More than 160,000 children were vaccinated in southern Gaza on Thursday, the first day of a polio vaccination campaign there, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said on Friday.
UN humanitarians continue to reach beleaguered communities stranded on the frontline in Ukraine. An inter-agency convoy delivered three trucks of aid to a community in the Kherson region on Wednesday – the ninth this year that has managed to get through.
Mr. President,
Nearly a year has passed since the horrific attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Israel, the single deadliest attack in the country’s history. Over 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and around 250 individuals were abducted and taken into Gaza.
A few days ago, we learned the heartbreaking news of the killing of six Israeli hostages, whose bodies were recovered by the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza.
I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I met the loved ones of several hostages last November in Jerusalem, including the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. I watched the shocking and heartbreaking video footage of his capture – images I will never forget.
According to the Israeli government, the hostages had been shot multiple times at close range. They were killed by Hamas shortly before Israeli soldiers were able to reach them inside a tunnel in Rafah.
Following the recovery of the bodies, Hamas announced that militants guarding hostages in the buildings and tunnels of Gaza had new instructions to kill hostages before they could be recovered alive by Israeli forces.
At least 101 hostages are still held in Gaza; they are still denied humanitarian visits. Accounts of released hostages and other reports indicate that they are likely being held in horrific conditions, with some being subject to violence, including sexual violence, and other forms of abuse.
I echo the words of the Secretary-General once again: all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. For as long as they are held, in accordance with international legal obligations, they must be treated humanely and allowed to receive visits and assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Mr. President,
We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
I welcome the continued efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in this regard. Recent meetings in Doha and Cairo attempted to bridge gaps, but major differences persist. More must be done to reach a deal without further delay. The United Nations remains committed to supporting all efforts to this end.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground looks grim. Israeli military operations continue across Gaza and the number of fatalities tragically keeps increasing.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health (MOH), since 7 October, some 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, a majority of whom were reportedly women and children.
We continue to witness mass displacement of thousands of Palestinian families – most unable to access medical services, water and sanitation. Many families have been displaced several times. Nowhere is safe in Gaza.
At the same time, the indiscriminate launching of rockets by Hamas and other armed groups towards population centres in Israel also continues. Civilian objects in Gaza, including infrastructure are also reportedly being used to shield fighters and military objectives, endangering the lives of civilians in and around them.
Civilians should not be used as human shields.
Humanitarian access is tenuous at best, jeopardized by unsafe conditions, including a complete breakdown of law and order throughout Gaza. The 27 August security incident involving a WFP humanitarian convoy forced the Agency to temporarily suspend the movement of its staff.
My colleague, Director Wosornu from OCHA, will shortly brief you further on the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the agonizing conditions faced by humanitarian workers.
Also, the Secretary-General has been following closely the polio immunization campaign currently underway in Gaza. The images of young children receiving their vaccinations amid rubble and utter ruin are both moving and distressing.
The polio pauses are a rare ray of hope and humanity amid the horror in Gaza. I note that the arrangements established between UN agencies and the IDF to pause military activity in the designated vaccination areas have so far been respected.
Like the Secretary-General, I commend all those involved in this undertaking, especially our extraordinary humanitarian colleagues leading the campaign.
Mr. President,
While we continue to focus on ending the killing and destruction in Gaza, we cannot lose sight of the alarming situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This includes Israeli military operations, settler attacks and armed Palestinian violence against Israelis.
Most recently, Israel launched on 28 August large-scale military operations against alleged terrorist cells in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas governorates. The operations also involved the use of airstrikes.
These intensive and week-long operations resulted in clashes with armed Palestinians, civilian casualties, and damage to civilian infrastructure.
The operations were launched amid an uptick in attacks and clashes throughout the occupied West Bank, including in the Hebron area, with two car bombs near Israeli settlements the night of 30 August, the killing of three Israeli police officers in their car the following day, and a subsequent Israeli military operation in the area.
Overall, since 7 October, some 630 Palestinians and 15 Israelis have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. All perpetrators of violence – Israeli or Palestinian - must be held accountable.
Recent dangerous and provocative acts and statements are further enflaming the situation. Statements by Palestinian armed groups calling for further violence and attacks against Israelis are unacceptable and must cease. The recent inflammatory acts and statements by an Israeli Minister at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem add to an already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank.
The status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem must be respected and upheld, recognizing the special and historic role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as custodian of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.
Mr. President,
With every passing day we get further away from the objective of ending the occupation and achieving a viable two-State solution.
We remain convinced that durable peace will only be achieved when Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian state live side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.
It is our responsibility to do all we can to support the parties in reaching that objective.
Thank you, Mr. President
At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank in the week ending 2 September, including seven children – the highest number of deaths in a single week since November last year, UN humanitarian wing OCHA said on Wednesday.
Top UN political and humanitarian officials on Wednesday renewed urgent appeals for the unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza, while emphasizing the need to ensure aid and protection for desperate civilians being continually displaced inside the war-battered enclave.
In Gaza, despite the success of the mass polio vaccination campaign so far, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday that the very children they are trying to protect have been blighted by disease and heavily traumatized by ongoing fighting.
The United Nations upheld the need to protect civilians in Ukraine as Russian attacks continue across the country, with at least seven people killed in Lviv on Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Aid organizations continue to provide emergency support to people impacted by recent deadly attacks across Ukraine, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Israeli forces continue to employ “lethal war-like tactics” in the West Bank, including airstrikes, with people being killed, injured and displaced, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The UN-led mass polio vaccination campaign entered its second day in central Gaza on Monday with pauses in fighting holding sufficiently for thousands more children to receive their dose, in addition to the 87,000 who received their first round on Sunday, UN agencies said.
Spotlighting crises roiling parts of eastern Africa, the UN deputy chief concluded a regional visit in Adré, Chad, on Friday, calling for global solidarity to tackle famine in Sudan, flooding and mass displacement while ensuring free-flowing aid for millions trapped in war zones and those fleeing for their lives.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told parliamentarians in Timor-Leste on Friday the world has much to learn from their inspirational struggle for self-rule, 25 years to the day since the historic referendum which paved the way for independence in 2002.
As the crisis in the West Bank continues to escalate alongside the ongoing war in Gaza, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an “immediate cessation” of Israeli military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The UN Security Council met in emergency session in New York on the continuing crisis in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Thursday. Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced agreement had been reached with Israel to allow a mass polio vaccination campaign to get underway through a series of humanitarian pauses beginning on Sunday. UN News app users can follow coverage here.
Mr. President,
On Saturday, 24 August, Ukraine marked its 33rd Independence Day.
The day also marked a somber milestone of two and a half years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – launched in blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law.
On this occasion, we reiterate the United Nations’ full commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders.
Over the past 30 months, millions of Ukrainians have witnessed unimaginable death, devastation, and destruction.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since 24 February 2022, 11,662 civilians have been killed - 639 of them children. 24,207 civilians have been injured - 1,577 of them children.
This July was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine in almost two years: at least 219 civilians were killed and 1,018 injured.
Tragically, these figures only grow, as missiles, shells and drones continue to hit cities, towns and villages across Ukraine daily.
In the past two days, hundreds of missiles and drones reportedly killed at least eleven people and hit energy and other critical civilian infrastructure across Ukraine. Damage was reported in 15 regions, with at least 11 energy facilities affected.
This vast destruction further aggravates the already precarious access to energy and water for millions of people.
Days earlier, on 24 August, amidst escalating fighting in eastern Ukraine, a missile struck a hotel in the town of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of Ukraine. A Reuters staff member was killed and four journalists injured. Similar attacks on hotels, restaurants, markets and shopping areas in frontline communities have been reported.
We are also concerned about the impact of the spread of fighting on the civilian population on both sides of the Ukraine-Russia border, including in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine, as well as in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation.
Following the start of Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region on 6 August, local Russian officials reported at least 12 people killed and 121 others injured. According to local officials, at least 130,000 people have been evacuated from the region. OHCHR has not received additional reports of civilian casualties or related harm and is not able to confirm these reports as it has no access to the Russian Federation and the areas impacted by the fighting.
As the Secretary-General repeatedly underlined, attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable, no matter where they occur. These attacks are prohibited by international humanitarian law. They must end immediately.
We urge all sides to act responsibly and ensure the protection of civilians.
Mr. President,
We are alarmed regarding reported incidents around nuclear facilities in Ukraine and Russia.
In August, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported deterioration of the nuclear safety situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
On 17 August, a drone strike hit the road around the site perimeter. On 11 August, significant fire at one of the cooling towers resulted in considerable damage.
The IAEA team has also reported periodic intense military activity near the plant, including sounds of frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant.
Concerns are also rising over nuclear safety and security in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. On 22 August, the Russian Federation informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that remains of a drone were found within the territory of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.
We welcome yesterday’s visit to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and his personal efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security in Russia and Ukraine.
We also commend IAEA’s ongoing monitoring of the situation at all of Ukraine’s nuclear sites, including Europe’s largest plant in Zaporizhzhia.
We continue to call for maximum restraint and vigilance to avoid a nuclear incident, the consequences of which could be catastrophic to the region and the world.
Mr. President,
After a decade of conflict in the east of Ukraine and occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and following two and a half years of full-scale war, the suffering of the people in Ukraine continues unabated.
Women in Ukraine are facing particular risks. They make up 56 per cent of the 15 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. We are concerned about the reported 40 per cent increase in cases of gender-based violence.
In front-line areas, particularly in the east and south of Ukraine, entire villages and towns have been either partially or completely devastated. According to OHCHR, 546 medical facilities and 1,306 educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
As we have previously briefed, humanitarian operations in some areas lack access to people in need.
We remain deeply concerned about the 1.5 million people who we are unable to reach in parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation.
Like all others living close to the front line in Ukraine, they require urgent access to health care and medicine, food and clean drinking water.
In accordance with international humanitarian law, it is imperative that impartial humanitarian relief be facilitated for all civilians in need.
The hostilities have displaced millions of Ukrainian people who continue to need our support. Nearly 3.7 million people have been internally displaced within Ukraine. More than 6.6 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded globally.
This year, together with our partners, the United Nations aims to reach 8.5 million people with life-saving assistance, including through its Winter Response Plan. So far, donors have provided 41 per cent of the $3.1 billion required under the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. We thank them for their generous contributions.
However, the already dire humanitarian situation is expected to worsen as hostilities show no signs of abating, and the winter approaches.
Mr. President,
We welcome the recent exchanges of Prisoners of war facilitated by the United Arab Emirates and other actors. We encourage the sides to step up these efforts to bring all Prisoners of war home.
However, we express serious concern about the treatment of Prisoners of war held by the Russian Federation. The United Nationals Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has reported that Prisoners of war were subjected to prolonged and routine torture, dire conditions of internment and repeated sexual violence.
Prisoners of war must be treated in accordance with International Humanitarian Law.
Mr. President,
We cannot allow the horrific devastation of this war to become normalized.
Now, more than ever, it is critical for us to speak with one voice to ensure protection of civilians and to step up our urgent efforts towards peace.
Next month, the world leaders will gather for the Summit of the Future to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present, and safeguard the future.
We hope that this Summit will help enhance global collaboration at a time when it is most urgently needed.
And we hope that these efforts will also bring us closer to laying the foundations for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and resolutions of the General Assembly.
The United Nations remains ready to support any meaningful efforts to this end.
The head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) raised serious concerns on Wednesday about a tanker carrying one million barrels of crude oil that was attacked in the Red Sea.
Thirty months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, human suffering continues to worsen amid alarming reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including nuclear facilities, a senior UN political affairs official told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Wednesday a pause in the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice following an attack on a team returning from an aid delivery mission on Tuesday evening, just metres from an Israeli-controlled checkpoint.
More than 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted at over 60 sites around the world since testing began on 16 July 1945, resulting in uninhabitable lands and long-term health problems, Secretary General António Guterres said in his message marking Friday’s International Day to end testing once and for all.
Senior UN officials warned the Security Council on Wednesday that the world cannot afford to lose focus on Syria, as the humanitarian and political crisis continues to wreak havoc on the country more than a decade after civil war erupted.
Amid further raids, airstrikes and settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned that the Israeli military’s actions risked further enflaming an “already explosive situation”.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Wednesday a pause in the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice following an attack on a team returning from an aid delivery mission on Tuesday evening, just metres from an Israeli-controlled checkpoint.
Around 20 villages in eastern Sudan have reportedly been “destroyed”, with 70 impacted overall, after floodwaters burst through a major dam, according to UN humanitarians – adding to the suffering of communities already devastated by the ongoing war between rival militaries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of around 200 people in the Burkinabe town of Barsalogho at the weekend, which left a further 140 injured.
The United Nations has upheld the safety of the polio vaccine that will be administered to more than half a million Palestinian children during an inoculation campaign in Gaza.
The plight of Gaza’s people continues to worsen in the enclave where humanitarian operations are “ongoing where feasible” amid repeated evacuation orders from the Israeli military, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of around 200 people in the Burkinabe town of Barsalogho at the weekend, which left a further 140 injured.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine has condemned deadly Russian missile and drone strikes that began overnight and reportedly targeted 15 regions of the country.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced on Monday the arrival of 1.2 million doses of vital polio vaccines in Gaza, amid urgent calls for humanitarian pauses to reach hundreds of thousands of at-risk children.
A new update from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reveals that millions of internally displaced families across Yemen are in critical need of more humanitarian assistance.
Seventy-five years since the ratification of the Geneva Conventions, a former child soldier-turned foreign minister of Sierra Leone has urged greater international support for the key accords, highlighting their importance in rehabilitating him and tens of thousands of his fellow compatriots following the country’s bitter civil war.
Against the backdrop of another major escalation across the Blue Line dividing southern Lebanon and Israel on Sunday, the UN’s top Middle East envoy said on Sunday “there is no time to lose” for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages.
“In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, UNSCOL nd UNIFIL call on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action.
A return to the cessation of hostilities, followed by the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, is the only sustainable way forward.
We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation.”
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“In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, UNSCOL and UNIFIL call on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action.
A return to the cessation of hostilities, followed by the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, is the only sustainable way forward.
We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation.”
...
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the significant increase in the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line. These actions put both the Lebanese and Israeli populations at risk, as well as threatening regional security and stability.
The Secretary-General calls for immediate de-escalation and on the parties to urgently and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities and fully implement resolution 1701 (2006).
Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for...
