items that will that has a longer shelf life.
So we haven't heard that there is like restrictions on fresh supplies going in other than the just the necessity of of, you know, the private sector making sure that they are getting stuff in making profit.
But and at the same time having these supplies, you know, last longer because of these delays, because of the the the the bureaucratic procedures that you face with anything that's going into Gaza.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
We'll take a question from Nick, New York Times.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for taking the question for Abeer.
These, there was a report this week saying that I think it came from CMCC saying 800 trucks a day we're getting into Gaza.
I wonder what comment you might have on on that number.
But secondly, I wonder if you could explain exactly what CMCC role is for you.
Do you have representation in there on a daily basis?
Are you negotiating access for convoys with CMCC?
My understanding is that Kogat still controls the crossing points.
So what?
What in fact is the role of CMCC at the moment in terms of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza?
[Other language spoken]
OK, let me start by your second question, which is that you know the coordination with the CMCC and yes, we do, we discuss with everyone on the ground Cogat, CMCC and this is how we're getting our supplies and the scaling up of of the operations.
So the coordination is happening on the ground with both.
In terms of the 800 trucks, we, we, I, I, I'm, you know, it's not all WFP and it's not all the humanitarian sector.
So I'm not sure about the 800 trucks a day figure.
We do have, you know, I, I have to get you the number of on average how many trucks go in a day.
[Other language spoken]
It's not, it's, and it's not always 800.
Sometimes it is, but it's not all for, for WFPII will defer to Martin in case because he's on the ground, maybe he knows exactly how many trucks are going for, for WFP.
But I think that the main thing is that we're getting almost 2/3 of the food supplies that we need to be in Gaza regularly.
We're hoping to be able to get more to get all the border crossings to be open so that we get into the the the 1.6 that we're targeting.
It's the coordination is, is a step in the right direction as we speak now.
OK, thank you very much.
Martin, if you have anything to add or perhaps even Rick Martin, I don't have anything to add.
[Other language spoken]
I mean it's not 800 every day and at the moment WFP is getting in somewhere between 100, around around 100 a day.
There's a lot of stuff going for commercial partners, sorry, not commercial partners, the commercial sector and and other partners.
We can have a bilateral if you want to go deeper into this.
[Other language spoken]
That thanks very much.
All right.
Of course, colleagues, if you have something to add, just just raise your hand maybe Rick, I don't know if you wanted to chime in on this or I can maybe say something about because of the question about the CMCC etcetera.
And I think it's the the way I mean just also my own observations.
I think it's a one you win to the CMCC platform is mainly used to provide information as good as possible.
So what this what is the situation on the ground in Gaza, what was it before, what was it during etcetera, what are the key issues etcetera.
And we, we do this in a way we organise ourselves through the clusters, the cluster lead orchards coordinate coordinating that for example, The Who cluster coordinator is there on a daily basis, our team in health emergencies very regularly.
I've been there four or five times and what I've done is not a little, maybe more extensive than what I do here with you is to provide the information.
The first time I there was a request for an overview for hospitals, but we, we provide an overview of the whole health sector in Gaza, the health functionalities, all the key issues hospitals.
And then we went in depth in some of the hospitals.
The second one was on Primary Health care and the Primary Health care and Primary Health care facilities.
And we weren't actually in into depth.
And on the 3rd and the fourth time presentations, having been here now five times and focusing on health, I have said, I raised already that says that for the, for the UN there's of course a concern.
But we see currently and we, we hope that this peace process is, is moving forwards in that sense rapidly.
Even currently you see the so-called red zone and a Green Zone.
And in the red zone you have 2.1 million Palestinians where we focus our support for the for the UN and, and and and very much in line.
If we talk about the one Gaza approach and, and, and I would say one Palestine approach and, and I race for example, and for Helsinki specifically, because part of that we studied that that's a the the plan of Palestinian authorities for rehabilitation, early recovery, rehabilitation and and reconstruction etcetera is in health a very focused and strategic plan to come to the most cost effective approach for health very much in line of what what we because we were working together when we were already planning and trying to be as complementary as as possible.
So our role currently is very much providing information as good as possible.
And we hope to see of course more changes and and more facilitation for the UN and humanitarian partners to be able to provide humanitarian, but specifically also humanitarian support, but also early recovery in an in a much more effective way.
And and I think we would like to see more, yeah, more changes in that way over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks very much, Rick.
I'm going to go back to Nick because I think you had a follow up before I take the other questions.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
It's just the, I mean, here we are six weeks after the start of a ceasefire that was supposed to open the way to kind of uninhibited deliveries of humanitarian assistance and you're still in the WFP is only up to 2/3 WHO it still has very limited medevacs going.
So I'm kind of wondering what value the CMCC is really adding to this process.
There still seems to be more obstruction and it doesn't seem to be able to mitigate that.
So what is it actually doing?
Thank you farther.
I mean, I think the the answered part of that Nick, but I don't know if there is anything more you wanted to mention either Rick or perhaps Rabir or Martin.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Sorry.
[Other language spoken]
So not much to that.
I mean, I raised this already.
So the, the current space it seems very much information and information, a sharing and and provision of information.
And I think the UN is doing that in an, in an as focused way as possible and along the lines of clusters and sectors coordinated by OCHA.
With all the respect that the UN agencies who are leading in, in, in let's say in the various areas for us that it's health etcetera and do this as focused as possible.
I think it's a start and what we all hope and we all hope of course that that we will see a much more fundamental change in, in the way humanitarian support and early recovery activities can start.
I think that is probably also and that's not much for me to comment on in line with the whole peace process and and and everything what's happening there.
And currently there are some incremental changes.
I think WFP have reported that on food etcetera.
But of course much more is needed.
And I think my you said colleague reflected that myself are reflected that and we really hope and expect that this will happen.
And and you mentioned the point on meditac etcetera.
So we raised a lot of the same things which we raised with you.
We raised there as well become a kiosk and supplies on meditac etcetera, etcetera.
And we hope that we are being listened to and we and hope and we expect that some of those changes will be coming in effect sooner than later.
Over to you, over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks very much, Rick.
I think that was very clear.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
My question is to WHO on the funding are you having problems with the departure of USA from WTOWTO?
OK, Rick, sorry I I didn't get the question.
Yeah, the funding if difficulties you may be facing given the the the cuts, the budget cuts and I think did you mention Gabby specifically from the USII if I heard correctly, Yes.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So you are having problems on that issue.
I think we have proven as though we have showed from the start of this crisis exploded that we were super operational and we work in all areas essential health services as the main pillar how to support it.
And then you talk of course the basis essential medicines and medical supplies, but also the the medevac, internal medevac.
Maybe you remember that a lot of internal medevacs from hospitals from the north to the South and then medevac outside assistance of this fantastic emerging medical teams directly, and of course, all kinds of capacity building, etcetera.
Within the essential the pillar #1 maintaining essential health services.
Then we also have been extremely active in the public health intelligence and think about health information, epidemics prevention, think about the polio campaigns, but also the the the other war code, what is going on health information.
And then of course, the the area of coordination, coordinating 80 partners, making sure that we we try to focus the scarce resources as good as possible.
And then the the 4th pillar pillar, which should be the biggest one early recovery, which we started and rehabilitation in a number of areas even during the war and we expand.
So I think we have a range here of partners.
We have 30 plus member states donors that's actually investing in the WHL programme.
And yeah, and we have been really I mean from the start very much we delivered that have reflected and and more and more partners to join and and and we expect we expect exactly that's that what we also currently planning and at where we can help properly going to continue with the humanitarian support, which is all we needed for many years, but really expands an early recovery and rehabilitation and reconstruction for health.
Yeah, we expect that member States and donors will continue to invest.
Over to you.
Thanks Rick, Olivia, Reuters.
[Other language spoken]
Sorry, just a couple of follow-ups, if I may.
Ricardo, you might have seen the MSF statement out today about several people, including children being treated on Wednesday for gunshot wounds, but also one child being shot at by quadcopter.
I was just wondering if you have any details on the other the seven children you said were killed on how whether that was airstrike quadcopter or if you don't maybe have that level of detail.
That's my question for you.
And then the peppercorn, sorry, just a clarification on the UAE field hospital.
So you're saying it's under in an area which is under Israeli control.
So therefore patients inside Gaza are not taken there for, for for treatment.
So currently that means patients just in general are not being treated there or sorry, I was just wasn't clear how it's currently operating.
[Other language spoken]
OK, Olivia, I can follow up, but I don't have details on exactly how these other seven children were killed, but I can strongly assume on strikes as well.
But I can get back to you on that.
Thanks, Rick, back to you.
I addressed this already.
That hospital is very much in, in, in what's called the yellow zone, etcetera.
And there's a lack of access.
So it's there's, there's few people living in that area.
[Other language spoken]
We are not moving through there.
We're not doing our operations.
We do the operations and investors cash resources where the where the people are and the people are in this so-called red zone.
The 2.1 million Gazans are there and that's where we're focusing.
We hope that soon we can properly continue in an all Gaza approach and people can move back to the areas where they live and come from etcetera and then that might change over to you.
[Other language spoken]
OK, we'll take the last two questions because we have to move on.
We still have Ukraine on the agenda, John Zaracostas and then back to Iman John of Franz Foncat and then The Lancet.
[Other language spoken]
Rick.
I was wondering if you could elaborate a little bit more.
Earlier this week, we had the Security Council endorsed plan.
How do you see that plan factoring in on health given that the Palestinian Authority are not front and centre in that resolution?
[Other language spoken]
Yep, All right.
I think maybe it's more on the question for you that for me in that sense.
I mean, like, you know, we of course, as as a, as a one UN, we focus on A1 Gaza approach and, and, and, and one Palestine approach and, and, and the whole Rd to A2 state solution, etcetera.
And, and that is also, by the way, I didn't say that about the CMCC.
Unfortunately, there's not yet Palestinian participation, which you would expect and you would hope for.
So that's another thing which is definitely being raised.
And, and, and, and John, I think when I look at the, the overall, let's say the overall plan of the PA and I'm specifically focused on health, I think it's a very pragmatic and strategic plan.
And as I said, it's not about, oh, we are immediately going to rebuild 36 hospitals which were there.
They make a real choice that hey, we need a Level 3 hospital in the north, one in the centre in the South.
We need a group of general hospitals around there and we need most importantly a proper primary healthcare network with community links and, and, and based on on on packages and, and I think that is very much in line with our plans and, and, and, and our thinking etcetera.
And this is already what we are trying to, to do, what we constantly try to do.
And how do we make sure that and, and initially there will be indeed additional relief operations.
And you will need prefab structures to, for example, for, for key primary healthcare centres which are destroyed and, and hospitals and hospitals which are destroyed, for example, think Sheepa, you will need a few prefab structures to continue to work.
And in the meantime, you can think about the larger reconstruction that also applies.
And that's a varied approach depending on the level of destruction and, and, and yeah, on the destroyment.
And then there might be an issue also need for some mobile teams, etcetera.
There's a, there are plans in place and, and I really hope that that we will be able to help implement these plans.
Very much so.
Thank you, Rick.
And maybe just to add, of course, I'll repeat what we've said earlier this week upon the adoption of this resolution, John, to your question, of course, this is a path.
This is a path forward.
It's theoretical.
What we need is concrete action, the action, the type of action that we've been advocating for for for months and months and months.
So indeed, there is a fragile ceasefire in place.
We've heard all sorts of horror stories since the ceasefire, since earlier ceasefire.
But what we need is just to be actualized and lasting peace, stability and peace for the people in the region.
So let's take maybe the last question unless there's one in the room.
OK, So let me just take the question from Iman Kuwait News Agency.
[Other language spoken]
I have just a small clarification from Ricardo and I'm sorry to ask this banalistic question, but I should to be really clear in my reporting, when you said at least 67 children have been killed in conflict related incident, do you mean the Israeli airstrike, Israeli strikes in general?
[Other language spoken]
So if I understand you were asking of the attribution of the strikes, correct?
[Other language spoken]
I mean these were there's only one side party to the conflict in Gaza with the firepower to do air strikes.
I'll leave it at that.
[Other language spoken]
OK, Ricardo, Thank you very much, Rick.
Thank you so much as always, Abir and Martin, thank you very much for joining us with these very important briefs for our journalists here.
Wish you luck and thanks very much for for all the important work you're doing.
[Other language spoken]
Shifting to Ukraine, Yens is on the podium here from OCHA with a humanitarian update on the situation in Ukraine.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks, Rolando.
Happy Friday, everyone.
We have 3 minutes over time, so I'll do this as briefly as I can.
As you saw, Porcher briefed the Security Council last night on Ukraine, and I wanted to reinforce some of our humanitarian points because the damage and death inflicted by the Russian attacks are truly horrific.
If anyone is still under the impression that there are safe places in Ukraine, the air attack sirens that goes off anywhere at an any time will tell you that the opposite is true.
Relentless Russian missile and don't drone strikes kill and injure civilians every week and destroy homes and schools, hospitals and energy systems.
The situation is most acute in front line communities.
[Other language spoken]
In Pokhrovsk, Immunohut in the east, flashpoints in this war, some 1500, mostly older people and people with limited mobility are trapped without reliable water power, let alone medical care.
In Liman, some 100 kilometres further north in Donetsk, around 3000 people are out of reach of humanitarian assistance altogether due to ongoing fighting.
2 days ago on Wednesday night, a World Food Programme warehouse in Denipro was damaged during a drone attack on the city.
At least 10,000 food boxes, all intended for those civilians living close to the front lines, were destroyed.
That is food families were counting on as winter sets in.
And earlier this week, a wave of the And earlier this week, a wave of attacks claimed at least 20 civilian lives and leftover 100 injured, including children.
In October at Children's Hospital in Hearson was struck, injuring civilians and medical staff.
Children remain among the most exposed in this war.
Many have been displaced multiple times.
Others are living near active hostilities or have been or have seen their schools, homes or clinics damaged.
They no longer have a safe place to play, to sleep, or to learn.
In October, we also saw AUN LED aid convoys attacked in Herzon while trying to reach a community in need.
Nationwide, frequent power cuts are depriving families of heat and safe water.
As temperatures drop below freezing point.
[Other language spoken]
Some 3.7 million people remain displaced inside Ukraine and nearly six millionaire refugees.
This year alone, more than 122,000 people have been newly displaced, mostly women, children, older people from the oblasts on the front lines.
Humanitarians are doing what they can to deliver assistance wherever access and security allows.
Between January and September of this year, the UN and our partners reached more than 4.2 million people, including 800,000 children.
As the Ukrainian winter deepens and the attacks continue, our message is familiar but increasingly urgent.
Civilians, civilian infrastructure, humanitarian staff and medical personnel must be protected.
Children must be shielded and protected.
There really isn't any valid excuse not to.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
With this uptick, at least in the past few days of of, of, you know, nationwide strikes, civilian infrastructure being targeted, I'm just wondering how now that is maybe complicating your efforts from a humanitarian sense.
I mean, you'd saying they're about 10,000 food parcels being destroyed and you're saying about the kind of urgent need for for for action essentially.
But I'm just, yeah, if you can maybe give an impression of whether you feel like from a humanitarian point of view, you are entering kind of a next stage or next chapter when it comes to just how difficult it might be becoming to safely deliver much needed aid across Ukraine.
As I said in in the beginning, there seems to be it, it's getting increasingly worse, right?
We see attacks on our convoys.
We see attacks that hit our warehouses.
We see the, the infrastructure that civilians depend on being attacked.
It seems systematically as you heard recently, the humanitarian coordinator there talked about what looks like energy terror as he, as he named it, right.
So these things heating, water supply, power and so on is being systematically attacked.
We saw that last year, last winter as well.
It seems to be worse this time.
And that kind of the bottom goes out on the response because there are so many more people who are affected, right, increasingly.
So while we of course, focus very sharply on those on the front lines because they're really in a bad in a bad spot, the rest of the country is is also hit.
And that's why we talk about these air alarms, air sirens that goes off all the time.
As you know, when when you are in Ukraine, you there are these rockets that fly over the head all the time.
You have no idea where they're going to hit.
But when they do, they hit civilian infrastructure.
And that's really a a major problem for the questions in the room online.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Is is not related to the topic.
I hear that the Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, John Fletcher, he will be giving a press briefing for the, I think, ambassador here in Tuesday, next Tuesday in room 11.
Is it correct?
Could you confirm that?
It has nothing to do with the press?
So I'm not involved in that.
[Other language spoken]
I think if we have anything to update, we'll, we'll inform you.
But there's nothing, nothing that we can confirm here for you at this point.
Any other questions perhaps on Ukraine before we release Yuns?
No, there is a question.
[Other language spoken]
Gabby Proceso, I think this is on Ukraine.
[Other language spoken]
But are you going to, is there someone of human rights there?
No, I don't see that.
They are connected according to the schedule.
But in that case, if it's specifically for them, I would just encourage you to liaise bilaterally with them.
Gabby OK, I'm afraid they're not connected to this call and that note.
I think maybe John, is this a question for Jens?
Yes, it is actually I I'm in a bit late.
I didn't hear correctly.
Is it Under Secretary General Fletcher that we'll be briefing the diplomats next Tuesday in in Geneva?
And if that's the case, it would be nice for Mr Fletcher to to brief the Geneva press corps, given he's given many briefings to the UN colleagues in New York virtually in the last couple of weeks.
Yeah, I hear it too.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
We'll discuss afterwards further questions for Jens before we release him from the podium or Gabby is this, if this is on the same point, maybe we could unless it's another issue, go ahead.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So did, did you see talks between a president of USA and of Ukraine a have a little impact on your work or it's not?
I mean, it's, you don't have any advance after that meeting.
[Other language spoken]
I, I think you answered your own question.
I, I don't have anything.
I, I think Stefan Dujaric yesterday in New York had a short comment on that.
I, I can certainly echo, you know, repeating what we've been saying for, for quite a while now.
I mean, indeed, firstly, this, this plan that you're alluding to, we're not part of this.
[Other language spoken]
It means, of course, we stand ready to support any effort to, for an unconditional ceasefire for peace and stability in the region.
So this is what we've been saying since day one.
Of course, it has to be in line with the UN Charter respecting international law and of course all UN resolutions.
So this is this is our what Stefan said yesterday and this is what I'll repeat here today.
So Gabby, I see your hand is still up.
Is that a follow up?
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Do you have communication with the President of Russia?
I need to.
We're in touch with Russian authorities.
I don't know which level of which level of those contacts are, but I can certainly inquire and get back to you, Gabby, on that.
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I think think you're released yet.
Thank you very much for the update and thank you for joining me here.
Catherine, who has an announcement from Ted.
So I'll leave it to you to announce.
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Thank you very much again.
So indeed we do have this press conference as just mentioned by Catherine.
One more for me to announce.
This one is at 9:45 on Tuesday with colleagues from UNCTAD.
Also on the 25th, Tuesday, that is, we have a press conference with the Executive Director of UN AIDS, Winnie Biannima.
World AIDS Day 2025, Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response is the title of their flagship report for this year, will be launched at 2:00 PM on Tuesday the 25th.
That's press conferences.
Also wanted to mention a couple of meetings taking place here in Geneva.
The Committee Against Torture, as we've been saying is is under way on Monday afternoon.
There will be meetings speaking to the issue of reprisals.
Very important issue indeed.
Colleagues, other words, speaking out for those who testify and are often threatened for speaking out on human rights issues.
So a very important issue that'll be addressed by the Committee against Torture, also the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is concluding this morning.
It's a review of the report of Sweden.
And just to keep you on track, colleagues, our Secretary General, Mr Antonio Guterres, is currently in Johannesburg where he will be attending the annual G20 Summit, as he does every year.
As you know, It's South Africa is hosting this year's meeting.
It's taking place this week in the 22nd and 23rd.
We will share with you the statements that Mister Guterres will be delivering.
There are three different addresses.
We expect 1 is on inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
One is titled A resilient world, the G 20s contribution, Disaster Risk Reduction, climate change and just energy transitions and food systems.
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Third is on a fair and just future for all dealing with critical minerals, artificial intelligence and decent works of lots of important subjects being addressed through the Secretary General.
And of course, while he is in Joburg, the SG will be holding various bilateral meetings.
We'll do our best to share readouts with you.
After South Africa, the Secretary General will be off to Luanda, Angola to participate in the seventh session of the African Union European Summit.
So that don't have the specific dates, but I believe that's Monday, Tuesday next week.
And of course, we'll keep you abreast of those developments and today's World Television Day.
So I just want to shout out to our colleagues in the booths there from UNTV until all you other TV broadcasters, just to mention that today, the 21st of November is World TELEVISION Day.
So that's it from me.
Any questions, comments from you in the audience online?
Nope, that's not the case.
So I wish you a nice afternoon.
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See you here Tuesday.