The United Nations Office at Geneva
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Bi-weekly Press Briefing 12 December 2023
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PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
12 December 2023
Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the World Health Organization.
Update on health issues in Gaza
Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, speaking from Gaza, said in just 66 days, the health system had gone from 36 functional hospitals, to 11 partially functional hospitals; 1 in the north and 10 in the south. Just 29 percent of primary health care facilities were partially functional. Dr. Peeperkorn had visited most of the hospitals in the South, where WHO had delivered essential medical and trauma supplies, also al-Ahli Arab Hospital, in the north on December 9. The North of Gaza looked like a wasteland and the devastation was enormous. A convoy had come through with six Palestinian Red Crescent Ambulances, two UN vehicles, an OCHA [Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs] vehicle, and a truck filled with medical supplies. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital was the only partially functional hospital in the north. Mr. Peeperkorn said he had never seen scenes like this. Typically, this was an 80- bed hospital, yet there were more than 250 patients. The hospital grounds were full of internally displaced persons, with trauma patients and dead people on donkey carts. Every room, corridor and courtyard was filled with patients. It was utter chaos and a humanitarian disaster zone. The hospital was relying heavily on volunteers who were doing an amazing job. However, many of the seriously injured patients could hardly receive the nursing care they required. Many serious cases were being treated on the floors, in the corridor and in the chapel. Al-Aqsa Hospital was one of the better functional hospitals; usually it was a hospital for 200 patients but there were over 600 there currently, as well as internally displaced persons. WHO were trying to get more staff in to coordinate. All efforts needed to be made to keep current hospitals functional and to restore the health care system. It was important to get the primary health care system functional again.
Responding to questions, Dr. Peeperkorn, said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), together with WHO tried to get an assessment of the spread of disease. There was an enormous influx of internally displaced people, particularly in the Rafah area. The UNRWA shelters were completely full, and makeshift shelters could be seen everywhere. There had been more than 160,000 cases of acute respiratory infections, more than 60,000 cases of diarrhoea, and over 39,000 cases of skin diseases. There were also cases of jaundice, multiple traumas, spinal injuries and burns, among other injuries.
Providing aid in Gaza was incredibly complex and the needs were enormous. WHO was committed to stay and deliver and were doing everything possible to support the people of Gaza. 19 critical patients had been transferred from Al-Ahli Hospital, to the south of Gaza, where they could receive better treatment. The journey was extremely dangerous. On the way north, a Palestinian Red Crescent Society staff member was made to kneel at the checkpoint at gunpoint and taken out of sight. Finally, he returned, and the mission could move on. On the way south, the UN truck was again stopped at the Gaza check point and the same staff member was taken for interrogation. Numerous steps were taken to coordinate his release, but after over two and a half hours, a difficult decision was made to continue moving onwards without the staff member. The staff member was released later that night, following UN negotiations. He stated that he had been subject to humiliating and inhumane treatment.
Rolando Gómez for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) drew attention to the latest UNRWA update which stated that 134 UNWRA colleagues had been killed, with 1.1 million internally displaced persons sheltering in 154 UNRWA facilities.
Responding to further questions, Dr. Peeperkorn said he could not give exact figures on the number of children who had had limbs amputated. WHO needed a better overview, in collaboration with UNICEF, to answer these questions. Among the fatalities, there were an enormous number of women and children.
Dr. Peeperkorn said he didn’t see many people moving up north, but rather many people moving down south. The WHO convoys had been completely swarmed whenever they drove through, by people thinking they had food and water. Before the crisis, Gaza had 3,500 beds and a reasonable functional health system; now there were less than 1,500. WHO was very concerned; they could not afford to lose any more hospital beds. The south was now the backbone of the health system. Al-Shifa needed to be functional again; there were still many people in the north. WHO needed to be expanded and restore the functionality of the system. There were concerning stories about sieges and attacks on hospitals. Healthcare should always be protected and should never be a target.
The delays had been at military checkpoints; humanitarian actors were there to assist and needed to do so in a much more effective way. It became difficult to move safely and swiftly, and the delays meant less time at the hospitals on the other side. WHO hoped to receive updates on the four people, three from the Ministry of Health and one from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who had also been detained during the Al-Shifa mission. The fact that their whereabouts were unknown was unacceptable and extremely concerning.
As of December 11, 18,209 had been killed and 49,645 injured with over 70 per cent being women and children. Kamal Adwan hospital had a limited number of patients and staff; WHO had not been ablet to access this hospital. Shifa Hospital was the best option to start functioning again and to expand the health services in the North for those in need.
Dr. Peeperkorn said WHO relied on figures from the Ministry of Health, and gathered their own statistics. From past experience, statistics had always been very well managed and reliable in Palestine. There was also a report and analysis on this topic in The Lancet. Hardly any hospitals were fully functional.
Responding to questions, Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the Ministry of Health reported that the Kamal Adwan hospital was being forcefully evacuated. There were currently 68 patients inside the hospital, as well as 18 ICU patients, including six neonates. This put another hospital out of use and put patients out on the street. There was one partially functioning hospital in the north of Gaza and 10 in the South; there were no hospitals that were fully functioning.
Mr. Gómez remined the media that regular UNRWA updates and daily OCHA updates were being shared on the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, which should be consulted for the latest figures.
Announcements
Rolando Gómez for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) said events were taking place in Geneva today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights. A statement by the High Commissioner from the opening of the high-level event this morning had been shared with the media.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was in Dubai, where he was attending COP28; speaking to the media yesterday, he said now was the time for maximum ambition and maximum flexibility. The COP was scheduled to finish today, and the Secretary-General would remain in Dubai for the closing.
A statement by the Security Council strongly condemned the violence in Warrap State in South Sudan which claimed approximately 75 lives in November and 10 lives already in December. The Security Council was meeting publicly at 3 p.m. New York time today, to discuss the situation of Sudan and South Sudan.
No human rights treaty body meetings were taking place today. The Global Refugee Forum would take place at Palexpo, tomorrow through to Friday. The Forum was convened by five States, Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan, and Uganda, and co-hosted by the Swiss Government.
Today at 1 p.m., the Permanent Mission of Israel would hold a press stake out with Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar.
Also today, there would be a press stakeout by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at 18:30 p.m. when UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk would deliver closing remarks to the press at the end of the two-day High-Level Event, marking 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On Thursday, 14 December at 10:30 p.m, a European Union Press Conference would be held at Palexpo, at the Global Refugee Forum, to underscore the EU resettlement pledge 2024-2025.
Responding to questions, Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization (WHO), said there was no information about whether Dr. Tedros would address the human rights high-level event in Geneva.
Teleprompter
OK, thank you very much.
I think Doctor Peter Corn is has joined us from WHO.
That said, I think we could start our regular press briefing today the 12th of December.
I'd like to welcome you all to this all virtual meeting.
We are resorting to this format exceptionally today, given the many goings on here at Geneva into hopefully facilitating your work.
However, we want to make sure we have a sharp focus on the situation field, particularly situation in Gaza.
We're very pleased to have back with us today Doctor Richard Peppercorn, who you know well, The Who representative on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from speaking from Gaza.
I think maybe Christian, if Christian's online, maybe you'd like to start off if there's something you wanted to add before we turn to Doctor P Perkoin, Christian.
Well, thank you very much, Rolando.
Thanks everyone.
Yeah, great to have Doctor Richard Pipicon available today.
We sent out a press release just this morning.
So the, the, the, the updates are really hot and glad to have him right here.
As you know, he's called talking from Gaza, so the, the, the connection might be unstable.
He warned us before, so we'll see how far we get.
We'll also try to share any specific talking points, at least the the main figures or or names of hospitals, whatever that we're talking about, so that you have those in writing as soon as we can share.
And with that, thank you very much.
And back to you, Fernando.
Great.
Thank you, Christian, over to Doctor.
Thank you very much.
Good morning as well.
I would like to start on the hospital functionality and everything related to that.
Understand the press statement came out just now.
So I'm sure we're getting some questions on that as well.
But let's focus first on the functionality and and in in just 66 days, the health system has gone from 36 functional hospitals to 11 partially functional hospitals.
So one in the north and 10 in the South.
So again from 36 to one in the north and 10 in the South.
The four minimal functional in the north are Asahaba, Shiva, barely and you've heard stories about Ada and Kamal at 1.
I don't think we can call them a functional at the moment or even not even barley barely functional functional.
So besides this, just 29% of primary healthcare functional facilities are functional.
And I want to describe a little bit what we we saw.
I'm here now more than two weeks and visited most of the hospitals in the South where WHO delivered essential medical and trauma supplies, essential medicines, but also to the north and and to our recent visit on 9 December to actually Harabi Hospital, also known formerly known as the Baptist Hospital, I think in north of Gaza, first of all, north of Gaza.
I know it is very well.
I come there every month, a week.
It's it looks like a wastelands.
I mean, it's, it's the devastation, the story devastation is, is simply enormous.
We were still surprised that we saw so many people who actually on the streets and lying on the streets, children, men, women said coming out surprised that, you know, we had this convoy of of Pocs, ambulances, the UN2, UN vehicles, 1 WHODR with OCHA and, and and UN DSS and of course a chart full with medical supplies actually is basically the only partially functional hospital in the North.
And, and many people, I mean, I know that hospital is a relatively small hospital.
The situation is completely different.
And I can tell you I worked seven half years in Afghanistan.
I've seen some grim scenes in in after blast, in, in the Helmands, in the, in the emergency trauma hospital in Kandahar, Kabul, etcetera.
But I've never seen scenes like this actually in my life.
So it's usual usually and and an 80 bed hospital, but given the resources available, it was only really it's only realistically capable of treating 40.
Yes, there are more than two hundred 250 patients and we saw many the the hospital grounds are also full of Idps and and full of people and we saw many patients turned up.
Many trauma patients are on donkey cards, on horse cards, etcetera.
Dead people, unfortunately seriously injured people on food and personal vehicles everywhere, every room at the moment in Al Ahli.
So not only every ward, but every corridor in the courtyard outside the library, even the Chapel is full with patience and, and you can only describe it as as kind of utter chaos and, and, and humanitarian disaster zone.
The building, of course, had already sustained damages because of the hostilities.
We talked to the hospital staff.
We know well Doctor Fadel, the orthopaedic surgeon and and and Doctor Mohammad Rawan who came from Indonesian Hospital actually to to support he supports a general surgeon and they listed out similarly as we are everywhere.
The lack of the shortage of fuel, oxygen, essential medical supplies as well as a lack of food and water for patients and health workers.
The that our specifically our OT operations and the trauma case were immediately removed from the truck and then brought to the sterilisation room of the the functional still functional operation theatre.
The staff capacity is minimum, specifically the nursing care there is the hospital at the moment is heavily relying on volunteers and, and, and I must say they do an amazing job.
But of course the patients everywhere and many of them really serious, they hardly received, let's say the nursing care they should receive.
So faced with with with with this huge number of of patients everywhere on the streets outside and all Wharf, the doctors are are are really forced to prioritise who will receive scares, who doesn't.
And and they trade and they're treating many of the serious cases actually in straight away in the corridors or on the floor or even on the Chapel.
As I said, severely short staffed and is looking.
Unfortunately there's no vascular surgeon.
So that's why the the the medical specialists they are forced something to do limb amputations are decided that's the last resort to save life and visited again.
We brought in medical goods in national complex and and described the the incredible congested and I would say horrific situation there on the trauma war that actually beats everything European Gaza, Al Najar Al Aqsa in the in and it is sadly to say it's we hear this, the similar stories.
Yesterday we were in Al Aqsa hospital, which is in the middle area.
This is, I would say, still one of the better functional hospitals also they're normally the hospital for 200 patients.
Currently over 600 thousands of Idps also camping in the hospital grounds and the hospital still functioned relatively well because they still had an they had a number of medical specialists and medical doctors coming from, from, from the north assisting.
They still had a number of nursing staff and they still kept going.
They raised the same issues by the way that their staff is also completely preoccupied, of course, by the safety of their family and and and so they cannot always concentrate on their on their job enormous needs to expand beds and the bed capacity and and beyond.
Alexa, I want would like to set up with assistance of partners and and additional bed capacity of 200 beds close by.
There is some emergency medical teams now moving in and and there's some promising plan, ICOC moving with and planning an additional capacity of 150 beds in the European Gaza Hospital.
Of course, there's already Emiratis and and the Jordan Field Hospital MSF with some emergency medical teams WHL we've tried to get more in and coordinates.
And this is what we should focus on.
All the efforts must be made to keep the remaining hospitals functional and urgently protect and restore the health system.
Now I'm only talking about hospitals and mainly focusing all the trauma cases.
We, we have to get a primary healthcare system and the linkages between primary healthcare systems and hospital care functional again because of course most patients as we always see they go through basic health service, they will need basic healthcare, healthcare services.
We think about reproductive, maternal and child health, emergency obstetric cares, non chronicle diseases and specific diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, oncology and of course mental health and psychosocial support.
So the whole area I want to leave it here as introduction and and describe a little bit the situation specifically up north in Alati Hospital.
Over to you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Richard.
And I think I'm going to turn back to Christian.
I think Christian has a additional comment to make.
Christian, over to you.
No, I was thank you.
I was I was offering to read out the the statement, but I understand that Rick has a limited time available.
So let's maximise that.
And Rick, if you agree, I would then read the statement that we sent after you.
You're done with your Q&A and let's use Q&A now for you because you're not always available.
Right.
All right, thanks.
It's thank you.
That's that's the practical approach.
Thank you very much, Christian.
OK.
In that case, let's turn to questions.
We have two questions.
That's far, Emma from Reuters.
Over to you, Emma.
Good morning.
I was wondering if you could give us an?
Overview of how.
Bad the spread of diseases is and what it means for the sick that the the health care system is overwhelmed with all these trauma injuries are these people.
Being neglected?
And do you have any estimate for how many have been killed from diseases, not bombs?
Thank you.
Yeah.
OK.
Let me start with, with, with, I think the question, of course on Chronicle disease, infectious adhesions and, and, and outbreaks, UNRWA and UNRWA Health considered Ministry of Health, technical partners of the Ministry of Health has together with WHO try to get an assessment as good as possible.
I mean, even in over the two weeks I'm here and and and and in a rough area and make all these trips up north and everywhere there is an enormous influx of ID PS And I think Gaza's probably one of the few areas where as a refugee you become an an IDP and specifically here, the Rafa area, which is normally a city of 280,000 and must Harvard more than a million now.
I mean, even everywhere around us, every day you've seen this growing and the unwashed shelters are completely, completely full and and and overwhelmed.
But you see everywhere makeshift shelters around the streets, on every street and, and, and Rafa is teeming with people everywhere around the street.
So just to give some figures, we, we looking of course, on acute respiratory infections and, and, and since start we, you've seen more than one on the 61 on 65,000 cases diarrhoea.
This of course under five years we see more than 60,000 cases.
And that is I believe something like 4 or five times as no more, much more like 40 times as much as we see in normal time during this year.
Diarrhoea over five years as well over 60,000 skin diseases, lice, over 25,000 skin rashes and impetigo, chicken pox and meningitis.
We also saw cases of jaundice and these are all syndromic case managements and and of course with jaundice you think is it hepatitis A or is it hepatitis E with much more hysterias.
So we try to get in mobile labs and and and and check on that and also we try to refer samples that is not yet in in place.
Overall if you look at the fatalities, I mean like they are now standing as over 18,000 obvious more than 60% is is women and children and injuries 50,000 and displaced over 1.9 million people.
Now on the.
Trauma cases, no, they're not neglected.
I think the, the hospitals, although the hospital system is on its knees, they do whatever they can do.
And specifically in the, in the southern areas where a bit we've seen a lot of the, whatever we see, of course, multiple traumas, we see spinal injuries, we see there's a lot of burns and, and skin and need for skin grafts.
And, and, and I, we never even discussed that the impacts of this enormous flow of injured people.
So talking about close to 50,000 injured people, the impacts it will have on their future and their and their family lives in Al Ahli.
I described the situation which is is so unfortunate that there is no vascular surgeon and that sometimes the the Malik special is there.
They have to go over to amputation to save, to save lives.
Over to you.
Thank you very much, Richard.
I just take note that Christian has dropped some figures in the chat, some disease figures as of the 10th of December.
So do take note of that.
Jeremy, if you don't mind.
I think we'll, Emma, you have a follow up perhaps to your earlier question.
So maybe let's go back to Emma then back to Jeremy.
Off with the words.
Go ahead, Emma.
Yeah.
Just quickly to clarify, I think you said fatalities of 80,000, is that from disease?
Could you just clarify that figure?
Thank you.
I think this is, I must say, you must have, you must have seen the figures, something like they've been, these are the reported figures of fatality.
Yeah.
18 thousands.
205 current 11 December and injuries 49,645.
Thanks for that clarification.
We'll take a question now from Jeremy of Radio Phones International.
Go ahead, Jeremy.
Yeah, Thank you.
That's a people call.
I'd like you to just to, to, to mention what happened to the UN staff on the way to Ali.
I I understand that one of the member of the staff was was arrested twice on the way back and forth and he was detained and beaten.
And can you?
Specify because on on the on your communique, it doesn't say that it is the Israeli armed forces that arrested him.
We all understand that it's the Israeli armed force, but it doesn't really specify in in in the communique.
So just can you explain what happened basically?
OK, let me explain this as as well.
Well, first of all, I think you will also see this reflected in the in the statement.
And as an overall point I want to make that, that the space for humanitarian actors to provide aid within Gaza is incredibly complex.
And it's, it seems to be shrinking and and it is very difficult for us to safely and swiftly move supplies, patients and staff and and the needs, the needs are enormous to alleviate this catastrophic humanitarian situation, which is only growing.
So we are WHO definitely committed to stay and and deliver.
We're doing everything possible to support and also the other other agencies humanitarians around.
And again, I want to specifically call out to support Unrun on this.
Now we, we have carried out multiple missions actually and and extremely difficult conditions and, and, and the latest I would say very complex one, the one yesterday, Al Aqsa relatively easy latest complex 1 to Al Ahli in, in Gaza City.
We and I forgot to mention that.
So we also managed we were with six PRCS vehicles and PRCS staff in the the because we they are how key and trusted partner.
And besides bringing in the needed essential medical supplies, we also were there to transfer critical patients and we were planning to transfer 12 critical patients.
Finally, very much facilitated the supported and managed by POCS with The Who team, 19 critical patients and 14 companions were actually where, where where taken from Alafi to National complex in South of Gaza and hospital which is also overwhelmed.
But there they they can get better treatments than than definitely better treatment than an Alafi the and free information.
I mean when we did an assessment we probably could have taken 30 or 40% of the patients.
If you look at the criticality of it, the journey was extremely dangerous and and it was delayed during military checkpoints and detention of health partners.
And this is what I say on the way N the UN convoy was inspected at the Wadi Gaza checkpoints and and an ambulance agreement and crew members had to relieve the vehicles for identification, exposing them to risk.
Two of the POCS staff were detained for over an hour and we had to wait there and do it, further delaying the missions.
And, and we witnessed that one of the staff was being made to, to Neil at gunpoint and taken out of sight.
Finally, he, he came, he returned and we could move on as well.
I also want to mention that that's an SWHO.
We, we have an obligation to, to monitor, analyse and report on attacks on healthcare.
So one of the truck carrying metal supplies and one of the ambulances were hit by bullets actually on the way entering Gaza on the way South and this is much more serious, etcetera.
Again with the patients for Malawi.
Then the convoy was again stopped at the Wild Gaza's checkpoints.
PSCS staff and most of the patients had to leave the ambulance for security cheques in.
Critical patients remaining in the ambulance were all searched by arm soldiers.
Now one of them, one of the same 2 POCS staff temporarily detained earlier on the way in, was taken for an inter interrogation on a second time.
We waited and we made numerous attempts to coordinate his release.
We waited and waited and we tried and through all our channels in Jerusalem and then eventually after 2 1/2 hours, you had to make this incredibly difficult choice well to leave this, this highly dangerous area and proceed for the safety and well-being of the patients, but of course also from the humanitarian workers ourself.
The PCs staff member colleague was released later that night after the joint UN efforts and we interviewed him yesterday at Alexa Hospital and his story is is harrowing and and humiliation and inhumane treatments he was subject to is is is rather shocking.
Over to you.
Thank you very much, Richard.
And maybe just on a related note, I draw your attention colleagues to the latest update from ANRA which was published yesterday and contains up figures as of the 10th of December this past this past Sunday among other things.
And notes that very sadly that to date 134 Unruh colleagues have been killed in Gaza.
And it cites a number of well the number of 1.1 million IDP sheltering and 97 Unruh facilities in the middle in con units and in Rafah area.
So do take a look at that Unruh update.
OK.
We'll take a question now from John Zaracostas.
John, over to you.
Yes, good morning.
Rick, I was wondering if you have the figures for the number of children that have had their limbs amputated.
We keep on seeing the children's limbs being amputated, endless reports by your partners on the ground.
I think it's a very good question and I think we discussed this even this morning in Philip Lazzarini was here the the the head of an Anwar and and one of the UNICEF colleagues of course also stressed everything around children and and we need to be get better granularity on this.
So I cannot give you the updates.
We need to get a better overview and we need to do that swiftly WHO together with, with UNICEF to, to make a better assessment and that we can indeed like get back to this kind of questions.
What we see, of course we see among the fatalities an enormous amounts of, of of women and children over 60% and also among the injuries.
So it's definitely issues.
Fortunately, I cannot answer this more specifically now.
Thank you very much, Rick.
Just take note, there are a couple of questions in the chat, but maybe we'll get to those in a minute.
I understand that Christian is sending notes in by e-mail, but we'll turn now to Lisa Schleider, Voice of America.
Go ahead, Lisa.
Thank you, Rolando.
Good morning and good morning, Doctor Peppercorn.
Thank you for all this.
I'd like to know whether you believe that, whether you feel secure that the hospitals in the South, where the conflict has now primarily shifted, are safe from bombing, whether the Israelis are, are, and will be respecting the particular status.
Of the hospitals.
And also, since the conflict seems to have shifted from the north to the South, do you see more people returning to the north because the areas in which safety, so-called exist in the South are getting smaller and smaller and smaller.
And I don't know.
I mean, there's a break.
I mean, you've reached the breaking point in many cases, but perhaps you could talk about your your view of the situation.
Thank you.
Yeah, my observations and what we get around, I don't see many people moving up north because I think even when I, I can recall our mission up north to Alasdi Hospital, yeah, extremely dangerous.
So I, I don't see, I don't see many people moving up north.
I see many people moving down South and for example, in the middle area, Derbala, I, I know that place very well.
And when we, we had to drive to the throat to Derbala on the way to Ahmi and I've never seen so, so big crowds in that place everywhere.
We were completely swarmed with people when we drove through Derbala.
And every time, of course, we had to say that this were that this were medications, this was Dawa and, and it was meant for our laughing hospital because many people thought that maybe there's food or water, etcetera.
We would be in, we would be in big problems actually in, in, in among these crowds.
So what we see, we see more and more people come in this area in the Rafah area.
As I said, Rafa is everywhere.
Everywhere you see shelters and makeshift shelters around on the hospital situation.
I think WH has been very clear on this.
We, we before the crisis, Gaza had 3500 bats.
And I want to stress again, a reasonable functional health system producing health indicators at par, which is neighbouring countries.
So people say, oh, the health sector was always very bad.
No, that is not true.
Yes, there were issues on quality and in primary healthcare.
Yes, mental health should be much more addressed.
Yeah, there were some specialities lacking which we were trying to assist to, to to get a cancer centre within Gaza.
And we know that that what's not yet happening.
And an average 50 to 100 patients need to be referred to East Jerusalem in the West Bank a day and 40% of that were cancer related.
But it was a functional health system with a lot of, despite all the, despite all the challenges and all the issues, they were, they, they were going through 3500 best.
I think we are now probably down.
It's we always say #1500 we must be less now, although we are adding best, the, the health system is adding the best in the, in the South.
I can say like, am I concerned?
Yes, WHO is very concerned.
And that's why I think the whole protection of health and, and healthcare and healthcare facilities is so much reflected in, in, in everything WHO does and, and brings out.
We cannot afford to lose any more hospital beds, and the South is now the backbone of the health system.
We need to get at least two functional hospitals running in the north as well.
And I really want to make a plea for, of course, not only Al Ahli Hospital, but also Shifa.
Shifa is still barely functional but dysfunctional.
The infrastructure is there.
It used to be the backbone, the best referral hospital in Gaza.
That needs to be functional again, because there's still many people in the north.
Estimations range from everything from 2 to 600,000 or something.
In the South, the two most important hospitals are NASA Medical complex with all the specialisation in European Gaza hospital.
Now all the other hospitals are, I would say and, and let's say they're made more first level referral hospitals.
Every hospital needs to expand its bed capacities and that's why we're trying to get EMT emerging medical teams in to help expand the bed capacity.
And, and, and probably an estimation now there's 1400 deaths already.
You're in both in Nasser they expanded with another 100 deaths.
I mean, next to the hospital, as I said, we have a number of field hospitals and EMTs coming in that is helpful sign.
European Gaza hospital is currently being expanded through the assistance of ICOC.
The issue is we cannot afford to lose any health facility and hospital nor I want to stress primary healthcare facilities.
We need to expand and we need to expand the back capacity and we need to restore the functionality of the system.
We need to get the back from the knees etcetera.
Standing up again.
Now are we concerned?
Yes, we are concerned.
We, we hope that we, we plead that this will not happen and that that incredibly vulnerable health infrastructure will be left intact and that we can actually expand on this.
We hear very concerning stories about siege and and and and attacks on Kamal at one hospital and at one hospital we get calls as well to assist with evacuation of patients there and of of staff.
We again want to call out health facilities and healthcare that should be protected can never be a target.
Over to you.
Thank you very much.
Rick, I know that you're a bit pressed for time, but if we could, maybe we have still two hands up.
If maybe could you stay with us?
It's a few more minutes.
Yeah, excellent.
This way.
We'll just, if you don't mind and yes, and Isabel, if you can, maybe we'll close your questions back-to-back and save time.
But they're just before we take your questions, Rick, I think there was a need to clarify whether the delays were at the Israeli checkpoints.
That's one clarification.
And then John is asking whether you said 18,209 killed and 49,645 injured.
So maybe if you could address that quickly and then we'll take the questions.
Yeah.
Sorry, I just got a call.
Sorry.
OK.
Not not to worry.
Yeah.
So the question was on, on, on what was happening and the delays on the on the on on the checkpoint.
Is that correct?
Yes, indeed, whether it wasn't pleased to clarify whether it was indeed an Israeli checkpoint, a military checkpoint, but something else.
So yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely was Israeli military.
And I think this is it was Israeli military checkpoint and this is what makes it.
And I think I made that point in the beginning.
Humanitarian actors, including WHO we are here to assist and we want to assist much better because we are only scratching the minimum we need to assist in a much more effective way.
And it is incredibly complex to actually organise these missions.
I mean everything needs to be notified, deconflicted, etcetera too.
And it becomes very difficult to move safely and, and, and, and swiftly if it is supplies or patients or staff, etcetera.
And then when you get these delays, because for example, we had plans to stay at least two hours, 2 1/2, three hours at hospitals.
That was our plan.
We only had 15 minutes left because we had needed to get back to the military checkpoint by 4:00 PM.
That was because of all the delays and including of course the delays because first on the detention going in, the temporary detention going in and definitely the detention going out, which took a long time as I tell you more than going out more than 2 1/2 hours that process.
And again I want to say one more thing about that and and attacks on health.
So the this of course reported to us.
We only could observe part of this and then we interviewed the the PSCS person the next day.
So he informed us that he was harassed, beaten, threatened and even stripped of his uniform, blindfolded hands tied behind his back and, and, and, and treated in a degrading and a humiliating manner.
And, and once released, he had to walk towards the South with his hands still tight and, and went out with AT shirt only and and no shoes.
And there he was.
He could make a call and, and get his colleagues from PSCS in on the other side.
And then they collected him like that.
And I think this is an an issue.
This is not the first time we see delays and, and, and detentions.
And I want to remind everyone in three weeks after that was on the mission where WH also LED mission where we brought supplies in to Shiva and, and actually and no and and help to refer and bring patients to a more safer place down South.
That was on 18 November and the whereabouts of four people and were three of the Ministry of Health and one PRCS staff which were detained on their trip.
They're still unknown.
And of course the, the PCs is raising this with us and, and the Ministry of Health is raising this with us and I'm sure with many other ones.
Their families are deeply concerned, their colleagues are deeply concerned and there's no updates from them since then.
There's no updates on their on their whereabouts, etcetera.
And yeah, that's simply unacceptable.
And, and we are deeply concerns about that.
So we hope to get some updates on the whereabouts of these four people, three from the Ministry of Health and one PRCS staff, over to you.
Thanks, Rich.
And I know we're mindful of the time and I know that you're a bit pressed, so just please just put your hand up when you've got to go.
But we do have 4 virtual hands that just popped up.
Maybe we can just take two and then two very quickly.
Colleagues, if you could just pose your question briefly.
And yes, from AFP and then Isabel from Spanish news agency.
Go ahead.
And yes.
Yes, hi, everybody.
Hi, Doctor Peppercorn, It's a question actually on the Kamalajwan hospital that you mentioned earlier the a bit earlier this morning the Health Ministry of the Hamas say that the Israeli forces were were raiding these hospitals.
And we would like you to ask if you could explain if you have any information about what is going on now in the hospital and if you have information of how many patients they are still there and if there are other kind of people inside trapped maybe.
So any information you have about what is going on and who is inside?
Thank you.
OK.
Thank you.
And yes, OK, Isabel, go ahead.
Yes, OK.
Thank you very much.
I am you said that the Shifa Hospital is barely functioning and I would like to know exactly what is the situation there, how many staff and patients are there still been there and how, what is what is what is needed for the for the Shifa Hospital just to work again more or less in in in a more functionally effective way?
Thank you.
Over to you, Doctor.
OK, by the way, I I realise I've got the answer for one question on the numbers.
And yes, the numbers I mentioned were what's of course reported to us 18,205 fatalities 11 December and 49,645 injuries.
And I think from the fatalities, I think we've reported as well reported over 60% women and children.
Now on the question on Kamal at one and actually Al Atwa, we get similar concerning reports on a siege attack etcetera.
We know we Kamal at one has a limited number of patients left.
That's what we get reported.
So we haven't been able to access that hospital.
I want to be very clear, that's what we get report limited number of patients.
I heard something like 20 but cannot confirm that and staff and they say what we hear about a lot 1 yeah, we heard about fights at the court in the courtyard, etcetera.
This is again, reporters, we cannot we don't have to confirm what we guess and and and and just going to my, my yes, so I say come out at 120 critical I'll patients, including six babies on incubators.
This is what I just get in now.
And, and the hospital has also sustained damages from 8 December when it was the power generators actually were were hit.
So we, we, we call this hospital as a minimal functioning and, and I think there is an update from the Ministry of Health.
It's all that's all reported.
So this is all reported information the same on Al Al Adwa.
What we now get a request, we get a request over here to assist with a potential and possible evacuation of patients and and staff.
We will consider that we will discuss this of course with our PRCS partners.
We cannot do this alone, but we can only do this when this is properly managed.
We cannot afford, I mean like and other missions like we went through to Allah Ali or the one we went through to Shifa.
We cannot afford that because simply our partners, our key part, PRCS so nobody can be detained when when they are part of a medical mission.
Yeah, we cannot, of course we cannot afford any delays on these missions.
We have to really carefully plan this.
Well, what and how and, and yeah, how we can manage that.
So we will look into that and, and, and I'm sure we'll update you over the over the coming days.
Oh, and Shifa, yeah, the Shifa question again.
So we, we have to report that Shifa is again we call barely functional.
They're some of the dialysis patients are back as Shiva and and and from the from the technical point of view, this was of course the the most important referral hospital.
A lot of the infrastructure there is still functional.
Now there is, there are still some staff and and if it would be so you ask how could it be operational again?
Of course, first it needs to be safe around Sivan.
That is, that's one thing.
But why do we stress it is so much needed?
Because there's still many, many people in the North.
At the moment, there's only Al AFI Hospital, which is, as I described, completely, completely, utterly overwhelmed.
Utterly overwhelmed.
I've never seen something like that.
And then you have the other barely functional hospitals, which we just discussed.
So Shifa is of course the best option to to start functioning again and to to expand health services in North for the people most in these over to you.
Thanks very much, Rick.
OK, we'll take the last two questions.
We'll start with Ruth Eglash of Fox News.
Go ahead, Ruth.
Hi.
Hi.
Good morning.
Thank you for for holding this.
So I I I'm.
Very curious about the numbers that you just quoted of 18,000 and 205 and especially with such chaos and such, you know, uncertainty as you described in the hospitals and in the health system.
How, How can you confirm that these numbers are reliable?
I know that in the past conflicts in 2014 the the death count was more or less accurate, but now we're seeing a a war on the size and scale that we haven't seen in previous conflicts and we know that.
You know many people have moved to the South.
We know, as you mentioned, the many of the hospitals, especially in the north, are not operating as they should.
And even the officials who were trained and were keeping good track of the numbers are no longer available, either were arrested or unfortunately were killed.
So I wondered if you could explain how you're calculating those figures and how you are certain that they are accurate.
Thank you.
OK, Thank you, Ruth.
OK.
Last question from Sui Jingmeng of China Meeting Group.
Thanks.
Thanks very much for taking my questions.
I know that the WTO Executive Board adopted a resolution on Sunday, last Sunday.
And does it make?
Possible to facilitate for example, the review to the medical infrastructure as more hospitals as you said that are part partially functional?
Thank you.
Yeah.
Let me first try to address the first questions.
This is complex and thanks for that.
I think it was on the on the on the numbers.
So we I think WHO got a lot of questions on the numbers I think from the from the start and and again I want to report until a a number of weeks ago.
So how does WHO, you know, how do we take this number in The Who of course, we rely in any conflicts, you know, everywhere around the world.
We rely on figures from the Ministry of Health everywhere and WHO does assessments of health information systems, the so-called score assessments and they do that every every two years I believe.
And and Palestine, quite Palestinian territory, if it's West Bank or Gaza, E Jerusalem, they score very **** on that very well.
And in our own assessments in the past as well, we've been the fight for statistics, death, birth, etcetera was always very well managed in, in, in Palestine.
So that's actually one maybe you read, you can recall.
And secondly, I think also on our area of the health information system, for example, the vaccination coverage or in the time of COVID etcetera, Palestine actually produced very reliable data and very good, good figures.
And a number of assessments have been constantly done.
Maybe you remember in the, in it was in the start of the of the well, not in the start it was already and we talked then about what was it 8000 or 9000 deaths, something like that.
And it was also questions and the Ministry of Health produced this 12 page long list with all the ID numbers and all the and all the all all the details on on that as well.
Now, when the conflicts of the the let's say this crisis on is ongoing until a couple of weeks ago and and want to make one two other points on this.
In every former escalation of conflicts, the figures reported when they were assessed after after the conflict, they were more or less correct.
They often were actually a little bit underestimated instead of overestimated.
Even if you look at the number of UN staff killed and extrapolate on that, you come almost to the similar type of figures.
The last point I want to make on this, The Lancet made a very good.
You should really look at that and I'm sure that my colleague statement will share that with you.
They did an assessment, I think it was 10 days ago and they analysed these figures as well and, and they come to the conclusion that these figures are unfortunately pretty much correct.
And again, I can only describe how WHO works and, and, and how we work in all countries.
Now.
We already made a point that the, and the Ministry of Health as well in the last couple of weeks, it becomes indeed impossible.
The the, the system of reporting deaths and fatalities and the health information system, unfortunately, and all their service, all their data servers, which were all in the in the north collapsed.
And they made a point that since that time, since a couple of weeks, they're making estimations of this.
They did don't even include the number of people, children, women and men under the rubble.
Now, based on all of this, including the lancets analysis, analysis and assessment, I'm afraid to say that these these figures are most likely pretty correct and and they might even be an underestimation like I cannot say.
So that's probably all what I can say about how WHL is taking and working in in all country around the world.
I try to describe a little bit that that process and, and well, including indeed The Lancet analysis and and report on on this topic as well.
Please have a look at this and and, and and draw the conclusion for yourself.
On the last point, I I didn't get the full questions.
It was a system and I think I understand the system on functionality etcetera.
So again, if if I'm correct, yeah, I didn't get the full the the the specific question.
Perhaps our colleague from CMG, if you could perhaps restate your question, because I took notes but I couldn't quite make it out myself, OK.
OK, so WHO is actually?
Ward adopted a resolution last Sunday.
So it doesn't make possible to to rebuild, for example, the medical infrastructure.
As more hospitals are partially functional in functional, so does it make possible to facilitate all the rebuild?
Of the instructor medical infrastructures.
Thank you.
OK.
Yeah, of course that's, that's based on on information we receive on the grounds that's and, and of course it's always, yeah, it's difficult to qualify when do you call a hospital partially functional or barely functional, I said.
But what we get now from from Kamala Dwan, for example, and, and and from other places, yeah, you can only call it barely, barely functional or reports from Shiva, you can only call it barely functional.
And, and hardly any hospitals is what I would say fully functional.
I was really impressed maybe yesterday with my visit to Al Aqsa hospital in the middle area, also completely overwhelmed.
So everyone has 300% bed capacity as a, but still a, a number of their units were working as you would expect in a normal functional hospital.
The ICU do was really well protected etcetera.
And they, you should still see there was order, there was order in, in there were, there was no chaos.
I mean, an athlete hospital completely overwhelmed and, and, and unfortunately utter chaos because of that limited staff completely overwhelmed in, in, in what was needed.
Yeah, we constantly, we get of course all the information.
We have a whole team on the ground.
We do all these missions always with WHO staff whenever we deliver essential medical supplies and we make everywhere a quick assessment as good as possible for the rest of what we have a lot of contact with the health workers which we have worked with for for decades and, and, and we will continue to do so.
Over to you.
Great.
Thank you very much, Rick.
Much appreciated as always for sharing this update.
As grim as it is, it's important that you do so with our colleagues here in Geneva.
So I'd like to thank you once again.
Stay safe and and thanks again and you're always welcome back here.
We still have Christian online and I know that Christian wanted to address a particular point.
So over to you, Christian.
I know that there are also a few questions that are pending in the chat perhaps.
So if you could address those, if if possible, over to you, Christian.
All right.
Well, originally I thought I want to read out the the main statement, but I think now in a in a second part, Doctor Piperkorn actually elaborated on it.
So I don't want to repeat what was said.
Hence, just let me know if you think I should pick this up or whether it's been taken care of.
That's for our friends, yeah.
I would say I think Doctor Peppercorn was very comprehensive.
So I addressed I think many of the points that you want to address.
But let's say if colleagues have any pending questions, any details that need to be clarified, please, you can either pose them now to Christian or online bilaterally afterwards.
I think there was one question about if it was Kamal Adwan Hospital that was referred to, if I'm not mistaken, there's a question there.
But yeah, perhaps we could liaise with colleagues, if he liaise with Christian directly, that that would perhaps be the best way to pursue this.
Cause John's question was addressed the names of the two hospitals I don't have at my hand right now.
And, and I agree, Rolando, I think we and I should not add now more than what he said again.
And I think that the statement was taken care of.
I think that for now covers it.
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks very much, Christian.
I appreciate you being here as well.
And maybe just staying on subject again to remind you of the updates we continue to share with you, including their UNRWA update with some updated statistics that we shared with you yesterday, as well as the usual OCHA update which comes out on a daily basis.
Please do consult that for the latest figures on the difficult situation in the OPT.
So I think that is it for our briefers.
But before we conclude, I just have a few updates.
As noted, the reason why we're doing this virtual, it's obviously to ease all our work, namely because of the, the big event taking place here in in Geneva, the Human Rights 75th, a Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75th anniversary events.
You will have received the statements of the **** Commissioner earlier today.
He's addressing, he addressed the opening of the **** level event this morning with several dignitaries to consult the updates shared with you by the Office of the **** Commissioner for Human Rights.
In terms of the Secretary General, as you well know, the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres is currently in Dubai where he's attending the COP.
Now, he did speak with your colleagues of the press yesterday where he did say that now is the time for maximum ambition and maximum flexibility.
He urged ministers and negotiators to move beyond the arbitrary red lines, entrenched positions and blocking tactics to come up with a meaningful result of the COPPA meeting.
The Meet the Cop wraps up today and the Secretary General will remain in Dubai for the closing today.
I just wanted to point out just a couple of other statements that we shared with you or rather one in particular on South Sudan, an issue which we have focused on in the past.
And we certainly want to keep that sharp focus on the the very difficult situation in South Sudan, specifically the violence in Abyei.
Members of the Security Council and the statement from the Security Council that we shared with you.
Members of the Security Council strongly condemn the violence in Warra State in South Sudan and Southern Abbey administrative area that has claimed approximately 75 lives in November last month and 10 lives already in this month.
So very worrying situation in South Sudan.
So to do take a look at that statement, I should note that the Security Council later today in New York is actually a meeting holding a public meeting at 3:00 PM New York time on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan.
I also wanted to just highlight a statement that we shared with you yesterday.
It was from the Special Representative, the Secretary General Binta Kaita on the Democratic Republic of Congo on the MONUSCO A mandate, the UN peacekeeping operation.
So that was a statement that she delivered to the Security Council, which we shared with you.
In terms of meetings, no human rights treaty body meetings taking place this week.
Of course, the Human Rights 75th event, HR 75 events is taking place, started yesterday and continues today.
Another big meeting happening tomorrow, which you well know about is a Global Refugee Forum which will take place at Paluxpo here in Geneva and it's taking place from tomorrow through Friday.
It's convened by 5 states, namely Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan and Uganda and Co, hosted by the Swiss government.
You've have a lot of information at your disposal on the GRF.
In terms of press conferences, we have two press conferences today, one taking place in about an hour and a half from now, at 1:00 PM, from the Permanent Mission of Israel, there's a stakeout, the ambassador, Ambassador Mehraf Ilan Shahar, the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva.
We'll be speaking at 1:00 PM at the stakeout located behind Room 20 and then at that same location at 6:30, approximately 6:30 this evening we have the **** Commissioner of Human Rights, Volcker Turk, who will share some closing remarks with with you at the end of this two day **** level event marking the 75th, 75th, 70 excuse me, 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
One last press conference I wanted to flag is that which is taking place on Thursday, the 14th of December at 10:30 in connection with the Global Refugee Forum.
It's taking place at PAL Expo, it's the European Union press conference at 10:30 at PAL Expo, and it's about the EU resettlement pledge for 2024-2025.
And we have the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, who will be briefing you there Thursday at 10:30.
And that is all I have.
If you have questions for me, I have a couple of hands up John, go ahead.
Yes, it's it's a logistical question to Christian.
I was wondering, Christian, if Doctor Tedros will be addressing the **** level meeting of the Human Rights Council on the 75th anniversary today, given the attacks on health is front and centre on the world stage and the right to health is one of the core rights of human rights.
And secondly, if he's planning to hold a bilateral meeting with the Secretary General in Geneva tomorrow concerning the situation in Gaza.
Thank you.
Thank you John.
I don't have any info on that.
I will need to check and.
Get back to you.
OK, Fair enough.
Thank you for that.
Christian.
Lisa, please.
Thanks.
Christian.
I'm putting you in the hot seat again.
In reference to what I just saw in the chat, if you could please elaborate on the situation in the Kamal Adwan Hospital and the chat says that is forcefully being evacuated.
Could you elaborate upon this?
So why is that happening?
Since when is it happening right now and what are the consequences for the patients that and the staff that are inside the hospital?
Thank you.
Yeah, thank you very much, Lisa.
I don't have much more than what I put in the chat 'cause that's what we received as Doctor Peppercorn was speaking.
He was obviously talking about Kamala Adwan as well.
And as he was speaking, we received at the Ministry of Health.
Is reporting just now that the hospital is being forcefully evacuated.
There are currently 68 patients inside the hospital, 18 intensive care unit patients and including six neo Nets.
That's all I have.
That's reports from the Ministry of Health, which I'm just forwarding basically here.
What that means, it means just that another another one of these, these unnecessary and evacuations and it's again putting another hospital out of use.
It's again putting the last patients who need help out on the street.
So yes, but again, I cannot comment really on this as these are figures that just came in.
I think Lisa is there a quick follow up when John as well, but Lisa, go ahead.
Yeah, there is.
Could you remind me what are there 2?
Functioning or barely functioning hospitals in northern Gaza right now?
I've I've forgotten and also has has this particular hospital been under siege in the past?
Is there any indication that Hamas is somehow or other implicated in in this situation?
Thank you.
Well, thanks Lisa.
I won't add much on what the paper can just now.
This would have been great to to ask him.
So he reported that we have one partially functioning husband in the north and 10 in the South.
If if I listened well and again the important word here in this is partially functioning.
This is there's nothing that that that is fully functioning as we would need it.
We also elaborated.
That we we've.
Been talking normally about 1500 beds available, although that is a fluctuating, fluctuating figure as well.
And that the need is much higher of course, way higher and way higher than the 3500 beds we used to have in Gaza before the hostilities, before the war.
Now with injuries, with trauma, with amputations, with war wounds, the the needs are multiplied.
Yeah, I'll leave it to that.
Thanks.
Thanks, Christian.
I'm sorry you're not off the hook just yet.
I know, John, you have a question, but there is Anneus poses a question if you can clarify, from what hospital did you get a request for help for evacuation and when exactly did you get that?
I don't know if you have insight on that.
So that's the Kamal Adwan Hospital we're talking about.
So the, these, I put it in the chat as well.
The, it's the, an update that the Ministry of Health gives on the Kamal at one hospital just now.
And I, that's all I have right now.
That means I have no further update on what requests, what's going on.
That's the only update I have on top of what Doctor Peppercon has just said.
OK.
Sorry, just the last two questions if you stay with us another minute.
John and Nina, if you can do do them together, Christian.
Yeah, it could be helpful for us if the emergencies unit of WHO could provide us with a list of the hospitals and health facilities that have had to be evacuated because of orders by the IDF forces.
That would be helpful for us because we're getting lost in all these numbers by name and the date and the amount of patients that were forced to be relocated.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, Well, well, noted, John.
And yes, but mind you, this is also a fluctuating thing, right?
Sometimes a hospital gets evacuated and they're then they're allowed to run a ward again and then it gets again evacuated.
So this is the way I understand there are no very few absolute numbers here, but yes I'll I'll post that put that forward.
Thank you so much, Christian.
And then this last comment or a question perhaps Nina, I suppose that's also for Christian.
Go ahead.
Yeah, thank you very much.
I just want to, so I think Anyas was asking about a comment made by Doctor Peppercorn saying that who had received a request for assistance to evacuate from what we understood.
And we were wondering from what hospital that was to if you could clarify that.
And then also on Kamel Adwan, I was wondering, I've seen that it was functioning as a maternity hospital and that and that there are mothers who may have been also killed in in bombings there, if that's something that you've heard and what your reaction to that might be as well.
Thank you.
Yeah, on on the second part, I have no further information to what the what I just shared or what the paper con shared on, on the hospital which talked about I'll need.
To check back to be absolutely sure.
OK, I'm not.
No.
Thank you very much, Christian.
And of course, we will, Christian will.
We will continue to update you on all these figures as we have been doing.
So thank you very, very much for joining us, all of you.
And a special thanks to Doctor Peppercorn and Christian.
We will return to the hybrid format on Friday for the next regular briefing.
Until then, have a good afternoon and good rest of your week.
Thank you.