UN Geneva – OHCHR & WHO Press Briefing on the Situation in Gaza

19 July 2024

Watch full Press briefing 

(Excerpt)

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Situation in the Gaza Strip

Jeremy Laurence, for the United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that, over the previous week, the people of Gaza had been subjected to a renewed wave of deadly Israeli air strikes and ordered to move yet again to supposed ‘safe places’ that were anything but safe. Since 12 July, 503 Palestinians had been killed, mostly in central Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel’s evacuation order on 9 July, one of the largest since 7 October, had forced families into an impossible choice once again: stay amid active hostilities or risk fleeing to areas still subject to attack and with hardly any space or services. Nowhere was safe for people in Gaza: not the roads, not shelters, not hospitals, not the unilaterally declared so-called humanitarian zones. 

The outcome was now clear of Israel’s dismantling of local capacity to maintain public order and safety: there was looting, mob justice, extortion of money, family disputes, random shootings, fighting for space and resources, and we see youths armed with sticks manning barricades. The creation of these conditions had led to the predictable and entirely foreseeable unravelling of the fabric of society in Gaza, setting people against one another in a fight for survival and tearing communities apart. The High Commissioner stressed once again that the violence had to end. There had to be a ceasefire, and the hostages had to be released. Reconstruction of Gaza had to begin. The occupation had to end, accountability had to be served and the internationally agreed two-State solution had to become a reality. 

Ajith Sunghay, Head of the United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking from Amman, said that he had returned from Gaza the previous day, after spending a couple of weeks in the area. The people of Gaza were suffering immensely, and the situation was truly desperate. People were on the move from north to south, again, although they were making the journey knowing it was fraught with danger. As people moved from Gaza City to Middle Gaza, Mr. Sunghay had observed several humanitarian responders, including protection actors, provide urgent services to the exhausted and repeatedly traumatized population at reception centres on Al Rasheed Road and Salah Ed Deen Road. Most people had moved on donkey carts and horse carts, holding white flags. Many said that they had lost everything due to Israeli bombing, including their homes. The outcome was becoming obvious of Israel’s dismantling of local capacity to maintain public order and safety in Gaza; anarchy was spreading. The hostile environment due to the war and the breakdown in civil order also raised enormous challenges for any meaningful humanitarian response to the mammoth needs of the people. 

Mr. Sunghay explained that humanitarian and human rights entities were doing incredible work under impossible conditions, while trying hard to ensure respect for diversity and inclusion. 

Civil society groups had provided frontline protection from day one. They also stressed the need for accountability for the gross human rights violations that had occurred. Women’s rights organizations shared information about sexual and gender-based violence, including in Israeli detention, but stressed that there was no space to talk about this while the war was ongoing. Mr. Sunghay heard accounts of women committing suicide due to their desperate living conditions and the terrible deterioration of mental health. 

Responding to questions from the media, Mr. Sunghay said that the inadequate sewage and spillovers were an ongoing challenge. Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that samples collected from the surveillance points in Gaza in June had indicated presence of a polio strain. As part of response efforts, WHO teams were conducting an assessment of the polio virus spread and necessary response. As per data available, the polio vaccine coverage rates in Gaza had been optimal (89 per cent) before the onset of the current war. Currently, reminded Mr. Lindmeier, only 16 out of the 36 hospitals were functional, and the decimation of the health system, cramped living conditions, shortages of medical supplies, poor quality of water and inadequate sanitation increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. Mr. Lindmeier stressed that a ceasefire was essential to scale up immunization efforts. 

The United Nations Secretary-General was disappointed by the decision of the Knesset opposing an establishment of a Palestinian State, added Ms. Vellucci in a response to another question, quoting the Secretary-General’s spokesperson. He had said many times that he believed that a two-state solution, where Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with a secure and recognized border based on 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, was the only viable path to a sustainable peace for the people of Israel and for the people of Palestine. 

On another question, Mr. Sunghay stressed that without clear security guarantees and a green light provided by the Israeli side, the UN and partners could not move humanitarian aid within Gaza. An enabling environment had to be established, added Ms. Vellucci. James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that the evidence was clear that there were no security conditions on the ground to distribute life-saving aid safely and efficiently. The risk of famine was still at the highest level. Because of the fluid nature of the conflict, populations were on constant move. Mr. Sunghay reiterated that there was no law enforcement in Gaza; there was looting because of the hunger and other factors. Police had to be back on the streets to bring some order. Jeremy Laurence, also for OHCHR, said that a report on Palestinian refugees was expected to be released in the coming weeks. 

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