Highlights of the noon briefing by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General (excerpt on Middle East and the crisis in Gaza) – 17 July 2024

17 July 2024

(Excerpt)

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MIDDLE EAST

The Chef de Cabinet, Courteney Rattray, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at today’s Security Council meeting. He asserted that nothing can justify the horrific acts of terror committed by Hamas and other armed groups in Israel on 7 October – and nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

The Secretary-General noted the high death toll in Gaza, adding that almost two million people have been displaced – nearly the entire population of Gaza – and many of them multiple times. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, he said.

He also warned that recent developments are driving a stake through the heart of any prospect for a two-State solution. The geography of the occupied West Bank is steadily being altered through Israeli administrative and legal steps, he said.

The Chef de Cabinet also reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and his push for intensified efforts to increase humanitarian aid delivery. International support to these efforts is critical, particularly for the essential work of UNRWA, the Secretary-General added.

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the Israeli military stopped all aid missions from going north of Wadi Gaza today. This means that humanitarian workers were unable to reach any of the hundreds of thousands of people in need. It also made it impossible for them to collect supplies from the northern entry point of Erez West.

OCHA has received multiple reports of military activity along the Israeli military road that separates north and south Gaza.
Meanwhile, OCHA has seen larger numbers of displaced people crossing from Gaza city into Deir al Balah governorate — at least 450 people today, compared to just over 1,000 the week prior. Some of those new arrivals told aid workers that Israeli troops had shot at people trying to cross, forcing some of them to turn around.

OCHA has not been able to independently verify these reports. Civilians in Gaza must be protected — and their essential needs must be met, wherever they are.

The head of UNRWA says that at least eight schools in Gaza have been hit in the last ten days. In a social media post, Philippe Lazzarini stressed that schools are not a target and must never be used for fighting or military purposes, by any party to the conflict.

UNRWA says that nearly 70 per cent of the agency’s schools have been hit since the war in Gaza began. Over 95 per cent of these schools were being used as shelters when they were hit. Almost 540 people sheltering in UNRWA facilities have been killed.

The World Food Programme says that it has been forced to further reduce rations in Gaza City to ensure broader coverage for people who have been newly displaced.

In July, WFP provided over 600,000 people in Gaza with food assistance and over 500,000 people with food parcels and wheat flour.
For its part, the World Health Organization says that as of today, just 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional and just 1,500 of the usual 3,500 hospital beds in Gaza are available.

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