The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights briefing by Ajith Sunghay on Gaza
Ajith Sunghay, who heads the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, was speaking after a visit to Gaza last week. In Khan Younis he had met people who had fled their homes to seek shelter in overcrowded, makeshift camps.
“In Rafah, I saw displaced people who had been ordered by Israeli authorities to leave their homes, with no provision for their accommodation, literally living on the street, with sewage running in the streets and conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order,” Sunghay added.
“And even in the midst of it all, human rights and humanitarian NGOs, our counterparts in Gaza, continue their courageous work, trying to make sure human rights violations are properly documented and humanitarian response continues – even as their own lives fall apart,” he said.
Over the past few days, there have been near continuous attacks, including on medical facilities and schools in Khan Younis, UN facilities, as well as residential areas.
“The people I spoke to fear the extreme violence is spilling into Rafah – which will have catastrophic implications for the more than 1.3 million people already crowded there,” Sunghay warned.
Shelling by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) continues in areas unilaterally designated as “safe” areas, including Al Mawasi in western Khan Younis.
“Having personally witnessed and heard the testimonies of those who have endured so much pain and suffering, I am very, very worried. I fear that many more civilians will die. The continued attacks on specifically protected facilities, such as hospitals, will kill civilians, and there will be a further, massive impact on access to health care, safety and security in general of Palestinians,” said Sunghay.
The apparent disregard for international law needs to end, Sunghay stressed.. The violence needs to end. Humanitarian aid needs to be delivered without impediment to all those who need it.
The UN Human Rights Office has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the need for a political solution that respects and ensures the rights of all Palestinians and Israelis.
In Geneva:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
Jeremy Laurence - + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ajith Sunghay on “catastrophic situation” for civilians in Gaza
TRT: 01:35
SOURCE: OHCHR/UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 January 26, 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot:
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR): “In Rafah, I saw displaced people who had been ordered by Israeli authorities to leave their homes, with no provision for their accommodation, literally living on the street, with sewage running in the streets and conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR): “And even in the midst of it all, human rights and humanitarian NGOs, our counterparts in Gaza, continue their courageous work, trying to make sure human rights violations are properly documented and humanitarian response continues – even as their own lives fall apart.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR): “The people I spoke to fear the extreme violence is spilling into Rafah – which will have catastrophic implications for the more than 1.3 million people already crowded there. ”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ajith Sunghay, Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR): “Having personally witnessed and heard the testimonies of those who have endured so much pain and suffering, I am very, very worried. I fear that many more civilians will die. The continued attacks on specifically protected facilities, such as hospitals, will kill civilians, and there will be a further, massive impact on access to health care, safety and security in general of Palestinians.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , OCHA , UNOG
UN agencies offered a dire assessment on Tuesday about the global impact of deep cuts to grassroots humanitarian funding by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , UNECE , UNFPA , UNRWA , UNWOMEN , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Women, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the Human Rights Council and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
While West Bank camp is destroyed, UNRWA delivers bulk of aid in Gaza
Large swathes of Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have been completely destroyed following a series of controlled detonations by the Israeli security forces (ISF), the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday raised the alarm about the growing human rights crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and the head of UN Human Rights Myanmar team James Rodehaver, describedunprecedented levels of killing in 2024, four years since the coup.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNOG , UNRWA , WFP , WHO
Rolando Gómez, from the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing. In attendance were spokespersons or representatives of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNRWA
The largest UN agency in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNRWA, said on Friday that its staff are still helping the people of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem who depend on them “for their sheer survival”, a day after the Israeli parliament ban on its activities entered into force.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , ICRC , WHO , WFP , UNHCR , OHCHR , UNECE
Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WFP , WHO
Goma: ‘Critical’ moment for population caught in crossfire – UN humanitarians
In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), civilians caught up in heavy fighting face a “critical” 24 hours, with food and water running low and aid unable to enter, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
Nazi death camp survivor Ivan Lefkovits shared harrowing testimony of his experiences on Monday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a timeless message for present and future generations: “Don't be neutral, especially not towards human suffering."
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said it was “deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank”, as part of an ongoing Israeli military operation.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“We are deeply alarmed at the heightened risk of an attack by the M23 armed group on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” Ravina Shamdasani said.