UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

4 October 2024


One year of conflict in Gaza

Dr. Michel Thieren, World Health Organization (WHO) Special Representative in Israel, speaking from Tel Aviv, said Monday marked one year since the 7 October massacre and one year of captivity for the 101 hostages. For ten million Israelis, it was a year which saw 19,000 rockets fired towards the country. WHO had verified 68 attacks on healthcare with 24 dead. The one year would mark a year of collective trauma which had doubled, and in some cases tripled the need for mental health care. The entire health system of the north of Israel, including the third largest city, Haifa, was operating underground, in reconfigured shelters and parking, representing complex working and living conditions for thousands of patients and health workers. There was an immense reliance on the health system in Israel but at a great human cost. For WHO in Israel, 7 October marked one year of support to the families of hostages and those displaced and one year of emergency mental health interventions for the most vulnerable and the first responders. It was one year of reporting on Israeli’s realities and one year of continued humanitarian bridging and dialogue. No one in Israel would heal without the return of the 101 hostages. The suffering in Israel needed to stop.

Dr. Ayadil Saparbekov, World Health Organization (WHO) lead for emergencies in the occupied Palestinian territory, speaking from Jerusalem, said it had been 12 months and the hostilities in Gaza continued to rage. Over 6 percent of the population of the entire Gaza Strip had been killed or injured, and an estimated 10,000 people remained trapped under the rubble. The health system of the Gaza Strip had suffered immensely from the repeated attacks and from the ongoing shortage of supplies, medicine, fuel and staff. Since October 2023, at least 516 attacks on healthcare in Gaza had been recorded which resulted in 765 deaths. Only half of the hospitals in Gaza were partially operational, and only 43 percent of the primary health care facilities in the Gaza Strip were functioning. The working hospitals that remained open provided a bed capacity of only 1,800 beds, supplemented by around 650 beds in ten operational field hospitals by emergency medical teams. According to the Ministry of Health, around 1,000 health workers had been killed. Al-Shifa, which was once the Gaza's largest hospital, had not yet returned to its former state despite best efforts by local partners. Dr. Saparbekov had heard horrendous stories including a surgeon who conducted his own at home amputation with a kitchen knife because there was no safe access to hospitals. Gaza's only reconstruction centre in Nasr Hospital was no longer functioning.

WHO estimated that around 24,000 people in Gaza were suffering from life changing injuries due to the conflict, and they had no access to rehabilitation. The impact of the conflict on mental health and the psychosocial social status of people in Gaza was deeply concerning. Prior to the conflict, there were almost half a million people who had already been diagnosed with mental health disorders. Malnutrition was another concern. Since January this year, more than 20,000 people had been admitted for the treatment of malnutrition, including more than 4,500 children with severe acute malnutrition. Over 96 percent of women and children aged 6 to 24 months were not meeting their nutritional needs due to lack of diet, diversity. Pregnant women and new mothers were enduring unbearable conditions, unable to access hospital due to the constant displacement.

The medical evacuation out of Gaza remained severely limited. Out of more than 15,000 cases requested for medical evacuation, only 32 percent had been approved by the Israeli authorities. Only 219 patients out of 5,130 patients had been evacuated out of the Gaza Strip since the closure of Rafah crossing. WHO urgently called for the establishment of multiple medical corridors to ensure the safe, organized, and timely passage of patients. Out of 214 missions planned within the Gaza Strip since October 2023, only 44 percent had been facilitated. Together with partners, WHO had vaccinated 560,000 children in the first round of the polio campaign. WHO called for safe access to health facilities and to sustain aid flow into and across Gaza. Dr. Saparbekov commended the resilience of Gaza's health workers and called for a cease fire.

Responding to questions, Dr. Thieren said thousands were being treated in the reconfigured underground shelters. He had seen an entire parking lot with between 500 and 700 beds. It was hard to count the exact number of healthcare workers and patients operating underground.

Responding to questions, Dr. Saparbekov, said WHO did not have any information on uranium bombs in Gaza. This was not part of their mandate. Dr. Thieren said the risk of polio in Israel could not be discarded. The risk was taken seriously, and it was important to be careful.

Dr. Saparbekov said there were ongoing discussions with Israeli authorities, the Ministry of Health, and partners on the ground about the second round of the polio campaign. WHO had requested the second round of the polio campaign on 14 October and expected it to end on 29 October. They had communicated these dates to the Israeli authorities and would have a meeting this Sunday [6 October] to see if they were confirmed. For the second round of the polio campaign, it was estimated that over 500,000 of children between 0 and ten years old would be vaccinated. They would also receive a dose of vitamin A. There had been only one ten-month-old child in Gaza who had circulated the polio virus. Additional samples had been given to the lab and it was expected the results would be available in the next fortnight. The Israeli authorities seemed to be committed to those tactical pauses and this would be confirmed shortly.

Responding to further questions, Dr. Thieren said there were 7,600 people who had been injured and there had been 68 attacks on health, resulting in 24 deaths. He did not have a disaggregated number for those in the north.

Responding to questions, Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) reminded everyone that the Secretary-General had repeatedly called for an immediate cease fire, the release of hostages and the facilitation of humanitarian assistance, including medical aid.

Responding to further questions, Dr. Thieren said there was hope for peace among the people of Israel and that the hostages would be returned, which was central to the humanitarian debate.

Responding to further questions Dr. Saparbekov, said 41,689 people had been killed. The estimated 10,000 people buried under the rubble was a separate figure from the number of people killed.

Crisis in Lebanon

Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for the Middle East and North Africa, speaking from Amman, said the intensifying Israeli airstrikes and orders to evacuate for people in southern Lebanon were forcing more families in the country out of their homes. To date, most of the displacement in Lebanon was internal and within the country. The Government estimated up to a million people had fled to places across Lebanon, and more than 185,000 people had chosen to cross the border to Syria. The Israeli airstrikes overnight, targeting the road in the “no man's land”, at the border crossing had put a halt on traffic, closing off the route for vehicles. This was the main entry point for tens of thousands of people. There were still three other border crossings that were open and operational, but this was the main one. Most of the nearly 900 Government established collective shelters in Lebanon had no more capacity to host those displaced on the streets of Beirut. UNHCR was working with humanitarian partners and Lebanese authorities to urgently meet and meet the needs of those displaced.

Since October 2023, UNHCR had distributed more than 223,000 items for individuals in need, and 70,000 individuals had received multi-purpose cash assistance. UNHCR continued to repair or support collective shelters and had expanded its hospital network to 42 hospitals across Lebanon, allowing for broader coverage. Now, as the humanitarian situation continued to deteriorate, UNHCR was working to reinforce its supplies of much needed relief items to meet the increasing needs. However, the volatile security situation and ongoing Israeli air strikes were disrupting relief supplies, including an airlift carrying medical trauma kits. A shipment of over 20,000 thermal blankets was also delayed. The Syrian authorities had kept the border open for people to enter from Lebanon. UNHCR, with its partners, were on site at official border crossing points to support those crossing into Syria with water, food items, blankets, legal assistance on issues such as documentation. 60 percent of the new arrivals were children and adolescents, and some children arrived unaccompanied. UNHCR was also supporting hosting centres across Damascus with relief items as well. The agency was continuing to support the authorities in transporting thousands of the most vulnerable from the borders to their final destinations. UNHCR had opened more than 110 community centres in Syria, to support those who had newly arrived, and other vulnerable populations. Some were now fleeing Lebanon to Iraq. According to the Ministry of Interior in Iraq, over 5,000 people had arrived since 1 September 2020.

The humanitarian response was severely underfunded, both in Lebanon and in Syria. The inter-agency pledge for Lebanon was launched on 1 October in Beirut, aiming to mobilize more than 425 million to deliver lifesaving assistance to 1 million people. UNHCR operations were only around 27 percent funded and the agency was appealing for more resources to meet additional needs. The international community needed to step up to support all those displaced as a result of this conflict. UNHCR reiterated the Secretary-General's call for urgent de-escalation and called on all parties to ensure humanitarian workers had safe access to civilians in need of support.

Mathieu Luciano, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Head of Office in Lebanon, speaking from Beirut, said as of 2 October, IOM had identified over half a million internally displaced persons, with 400,000 displaced in just the last two weeks. Of these, more than 165,000 were living in 820 collective shelters across the country. These numbers continued to rise as heavy shelling continued in the South, the Bekaa Valley, Beirut and other regions. Between 23 September and 3 October, 235,000 individuals crossed into Syria by land - 82,000 Lebanese and 152,000 Syrians. During this same period, 50,000 people departed from Beirut airport, and 1,060 individuals fled by sea. However, at around 5 a.m. this morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Lebanese border crossing at Masnaa with Syria, closing the international road connecting the two countries. This route, used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombings in recent days, had now been cut off. As the conflict intensified, IOM had launched a Flash Appeal to raise USD 32.5 million to assist 400,000 people affected by the crisis over the next three months. Since October 2023, IOM had scaled up its immediate lifesaving assistance, providing essential relief items like blankets, mattresses, kitchen sets, and solar lamps, as well as protection services and health support, and was assisting partners by tracking internal displacement. IOM’s emergency response teams were delivering aid across Beirut, Mount Lebanon, the North, the Beqaa Valley, the South, and at the Syrian border. IOM had successfully relocated many of our national staff, and all IOM staff members were safe.

Mr. Luciano highlighted the plight of Lebanon’s 180,000 migrant workers, many of whom were female domestic workers, coming from Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Sudan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. IOM were receiving increasing reports of migrant domestic workers being abandoned by their Lebanese employers, either left on the streets or in homes across the country. Many had been forced to flee and faced limited shelter options. IOM had also received increased requests from migrants seeking assistance to return home, and from several countries to help evacuate their citizens. This would require significant funding, which was currently not available. Mr. Luciano stressed the importance of an inclusive response. IOM called on the international community to provide the necessary resources to ensure the safety and dignity of displaced families. The IOM appeal was part of a larger, coordinated effort with UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to scale up response efforts in Lebanon.

Christian Cardon, for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said in a few days the international community would be commemorating what was still happening in the Gaza Strip. People in Gaza were no longer living but just trying to survive. Everybody was affected. Killings, injuries, displacement, panic, and distress continued to spread. The ICRC called on all parties to protect civilians, and ensure they were spared from attacks. Hospitals must be spared from attacks. The use of explosive weapons in populated areas should stop due to their dramatic effects on the population. Respecting these basic rules could facilitate the road to de-escalation. Those fighting including Hezbollah, the Israeli authorities and Hamas should respect these basic rules, as should those who had influence on them. The ICRC was focussed on the health response and had been working on preparing health facilities and workers for a massive influx of people. A cargo plane was currently on its way to Beirut with significant medical assistance. If the situation continued to spread, there would be major challenges in the response.

Responding to questions, Mr. Cardon said the ICRC was supporting health facilities across the country, with a clear focus on the south of Lebanon and Beirut. Currently all actors were still present on the ground. The ICRC was preparing for the worst regarding the medical facilities capability to cope with the situation.

Responding to questions, Ms. Amin, said before the conflict many Lebanese people in the region had obstacles which were preventing their return. Refugees were being forced to make a difficult choice; to stay in Lebanon and risk their lives or to go back to Syria across the border. This was a good reminder of the suffering and hardship faced by Syrian refugees over the past 13 years. They were now reliving this again. UNHCR was trying to follow-up with them in the destinations where they went. UNHCR had been working with different stakeholders to address to obstacles being faced by refugees.

Responding to further questions, Ms. Amin said there had been two strikes and a crater had been created in the Masnaa crossing. It was now difficult for vehicles to travel through this road. Some people had walked through the destroyed road to cross into Syria because they were desperate. There were three border crossings which were open and still operational, but the Masnaa was the main crossing people had been using. The established shelters seemed to be at full capacity. UNHCR was working with the Government to find alternative solutions. UNCHR was trying to find ways to find makeshift shelters, but there were no plans to establish refugee camps.

Responding to questions, Mr. Gómez said they did not have the specific numbers of those killed in Lebanon at present. The protection of civilians, as well as UN staff and humanitarian workers, was of paramount importance. He added that the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon – UNFIL – remained in position and was doing its best to deliver its mandate. If numbers became available, they would be shared.

Ms. Amin said there was a variance in figures because they were relying on different sources. People were crossing through borders, but also in other ways and the exact figure had not been captured.

Responding to questions, Mr. Luciano said the sources were the reason for the discrepancies in numbers. IOM’s latest figures from the Lebanese authorities were 235,000 people crossing the border. There were 18 Government-led shelters in the country, with most of them at full capacity. One of the priorities was to work with the Government to identify new sites which could be used as shelters. Most of the shelters were schools which disrupted education, so it was not ideal. There were also spontaneous shelters in private facilities where internally displaced people were staying. IOM was trying to track these as well to ensure they could assess and respond to their needs. Lebanon relied heavily on migrant workers. There were 170,000 migrant workers who came mostly from Egypt, Sudan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, who were predominately women. Migrant workers were particularly vulnerable to all the crises faced by Lebanon. Most of them were live-in domestic workers. IOM was working to ensure migrants were included and considered in humanitarian and response efforts.

Responding to further questions, Ms. Amin said the other border crossings were operational and people were using them. People were crossing to the Syrian side on foot which was a testimony to the high levels of fear and panic.

Ms. Amin also said the Syrian Government had waived the processing fee of 100 dollars for one week and UNHCR was advocating for this to be extended.

FAO Food Price Index

Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, for the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), speaking from Rome, said the FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) was released this morning. The index increased by 3 percent in September compared to its August levels, marking the largest month-on-month increase since March 2022. Price quotations for all commodities included in the index strengthened, with the increases ranging from 0.4 percent for the meat price index to 10.4 percent for sugar. Compared to historical levels, the FFPI in September was 2.1 percent higher than its corresponding value a year ago but 22.4 percent below its peak of 160.3 points reached in March 2022.

The full report is available here.

Human Rights Council

Pascal Sim, for the Human Rights Council, said the Council would begin the last item of its agenda today, dedicated to technical assistance and capacity building, where 10 countries would be considered. At around 11:15 am the Council would hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on the nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands. At around 3:30 p.m., the Council would hear an oral update on the situation in South Sudan. On Monday, the Council would hear reports from the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, the Independent Expert on Somalia, the Independent Expert on and the Central African Republic, as well as a report from the UN Human Rights Office on Penitentiary System Security and Justice in Honduras. On Tuesday morning, the Council would hold an enhanced interactive dialog on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All the draft text for consideration for adoption had been received; a total of 38 draft texts, one presidential statement, and 37 draft resolutions. Four of the draft resolutions were new initiatives and around one third concerned countries situations, with several of the draft resolutions requesting a renewal of mandates for investigations and experts. Mr. Sims hoped to be able to share the full list of draft texts this afternoon.

Responding to a question on whether any events were taking place on 7 October in view of the one-year mark since the start of the conflict in Gaza, Mr. Sims said so far, no request had been received to mark this anniversary, but he strongly advised journalists to be ready for the beginning of the session at 10am.

ILO Bulletin on the impact of the war in Gaza on the labour market

Sophie Fisher, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), said on Monday the ILO would receive the fifth and latest of its series of bulletins on the unemployment and livelihood situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, titled “A Year of War in Gaza Impact on Employment and Livelihoods in the West Bank.” The report would be released at 11am Geneva time, 12pm Beirut time. Unfortunately, they would not be able to provide advanced copies as the report was not ready yet. The report would cover the period from October 2023 to September 2024. It would be released to the press in Beirut and in Geneva and interviews would hopefully be available.

Responding to questions, Ms. Fisher said the report would be available only at 11am. There was no embargo on the report once it was released to media.

Responding to further questions on levels of poverty of people Lebanese people and migrants in Lebanon, Ms. Fisher said she would request information and respond.

Announcements

Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) said the Committee on Enforced Disappearances would conclude its 27^th session this afternoon, issuing concluding observations on Ukraine, Morocco, and Norway.On 7 October, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women would open its 89^th session, reviewing the reports of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Saudia Arabia, New Zealand, Chile, Canada, Japan, Cuba, and Benin.

A press conference from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was scheduled to take place Monday, 7 October, at 10am with Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the WMO, who would brief on the launch of the State of the Global Water Resources report.

Monday, 7 October, was World Habitat Day. This year’s theme highlighted the vital role of young people in creating a better urban future.