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Geneva Press Briefing - 05 March 2024
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UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
5 March 2024
Situation in Gaza
Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, speaking from Jerusalem, stated that more than 30,500 people had been killed in Gaza, while almost 72,000 people had been injured, and an estimated 8,000 people were believed to be under the rubble. Over two million people were experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe and utter desperation, which was leading to regular breakdowns of law and order. People were living in unsanitary conditions and facing extreme food insecurity. The healthcare system was collapsing, with only one third of all hospitals partly functioning. Infrastructural damages across the Gaza Strip were immense, which would take decades, rather than years, to rebuild. WHO and partners had regained access to north Gaza, and on 1 March they had reached the Al-Shifa Hospital to deliver 19,000 liters of fuel and lifesaving supplies for 150 patients and treatments for 50 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Enormous destruction had been observed, along with malnutrition. On 3 March, WHO and partners had been able to access Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospital for the first time since 7 October. The situation at Al-Awda Hospital was particularly appalling, as one of the buildings had been destroyed. Dr. Peeperkorn explained that the Kamal Adwan Hospital was the only pediatrics hospital in the north of Gaza and is overwhelmed with patients. WHO managed to deliver 9,500 liters of fuel to each hospital, and some essential medical supplies - just a fraction of the urgent lifesaving needs.
While having access to the north was welcome, what was really needed was sustained and safe humanitarian access; more entries to the north were needed and more paths should be made available. The WHO estimated that some 8,000 Gazans needed to be referred for medical treatment outside of Gaza. Dr. Peeperkorn said that the Al-Shifa Hospital, a level-three facility, had to be supported and revived. There had been over 350,000 cases of upper respiratory illnesses, and a quarter of millions of cases of diarrhea, along with jaundice, scabies, chickenpox and rashes. In the north, one out of six children under the age of two were acutely malnourished, warned Dr. Peeperkorn. Malnutrition had never been an issue before, he said. Now, as many as 90 percent of children under two faced difficulties accessing the right quantity and quality of food. The UN was ready to bring much more food to the north if it was allowed unrestricted and safe access.
Dr. Ahmed Dahir, Head of World Health Organization (WHO) Gaza sub-office, speaking from Gaza, reiterated that, over the weekend, the WHO and partners had been able to visit three hospitals in the north. The routes to the north were in terrible shape, and no videos could fully transmit the real picture on the ground. The health system was struggling to survive. It was heartbreaking to witness the desperation of the people, both health care workers and patients alike. Hospital staff were demonstrating amazing resilience and commitment to their patients, working around the clock in extremely difficult conditions. The Kamal Adwan Hospital was the only pediatric hospital in the north, stressed Dr. Dahir. As of 3 March, 15 children were reported by the Ministry of Health as having died of malnutrition and dehydration at the Kamal Adwan Hospital. Lack of fuel at Kamal Adwan posed a serious threat to patient care, especially in the ICU and the neonatal unit. The hospital received 400 daily trauma, pediatric, and medical cases. There were six operational dialysis machines serving 35 patients daily. Dr. Dahir stressed that the north needed ongoing support. Sustained access for humanitarian partners was of paramount importance.
Responding to numerous questions from the media, James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), referring to a statement by Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that at least ten children in the Kamal Adwan Hospital had died of malnutrition and dehydration as of 3 March. He explained the difficult steps taken by medical staff to keep dehydrated, dying children alive. Around 220,000 children had been affected by infectious diseases in recent weeks. In Rafah alone, there were at least 5,000 children with acute malnutrition; the malnutrition rates in the north were three times higher than those in Rafah. Conditions to declare famine had not been reached yet, but that did not mean that the situation was not already beyond dire. It was hoped that this would not become a chronic emergency that would last for 6, 12 or 24 months. Every child in Gaza would be likely to need some psychosocial support, he said. Their traumas and post-traumatic stress disorder would unfortunately last for many years. The only way out of this would first be a ceasefire and then a sustained peace; Gaza was still home to an approximate 1.1 million children.
Dr. Peeperkorn, for the WHO, reiterated that in Gaza, malnutrition had not been an issue ever before. In northern Gaza, over 15 percent of children under five were suffering of wasting, unprecedented figures globally. A joint London School of Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins University study presented projections of excess deaths in different scenarios. The projections covered the period from 7 February to 6 August and covered three different scenarios: ceasefire; status quo; and escalation. Over the next six months the report estimated that, with no epidemics occurring, the projection for the ceasefire scenario would be 6,550 excess deaths, for the status quo scenario 58,260 excess deaths, and for the escalation scenario 74,290 excess deaths. With epidemics occurring, the projection for the ceasefire scenario would be 11,580 excess deaths, for the status quo scenario 66,720 excess deaths, and for the escalation scenario 85,750 excess deaths.
Only 2,293 patients had been evacuated from Gaza so far, informed Dr. Peeperkorn. Many more patients needed to be evacuated, and Egypt, along with other countries in the region, were ready to receive the gravest patients and their companions. The complex process currently in place would need be simplified and expedited, he said. Mr. Elder explained that “famine” was a critical term because of the coverage it got, but the terminology did not make much difference for malnurtured children on the ground. Dr. Peeperkorn stressed that this scenario could be averted by allowing influx of aid, and safe access to healthcare for all. Gaza had to return to food production as soon as possible. Gaza had been largely food self-sufficient before the current conflict, he reminded. A functional deconflicting mechanism was needed. Dr. Peeperkorn and Dr. Dahir both spoke of the impressive resilience and commitment of Gaza’s health workers and numerous volunteers who did all they could to keep the ravaged health system running against all odds.
Dr. Peeperkorn said that the data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health was quite accurate. The WHO had always received data from the Ministry of Health. Like anywhere else in the world, every two years the WHO would assess the Ministry’s data, and historically the data provided by the Ministry had been rendered accurate and reliable. Dr. Peeperkorn feared that the number of people still under rubble could be higher than currently believed. Over 1,500 amputations had been completed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Ministry of Health, said Dr. Peeperkorn in a response to another question. Long-term psychosocial and mental health support for different population groups, including children, adolescents, and health workers, were very much needed.
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), clarified that there had been no air drops of aid by the United Nations, which continued to explore all possible avenues. The priority would be to scale up land transport, which could bring in larger quantities of aid. If not now, when was the time to pull the breaks to the fighting and flood Gaza with the much-needed aid, asked Mr. Laerke. In recent days, over 100 trucks per day had been entering Gaza, compared to the daily average of 500 before the war. Much more was needed. Closure of UNRWA would mean breaking the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza, stressed Mr. Laerke. How people were treated in detainment was primarily a human rights issue, said Mr. Laerke answering another question.
El Niño Update
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that the 2023-2024 El Niño event had peaked in late December, being among the five strongest on record. It was now weakening but it would continue to affect the global climate in the coming months. This El Niño had fueled heat trapped by the greenhouse gases. This naturally occurring events were now taking place in the context of the climate altered by human activities, said Ms. Nullis. The latest update from WMO says there was about a 60 percent chance of El Niño persisting during March-May and an 80 percent chance of neutral conditions (neither El Niño or La Niña) from April to June.
“Every month since June 2023 has set a new monthly temperature record – and 2023 was by far the warmest year on record. El Niño has contributed to these record temperatures, but heat-trapping greenhouse gases are unequivocally the main culprit. Ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific clearly reflect El Niño. But sea surface temperatures in other parts of the globe have been persistently and unusually high for the past 10 months. The January 2024 sea-surface temperature was by far the highest on record for January. This is worrying and cannot be explained by El Nino alone,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
Ms. Nullis explained that the WMO El Niño/La Niña and Global Seasonal Climate Updates as part of the Early Warnings for All initiative were based on forecasts from WMO Global Producing Centres of Long-Range Forecasts and are available to support governments, the United Nations, humanitarian agencies, and decision-makers to mobilize preparations and protect lives and livelihoods.
More information is available here.
Replying to questions, Ms. Nullis said that the WMO issued El Niño updates four times per year, and more frequently if needed. Global seasonal climate update were issued monthly.
Human Rights Council
Pascal Sim, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), informed that today, the Council had started the consideration of the item 3 on the agenda - promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. The Council was holding an interactive dialogue with Mama Fatima Singhateh, Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children. In the afternoon, the Council would hold an interactive dialogue with Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing. Finally, the HRC would hold an interactive dialogue with Nazila Ghanea, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The following day, informed Mr. Sim, the Council would hold dialogues on the right of persons with albinism, and the right to healthy environment, and the right to peaceful assembly and association. More information is available here.
Announcements
David Hirsch, for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), informed that on 7 March at 2 pm, there would be a press conference with ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin on ITU’s 2024 priorities.
Mr. Hirsch announced formation of the first-ever ITU SG Youth Advisory Board, which was comprised of 12 young digital experts and innovators. The 12 members had been selected from a pool of several hundred candidates and would serve in their individual capacity for two years.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the for the United Nations Information Service, said that today at 1 pm, the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) would present its report “Women in Parliament”. Speakers would be Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General, and Mariana Duarte Mutzenberg, IPU Gender Programme.
On 7 March at 11 am, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) would release of global intellectual property (IP) statistic filings. The speaker at the virtual press conference would be Carsten Fink, Chief Economist at WIPO.
Ms. Vellucci informed that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would launch its flagship report the new Human Development report and the human development index on 13 March. Report was available on demand, and the media could reach out to Sarah Bel.
The Human Rights Committee, which had started its 140th session on 4 March, would begin this afternoon its review of the report of Chile.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which had also its 30th session the previous day, was concluding this morning its review of the report of Kazakhstan.
Finally, Ms. Vellucci reminded that on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, on 8 March, there would be a public event ‘Peace Begins with Her’: A mosaic of portraits celebrating women and peace. An art activation at UniMail in Geneva, from 11:15 am, would be followed by a panel discussion at 6:15 pm featuring women peacebuilders, representatives of civil society, and academia with opening remarks by State Secretary for Security Policy of Switzerland Markus Mäder. All details are available here.
Teleprompter
Good morning. Welcome to the press meeting of the UN Information Service.
Today is, uh,
Tuesday, fifth of march. Uh, here in Geneva, we have,
uh, with us, Pascal Sim for a brief update on the council.
Thank you, Alessandra. Good morning, everyone.
The Human Rights Council has begun this morning
its consideration of item three of its agenda,
which is the promotion and protection of all human rights,
including the rights to development.
So over the next three days,
the council will hear from nine thematic
experts from its special procedures mechanism.
The council is currently airing this morning Mama Fatima Sing,
the special rapporteur on the Sale of Children
Exploitation of Children.
And the Council will hear later this afternoon from Balakrishna and Raja
Gopal,
the special rapporteur on adequate housing,
and from Nazila
Gana,
the special rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Tomorrow on Wednesday, the Council will hold dialogues with Mulu
Kit
Drummond, the independent experts on the rights of persons with albinism,
to be followed by David Boyd, the special rapporteur on the environment.
That would be Mr Boyd's last appearance before the Council as a mandate holder
and from Mr Clement V,
the special rapporteur on the freedom of the Peaceful Assembly and Association.
And this coming Thursday, the council will hold dialogue with Alexandra Kanta,
the special rapporteur on cultural rights,
Michael
Fri, the special rapporteur on the Right to food,
and Alice Edward, the special rapporteur on torture.
And just to remind you that Ms Edward will also
among the report that Ms Edward will present during this session
is a report on a recent visit to Ukraine.
And she will give a press conference here this coming Friday at 1 p.m. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Pascal, for these updates. Any question in the room to Pascal?
No, I don't see any and none on the platform. So thank you very much. But like for today
and I
I would like to go straight
to the field because we have
the honour and the pleasure to have with us two colleagues from
who are doing, as you know, an incredible work
in
Gaza and in the occupied Palestinian territories.
We have with us, Dr
Peppercorn, that you know well who is the
representative for?
And we also have with us Doctor Ahmed
Dhir, who is the head of the WHO Gaza sub office and he is talking to us from Gaza.
So I'd like to start now giving the floor.
And of course, Tariq is also on the on the line if you need him.
Um, we also have other
humanitarian colleagues
in the room and online. So, uh, in case of questions, we can also
ask them to answer.
So I like to start with Doctor Peppercorn for an introductory words,
and then we will go to Doctor
Ahmed.
Richard?
Yes. Good morning. Uh, can you hear me?
Very well, thank you.
Thank you very much. So, uh, yeah, let me start.
Uh uh, So, as the WHO representative for occupied Palestinian territories,
and then I'll hand over
to my colleagues. Uh, doctor. Ah,
here,
uh, who our team lead in Gaza and also our internet manager in Gaza.
I just I was in Gaza, actually, uh, two weeks ago for another, uh,
mission for 2.5 weeks.
Uh,
and and I will maybe in the future also refer a little bit, uh, to that.
I want to first focus on some general facts.
As as we all know from the data
we talk currently uh,
more than,
uh, 30,500 people killed and mostly women and Children.
We talk about 71,000, almost 72,000 people injured,
an estimated 8000 under the rubble.
And as long as there's no sustained ceasefire,
we still talk about 2.22 0.3 million Palestinians in Gaza,
myths of an of an epic humanitarian catastrophe
and
facing inhumane conditions and
in my view, in our view, absolutely not need it.
There's risks we see as a risk of famine. There's a risk of the disease.
We'll get back to that later.
There's an enormous amount of desperation, and the scarcity have led to a
regular
a breakdown in law and order.
And we see internally displaced people facing acute shortages of food, water,
shelter and medicine.
We see communal diseases are arising and
amid
very unsanitary conditions, 2 million people facing extreme food
insecurity
with women and Children, of course, is the greatest risk.
We've seen a health care system and
we've done this over the last four months and we've updated you
with healthcare system
again, completely unnecessary, collapsing
with only 12 of 36 hospitals
at the moment, partly functional.
And,
um, what we witnessed. And also when I was there with them going to
Khan you
and and now, um,
doctor Ah,
he will tell you about
his missions to as the as the overall lead of the missions to
shifa
and to Kamala one and
and to all
other
the enormous
um
infrastructure that damages 60 to 70%.
Still in infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, part of hospitals,
schools, water and sanitation facilities have been destroyed or damaged.
And then, if you think about that, how much time that would be taking to
to rebuild?
You really think in decades? For decades?
Unfortunately,
very. Um, and maybe that's a little bit of good news from our side. So, uh, this month,
uh, WHO, uh, with partners and WHOL missions, we gain access to the north again,
Uh,
just want to stress that that our mission
most of our missions to the north were denied
in late January. Only three out of 16 were facilitated
fe, February zero were actually facilitated.
And all due to a lack of a proper deconfliction mechanism.
Uh,
but on the first of March, after more than a month,
the WHO parts managed to access Shea
in the north
and deliver fuel some life saving supplies, uh,
for 150 patients and treatment for 50 Children
suffering for severe acute malnutrition and also bringing vaccines.
Uh, our last mission to
SA was on 22nd of January on the third of March. Just last weekend,
the HO parts were able to reach Kamala
one was further north and all
other hospitals in northern Gaza,
and that was the first
miss actually visits to those hospitals since early October 2023.
Despite our many efforts to gain more regular access to the north of Gaza
and, um,
Ahmed will,
uh, will will
will review
that on the
enormous destruction and and including areas
issues we discussed now malnutrition,
which we never discussed.
Actually, it was never an issue in Gaza.
Alaa
Hospital is particularly, uh, appalling One of the buildings destroyed
and and Tamala one is the only paediatric hospital and overwhelmed with patients,
uh, lack of food
resulting even in death of Children, a number of Children there again,
the WHO parts brought in fuel and some supplies. Now
I say a sliver of good news because we finally have access
to the north again, but we need sustained humanitarian access
and a de confliction mechanism which works.
There needs to be again the same R,
nor much more a needs to come in in Gaza, but specifically,
uh, transport within Gaza.
And
so there's more entries needed to the North also to han you.
And
we also need an entry into the north in northern Gaza
and other roads should become available that all should be.
And we talked about shrinking humanitarian space, which is of course, uh,
related to that.
I want to make one point of medical evacuation.
Um, again,
we've been pushing this as well for for months now,
and we estimate that 8000 Gazans need to be referred outside Gaza,
of which 6000 is related to the conflicts and and and, uh,
related to the conflicts related to, uh,
the multiple trauma and the trauma injuries burns exactly et cetera
and
amputees, et cetera. We need to be referred.
We estimate approximately 6000, but 2000 is what we call regular patients.
And again, I want to stress.
Before the conflict,
between 50 to 100 patients per day were referred to East Jerusalem and West Bank,
of which almost half of them were were cancer oncology related.
So they need to go
and and and it applies for everyone,
including for our own staff and and and and
and and And fortunately, we can say today
one of our staff members with a serious chronic
conditions is finally able to get out of that.
Well,
last point is on the health systems,
uh, we see and and and increasingly in health systems in
taters
and with 12 hospitals, partly functional, six in the north
and and one minimal functional
Alam, Ma
and and six in the South.
And with one minimal functional
Alam
and 23 nonfunctional, we've seen how hospital we see the degradation,
the dismantling and even destruction of hospitals.
When I was there,
uh, a couple of weeks ago, NASA
complex was a good example. How that happens
the the dismantling and and
very quickly in hospital becomes from partly functional nonfunctional. And
NASA
medical complex is like Shea
from the south, etcetera, and whatever we have to do,
we have to revise that hospital.
I want to make a point. It's too important
we cannot lose that, uh,
three level hospital.
Uh,
the
hospital, black supplies, especially the nose.
And And the mechanism for outside referrals remains ad hoc. Only,
the Ministry of Health.
Since the start of the war reports,
approximately 1500 amputations have been performed.
I think all of us who have been visiting those hospitals bringing supplies and
and taking helping with P CS taking out,
uh,
patients, et cetera. I've seen too many of them.
and we discuss it. So
the other the last point I want to make is I think they are related
is the
the rise in diseases and mal nutrition
so rise in diseases? We see, um,
more than
almost three or 70,000
of acute respiratory
facts.
We see almost, uh, 76,000 cases of scabies device. We see
240,000 cases of diarrhoea and
and under 5, 23 times
as much as normal. So that is an outbreak. We see a lot of jaundice as well.
Almost 10,000 cases Now. Why do I relate to malnutrition?
protocol,
the the there wasn't nutrition vulnerability situation
analysis was done in in January,
and
the situation is particularly extreme in northern Gaza.
So the nutrition, um uh,
screen is conducted at the shelters and the
health centres in the north found that 15.6%
or one in six Children under two years of age
are acutely malnourished.
And of these, almost 3% suffer from sphere wasting
and that this was in January, so the situation is likely to be greater today.
Similar street is in the southern Gaza Strip in Rafah,
where eight more be more available from 5% of the Children in 22 years are two
mal
nurse
and I want to stress.
I mean, we work in Gaza for a decade and
and before this
whole
thing,
malnutrition is never an issue.
It was acute malnutrition. You talk about 0.7% of the Children
and you may be discussed when you discovered malnutrition
you discussed about
micro
nutrient deficient, for example,
Uh, I, um iron deficiency among pregnant women. That's what you were discussing.
That's what we are trying to address all this
now.
Now,
90% of the Children in the age of two and
95% of the pregnant and breastfeeding women face severe food,
poverty
and and and and
they don't have.
It's not only that access to food, of course, it's access to a variety of, uh, of food,
and it's
and this is, I think, the the what the one UN wants to focus in.
First of all, bring in much more food specifically to the North.
Flood the markets and property confliction system
and access through various roads should be possible
should be made possible for that.
But then, when you look at mal nutritious combination, it's not just about food
and not about one type of, uh of food.
It's about wash and water and sanitation. How you improve that.
And then it's, uh, of course about medical supplies and shelter,
and
you have to look at the whole that whole area where you talk about
all those areas when you talk about, uh, malnutrition.
Uh,
I want to leave it there, and I want to hand over to my colleague doctor
Ahmed Dair,
who will, I think brief you more specifically on the recent missions to
Kamal
Adwan
and Al
Add one. And maybe he also wants to say one or two words on the mission to
Shifa.
So Ahmed overdue.
Thank you,
Doctor.
Ahmed, you have the floor.
You have just to
yourself.
No. Again.
Sorry.
Yeah, We are mute you. But you have to do it on your side, too.
Yeah. Now you're on. Thank you.
Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Thanks. And, uh, good morning. Uh, good morning for
it.
Um, so over the weekend, uh, the WHO and the partners
were able to access, uh,
aa
and Kali
advanced hospitals
in northern, uh, Raza for the first time since, uh, 74.
The route to the north is, uh, beyond what?
Uh, every time you think it cannot get worse. It does.
Uh, it's an
feeling to see the level of, uh, of damage there,
no for
or or videos do justice to the diabetes
patient
that has unfolded. And
in
both hospitals, uh, we visited, uh, are, uh, micro
of the overall health system and drug, uh,
struggling to survive
injection of small doses of aid, keeping them just functional enough
to serve those most in, uh, in need.
The WHO provided both hospitals. Um, some
at one
AA
with 9500 litre of, uh, of the
who will
eat and urgently needed medical supplies
and route to the hospitals, Um, desperate, crowded,
searching for food approach our time
and and and surrounded it.
We had to use our, uh, media phones to to inform
them that we were only carrying medical supplies to be allowed, uh, to, uh, post.
It's heartbreaking to see the the the hospital
people of us that we used to such, uh, desperation
at
the hospital. Um, the case was no different, uh, health workers and patients
barely surviving on one basic meal a day.
Despite the dives
conditions,
the hospital staff have shown immense
resilience and dedications to providing care,
uh, to, uh, to patients.
Uh,
they have been working around
the clock without and shift all rotations. Uh, both hospitals had shortage of fuel
power
and specialised, uh,
staff trauma cases constituted the majority of the of the admissions.
Multiple attacks
allowed the house destroyed one of the hospitals building
necessitating services to be consolidated in the remaining, uh, buildings.
Hospital building needs extensive restorations, serves offer
in,
uh, in an income, uh, cost emergency care
maternity surgical services with two OT
and and,
uh, basic laboratory, uh, services.
The staff consisted of 129
medical staff with 36 volunteers daily.
Hospital activities included UH 12 deliveries,
one
Caesarean sections, 10 general surgeries and trauma
related cases.
Thanks to supplies provided over the weekend,
the hospital will be able to start
the Operations Department laboratory and radiology department
at
Kamal
One,
the only paediatric
hospital in the northern uh in in, in the in the northern
Gaza,
doctors confirmed to us that at least 10 Children had died.
Uh,
due to starvation.
We saw at least
malnourished
Children during our visit.
According to the to the Ministry of Health,
now 15 Children
have died due to mal.
This is this is unfortunate.
Mother one was struggling with the lack of electricity, causing a serious threat
to patients. Care, especially in in on the ISP
U
and the
new
unit
service working
at the hospital included
emergency care, paediatrics,
maternity,
neonatal care, IC, U, hemodialysis, radiology
and basic laboratory service.
The hospital, uh, receives 400 daily trauma paediatric and and and medical
services.
There are six operational, uh, dialysis machines
where the
35 patients during
We also visited on 1st March, uh, S
a hospital
where we also provided, uh, and resupply them with the premium
of nine th 19,500
later, along with, uh, life saving, uh,
medical medical supplies such as, um, anaesthesia medications. Uh, antibiotics.
Uh, vaccines
and treatment of severe
acute mal.
Uh uh uh, Children,
The North needs ongoing support.
We urge to ensure sustained access for humanitarian partner.
Thank you.
Thank you very much. Uh uh, Doctor Dajer
the the line was not perfect. So I would like to ask
Tahir.
Um, Tariq, Sorry if he could send your notes and and the ones of Dr
Peppercorn as soon as possible to the journalists so that they can have
the right
figures that you have mentioned. There is
a background sound. I guess it's because of the
of the
earpieces that you're using. So thank you very much for this update.
I'll open the floor to question. There are quite a few.
And as usual, I start with the room
rhianon vor
our correspondent.
Ya.
Yes, thank you. I have a question for Doctor Day.
And also a question for James because he's here.
James, maybe you want to come to the podium? Uh, as we're speaking about Children.
yes,
Doctor.
Uh, the
Here
we James H.
There is our spokesperson for UNICEF in Geneva.
So
go ahead,
Doctor Day.
You said that, uh,
during the weekend you saw about 10 Children that
died of starvation in the northern part of Gaza.
Is this the first time that
can confirm
that Children are dying of starvation?
And my second question, That's why I asked for James to I
remember that a few months ago
and
fears that people can die more massively because of the humanitarian situation
than because of the conflict itself
because of the
because of the fighting. Is this the case now?
Do you think that it is possible that more than
30,000 people can die because of the humanitarian situation?
Or
how do you feel about that?
Uh,
Doctor Deir
Sorry. I know you are calling us in a difficult circumstances.
I don't know if you could ask the people who are behind you.
Maybe just during the time you have your mic open.
If they could lower their voice because we hear lots of background noises.
Sorry, but
it would be more. It would be easier to understand what you say.
Go ahead. Please,
Doctor. Well,
uh, III
I Yeah, I apologise. Actually, it it's very
complex. And then the place we are using it is very limited. Uh, so I apologise.
Um, So So so regarding the questions. Um,
when we went to command in advance,
uh, the 10th, Uh uh, The the 10th, uh, Children died from civil equipments
reported by the medical doctors.
So actually, we we did not see any. Um
uh uh uh, Children. Who? Who? Who died from SP.
Acute malnutrition.
This is the report which we got from the medical doctors who were treating, uh,
these Children
at the time of visit. Um, what?
We saw two severely acute malnutrition, uh, Children,
Which we, uh, the the the medical staff, uh, treating them at the at the
hospital.
Thank you.
Thank you very much. And don't worry.
I mean, we understand you're coming to us in a very difficult situation. James,
You want to answer your question?
Yeah. Hi,
Yi. Everyone, it's a It's a good question.
So let me read briefly from a statement on Sunday
from our regional director, uh, in the Middle East, which covers some of it.
At least 10 Children have reportedly died because of dehydration
and malnutrition
in Kamala
Dan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.
Uh, likely many more Children fighting for their lives.
These deaths are manmade, predictable and entirely preventable.
Um, now
what's important there is that
most malnutrition death malnutrition, like HIV, is an underlying cause.
So to die from dehydration,
it might be important to understand what that would look like in a hospital.
That would mean
that that baby the first of all, they're trying to find a vein.
And they're unable to find a vein because the body constricts through dehydration,
then most likely, and if we've still got medical staff on
that, they would probably look for a vein in the child's head.
So this would be very traumatic for the baby and any care or parent there
that would fail. And then they would probably seek to put a tube
down that child's throat into the oesophagus, and that would fail.
So the deaths are, um,
are ex extreme, a very painful process, very invasive and of course,
very distressing.
Uh, we we've been concerned since November that yes, because of the
lack of clean water,
the desperate lack of nutrition that we are now seeing now
So what numbers it turns into? We simply don't know. Because, of course, the 30,000.
These are reported. We don't no longer have desegregation. Of what? Children?
How many Children have been killed? That is a real problem as well. A.
Are we now looking at 1% of the child population?
We don't know. That would be 10 11,000.
We know it's thousands and thousands of Children being killed.
We also know that nine in 10 Children under the age of five, around 220,000
have been affected by an infectious disease over the last weeks.
So that becomes the spiral that we are so fearful of.
Infectious diseases, lack of food, a desperate lack of clean water,
an ongoing bombardment,
and incredulously still discussion of an offensive into Rafa,
which is a city of Children. Rafa
has about three quarters of a million Children living in it now.
Thank you. Very.
Thank you very much. Chris. Uh, Chris Vogt
is our correspondent of a FP, the French News Agency.
Thank you for taking my question. Just on, uh, on the Children and the malnutrition.
Is there any way that you could that you could calculate project
the death toll from malnutrition and the consequences. I mean,
the disease that comes with it and
is is there any way to quantify?
Ah, And then I had another question for Dr
Peppercorn
on, um, evacuations.
I was just wondering, ah, of the 8000.
Is there any Are there any of them that you were able to get out of Gaza
since the beginning of the war?
Can you give us a figure? Where would they go? Ah, and what's the
what's blocking the The fact that you have
those wounded people who can't can't get treatment.
Uh, why why can't they get out? Thank you,
James. You want to start and then I give. The
short answer is that there isn't it.
5000 Children with acute malnutrition under the age of five in Rafa
alone.
And as um, doctor peppercorn spoke to the numbers of, you know,
23 times what they should be or what they were.
Um, there's not. It is worsening. We are seeing those deaths that we long feared
and importantly, to speak to the criticality of getting aid into the Gaza Strip.
And we all know it's been a fraction.
The malnutrition rates of under fives in the North
are three times higher than those in Rafa.
So some evidence that when that trickle of aid can come in,
it does make a life saving difference.
That
a pepper
Go ahead,
Go ahead. We can hear you.
Yeah, so thank you very much. I want to react to two things.
One is, uh, a bit again going on the malnutrition. And and
And so, As James also said, My user colleague also said,
We
and this is important
in Gaza, malnutrition was never an issue.
So what we what we have now seen? I mean, like all these nutrition
assessments and again this nutritionist vulnerability assessment in January,
which is difficult to do we would like to do.
That's why you need access
to get much better data
and to get more regular data
and to actually really even assess the situation in a proper way.
That's nutrition vulnerability assessments
and erase what we see specifically in northern gas.
At 15.6% of wasting
among Children under two in northern Gaza,
it suggests a serious and rapid decline
as such a decline in the population nutritional status in three months
is is actually unprecedented globally.
Specifically,
when you look at it,
what it was before you talk about 0.7 or 0.8% of Children under five,
acute
malnourish.
Now, to make assessments on that like
fortunately, so malnutrition was never an issue in Gaza. Now it has become an issue
specifically in the North, but also James that even
in the
in, in in the South,
I want to say something on on on because that was also related to the former,
um, questions
the
impacts and projections. It's always difficult
if you have 30,000. Uh uh,
people More than 30,000 people killed. Now due to the conflict,
What is the excess mortality due to
other conditions
in a time of war?
And and there is a study, and I'm I'm sure that we will be able to share that from the law
school, uh
um of of Tropical Hygiene and and
and the Johns Hopkins University
and their reviews. We also helped find inputs on on on that study,
and and
they show, of course, they are projections.
They are models,
and they try to predict what does it mean when there will be an immediate ceasefire?
What's what? It's
the state call what? Where there is an escalation,
what happens when there is an epidemic and what's when there is no epidemics?
And if you look at those figures, so this is excess mortality, I mean, like,
those are quite astounding.
So when no epidemics occur and there's a cease fire, you still talk about
more than 6.5 1000 excess death.
When the state is called,
you talk about 58,000 excess deaths, and when there's an escalation,
you talk about 74,000
when epidemics would occur.
Then, even when the ceasefire
the model
the model
predicts another 11.5 1000 deaths and stage quo 66,000. Uh,
excess mortality and escalation
Uh, almost 86,000, uh,
excess mortality.
And of course, the Children and pregnant women are then especially vulnerable in.
And when it comes to,
uh uh to that
And so
this is why I think there's many other
reasons why a sustained ceasefire is almost needed.
The other question you raised was about, uh, medevac.
So currently, approximately 2200
patients
have been evacuated.
It has been a very much an ad hoc type of process. And it's not just WHO.
It's the Ministry of Health. It's the
Israeli authorities.
Egyptian authorities, which are are all involved in that process
and
and, of course, hospital directors, et cetera.
What? We are actually surprised about that? We are surprised, I think, Well,
a bit appalled about.
So we have been working on a
on a on more sustained and organised medical evacuation since,
uh, since November
and trying to promote and push that.
And again, based on our estimation,
we talk about 8000 patients which need to be evacuated.
We don't understand.
You know,
all these criteria and why and why is this actually not happening more so that Egypt,
um actually, uh, very kindly announced that they are ready
to, uh, to receive,
uh, a
lot of these patients, but also many countries in the region.
Many countries in the region have actually offered their support to
to to receive those patients and their companions
in the region and also a few European countries.
So what we would like to see and are pushing for
that to get organised and organised sustained medevac.
First of all,
for the patients who need it and who deserve to get
better treatments on places which they cannot get currently in Gaza.
But it would also help to relieve
relieve some of the enormous stress this this
this collapsing health services are under in Gaza.
I want to say also something One thing positive what my colleague
Ahmed raised on his mission to Shea.
I think it's remarkable,
really, truly remarkable and shows resilience,
resilience of the health workers in Shea
that that hospital
is operational again
and functioning
not as a third level hospital What it used to be
but functioning as a as a as a third level hospital and actually becoming again
the major trauma centre,
uh, for Northern Gaza.
And it's something
we have to treasure
and we need to support. And we need sustained support. And we need to build up again.
Thank you.
Absolutely. You absolutely right. So, um, I saw,
uh
we, um
Internationally
Jeremy,
given the numbers that you gave,
we hear
the word famine is looming for months. Is
it fair to say that we are in a position to say that?
Yes, there is a famine right now in Gaza. Or is it?
I know that
you have to seek to do
phase five and so on. But
given the numbers again,
can we say
that we are here in a position to declare a famine in Gaza right now?
Ahmed,
Rik or James? Who would like to take this one?
Well, I, I I'd throw it.
I mean, the answer is no,
because there are criteria that it must meet all three factors, and it hasn't.
And I think Doctor Peppercorn might
might I think his point on access is critical. But
But, Rick, let me throw it to you. Um, on on that,
the only thing I would add is that obviously it's
a critical critical term because of the coverage it gets.
It doesn't make a lot of difference for the Children on the ground right now.
OK, so, Rick and, uh, doctor here, if you want to intervene,
just raise your hand down.
We'll we'll give you the floor.
Yeah, maybe I want to add. So I agree with James. No, we cannot say that. Uh,
and and And also, I would not be violated person to
say that No. And I think the more what I want to stress,
it's absolutely not needed it.
So there is the the one. UN is ready
to bring in lots more food and lots more diversified food,
but it has to be a combination, so it has to be a combination of food
wash.
UNICEF is very misleading in that area. You
might want to add something on that
and such as medical and medical access and medical supplies and of course, shelter.
So it has to be combination
and there is no need for a famine that
we see this increase in acute malnutrition among Children.
I mean,
that's that's shocking and that needs to be
addressed as quickly as possible and that can
be addressed as quickly as possible.
And I want to make also one point we need to get back to the food production in Gaza.
Gaza was self sufficient when it comes to fish
to poultry to eggs, meat
and actually vegetables and fruits,
Gaza strawberries are famous. They were exporting them.
Most of that has been destroyed.
That needs to get back a lot
and and and and and of course,
in an organised way in an organised way as well as the private sector
OGM.
Thank you very much. Christian
Erik, a German news agency.
Thank you. This is a question to
Dr
Peppercorn.
You were talking about the medical evacuations and how they are difficult.
Can you explain a little bit? The process? Is this
an application that you lodge with the Israeli authorities, who then deny
a
patient who has a bed in an Egyptian hospital to be transported out?
Or what exactly is the hurdle here?
Thank you.
Yes, it's an it's a whole process.
It was also a process actually before this crisis, it's a whole whole process both in
this case, both the Israelis and the Egyptian authorities
and the process needs to be facilitated.
It needs to be simplified
and it needs to be quicker.
So
what we want to see is that that hospitals and hospital directors do their
major analysis and major analysis and make
sure that they prioritise and prioritise Uh,
the patients which should go first just as we did
in a number of missions to get a bit bit policy
redress
with patients should be referred to other hospitals in, um
in Gaza.
So that's which patients should get out of, uh, of Gaza, both
the trauma
related patient, but also the
I would say the the general patients, uh, the chronic diseases patients, et cetera.
So that needs to be simplified. That needs to be organised, et cetera.
And,
uh, to be honest, we struggle with is why does this take so much time?
And we will continue to push for that.
That's the only thing that I want to say about that.
I'll continue with the question.
We've got two more in the room and then on the platform,
and I just wanted to say the yen is also here if you have any questions for him.
So let's start with Nick Camy
Bruce, our correspondent of The New York Times. Thank you for the briefing.
Sorry I came late, so I may have missed some things that you said initially,
but I wanted to ask.
Since the event last Thursday and the international outcry that followed
what has changed in the process for getting aid into Gaza.
Are you now planning a lot of missions? Have you had approval for a lot of missions?
Are you being offered routes into northern Gaza
from the north that you can use, Could you? What has changed?
And and do you see this now?
Facilitating a substantial increase in deliveries of assistance. Thank you.
Go ahead,
Rick.
No, we we can't hear you. Sorry.
You can hear me now. Oh, yeah. No, it's fine.
OK. All right.
what
what we have seen And I'm talking now about the
show
and the health missions
the missions led by WHL.
So I told that already in my introduction, I think that's
for me.
That's a positive that the first time since since many weeks, actually,
since months for Kamala One
and Al
Ada And also for many weeks, we were able to go to Shifa
and to the other two hospitals as a first as a start,
We, we we all agree that we need to do this in a regular basis,
and and so, yeah, that has been facilitated over the last week.
So I see that as a positive
now much more is needed and you need to ask us other
UN AC Much more is needed to have a steady flow.
And I also mentioned that in my introduction,
so still, overall, there's too little aid coming into Gaza.
Secondly, the aid disputed within Gaza
is still incredibly problematic
and
not happening
as it should happen. And
what would the one UN would be able to deliver?
So there there needs to be more roads within Gaza, both of the North.
There needs to be an access actually point. There should be an access point
in north and northern Gaza.
There's descriptions ongoing all that that should be allowed to.
There's an access point also to the north.
Both
K
Shalom
and and and and
Rafa
Crossing need to work more efficiently and better and
all of that. And then, of course, the roads, for example, to the north, to Khan,
you
need to be cleared
at the moment.
Those roads are very bad in some patches.
Everything like that. Is it possible when GZA is a very small place,
you can clear roads very quickly. We've seen this in the past,
so that needs to happen not just for relatively small medical missions.
I mean, like with medical supplies and fuel, et cetera,
but for a sustained flow of missions and simply when I look at food, wash,
medical supplies, shelter et cetera going Not all to the north,
but also to the middle area, Khan
Yunis, etc.
Everywhere
in Gaza.
That is
not yet happening. Hopefully, this is the start of something. It needs to be very mis
expanded, and we need.
And I think the UN has been raising this for
for weeks and for months that we need a proper
deconflicting, a deconfliction mechanism, a mechanism that works
and that actually facilitates, facilitates those entries and also protects
those humanitarian
You don't want to?
Uh, yeah.
You don't want to get into in in into this issues what we have seen.
Unfortunately, last week where the UN was not involved overdue
just to follow up quickly because we've got many more.
Sure, But just to be clear,
then the process itself for getting these convoys into Gaza hasn't changed.
There hasn't been a streamlining the process of
approving what goes on to the tracks,
the process of scrutinising them
as they go in. That hasn't changed. There's been no
significant change in the actual process.
I think distortions are ongoing currently, and there is actually at the moment
and and what I would hope a streamline process
going on
and again.
So I'm I'm very happy, very happy. It is a big word, but I'm very, definitely happy
that for the first time since weeks and actually
months in in in the case of Kamala one,
we will be able to do those missions
in a relatively
in a relatively better and organised way
and a better facilitated way.
So I wanna make that point as well.
Thank you very much. Jimmy Keaton, Associated Press.
Hello. Uh, Doctor
Peppercorn. Thank you for the briefing.
Um, I was hoping that you might be able to tell us, Um,
for those of us who are not experts, um,
the clinical technical difference between, uh,
starvation and dying from malnutrition.
Um, if there's any, if if there's any, um, difference there.
And then the second thing, um, you mentioned getting access to, um, Al Shifa.
What do you attribute the breakthrough to?
I mean, what specifically paved the way for the opening to the access?
Um, was it a political agreement? Was it with cogat?
Was it with
I mean, what what? What level was the authorization granted for?
For and and to, uh to allow that to happen?
Dr.
Pepper
and I
think,
I think the whole area of malnutrition.
I don't I'm not top nutrition expert, but I think you talked about malnutrition,
and I actually I gave the the the data.
And, of course, you. When you talk about malnutrition,
you refer to a condition
where
an individual's diet is.
It doesn't provide enough nutrients for proper growth development,
maintenance of the body,
and it can result for an inadequate intake of food diseases,
increase disease and combination
starvation is, of course, the most.
It's the most serious part.
It occurs when it's completely deprived of essential nutrition
nutrients.
It's fortunately,
not happening very often because if that happens for a real problem,
and and
it's depriving of nutrients and the energy and over an extended problem, so
that leads to to to to severe organ failure and, of course, eventually death.
And that is often based on a prolonged,
inadequate intake of food,
water and essential nutrients.
Now,
coming back to Shea
and I want Ahmed also to to get into here because he was leading that that mission.
But for me, how does it happen?
It shows the resilience,
and I just want to also mention when I was there a couple of weeks ago in not
a
complex,
initially
the team in no
complex, they were completely they were besieged for so many days, et cetera,
and the hospital
was dysfunctional. No electricity, water, etcetera
and and no supplies.
And then maybe brought in the first supplies and the assistance.
The first they said the whole hospital has to be evacuated, all staff, et cetera.
And then
when we finally managed to get access and and get in and
help and get some of the most critical patients out et cetera,
later all the patients out.
But there was even among the health staff.
And I think I really want to attribute this to the health staff,
the incredible, resilient health staff.
There was this glimmer of how where they were completely desperate
and in despair.
You know, maybe we can continue. Fortunately, follow up events in NASA Medical
Complex made that that hospital currently is not
functional and should be functional in Shifa.
So we've seen and we've seen this in many places. We've seen this in
Shifa.
We've seen this in
a hospital and we have seen this by the way in Al
Aqsa
Hospital, where it's in the middle area. I mean, like, that's
when When I was there in early December, it was an hospital with six.
No yeah, more than 600 patients, etc.
Then it went down
to only in hospital with five staff and a few patients,
and the last time I was there this
again, it had 600 patients. So it depends. If the war is coming close to any place or
they get besieged,
then
the hospital.
Uh
uh, First of all, patients cannot access.
Ambulances cannot access the HL parts cannot breathe supplies. Staff cannot go.
Stop leave, et cetera.
So it becomes very quickly, partly barely functional malfunction.
But then, when it's gone,
staff comes back. There's many volunteers, by the way. It's incredible.
There's many volunteers who are working in all of those hospitals
for no money
working in those hospitals and building up those hospitals,
Uh, again. So it's
It's not so much. It's not
this authority or WHO or something.
No, it's the It's the Gazans and the health workers themselves,
which want to make sure that our health system
continues to function.
And that is probably the most intrins reasons.
It's the biggest reason we have to continue to support.
I want to ask Ahmed also because he he's been visiting Al
Shifa
over the last four months a number of times. So he has seen these changes.
But you've seen these changes also, Al
Ali, which is now again function functional.
And you talk A couple of months ago, it was almost dysfunctional,
functional again. So,
Ahmed, you wanna jump in on this and maybe
call
me some specific?
Uh, Doctor Dair
and then also, James would like to add something. Go ahead.
Yeah. Uh,
no, just, uh, to add on, uh, doctor, Uh, Rick. Um, So, um, what I need to to to say is that
the resilience and the commitment of of the medical staff,
um so whenever I visit them as as as Rick mentioned that
since November, I think I did, um, six missions to to ship the
hospital itself and and and the hospitals it it it it went from different, um,
levels,
um, with the with the with the heavy on fighting surrounding the hospitals and then,
um, the medical staff
with the patients from the hospital. And then after that they go back.
So this is really shows is is how,
uh the the medical staffs are resilient and committed
to share the population. Um,
in in, uh, in, in, in, in
Gaza,
and and And to add on on this, um, just to give you an example, it's in Kamal
one, which, um, I visited a few days ago.
Um, the hospital before the crisis did not
have, um,
uh, uh, dilate
this, um, for
for? For for the renal.
But what, uh, what?
I, uh what I saw in my visit that they've opened one unit with the sixth,
um, dialysis machines.
And they brought these machines from the Indonesian hospitals. Um,
which is completely nonfunctional.
And and they restart running. Uh uh,
renal hemodialysis, uh, units and and which now there are around 35 kidney failure.
Patients
are serving, uh, from, uh, from from from from these services
and the medical staff.
You know,
they told me a central message. They said
Ahmed, we will continue. We will continue providing,
uh, services to to the populations and and and Gaza. Whatever it happens,
If the hospitals would shut down, we will come back to it,
You know, so
and and and and And we will try our best
table
we have in our capacity,
and and just to ensure that health health services are are being provided
to the population And that's why WHO and and and its partners,
we are strongly advocating for for the access and that's that's the most important.
we hear
it's access, you know, for for, uh, for the human material,
uh, to the to the to the
north, not only help, but
food shelters. Uh, water. Um,
you know, like
it's it's it's it should be a uh uh
thank
James
Alessandra. Thanks. No, only J Jamie. Just to add
starvation, of course, that absolute deficit of calories,
usually leading to things like organ failure for UNICEF,
particularly the most severe type of malnutrition,
is 11 times more likely to kill a child under five from,
like the most common childhood disease say pneumonia.
So that's why malnutrition is so lethal.
But it is that underlying cause you won't get many Children
dying from malnutrition and it being called malnutrition.
Which is why these deaths over the weekend in uh north of Gaza were so,
um
revealing and alarming.
Absolutely.
So we have three more questions on the platform. I'll go to
Musi. You've been very patient, Musa
M.
Sorry, Uh, for our colleagues, Moussa is the correspondent of Almain.
Uh, maxi, Uh, Alexander
F.
Uh
uh, uh, James a WHO.
Uh,
if famine cannot be declared today in Gaza,
can we further determine the level of the risk of this famine? Uh
uh,
there. And, uh uh,
if the number of Children died, uh, last, uh, the last week, uh,
there is always the same.
Or there's many or other victims, Children or non Children.
Do you tell the F
to the famine?
My second question is, uh,
for WHO.
Uh,
do you trust the numbers of victims announced
by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza?
Thank you.
OK, maybe I'll start with James, and then I'll go to WHO colleagues.
Well, I, I think,
Yeah, if I mean, if I understand you well, and you please please add,
the levels of malnutrition.
Now we are seeing deaths from those,
um and we are We will see those continue to skyrocket.
The famine declaration
is
takes much longer. It takes the access that uh, doctor Peppercorn spoke of,
and there are three specific factors that I won't go into now.
But you can google them, and we are not there yet on those.
Um, but please re ask the question if I didn't capture it all,
I
do that
here. Maybe you want to answer.
And also then either you or Rick on the second question from Moussa,
Um, I will. I will divert it to the story. Thank you.
So,
yes, the the first question, James, I think address and and and
and again I want to stress on the on the M.
And,
uh, so please, no
nothing. Let's not talk about famine. I mean, is that
the
we talked about this, uh, looming crisis, this food insecurity
and and again, the nutritional or ability situation analysis confirms that
which is absolutely not needed in Gaza,
and I think it can be can be turned around and can be prevented.
It's all about,
uh, proper proper access,
and not just for food supplies, but as
Ahmed rightly say, whole holistic approach
and make sure also diversified, uh, food, et cetera.
It can be easily prevented and turned around.
So the second question.
I didn't guess I heard something about the Ministry of Health, but I didn't get it.
The line here was very bad.
Sorry.
Yeah, Yeah, it was pretty straightforward.
The question was,
just if you trust the number of casualties that
are announced by the minister of health in Gaza,
OK.
Oh, that's an old question.
I think we've raised this question.
I think, uh, this question has been raised from the start,
and I think even by, um, uh by many. And I think more people came
together. So first of all,
uh, I wanna also, by the way, point out it was a very good analysis done by the lenses.
And and And maybe that paper should be shared as well,
which unfortunately confirms that those
assessments the data from the Ministry of Health
is, uh, uh
seems very accurate in that sense, but I want to go back to the start of this all.
So for WHO,
uh, we always get data
from the Ministry of Health.
And when you talk about,
we've gone through a couple of years of a covid crisis or other
crisis. You get data from the Ministry of Health.
We do an assessment every two years
globally, where we assess
health information systems
now
Palestine,
West Bank. Gaza always came out pretty good in those assessments.
So a
well functioning, a relatively well functioning health information systems,
including vital statistics,
death and birth, et cetera.
So that's what true
we've seen in unfortunately, in former,
uh,
conflicts escalations in Gaza
that where we got data from the ministry of, uh of health
and assessments were done after the conflict
that they very well matched.
There were often even a little bit of an underestimation.
So they match very well.
Now then, three the analysis of the of the of the lens.
I mean,
that also confirms this as well.
And then maybe you remember, I think it was only,
I think in week six or seven or something like that.
Uh, these questions were also very directly raised,
and the Ministry of Health produced a list
A list, an incredibly detailed 12
page list
with approximately, uh,
I think then we talked about 8000, uh,
8 8000 deaths or something like that.
Uh, those say seven or 86.
8000 deaths,
a number of injured.
And this list was incredibly detailed with all the the the identification numbers,
et cetera from people as well.
So yes, um,
I would say almost unfortunately,
uh, of course, the the Ministry of Health.
They lost
a lot of their health information systems. They're they're devastated, et cetera.
So the last month it became more difficult,
and you would say there are more estimations,
but I'm afraid that unfortunately yeah, I think we, uh
we have a certain we have a high level of phase in those data.
And I'm even afraid
that the number of people under the rubble estimates, in that sense, it
might even be might even be higher. And so, and even
in
if there would be discrepancy in numbers, you know,
it would still not alter our understanding of
the level of the human suffering and increasing
terror
in Gaza.
And again, when we compare this sets captured by oar
since what was it? 2008.
It clearly shows an increasing number of civilians being killed with
a higher proportion of Children and women's fatalities as compared to the
commutative figures from the previous conflicts affecting the Gaza Strip.
So,
uh,
maybe I want to stop
there.
Thank you very much. So
I'm sorry. There are still more briefers. So I have Musa
has a follow up John Lees and Nina And then I'll close here The questions
And if we could be a little bit brief.
Musa,
you have a follow up?
Yes. For the first question,
uh, WHO announced that, uh, saturday or Sunday 10 Children died of hunger.
Then I speak about hunger, Not about, uh, malnutrition.
Uh,
and my question is, in which level we are today in Gaza,
Which level of hunger of famine in Gaza today.
If there, Uh uh, if this, uh this, uh, risk is, uh
uh, really thank you.
I think we have already spoken about that, But maybe somebody wants to
reiterate
JMJ.
Sorry. I would li
I would literally like, I think the easiest way, Um, from my point of view
is to share with you the statement from our regional director. I will.
I will resend it.
Um, but that was
that was 10 Children dehydration and malnutrition.
and it spoke to the disparities of higher levels
of malnutrition in the north to the south.
and simply said the situation has only gotten worse.
And as we have warned, we will see an explosion in child deaths
and called that imminent if the burgeoning nutrition crisis isn't
isn't resolved. Um, not a lot more. Uh, the one point I think that's not
that's that's, um, useful to
to add there that the regional director, um,
shared was the sense of helplessness and despair among parents and doctors
in realising that life saving aid is just a few kilometres away,
but is being kept out of reach.
Must be unbearable
indeed. John
John Zro
Costa. Frans Van K.
Yes. Uh, good morning. This is also for the Lancet.
Um uh, Doctor Peppercorn,
uh, you mentioned, uh and I wanna make sure I got it right.
You said 1500 amputees are being referred for treatment outside of the region.
Or did I get it wrong?
Uh, ID, I don't think I heard it correctly.
And, uh
uh, Secondly, with regards to, uh,
so called, um
uh declaring famine
in the last 40 years, many of the religions, when they were declared famine,
it was too too late.
Horn of Africa and many other areas.
Uh, is there politics involved with going to a declaration.
Is that up to the host country to also have a role
in the declaration or not? Thank you.
That's a perfect one.
I think we discussed that also with our
briefing.
First of all,
I didn't say so. The Ministry of Health
reported
since the start of the war
that 1500 amputations have been performed,
not referred. We said that approximately
the estimate is now the figures.
What we have said,
2293 patients have been referred out of Gaza since the start of the war.
That's all kinds of patients.
So we're not talking.
We have raised the point that we estimate that 8000 patients should be referred
out of Gaza. 6000 related to the war war traumas and 2000 general, uh,
general patients.
Oh,
that's it.
On the second question.
Oh,
yeah, I think that's we've discussed this. I think so.
Uh
uh.
I
actually
don't see, uh, is, uh, is the politics
again? I want to stress
that also what figures we hear. So when When? When Ahmed, My colleague
was in at
one. And that's what he reported.
The health workers informed him that 10 Children died
of malnutrition.
That's what I get, the health workers informed him.
According to the Ministry of Health, 15
kids have died
over the time of malnutrition.
Uh,
so I don't want to go into this. That's not me. That's not me.
Only that fem and I said, It's the whole I PC process, et cetera.
And
again, it's
that's that's absolutely not there. And it is.
I want to also make it
not. It's not needed. It
is already shocking that we see in
an assessment done
and and and 15.6%
of the kids,
uh, 50.6 under under two,
which are acutely malnourished, where it used to be.
You talked about figures of 0.6 0.7 0.8 for Gaza,
and that is unprecedented. It should be addressed.
It can be addressed, and it can be reversed.
I mean, like, That's, uh
so that's, um, and I think it's and also applicable for the cells, but in
in an also very serious way but a less serious way.
And we talk about a holistic approach,
not just about providing weeds, et cetera,
weed diversified foods, combination of wash
and wash supplies etcetera to make sure the water sanitary, Could
you avoid
diseases, medical supplies
and shelter?
And also, you need this access and much better access and safe access.
And not just from the the UN and the spars.
To do better assessments
to get better data
and to make sure
that you can target your response in a much more specific way.
That's what's
needed.
Thank you.
Lisa.
Lisa
Schlein,
Voice of America. Lisa, you asked for the notes.
I see that Tariq is saying hopefully you get them all in 15 minutes.
But you have also a question.
Uh, yeah, I have questions, uh, for James. And also I think you said that
Jens is in the room. Is that right? He's
OK. I'd like to ask him if
a
couple of questions OK,
go ahead.
Can can. OK, can my colleagues close
mic of Dr
Pepper?
Go ahead, Lisa.
Good morning, James. Nice to see you.
Um, following up on. Um uh,
some of the things that you said I'd like.
Well,
first of all would appreciate receiving the notes
from the regional director that you quoted,
but, um I I if you succeed in saving Children's lives which I hope you do.
Since they've been to
deprived of, uh, important nutritions for such a long time. I'm wondering what
the likely impact upon them as they grow up and upon future generations
will be as a consequence of their not, uh, having received,
the food and other things that they need so well. And what this
means for, uh, Gaza, the future outlook of Gaza.
Do you want me to ask Jay? Uh,
yeah. And
then I'll ask, uh, so you can go ahead.
Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Go ahead with your question.
Lisa.
You want me to
ask my
question
on the point
she listens to you?
Yeah. I.
I see you. Good morning, James. Uh, sorry.
Yes. It's nice to see you.
Uh, uh, OK, I have a couple of questions for you, and and that is,
um are the airdrops actually, uh, still occurring? Uh,
and you know,
they don't.
Yeah, that that's one.
And, uh, I was wondering whether there was any indication that, uh,
that Israel is likely to open up, um, couple of its crossings so that food can get in.
Do our our trucks Are aid convoys actually coming in now.
Either in the south or the north. If so, how much
and how much needs to come in?
Thank you
a lot, James. Start with you,
Lisa. Thanks. Um, when it comes to nutrition,
yes.
Forms of any form of severe nutrition, uh, malnutrition stunting can impact the,
you know, well, does impact the
the growth and development, Um, of a child's brain.
Um, that depends on the severity. And, of course, the duration of that,
Uh, there is a, uh, equally a chance during adolescence where, where development,
um, is such that you can almost have a catch-up period there.
Obviously, we are hoping that this is not a chronic emergency.
And we're not talking about le levels of malnutrition over 6, 1224 months.
And as Doctor Peppercorn says, it simply wasn't an issue previously.
so on. That's on the physical side.
On the psychological side, of course, we are in uncharted territory.
There were studies done a year or two ago showing 80% of Children in Gaza, uh,
reported some type of emotional distress.
Obviously, no study has been done yet.
I think it would be hard to push back on the idea that every single child,
every single child in Gaza,
will be in need of some type of emotional support.
and the impacts on that are relatively well documented, though again
we are in terrain that is is quite new.
So whether it will,
ultimately you can get PTSD that affects a child's nervous system.
Future earning capacity.
Clearly, all Children in Gaza have come to realise that the world can be a
an unsafe, dangerous and and perilous place. Um,
the only way out of that is, of course, first and foremost for a ceasefire,
Uh, and and for a sustained peace right now, as we've said previously,
Gaza is not a place, uh,
for Children to recover from the kinds of things that they are enduring.
But right now, Gaza still remains home to more or less 1.1 million Children.
OK, um, sorry. I see Dr
Peppercorn
as racist, and maybe on this, but I'll I'll let Ian
Oh, OK, So, Dr
Peppercorn,
you want to add something to what James said? And then I go to
to
yen.
Yeah, OK, so one thing on the on the malnutrition is I think it's, uh, James. describe
Well, you talk about
intergenerational consequences and and in the acute phase is of course,
you talk about mortality, morbidity,
disability in a longer time you talk about Hey, height, uh, cognitive ability,
economic productivity,
reproductive perform, metabolic and cardiovascular.
So it's a whole It's a whole, um uh, range. Uh,
I want to say something about because Jane made
a really good point on the mental health,
mental health and specifically, uh, also for Children.
And I want to really broaden depth that
topic because we know that resting dead enough.
And
and that's why cease fire is so poor. You start with thinking about recovery.
I mean,
think about mental health and psycho social support for Children.
Yes, of course.
Think about the youth and the adolescent. Think about women.
Think about men, think about elderly, think about health workers, for God's sake.
That is such a massive undertaking,
and it should.
And and at the moment,
there's so little done because we all focus on this kind of survival
issues. Talk about food and water
and shelter and medical supplies, etcetera.
We need to go back to
to the whole range and and start building up
thinking about primary health care with a proper integrated mental health,
psychosocial support community,
special focus on on on Children and special focus Also on the other groups,
including, uh, adolescents, including women, including health workers,
uh,
and men. So that will be massive. And
again on the
there was one issue, I think on the
on
on on Nexus.
But I think we've discussed this, uh, numerous times what is needed for them
over to you.
Yes.
Thank you,
Lisa,
for your questions.
There have been
no airdrops by the United Nations
so far.
Um
however, we continue to explore every avenue
to ensure that aid reaches those in need
and that would include airdrops are more limited in volume than deliveries by road.
So
clear focus is to have overland transport
scaled up
so that it is commensurate
with the
enormous needs that we hear about
now. When Children are
starting,
As the doctors are telling our colleagues to die from starvation,
that should be
an alarm like no other.
If not now, when is the time to pull the stops,
break the glass, flood Gaza
with the aid
that it needs?
So that is what we need to see happen.
We do not have openings over land
to the north, as we should have.
We continue to engage with the authorities and everyone involved who can help
get those openings
so that we can get aid in
at scale. But currently we do not have it.
We do see
aid that continues to come in
through the south through the crossings that you know of.
The most recent data that I have is again numbers of trucks.
Pretty crude way of counting it, but still
first of March, 133 2nd of March, 107
and third of March. 130.
That is against, as you know,
a pre war daily entry of 500.
We consider that
minimum
that needs to go in now
because the crisis is so much larger than it was in the past.
But time,
of course, to look at any and all possibility
possibilities
for getting the supplies into
Gaza.
Thank you very much.
Ian. Liza, a quick, quick, please. Follow up.
Yeah, very quick. I forgot to ask you
yens
Um what the impact of U NRW?
Uh, the closure of an R
operations would have upon,
uh, the needs of Gaza. And there it it it appears to be in a very perilous situation.
Thank you.
Staying within the logic of what we have said about the importance of UN W
a
The closure of un
would mean breaking the backbone of the humanitarian operation.
Yeah, indeed. James, you wanted to add something
very quickly and be a little unorthodox,
but it was a great question on mental health.
Um, and you're just hearing from,
uh,
middle aged old men up here.
There was a young woman I encountered in Gaza who was a medical student,
Um, who was probably who who approached me out of nowhere.
We were doing a different story,
and she was probably the most candid, articulate
bang. Here is my story that I have ever encountered in my 20 years.
I keep in touch with her
and I'll play you just This is just 10 seconds of something I received
the other day to get a sense of the mental health of young people.
She's obviously not studying else
and made a very good point.
When I think of mental health right now in Gaza, I just see trauma.
I've al I've somehow as humanitarian forgotten about that.
I haven't been to school for
forever and ever and ever, which I, which of course, has its own degree of
perilous. So anyway, this is a very brief If it will play,
this war has taken us through a hurricane of fears.
Some days I'm very angry at the whole world.
Some days I'm grieving all that we had lost.
On some days. I don't feel anything at all.
So anyway, a glimpse of mental health of 1.1 million Children in Gaza.
Thank you, James, for this witness.
And, um, I'll take the last question and then we'll go to Claire,
who's been very patient.
Nina
Larson. A
FP?
Yes. Uh, thank you for taking my question. It's It's, uh, separate.
And, uh, i'll be brief. Um,
I was just wondering about the allegations that were made, uh, yesterday by una
that its staff were, uh,
subjected to torture while they were detained by the Israelis.
And since I know that you have had, uh, you you said that there are quite a few medics,
um, who've been detained.
I'm wondering if you have also seen any indication of that. And if you have any, uh,
if you have any reaction to to those allegations Thank you,
Dr
Peppercorn or Doctor Hamed, maybe
please unmute yourself.
Yeah, I think maybe this is more a question for my colleagues from what
I think.
OK,
Do you need any?
So sorry, Nina, could you just repeat the question?
It's about
torture. And
but,
uh, I was gonna say it's about the allegations made yesterday by honour
that its staff members who were detained by
Israel were subjected to torture and ill treatment.
And I know that, um, there have been I was It was actually, I guess,
more for WHO because WHO has talked to What about medics?
Uh, and paramedics who've been detained during the health missions. Um uh,
and I'm wondering if they've heard anything similar.
Um, and also, if they have an overview of how many are still being detained?
Thank you.
That
yes, I mean
about health staff being detained.
We've all heard the story, so I will not speak about that.
But let those organisations themselves speak about that, and generally,
how people are treated in in detainment and what
they are subjected to is a human rights issue.
So I would believe that the
office for
we have heard
from the High Commissioner an extensive, comprehensive
description of the situation of human rights in
this context. So probably
send you back to that.
I
don't see other questions, and I don't want
we
really want to go
to the other speakers. But I really want to thank Dr
Ahmed
here for being with us this morning and the dire
situation we know and Richard Peppercorn that keeps updating us,
and we are really grateful and thank you very much.
Come back any time and please stay safe
in
the implementation of your
functions. Just a word to add that
Tariq has written in the chart that you should have now
the notes of his two colleagues. They should have been sent to you in your mailbox.
So hopefully you have them
and I go now to Claire, a new list for
W
for an update on
El
Nino,
which is
well, that's
particularly difficult to follow. What? We've just listened to that
The World Meteorological Organisation has just issued
its latest update on El Nino,
La Nina.
We say that the 2023 to 2024 El Nino event
has peaked. It peaked in December.
At
its peak, it was one of the five strongest on record.
It's now gradually weakening,
but obviously it will continue to impact the global climate in the coming months.
So even after it disappears completely,
we will still feel the impacts of this event.
And what we've seen with this El Nino, perhaps more than any other event in the past,
is that
it's fueled the heat trapped by greenhouse gases due to, as we all know,
from human activities,
El Nino is a naturally occurring event.
But everything now all El Nino events, all La Nina events take place in the context
of a climate has been radically changed by human activities.
We do expect above normal temperatures
in the coming months between March and May,
and this is in overall most land areas.
Going into the details, the WMO
update says there's about a 60 per cent
chance of El Nino persisting during March to May
and an 80 per cent chance of neutral conditions, so neither El Nino or La Nina
in April to June
there is a chance of swinging back to La Nina later on this year,
but we don't really know at the moment we have what we call a spring
barrier to predictability,
so it is actually quite difficult this time of year
to make provisions for later on in the year.
As I said,
Nino now is taking place in the context of climate change. And so this is a quote by
Celeste Saulo,
the World Meteorological Organization's secretary general,
she said. Every month since June, 2023 has set a new monthly temperature record,
and 2023 was by far the hottest year on record.
El Nino has contributed to these temperatures,
but heat trapping greenhouse gases are
unequivocally the main culprit.
Ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific clearly reflect El Nino,
but sea surface temperatures in other parts of the globe have
been persistently and unusually high for the past 10 months,
and the January 2024 sea surface temperature was
by far the highest on record for January.
This is worrying, and it cannot be explained by El Nino alone.
This is a quote from Professor Celeste
Saulo,
as we've seen in the past few months,
El Nino is associated with increased rainfall,
triggering flooding in the Horn of Africa.
So we saw the Horn of Africa swing from drought to deluge
and the southern states of the
southern part of the United States of America.
We've seen unusually warm, dry conditions in South East Asia,
Australia and Southern Africa,
and El Nino has exacerbated drought hasn't caused.
It has exacerbated drought in northern
South America.
So that's it. The only final thing is that we can predict El Nino events
in advance.
And it's thanks to these advance warnings
the seasonal climate predictions that we can
help climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, food, security
to plan ahead.
And this is obviously in line with
the international early warnings for all campaign,
which is our top priority.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for this update. Claire questions Christian.
Uh,
thank you, Claire. Two quick questions. The first one is the strongest on record.
Measured by what
for?
And the second one is
on record Means since when?
When did records begin?
I did just open it. OK,
this is off. This is off, Ok, All right. Sorry.
Colour blind
as well.
I'll check on that from what I understand.
So it's an interaction between the
sea surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions.
But certainly one of the
indicators is the sea surface temperature. So in December, at its peak,
we saw a peak value of 2.0 degrees above the 1991 to 2020 average.
It's now it's now weaker than that.
But obviously we are still seeing above average values
on record.
Obviously,
climatological records date back to the 18 fifties. I don't think
we've been measuring El Nino for quite that long, but I can double check.
But certainly from what my colleagues have said,
it's not as strong as the 2015 to 2016 event,
and it's not as strong as the 1997 to 1998 event.
But it is. It is up there,
Isabel,
just, uh uh, do you know when is the next update in the El Nino?
We do the El Nino updates roughly four times a year.
If
if there is a special circumstance, then we
will push it through quicker. The reason that we only do them four times a year is
it's an international collaborative effort, so it does involve
a
lot of international climate centres.
But having said that, we do what
we call a global seasonal climate update on a monthly basis.
And it is this global seasonal climate update,
which
is forecasting that we will have above temperatures overland
and oversea areas in the next three months.
So that is a monthly product. And that factors in
not just El Nino, but a lot of other factors as well.
Any other question to Claire?
Don't see any or on the platforms. Thank you very much. Thank
you for this update. David,
you have a couple of announcements for ITU. Thank you.
Yes, and one that was subject to a press release from Friday.
But I'd like to, uh, present it here for the record
that on Friday, uh, ITU Secretary General Doreen Bogden Martin
announced the formation of her first youth advisory board.
The board is comprised of 12 young digital experts and innovators aged 18 to 30.
Uh, Secretary General Bogda Martin, uh,
highlighted that bringing in youth perspectives is particularly
important as governments and industry work toge together
to connect the 2.6 billion people that are still offline around the world.
The board will provide recommendations to the Secretary General
of ITU to enhance worldwide Cooper
operation in strengthening global connectivity.
Uh,
members of the inaugural Youth Advisory Board were selected
from a global poll of about 850 candidates,
and they will serve in their individual capacities for two years.
My reading of that note didn't dazzle you. Perhaps I can excite you with this news.
that on Thursday
in the afternoon at two o'clock,
I'm pleased to announce that IT Secretary
General Doreen Bogda Martin will join us here
at, uh, the press room for a press conference with the, um, with the press corps.
So other than that, I know it's been a long A long haul
on the priorities of for for 224. That's correct.
So,
questions to David in the room? No, I see there's one in the platform. Musa.
Uh, we,
uh Jenifer
is gone. I'm sorry. She was here until now,
but she's now gone.
Uh, ok, any question to, uh, David,
I don't
OK,
so thank you very much. Good luck with the press conference and
the board.
I have only a couple of announcements.
Very short remind you that the Human Rights
Committee is reviewing today the report of Chile.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disability
concludes Kazakhstan's report today and they will go to Zambia
and uh, a couple of, uh, press conferences.
I see that, uh, Thomas Fitzsimon is also, uh, recalling, uh,
the press conference in the chat.
And I'm happy to confirm that today at 1 p.m. in this very room
uh, the IP U Secretary General Martin Chung
Gong will speak to you on the issue of women in Parliament.
It will be accompanied by Marian Ard
Mutz
Beg
the IP U Gender programme officer
And
I'm also asked by U NDP
to inform you
that
will launch its flagship reports the new Human Development Report
and the new
human development index that will be on the 13th of March.
The report is available already on demand
so you can contact Sara if you want to have an advance copy of this report
and
yeah, just last press conference, I wanted to remind you it's the one organised by YO
that is on Thursday,
seventh of March at 11 a.m. This is a virtual press conference and it's hosted by
yo,
not unis.
So you can contact Samar in case you need anything and
this is on the release of the global Intellectual Property Statistics.
Filings
by
the embargo expires on Thursday, 7 March at
noon, Geneva time, and the press conference, as I said, is on the same date at 11.
So
in case of questions, you can go to Sam.
My very, very last announcement and I give you the focus
is about an event I have already told you about
which we are organising together with
UN women, the University of Geneva,
the UN Department of Peace operations in the U
Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs and the
Initiative Fund
and they can to
the Geneva. Together with the confederation,
it is a day of activation around. The theme piece begins with her.
It's an activation of a booth of photo. It's called Inside.
Out is the foundation created by photographer French photographer JR.
There will be an exhibition of pictures of women, peacekeepers and the population.
The people who pass by can take their picture at the booth,
and the booth picture will be added to the exhibition.
This
will run from 1115 to 6 o'clock in the afternoon at
Unai. We hope to see you there. It's going to be really beautiful visual, beautiful.
And at the end of this
activation,
we will have a panel discussion focusing on the role of
women in peace with the Swiss State Secretary for Security Policy,
Dr
Marcus
Meer,
the vice President of the State Council of Geneva. Natalie Fontanet
Uh, ive rigger,
director of the University of Geneva
Uh, the director of the Geneva Centre for Security Governance Ambassador Natalie
Chard
and other, uh, speakers.
And, uh, just to remind you that at, uh, one o'clock media
will be able to meet and interview some of the formidable
women featured in the exhibition that will be also at UNA.
This include Melton Burack,
who is a young peace activist from Cyprus.
Captain Vanisa von
Vag, a Swiss peace keeper, deployed with
um
Jeep and Luisa Franco,
a Colombian peace activist and programme officer with the Swiss Peace Institute.
So these people will be available for interviews at 1 p.m. at the UN
and I think we've already sent you the media advisory with all the details.
So I see Chris as a question and I guess,
Yes.
I was just wondering if somebody from the human rights was online or No,
I'm afraid we don't have anybody from
today. They're really busy with the council.
So
we
and there are a lot of
I mean, just if you
could if you could have them
regularly at least online would be really helpful.
Because there are a lot of questions right now going on
anyway, I'll send them an email. Thank you. Thank you.
I'd seen a hand on this side and
I
see that there was somebody else on this side. No. OK, then.
So at the same time at one o'clock today, Uh,
IP U has this, uh, press conference at the same time.
Sorry.
IPU
has a press conference at one,
but what is the other event? You said
what you said.
Human Rights Council has another conference at one. Is that
misunderstood?
We have.
Mm
mm. Sorry.
Talk up about Dad's on Thursday.
Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So not not today. Not today.
Bye.
Human rights Council has nothing
to do. No
Human Rights Council is going on with this regular programme that Pascal
has presented at the beginning of the briefing.
That is about what we have for
HC
HR today. I mean, for human, for the council.
But there is also the IP U press conference, and that is a 1 p.m.
So if there are no other questions for me, thank you very much, uh,
for having followed this long briefing,
but it was really interesting and important.
Um, So I wish you a good afternoon and, uh, I'll see you on Friday. Thank you.