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The Sustainable Development Goals in Palestine
The UN and its partners in Palestine are working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: 17 interconnected Goals which address the major development challenges faced by people in Palestine and around the world. These are the goals the UN is working on in Palestine:
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08 May 2024
Journey into the unknown: Thousands of Gazan families flee Rafah
Stranded, their homes demolished, loved ones killed and repeatedly displaced on their land, they had sought refuge in Rafah in the far southern reaches of the Strip to escape death and destruction and to find a safe place that does not exist.They are now heading along the coastal road again to an unknown fate with the start of military operations in the eastern areas of Rafah.UN News’s Ziad Taleb, who is in Gaza, spoke with several Palestinians who made the journey.‘Every hour we are displaced’Sobhi Massoud shared his confusion at the new developments. The elderly man has been displaced several times after all his children were killed and his property was destroyed in Jabalia camp. He finally ended up in the city of Rafah, which Israeli authorities have declared a safe zone.But, his suffering did not end there.“Every day we are displaced. Every hour we are displaced,” he said.He explained that he had been forced to flee again to the Al-Mawasi area, which lacks the most basic necessities. He pointed to his cane on which he leaned.“It’s all gone,” Mr. Massoud said. “This is the one thing that remains. I can’t even find a mattress to sleep on.”‘Fed up with life’Abu Kamal al-Yaziji, who was displaced from Gaza City in the north, said what was happening in the enclave was unprecedented.Directing his voice to the Israeli authorities, he said “this is not a self-defense operation; what you are doing is revenge.”He added that if he had the opportunity to sell his property even at half its value to send his children and grandchildren out of Gaza, he would have done so to secure their future.“I am fed up with life. There is no life in Gaza," he said."Gaza has no future. The people of Gaza have never seen such suffering. What is happening now is something we have never seen nor felt nor will see again in our lifetimes.”‘Gaza has nothing but God’Young Mohammed Salah Rajab’s journey began in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, then on to his sister’s house in Khan Younis and then to the Hay al-Salam area in Rafah.After shelling over the past few days and informing residents of the need to evacuate, he took refuge in Deir Al-Balah, which is an area adjacent to Al-Mawasi. Mr. Rajab said he does not know what awaits him now.“We don't know what our fate is,” he said. “We expected the ceasefire deal would be reached, and we would go to Gaza City, but the opposite happened. Only God knows what will happen to us.”The young Gazan hoped that his voice would reach the world outside.“Gaza has nothing but God,” he said.
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08 May 2024
Guterres urges Israel, Hamas ‘to show political courage’ and secure ceasefire
In the far south of the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt, the town of Rafah has been hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from elsewhere in the enclave due to the ongoing Israeli military operation.There are also grave concerns that humanitarian aid stocks are fast running out across the war-torn Strip, and fuel reserves will run out by the end of the day.“The closure of both the Rafah and Karem Shalom crossings is especially damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation. They must be re-opened immediately,” Secretary-General António Guterres said at a press stakeout at UN Headquarters in New York.He called on the Israeli Government to stop any escalation and engage constructively in the ongoing diplomatic talks.“After more than 1,100 Israelis killed in the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October, after more than 34,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, haven’t we seen enough?” Agreement essentialMr. Guterres underscored the need for an agreement between the Government of Israel and the leadership of Hamas to stop the “unbearable suffering” of both Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli hostages and their families.“It would be tragic if weeks of intense diplomatic activity for peace in Gaza, yield no ceasefire. No release of hostages. And a devastating offensive in Rafah,” he said, stressing:“I reiterate my appeal for both parties to show the political courage and spare no effort to secure an agreement now.”Human catastropheThe UN chief further emphasized that a full-scale assault on Rafah will be a “human catastrophe”.“Countless more civilian casualties. Countless more families forced to flee yet again – with nowhere safe to go. Because there is no safe place in Gaza,” Mr. Guterres said.“Attacking Rafah will further upend our efforts to support people in dire humanitarian straits as famine looms.”Call on ‘those with influence’Mr. Guterres also warned that the repercussions of an attack on Rafah will be felt far beyond the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and the wider Middle East region.“Even the best friends of Israel are clear: An assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare,” he said.“I appeal to all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to help avert even more tragedy.”
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06 May 2024
Targeting Rafah could lead to slaughter, warns UN aid agency
“Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death” for the 1.2 million displaced Palestinians sheltering in and around the Strip’s southernmost city, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told journalists in Geneva.Echoing those concerns, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that “Band-Aid” contingency plans have been made in case a full-scale military incursion does indeed happen, but they will not be enough to prevent Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe from getting worse.Band-Aid plans“This contingency plan is Band-Aids. It will absolutely not prevent the expected substantial additional mortality and morbidity caused by a military operation,” said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.Speaking via videolink from Jerusalem, the WHO medic warned that a military operation would spark a new wave of displacement, more overcrowding, less access to essential food, water and sanitation “and definitely more outbreaks (of disease)”.“The ailing health system will not be able to withstand the potential scale of devastation that the incursion will cause,” Dr. Peeperkorn said.The worsening security situation could also severely impede the movement of food, water and medical supplies into and across Gaza via the border points, the WHO official noted.After nearly seven months of heavy Israeli bombardment sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel on 7 October, only 12 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza and 22 of the enclave’s 88 primary health care facilities are “partially functional” today, according to the UN health agency.Dialysis under threatThese include Najjar Hospital in Rafah, which offers dialysis treatment to hundreds of people, explained Dr. Ahmed Dahir, WHO team leader in Gaza.“The health system is barely surviving…if any (Israeli) operation will happen, which means the population and patients will not be able to access these hospitals, what is going to happen to these patients, ultimately that would be a catastrophe.”Despite “a slight improvement” in the availability and diversity of food in Gaza in recent weeks, Dr. Peeperkorn rejected any suggestion that the looming threat of acute malnutrition had receded for the enclave’s most vulnerable.“We will see the effects for years to come,” the WHO official continued, noting that 30 children have now reportedly died because of illnesses linked to malnutrition.Deaths linked to the kind of food insecurity that Gazans have endured should have been completely preventable, Dr. Peeperkorn said, pointing to the widespread destruction of poultry farming and fishing production along with vegetable and fruit growing, which are “not there anymore.""We should never have any level of malnutrition in this place,” he insisted.As part of UN contingency efforts, WHO and partners are setting up a new field hospital in Al Mawasi in Rafah. Supply linesA large warehouse has also been created in the central city of Deir Al-Balah from where WHO has moved supplies to Khan Younis, the Middle Area and northern Gaza. Further supplies have also been prepositioned at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah and the European Gaza Hospital near Khan Younis in the south. Also in Khan Younis, Nasser Medical Complex is being refurbished to provide “a basic package of health services”, now that cleaning and inspection of essential equipment have been completed. Nine out of 10 operating theatres are operational and emergency medical teams are preparing to work there alongside national staff, WHO said. Prepositioning keyWHO and partners are also establishing additional primary health centres and medical points in Khan Younis and the Middle Area as well as prepositioning medical supplies to enable these facilities to detect and treat communicable and non-communicable diseases and manage wounds.In the north, the UN health agency is helping to increase services at Al-Ahli, Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals with emergency medical teams and by prepositioning supplies. “Plans are also being developed to support the restoration of the Patients’ Friendly Hospital, focusing on paediatric services, and expansion of primary health care centres and medical points,” WHO reported.
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03 May 2024
10,000 people feared buried under the rubble in Gaza
UN humanitarians said, citing the enclave’s health authorities. “It could take up to three years to retrieve the bodies using the primitive tools they have on hand,” the UN Aid Coordination Office, OCHA, said, amid rising temperatures that will accelerate the decomposition of bodies, potentially increasing the threat of disease spreading.Citing the Palestinian Civil Defence Authority, OCHA said that the recovery of dead bodies from the debris is a huge challenge, owing to a lack of bulldozers, excavators and personnel. Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled amid intense and ongoing Israeli bombardment “across much of the Gaza Strip” from the air, land and sea, the UN aid office noted.‘Nightmare’ must end: UNICEF chiefIn a call for an end to the hostilities, sparked by Hamas-led terror raids on southern Israel on 7 October that killed some 1,250 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage, top UN humanitarian official Catherine Russell insisted that the “nightmare” must end.Nearly all of the 600,000 children now sheltering in the southern border city of Rafah are “injured, sick or malnourished”, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) chief said in a video post on X on Wednesday.“Over 200 days of war have already killed and maimed tens of thousands of children in Gaza,” Ms. Russell added, amid deepening fears of a full-scale Israeli military operation in Rafah.1,000-pound bombs Following the withdrawal of Israeli troops last month from the southern city of Khan Younis, a UN assessment team mission on 10 April reported that streets and public spaces were littered with unexploded weapons. In addition, 1,000-pound bombs were found “lying on main intersections and inside schools".UN-led efforts are ongoing to make areas safe for Gazans to return to Khan Younis, including damage assessments at facilities belonging to the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and mapping high-risk areas containing shrapnel and unexploded ordnance.Another vital aspect of this work is awareness-raising sessions, which the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) conducts via social media, mobile phone text messages and leaflets to around 1.2 million people in Gaza, as part of aid packages distributed by other humanitarian partners.In total there is an estimated 37 million tonnes of debris in the enclave which likely contains about 800,000 tonnes of asbestos and other contaminants.UN mine action experts have estimated that some 7,500 tonnes of unexploded ordnance could be “scattered” throughout Gaza which could take up to 14 years to clear. To mitigate the risk for civilians and aid teams in the meantime, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, has issued increasingly urgent appeals for assistance from the international community to remove explosive remnants of war.Rising tollBetween 29 April 1 May, OCHA reported that 80 Palestinians were killed and 118 injured amid Israeli bombardment, citing the Gazan health authorities. The same source has reported that since 7 October, at least 34,560 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 77,765 injured.This includes a strike on 29 April “at about 12:25pm” when two Palestinian women and two girls were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Tall As Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah.OCHA also reported that between 28 April and 1 May, two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. As of 1 May, 262 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,602 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation.
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02 May 2024
Gaza destruction impossible to even process, UN humanitarian says
We have a group of incredible colleagues who have still been going to work every day... Many of them have lost more than you can imagine.That’s the message from Louise Wateridge, Communications Officer with the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, who is stationed in the southern city of Rafah.Ms. Wateridge had worked with UNRWA before and recently returned to the region and was shocked by what she saw on a visit to Gaza City, a place she knows well.Unbelievable devastation “It didn’t feel real seeing out of every single window in the car, as far as you could see was just destruction,” she told UN News. Ms. Wateridge has been using her mobile phone to document the devastation in places such as Khan Younis, where she visited an abandoned UNRWA school-turned-shelter that once housed tens of thousands of displaced people who hastily fled the facility ahead of Israeli bombardment. “It was devastating to see unmarked graves, even in the corner of our facility in the Khan Younis Training Centre,” she said. “On the wall above one of the children's graves there was a message saying ‘Marwa, your sister misses you and loves you.’” This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Louise Wateridge: Over the last couple of days I've been to Gaza City and Jabalia camp, and also in Khan Younis. I've worked in the region for the last four years, so it's my first time being here since the war began and it's just unbelievable to see Gaza City. We went with the World Food Programme (WFP) on a joint mission to the Jabalia camp. The agencies are working very closely in the north to try to expand food distribution there. But the drive up was absolutely shocking for me. Just this city that I've known for years, and seeing everything around you just completely flattened. There were homes because you could see where they were still standing. There were walls missing, and you could see into the living rooms, into the dining rooms. It's like there was life there. You can very clearly see life there - pictures on the wall, clothes kind of around the room - but there's nobody in there. It was a very haunting, shocking experience. You referenced the video I took. I was sitting in the front of the car. Everywhere I was looking there was destruction. Your mind can't even process that it's real to see that much devastation in front of you. But then as we went to Jabalia, the markets kind of pick up and you see more people around. The really good news from our trip is it appears that within the last few weeks, there's been a lot more commercial food on the market, so there were a lot more people at the markets. My colleagues who have been here a lot longer than I have were explaining that two or three weeks ago, it was a very different place. People were very, very hungry; very scared. There was not a lot available in the market, whereas when we went this weekend, it was very positive to see that that had somewhat shifted. The agencies are going to continue to work together, UNRWA and WFP, to make sure that people in the north do have the food that they need after all of this time. UN News: Was UNRWA able to provide any assistance during this trip to Jabalia? Louise Wateridge: The trip was more of an assessment to review the facilities that UNRWA has. 165 facilities across the Gaza Strip have been attacked or damaged, so we really need some space and some warehouse and distribution areas that we can offload the food and then distribute to the community. So, this trip was an assessment of those facilities to see where we could restore, where we could start using again. There was one warehouse that had bullet holes throughout the roof and some of them had walls missing, so they really are in a very bad way, and they've been very severely damaged. We also visited our colleagues. I was with the Director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, Scott Anderson, and he was talking to and meeting with our colleagues in the north in Jabalia who have been running the health services throughout the whole duration of the war. We have a group of incredible colleagues who have still been going to work every day. They themselves are displaced. I spoke to some of the women in the group and it's devastating. They've all lost something. Many of them have lost more than you can imagine. And they talk about how they have homes now without walls that they're still living in. They really have gone a very long time without food. They discuss the struggles they've had with going to work and serving the community, and then going home to their children in the evening, trying to put food on the table while they're still at work all the time. UN News: Do they feel a little safer now? Louise Wateridge: I don't think anyone feels safe. No, not at all. There was a feeling of slight relief that there was more food available. Even just seeing UNRWA and WFP working together in the north, they were very hopeful for this opportunity that these two organizations will expand the food distribution in the area. But they're tired. They're very tired. They're very scared. They've been through more than we could imagine the last six-and-a-half months. And they are very scared of what tomorrow brings. They are very scared if more military action will happen. They're scared if they'll be displaced again. They're scared of the nights. They explained that they get home with their children and how their children feel at home; the way they sleep together and huddle together in fear. There's just no safety here. No one feels safe. UN News: Tell us about your trip to Khan Younis. Louise Wateridge: We went to Khan Younis on a joint mission with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to sweep the area and assess the area for any potential shrapnel, any potential unexploded ordnance in the UNRWA facilities there. It was devastating to see the facilities that we visited – a training centre, health clinic and two schools. I know all of these facilities from before the war, so it was completely devastating to see the condition that they were in now. And the thing that really shocked me the most was it was very evident how quickly people had fled these facilities. We're talking about four huge UNRWA compounds. There were tens of thousands of people sheltering in these UNRWA facilities, and almost overnight they had to evacuate. There was an Israeli forces’ warning to evacuate Khan Younis and evacuate these UNRWA facilities. Walking around, there were shoes, children's shoes – one here, one there; toothbrushes, hairbrushes, clothes, socks. You could see kind of half-eaten food. And it just seemed that everything had been abandoned very, very quickly. Nobody had the luxury to pack up even what they had there, and it's not like they had an abundance of things with them at this point. And yet, there was still so much left behind. Some of our colleagues in the training centre were sharing their experiences of this situation, saying how terrified they were then, how terrifying it was for everyone sheltering there. They really had to evacuate within a matter of hours. It was devastating to see unmarked graves, even in the corner of our facility in the Khan Younis Training Centre. There were some graves for children. On the wall above one of the children's graves there was a message saying “Marwa, your sister misses you and loves you.” You cannot believe it's a UN facility. You cannot believe that this is a place that people thought they were safe. Walls of the perimeter were completely knocked down. Bullet holes throughout every room, almost every classroom. There was clear damage to the roof that had come through. So, the whole experience in Khan Younis was devastating, really beyond devastating. UN News: I would like to ask you about our colleague Abdullah, the photojournalist who survived the bombardment in the north but had to have his legs amputated. Could you tell us more about his condition? Louise Wateridge: We had some really good news this week that our colleague Abdullah was medically evacuated out of Gaza and is now in Doha, so we're absolutely thrilled. Everyone at UNRWA is so relieved that he and his family are no longer in Gaza. I saw Abdullah on Tuesday, alongside some colleagues who had been visiting him regularly at a field hospital in Rafah. He needed further surgery that wasn't possible in Gaza City due to the facility he was in and the medical supplies that were available, so we're very relieved that he will now be able to receive this treatment. It's been a horrific journey for Abdullah. He was taken to Al-Shifa hospital where he initially received treatment. This hospital was then under siege by Israeli forces for two weeks, and Abdullah was inside for the whole duration. We cannot imagine what Abdullah has been through, and we're all just very relieved and very thankful that he is now getting the treatment that he needs. UN News: Finally, in the beginning of the interview, you said that this is not your first time in Gaza. What comes to mind when you see all of this devastation and reflect on your previous experiences? And what's your message? Louise Wateridge: Gaza to me has always been a wonderful place to work. The colleagues here are some of the best I've ever worked with, not just with UNRWA but anywhere in the world. I feel so privileged to have these colleagues and friends in my life and it's just appalling to see the lives that they are now living. I think for everyone, it's like their life ended and then something else has begun. My colleague Hussein was showing me pictures and videos of his new apartment that he was moving into at the beginning of October. He showed me a video of the building today and it's completely destroyed. Everyone has the same story where they're now sleeping under plastic sheeting; they’re crammed into rooms with all of their family and neighbours. Nobody knows what's coming next. Everybody is visibly tired. I know so many familiar faces here but they all look so different after the last six and a half months. You can just see the suffering a lot of people have been through. They've lost a lot of weight, collectively. Everybody has changed so significantly in what is quite a short amount of time. But they're all wearing this war. And I think the biggest problem is they just don't know what tomorrow brings. There’s a lot of fear for their children. Every day, people wonder if a ceasefire is coming. And that's what everyone's hanging on to.
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01 May 2024
Guterres calls on Israel and Hamas to end Gaza war
“For the sake of the people of Gaza, for the sake of the hostages and their families in Israel and for the sake of the region and the wider world, I strongly encourage the Government of Israel and the Hamas leadership to reach now an agreement,” he said, speaking to journalists in New York.Mr. Guterres expressed fear that without an agreement, “the war, with all its consequences both in Gaza and across the region, will worsen exponentially”.Prevent Rafah escalation Nearly seven months have passed since the brutal Hamas-led attacks on Israel which sparked the current hostilities. Recent weeks have seen airstrikes on the Rafah area in southern Gaza, where more than 1.2 million people are now sheltering with limited access to food, medical care and other services and with nowhere safe to go. Mr. Guterres said a military assault there “would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee”. Furthermore, it would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions in the occupied West Bank and across the wider region.“All members of the Security Council, and many other governments, have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation. I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it,” he said. Avert ‘human-made famine’ Turning to the north, where vulnerable people are already dying of hunger and disease, he urged the international community to “do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable human-made famine”.Although incremental progress has been made, much more is urgently needed, including the promised opening of two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought in from Ashdod Port and Jordan.Lack of security is a major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza, and he stressed that humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel as well as people in need “must not be targets”. “We welcome aid delivery by air and sea, but there is no alternative to the massive use of land routes,” he said, before again calling on Israel to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza, including for the UN’s Palestine relief agency, UNRWA. Health system ‘decimated’ Mr. Guterres also addressed how the war has “decimated” the health system in the enclave, where two thirds of hospitals and health centres are out of commission, while many of those remaining are seriously damaged. “Some hospitals now resemble cemeteries,” he said, voicing deep alarm over reports of the discovery of mass graves at several locations, including at Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals.Mass graves and accountability More than 390 bodies reportedly have been exhumed at Nasser Hospital alone, and “there are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried were unlawfully killed,” he added.The UN chief said it is imperative that independent international forensic investigators are allowed immediate access to these sites to determine the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried or reburied.“The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened, and the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place,” he said.Praise for UNRWAThe Secretary-General ended his remarks by drawing attention to UNRWA and its “irreplaceable and indispensable work” supporting millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.“UNRWA’s presence across the region is a source of hope and stability. Its education, healthcare and other services provide a sense of normality, safety and stability to desperate communities,” he said.The agency recently appealed for $1.2 billion to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to respond to needs in the West Bank, where violence is rising.UNRWA largely depends on donors and some 16 countries halted their contributions earlier this year following Israeli allegations that 12 staff were involved in the 7 October attacks. The UN appointed an independent body to review the agency's efforts to ensure the humanitarian principle of neutrality. The panel, headed by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, recently published its report which found that “the set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system”.Mr. Guterres said an action plan is being put in place to implement the report’s recommendations, and he appealed for cooperation from donors, host countries and staff.Step up supportMeanwhile, most countries that suspended contributions to UNRWA have resumed them, and the Secretary-General said “we are optimistic that others will join.” Additionally, some UN Member States have given to the agency for the first time, while private donors have also provided support.However, as a funding gap persists, he urged Member States and donors to pledge generously to ensure the agency’s work continues. “This is the moment to reaffirm our hope for and contributions to a two-State solution – the only sustainable path to peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region,” he concluded.
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30 April 2024
Gaza at ‘most dangerous’ stage amid huge unexploded weapons risk, warns demining expert
while mine clearance experts warned that the Strip is now at its “most dangerous period”.“This is the most dangerous period; once people start returning to the north, that's when most accidents will occur, because they won't be familiar with where your unexploded ordnance is located,” said Mungo Birch, Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme (UNMAS) in the State of Palestine. “It's important that once the returns start, we're poised and ready to be able to provide the risk education they need.”Speaking on the sidelines of the 27th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers in Geneva, head of UN peacekeeping and mine action Jean-Pierre Lacroix underscored that the Organization stood with UNMAS in its support for “humanitarian efforts, to convoys” and risk assessment.A humanitarian ceasefire remains a “priority”, insisted the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations and Chair of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, along with providing “much more humanitarian assistance to Gaza”, once deminers and weapons experts deem that it is safe to do so.Amid reports that it will take some 14 years to clear Gaza of all the rubble created by the conflict, Mr. Birch noted that there are an estimated 37 million tonnes in total. “To put that in context, that's more rubble than in Ukraine. In Ukraine, the front is 600 miles. Gaza is 25 miles long. It's also 87 per cent urbanised, so it's very densely packed construction.”This includes some 800,000 tonnes of asbestos, “as well as various other contaminants”, he said. “…the problem is there’s more rubble in Gaza than there is space to spread it out,” Mr. Birch continued, describing how Israeli bombing sparked by Hamas-led attacks on Israel and rocket fire led to the destruction.“There were lulls, but the bombardment was like nothing I ever experienced. I was with a colleague who had been in Ukraine, in the Ukrainian security forces, he said the bombardment was worse than anything he'd experienced in the Donbass.”Rubble recyling for ‘the day after’To tackle the issue of rebuilding Gaza after the fighting stops, Mr. Birch noted that recycling of the rubble “will figure heavily” in any reconstruction. “I mean, people are already talking about ‘the day after’, quote unquote, for Gaza,” he added, noting that a “rubble removal” workshop was held two weeks ago in Jordan with UN agencies including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other partners.Despite the astonishing scale of the clearance operation ahead, UNMAS has just $5 million in funding. Another $40 million will be needed over the next 18 months just to start the process of clearance.Worldwide, 60 million people in 60 countries live under constant fear of landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance, said UN peacekeeping chief Lacroix. They “do not know whether they will spend the day without being hit by a mine or an IED and who don't know basically you know whether they will make it to the next day or whether their children or their relatives will make it to the next day - and that is really unacceptable.”
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25 April 2024
UN coordinator in Gaza announces new plan to deliver lifesaving aid
“The operationalisation of the mechanism will allow for pipeline prioritisation, predictability, visibility and tracking of supplies to Gaza,” she told ambassadors.The new plan stemmed from Security Council resolution 2720, adopted in December, which established Ms. Kaag’s position and requested her to forge a UN mechanism to accelerate aid deliveries into the war-torn enclave, which now faces looming famine.Since Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel in October that left 1,200 people dead and 250 taken hostage, Israeli military operations have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as UN and other humanitarian agencies continue to report long delays by Israeli authorities to allow lifesaving aid in at a scale that meets ever growing needs.“As the resolution intended, the mechanism is designed to facilitate and support the work of all humanitarian partners on the ground,” Ms. Kaag said.Monitoring in Gaza starts ‘as soon as possible’The mechanism will initially be applied to the Cyprus and Jordan aid routes, and technical consultations will soon be finalised with Egypt on its route, she said, adding that she has informed Israel about the operationalisation of the mechanism.“Verification and monitoring inside Gaza will commence as soon as possible,” she explained. “In the coming weeks, my office in Gaza will also be operational.”In addition, a database and notification system will go online for all cargo destined for Gaza along supply routes, with the approval for placing international monitors at crossings, inspection and supply points having been requested from relevant authorities, she said.Paradigm shift needed nowThe UN coordinator underlined “the importance of a paradigm shift” to continue to meet the immense needs of the civilian population in a safe and secure manner.That means a further scale up in the quality and quantity of assistance and distribution alongside irreversible steps to enable safe, secure and unhindered delivery inside Gaza as well as planning and timely preparations for early recovery and reconstruction.“There is no substitute for political will to sustain these efforts,” she said, emphasising that aid agencies must be able to move food, medicine and other supplies safely and via all possible routes and crossings, into and throughout every part of Gaza.“Effective humanitarian operations cannot be reduced to counting trucks,” she said. “This is a false metric for gauging whether humanitarian assistance is sufficient, let alone whether it responds to the basic humanitarian requirements.”In this vein, she said the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is “irreplaceable and indispensable as a humanitarian lifeline and must be allowed to deliver on its mandate”.Israel’s commitments to ramp up aid deliveriesIsrael has taken a number of steps to improve aid delivery since it made commitments on 5 April in response to requests by the UN and the international community, the UN Coordinator said.That included an increase in the volume of aid cleared, inspected and crossed into Gaza, the temporary opening of the Erez crossing and the opening of the Ashdod port for humanitarian goods as well as repairing the Nahal Oz water supply line.“Whilst implementation of some measures is ongoing, further definitive and urgent steps are needed to set the course for a sustained flow of humanitarian and commercial goods into Gaza in terms of volume, need and reach,” she said. “Given the scale and scope of destruction and the extent of human suffering every day counts.”Implementation is urgentIn this regard, she said the UN is in contact with the Israeli Government on other measures that need urgent or continuous implementation, including issues pertaining to checkpoint procedures, road repairs and timely clearances to allow humanitarian convoy movements to take place as scheduled.“Implementation is urgent,” she said, adding that her office is establishing a monitoring framework to determine the progress and impact of respective measures taken.Delivering aid at scale requires a functioning humanitarian notification system and improved and direct communications between humanitarians and military decisionmakers on the ground, she said. “Effective and credible deconfliction is vital for all humanitarian actors on the ground.”Air and maritime corridorsWhile air and sea aid deliveries can never be a substitute for land transportation, she said the Cyprus maritime corridor provides for additionality of humanitarian aid to Gaza. UN monitors have been deployed to Cyprus as part of the mechanism outlined in resolution 2720.At the same time, preparations for building a floating port and pier on the shores of Gaza are advancing, with the involvement of the US and other Member States, she said, adding that the UN has outlined the parameters under which it can play a meaningful role in the distribution of aid via this corridor.She said her office proposed a multi-donor funding mechanism in addition to providing Secretariat support to the maritime corridor to ensure full coordination with the operations on the ground in Gaza, noting that several Member States have indicated their intent to phase out air drops in conjunction with scaling up assistance via land and sea.Reconstruction plansThe extent of the destruction and the devastating impact of this war on the entire population call for an ambitious and comprehensive plan of support with commensurate investments, Ms. Kaag said.The recent UN, European Union and World Bank interim disaster assessment illustrates the scale of the damage and the magnitude of investments required across all sectors, including rebuilding and repairing of the more than 84 per cent of destroyed health facilities.Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s message, she said the Palestinian Authority has a critical role to play in Gaza, adding that “the international community must work toward enabling its return, strengthen its governance capacity and prepare it to reassume its responsibilities” in the enclave.Israeli operation in Rafah would compound ongoing catastropheMs. Kaag echoed the UN’s grave concern over the prospect of an Israeli operation in Rafah, where at least 1.2 million people are seeking shelter following evacuation orders months ago.“Such action would compound an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, with consequences for people already displaced and enduring severe hardships and suffering,” she said.In addition, “the UN’s ability to deliver will be constrained,” she added.“Let us remember that behind every statistic is a human story of loss and suffering,” she concluded. “It isour duty to provide protection, support and therefore hope to the Palestinian population in Gaza. It is also our duty to advocate for lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian State.”
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Story
24 April 2024
Mass graves in Gaza show victims’ hands were tied, says UN rights office
prompting renewed concerns about possible war crimes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.The development follows the recovery of hundreds of bodies “buried deep in the ground and covered with waste” over the weekend at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, central Gaza, and at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the north. A total of 283 bodies were recovered at Nasser Hospital, of which 42 were identified. “Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands…tied and stripped of their clothes,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Al-Shifa discoveryCiting the local health authorities in Gaza, Ms. Shamdasani added that more bodies had been found at Al-Shifa Hospital.The large health complex was the enclave’s main tertiary facility before war erupted on 7 October. It was the focus of an Israeli military incursion to root out Hamas militants allegedly operating inside which ended at the beginning of this month. After two weeks of intense clashes, UN humanitarians assessed the site and confirmed on 5 April that Al-Shifa was “an empty shell”, with most equipment reduced to ashes.“Reports suggest that there were 30 Palestinian bodies buried in two graves in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; one in front of the emergency building and the others in front of the dialysis building,” Ms. Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva.The bodies of 12 Palestinians have now been identified from these locations at Al-Shifa, the OHCHR spokesperson continued, but identification has not yet been possible for the remaining individuals. “There are reports that the hands of some of these bodies were also tied,” Ms. Shamdasani said, adding that there could be “many more” victims, “despite the claim by the Israeli Defense Forces to have killed 200 Palestinians during the Al-Shifa medical complex operation”.200 days of horrorSome 200 days since intense Israeli bombardment began in response to Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel, UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed his horror at the destruction of Nasser and Al-Shifa hospitals and the reported discovery of mass graves. “The intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are hors de combat is a war crime,” Mr. Türk said in a call for independent investigations into the deaths.Mounting tollAs of 22 April, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including 14,685 children and 9,670 women, the High Commissioner’s office said, citing the enclave’s health authorities. Another 77,084 have been injured, and over 7,000 others are assumed to be under the rubble. “Every 10 minutes a child is killed or wounded. They are protected under the laws of war, and yet they are ones who are disproportionately paying the ultimate price in this war,” said the High Commissioner. Türk warningThe UN rights chief also reiterated his warning against a full-scale Israeli incursion of Rafah, where an estimated 1.2 million Gazans “have been forcibly cornered”.“The world’s leaders stand united on the imperative of protecting the civilian population trapped in Rafah,” the High Commissioner said in a statement, which also condemned Israeli strikes against Rafah in recent days that mainly killed women and children.This included an attack on an apartment building in the Tal Al Sultan area on 19 April which killed nine Palestinians “including six children and two women”, along with a strike on As Shabora Camp in Rafah a day later that reportedly left four dead, including a girl and a pregnant woman.“The latest images of a premature child taken from the womb of her dying mother, of the adjacent two houses where 15 children and five women were killed, this is beyond warfare,” said Mr. Türk.The High Commissioner decried the “unspeakable suffering” caused by months of warfare and appealed once again for “the resulting misery and destruction, starvation and disease and the risk of wider conflict” to end. Mr. Türk also reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages taken from Israel and those held in arbitrary detention and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid.Massive settler attacks in West BankTurning to the West Bank, the UN rights chief said that grave human rights violations had continued there “unabated”. This was despite international condemnation of “massive settler attacks” between 12 and 14 April “that had been facilitated by the Israeli Security Forces (ISF)”.Settler violence has been organized “with the support, protection, and participation of the ISF”, Mr. Türk insisted, before describing a 50-hour long operation into Nur Shams refugee camp and Tulkarem city starting on 18 April.“The ISF deployed ground troops, bulldozers and drones and sealed the camp. Fourteen Palestinians were killed, three of them children,” the UN rights chief said, noting that 10 ISF members had been injured.In a statement, Mr. Türk also highlighted reports that several Palestinians had been unlawfully killed in the Nur Shams operation “and that the ISF used unarmed Palestinians to shield their forces from attack and killed others in apparent extrajudicial executions”. Dozens were reportedly detained and ill-treated while the ISF “inflicted unprecedented and apparently wanton destruction on the camp and its infrastructure”, the High Commissioner said.
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Story
23 April 2024
Independent review panel releases final report on UNRWA
“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organisations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” according to the 54-page final report, Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.The UN Secretary-General, who received the final report at the weekend, had appointed the independent review group days after Israel announced the allegations against UNRWA, which employees 30,000 people and serves 5.9 million Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and war-torn Gaza.The much-awaited final report found that UNRWA, established by the General Assembly in 1949, has extensive tools in place to ensure it remains unbiased in its work and routinely provides Israel with employee lists and “the Israeli Government has not informed UNRWA of any concerns relating to any UNRWA staff based on these staff lists since 2011.”UNRWA has ‘most elaborate’ rules within UN system“The set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system, precisely because it is such a difficult issue to work in such a complex and sensitive environment,” Catherine Colonna, former French foreign minister and head of the review group, told journalists at UN Headquarters following the report’s launch. “What needs to be improved will be improved. I’m confident that implementing these measures will help UNRWA deliver on its mandate.”Strongly encouraging "the international community to work side by side with the agency so it can perform its mission and overcome the challenges when they are there", she said “this is the purpose of the review.”In its nine-week-long review of existing mechanisms, the group conducted more than 200 interviews, met with Israeli and Palestinian authorities and directly contacted 47 countries and organisations, presenting a set of 50 recommendations on issues ranging from education to fresh vetting processes for recruiting staff.Report steers new UN action planThe report’s recommendations include creating a centralised “neutrality investigations unit”, rolling out an updated Code of Ethics and associated training to all staff, and identifying and implementing additional ways to screen UNRWA applicants at an early stage of the recruitment process.The report also suggested exploring the possibility of third-party monitoring for sensitive projects and establishing a framework with interested donors to ensure transparency.In a statement on Monday, the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson said the UN chief accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna’s report. He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA, with the Secretary-General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the final report.”Claims financially hobbled UNRWAAccording to the review group’s final report, Israel’s claims against UNRWA triggered the suspension of funding amounting to around $450 million.The direct impact of Israel’s allegations swiftly hobbled UNRWA’s ability to continue its work. Operating solely on voluntary donations, UNRWA saw major donors, including the United States, cancelling or suspending funds for the agency.In April, Washington banned funding for UNRWA until at least 2025, but other donors have pledged additional funding or restored their donations.The new report recommended increasing the frequency and strengthening the transparency of UNRWA’s communication with donors on its financial situation and on neutrality allegations and breaches. The review group suggested regular updates and “integrity briefings” for donors interested in supporting UNRWA on integrity and related issues. Findings on UNRWA schoolsThe UN agency delivers on its obligation to ensure neutrality of its 1,000 installations, including schools, healthcare centres and warehouses, according to the report, which also stated that “security and capacity challenges may hamper” existing due diligence mechanisms.The review group said UNRWA “has consistently worked on ensuring neutrality in education” as it provides elementary and preparatory education for 500,000 pupils in 706 schools with 20,000 educational staff, including in Gaza, where right now all children are out of school following attacks destroying the enclave’s education system amid the ongoing conflict.Claims of anti-Semitic textbooksInvestigating “sustained criticism, mainly from Israel”, about the alleged presence of hate speech, incitement to violence and anti-Semitism in Palestinian Authority educational material, the review group examined three major international assessments and studies.The new report showed that two identified bias and non-compliant content, but did not provide evidence of anti-Semitic reference. A third, the Eckert report, identified two examples that displayed anti-Semitic content, but noted that one had already been removed and the other significantly altered.As such, the report recommended several actions, including the review of the content of all textbooks with host countries, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.UNRWA remains a pivotal ‘lifeline’ for PalestineThe report stated that “in the absence of a political solution between Israel and the Palestinians, UNRWA remains pivotal in providing lifesaving humanitarian aid and essential social services, particularly in health and education, to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank” and is “irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and economic development”.“In addition, many view UNRWA as a humanitarian lifeline,” according to the report.The UN chief on Monday said he counted on the cooperation of the donor community, the host countries and the staff to fully cooperate in the implementation of the new report’s final recommendations, the UN Spokesperson said.“Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region,” he said.Other top UN officials have voiced strong support for the agency, calling on donors to reverse funding cuts and allow UNRWA to perform its work, especially in Gaza.In late March, Israel announced it would reject UNRWA’s requests to deliver aid into northern Gaza, where a famine is unfolding as Israeli authorities continue to block or severely delay lifesaving aid shipments, according to UN officials, who launched an appeal last week for emergency funding.Lazzarini: Report will further strengthen UNRWAUNRWA chief Lazzarini welcomed the report’s findings and recommendations.“UNRWA is developing an action plan, with a timeline and budget to take forward the report’s recommendations,” he said in a statement on Monday. He said implementing some of the recommendations will require extensive engagement with staff and partners, including Member States, host nations and donor countries, adding that the UN agency looks forward to cooperating with all concerned stakeholders to implement the recommendations.“UNRWA is firmly dedicated to applying UN values and humanitarian principles,” he said. “The recommendations in this report will further strengthen our efforts and response during one of the most difficult moments in the history of the Palestinian people.”First of two investigationsFollowing Israel’s allegations against UNRWA in late January, the UN agency immediately fired the staff members in question and requested a swift, impartial investigation. The UN chief ordered two.Days later, the Secretary-General appointed an independent review team, led by Ms. Colonna and researched by Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Michelsen Institute in Norway and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, to investigate the UNRWA’s process of ensuring neutrality in its work.At the same time, the UN chief ordered the UN’s top watchdog, the Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS), to investigate the veracity of Israel’s claims against the 12 UNRWA staff members.At the outset, OIOS investigators reached out to Member States concerned, visited UNRWA headquarters in Jordan and reviewed initial information received by the agency from Israeli authorities and from a variety of sources, including that released through the media and other public outlets.That investigation is ongoing.
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Press Release
03 May 2024
Palestinian journalists covering Gaza awarded 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
“In these times of darkness and hopelessness, we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances. As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression.” Mauricio Weibel, Chair of the International Jury of media professionals“Each year, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Prize pays tribute to the courage of journalists facing difficult and dangerous circumstances. Once again this year, the Prize reminds us of the importance of collective action to ensure that journalists around the world can continue to carry out their essential work to inform and investigate.” Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-GeneralThe ongoing conflict in Gaza is having grave consequences for journalists. Since 7 October 2023, UNESCO has condemned and deplored the deaths of 26 journalists and media workers in the line of work, based upon information from its international NGO partners. The Organization is reviewing dozens of other cases.UNESCO supporting journalists in conflict worldwideUNESCO is supporting journalists reporting from conflict and crisis zones. The Organization is distributing essential supplies to journalists in Gaza, and has established safe working spaces and provided emergency grants for journalists in Ukraine and Sudan. UNESCO is also giving protective equipment and training to journalists in Haiti, and supporting independent media in Afghanistan.More broadly, UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, training and by coordinating the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. About the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Created in 1997, the annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize honours an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger. It is the only such prize awarded to journalists within the UN System. It is named for Guillermo Cano Isaza, the Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia, on 17 December 1986, and funded by the Guillermo Cano Isaza Foundation (Colombia), the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland), the Namibia Media Trust, Democracy & Media Foundation Stichting Democratie & Media (The Netherlands), and the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
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Press Release
01 May 2024
Launching of the Sawasya III joint programme in the state of Palestine
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP PAPP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and UNICEF, in partnership with the Palestinian Government, have officially launched Phase III of the Sawasya Joint Programme during its annual Programme Steering Committee Meeting today in Ramallah. The Steering Committee Meeting of the Sawasya III Joint Programme was held jointly under the Co-Chair Chief Justice H.E. Judge Mohammad Al-Oweiwi Co- and Co-Chair of the UNDP/UN Women/UNICEF Joint Programme’s Steering Committee, UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Muhannad Hadi.The steering committee meeting was attended by the Minister of Justice Mr Sharhabeel Zayeem, Supreme Judge H.E Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Minister of Social Development Ms Samah Hamad (PhD), and the Attorney General H.E Akram Al-Khatib as well as the Sawasya Programme respected donors namely the Government of the Netherlands, the Spanish Cooperation for Development, the European Union, the Government of Canada, as well as Sweden as an observer. In addition to implementing representatives from UNDP, UN Women and UNICEF.Phase III of the Sawasya Joint Programme, a five-year programme is designed to reinforce equal access to justice for all Palestinians, particularly focusing on vulnerable groups. The programme is supported by the Government of the Netherlands and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, the European Union, and the Government of Canada, while Sweden remains an observer of the programme for the time being. Building upon the successes of previous phases, Sawasya III seeks to establish a progressively inclusive Palestinian rule of law system, accelerating access to justice within a protective, inclusive, and responsive framework.In 2023, the Palestinian national partners including civil society organizations led significant advancements in justice and human rights in Palestine through Sawasya II. Emphasizing community-based legal aid, the programme witnessed a notable transformation in delivering legal awareness services. This was embodied by 15 local lawyers joining MENA’s first legal incubator in Gaza, where they successfully handled 70 pro-bono cases. Moreover, Sawasya II played a pivotal role in providing crucial legal consultation and representation to more than 11,611 Palestinians, with a notable 75 per cent women and 6 per cent children. Furthermore, enhancements to the Mizan 2 electronic case management system were implemented, significantly improving access to electronic court services.The Sawasya III Joint Programme Annual Work Plan for the year 2024 was endorsed and approved during the launching ceremony by members of the steering committee.
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Press Release
06 April 2024
Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mr. Jamie McGoldrick
Nearly 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes, many of them multiple times. Half of all people in Gaza are at risk of imminent famine, and child malnutrition has reached levels never before seen in Gaza.The situation is simply catastrophic.In recent days, Israel has acknowledged the immense scale of suffering in Gaza and its ability to facilitate the increase of humanitarian assistance to people in need. This is a welcome development, notably the several commitments that Israel has made in response to our repeated requests:A better functioning coordination cell will be established that links humanitarians directly with the IDF Southern Command.Plans to open Erez Crossing temporarily to move much needed food, water and sanitation items, shelter and health materials from Ashdod port.Plans to increase the number of trucks entering through the Allenby Bridge crossing towards Gaza from 25 to at least 50 per day.Intent to expand operating hours of Kerem Shalom and Nitsana crossings, while anticipating an increase in the number of trucks scanned by an additional 100 trucks per day.Deployment of additional scanner and staff capacity at Kerem Shalom crossing to accelerate the transfer of aid into Gaza.Assurance for approvals to activate 20 bakeries in North Gaza.Approval for the Nahal Oz water line in North Gaza to restart.As I have stated previously, the humanitarian community is prepared to scale-up assistance in Gaza, but this requires better security, greater access, and more reliable facilitation from Israeli authorities.We stand ready to work with all parties to alleviate the suffering of people in Gaza.
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Press Release
03 April 2024
Joint World Bank and UN Report Assesses Damage to Gaza’s Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, March 28, 2024 – The cost of damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza is estimated at around $18.5 billion according to a new report released today by the World Bank Group and the United Nations, with the financial support of the European Union. That is equivalent to 97% of the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022. The Interim Damage Assessment report used remote data collection sources to measure damage to physical infrastructure in critical sectors incurred between October 2023 and end of January 2024. The report finds that damage to structures affects every sector of the economy. Housing alone accounts for 73% of the identified cost. Public service infrastructure such as water, health and education account for 18%, and damages to commercial and industrial buildings account for 9%. For several sectors, the rate of damage appears to be leveling off as few assets remain intact. An estimated 26 million tons of debris and rubble have been left in the wake of the destruction, an amount that will take years to remove. The report also looks at the devastating impact on the people of Gaza. More than half the population of Gaza is on the brink of famine and the entire population is experiencing acute food insecurity and malnutrition. Over a million people have been left without homes and 75% of the population is displaced. The severe cumulative impacts on physical and mental health have hit women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities the hardest, with the youngest children facing life-long consequences to their development. With 84% of health facilities damaged or destroyed, and a lack of electricity and water to operate remaining facilities, people have minimal access to health care, medicine, or life-saving treatments. The water and sanitation system has nearly collapsed, delivering less than 5% of its previous output, with people dependent on limited water rations for survival. The education system has completely collapsed, with 100% of children out of school. The report also points to the impact on power networks as well as solar generated systems and the almost total power blackout since the first week of the conflict. This has had widespread effect on day-to-day life in Gaza. With 92% of primary roads destroyed or damaged and the communications infrastructure seriously impaired, the delivery of basic humanitarian aid to people has become all the more difficult. __________________________________________________________________________________About the Gaza Interim Damage Assessment Report The Gaza Interim Damage Assessment report provides a preliminary estimate of the impact of the on-going conflict in the Gaza Strip up to the end of January 2024. This technical report draws on remote data collection sources and analytics to provide a preliminary estimate of damages to physical structures in Gaza from the conflict. The estimate does not include the economic and social losses nor the financing needs for recovery and reconstruction the cost of which is expected to be multiple times higher based on experience in post-disaster and post-conflict settings. A comprehensive Rapid Damage & Needs Assessment (RDNA) will be completed as soon as the situation allows and in which the total amount of damages, losses and needs are expected to rise exponentially. RDNAs follow a globally recognized methodology that has been applied in multiple contexts to inform recovery and reconstruction planning.
Media Contacts: World Bank Group In West Bank: Mary Koussa - (972) 2-2366500; mkoussa@worldbank.org In Washington: Serene Jweied - (202) 473-8764; sjweied@worldbank.org United Nations In West Bank: Murad Bakri – (972) 2-5687287; bakri1@un.org
Media Contacts: World Bank Group In West Bank: Mary Koussa - (972) 2-2366500; mkoussa@worldbank.org In Washington: Serene Jweied - (202) 473-8764; sjweied@worldbank.org United Nations In West Bank: Murad Bakri – (972) 2-5687287; bakri1@un.org
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Press Release
08 March 2024
UN Human Rights Chief deplores new moves to expand Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank
“Reports this week that Israel plans to build a further 3,476 settler homes in Maale Adumim, Efrat and Kedar fly in the face of international law,” Türk said.In a report to the Human Rights Council, Türk said that the establishment and continuing expansion of settlements amount to the transfer by Israel of its own civilian population into the territories that it occupies, which amounts to a war crime under international law.The size of existing Israeli settlements has expanded markedly, says the report which covers the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023. About 24,300 housing units within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank were advanced during this period, the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017. This included approximately 9,670 units in East Jerusalem.The report finds that the policies of the current Israeli Government appear aligned, to an unprecedented extent, with the goals of the Israeli settler movement to expand long-term control over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to steadily integrate this occupied territory into the State of Israel.“They also run counter to the views of a broad range of States laid out during hearings just two weeks ago at the International Court of Justice,” the High Commissioner said, referring to the hearings examining the legal consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.The establishment and continuing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements are occurring alongside the displacement of Palestinians through Israeli settler and state violence, as well as through forced evictions, non-issuance of building permits, home demolitions and movement restrictions for Palestinians.“The West Bank is already in crisis. Yet, settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian State,” Türk said.The report highlights the dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly since 7 October, 2023, which is accelerating Palestinians’ displacement from their land.Latest UN figures show that, since 7 October, there have been 603 settler attacks against Palestinians. A total of 1,222 Palestinians from 19 herding communities have been displaced as a direct result of settler violence. Since 7 October, the UN Human Rights Office has documented nine Palestinians killed by settlers using firearms. A further 396 have been killed by Israeli security forces, and two killed by either Israeli security forces or settlers.Since 7 October, 592 people, including 282 children, have been displaced in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, after their homes were demolished due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain.The report says that since 7 October, the UN Human Rights Office has documented dozens of cases of settlers wearing full or partial Israeli army uniforms and carrying army rifles, and harassing and attacking Palestinians. These developments have also further blurred the line between settler violence and state violence, including violence with the declared intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians from their land, it states.“Israel’s actions against the Palestinian population must cease immediately. The only way forward is to find a viable political solution that finally ends the occupation, establishes an independent Palestinian state and guarantees the realization of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people,” said Türk.To read the full report, please click here
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