HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2024
GAZA
The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns the continuing and widespread loss of life in Gaza, including in the Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahia, which killed dozens of Palestinians, among them many women and children. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times. He remains deeply alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating situation for civilians in northern Gaza, including mass displacement and the lack of essentials for survival. The Secretary-General calls for immediate and unhindered access for humanitarian and rescue teams to save lives.
The recent attacks that have hit hospitals in North Gaza are exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis and placing the lives of tens of thousands at grave risk. Patients and medical staff must be protected. Hospitals must not be targeted. Access to essential medical care and supplies must be prioritized to prevent further loss of life.
The violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza by all parties to this conflict are unacceptable. Accountability for any international crimes that have been committed by any party is essential.
The Secretary-General reiterates his calls for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza.
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said yesterday that the nightmare in Gaza is intensifying.
Nowhere is safe in Gaza, Mr. Wennesland said. He condemned the continuing attacks on civilians. This war must end, the hostages held by Hamas must be freed, the displacement of Palestinians must cease, and civilians must be protected wherever they are. Humanitarian aid must be delivered unimpeded, he added.
Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also drew attention to the appalling news from northern Gaza, where Palestinians continue to endure unspeakable horrors under siege by Israeli forces. These atrocities must stop, she said.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day. These delays are likely costing lives.
OCHA says that Israeli authorities also denied a separate request today to have access to Jabalya to distribute food, medicine, and fuel to power water facilities, amid the ongoing electricity outage. The fuel needed to keep water facilities running has been depleted, and people are either risking their lives to find drinking water or consuming water from unsafe sources.
OCHA warns that almost no humanitarian aid is getting into Jabalya refugee camp, and telecommunications are severely disrupted amid ongoing airstrikes, shelling, and fighting across North Gaza, as the violence displaces more and more people.
Between 6 October and yesterday, OCHA says that 28 requests for coordinated humanitarian movements into Jabalya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia – all in North Gaza Governorate – were denied by Israeli authorities, and seven faced impediments. Meanwhile, during the first 20 days of October, only 4 out of 66 planned humanitarian missions through the Israeli checkpoint from southern to northern Gaza were facilitated by Israeli authorities.
The Erez West crossing reopened a week ago after a closure lasting almost two weeks, but collecting supplies remains challenging due to insecurity and long delays. The Israeli authorities are channeling movement from that crossing directly to Gaza City, bypassing North Gaza. Meanwhile, the Erez crossing remains closed.
OCHA teams have been able to work in Gaza City. On Saturday, OCHA led a visit to several sites there. They say that shelter support is urgently needed due to overcrowding at existing sites, with some displaced people now living in restrooms. The team also warns that the lack of sufficient lighting in these shelters is raising the risk of gender-based violence.
On the ongoing polio vaccination campaign, the World Health Organization reports that on the second day of the polio vaccination campaign in the south, nearly 91,000 children received their second dose, with almost 71,000 getting vitamin A supplements. WHO says this brings the total number of children vaccinated since the start of the second round of the campaign to more than 420,000.
UNIFIL
A high intensity of strikes by Hizbullah into Israel and by the Israel Defense Forces into Lebanon have continued through the weekend and today, with reports of fatalities in Lebanon.
On Sunday, 20 October, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) detected 778 projectiles from south of the Blue Line, primarily striking Yarun, Yater, Hanin, Markaba, Ett Taibe and Shab’a while 56 projectiles were recorded from north of the Blue Line.
From midnight to 1200 hrs today, UNIFIL detected 43 projectiles from north to south of the Blue Line and 509 from south to north.
UNIFIL also reported 63 violations of Lebanese airspace on 20 October.
Another incident of concern is that, yesterday, peacekeepers reported that an IDF bulldozer deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position in Marwahin in Sector West. Fortunately, no UN personnel were wounded in the incident.
The Mission, yet again, reminds the IDF, and all actors, of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.
The Mission further notes that breaching a UN position and damaging UN assets is a violation of international law and Security Council resolution 1701.
It also endangers the safety and security of our peacekeepers and is in violation of international humanitarian law.
Despite the very challenging situation that persists, peacekeepers remain in their positions.
Also, the peacekeeping mission reports that at the request of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the mission evacuated three civilians, one of whom was injured - from Hula - and transported them to a hospital on Saturday.
LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that airstrikes across Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians and displace a growing number of families.
Late last night, hundreds of people were reportedly displaced in Beirut and across the country following Israeli displacement orders identifying a social finance network affiliated with Hezbollah, which were soon followed by airstrikes.
As a result of one of these airstrikes in the southern suburbs of the capital last night, a UNFPA-supported safe space for women and girls was destroyed, alongside a primary health-care centre. The safe space had provided counselling services, legal aid, and referrals for hundreds of women at risk and survivors of gender-based violence in one of Beirut's most vulnerable communities.
In Beirut, Bekaa and Mount Lebanon, 10 facilities supported by UNFPA – including primary health-care sites, safe spaces, and mobile maternity units – have closed due to insecurity.
Across Lebanon, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to provide support, including in harder to reach areas. Today, a six-truck aid convoy – supported by UNICEF, WFP and OCHA – brought humanitarian supplies to Jaboule town, in Baalbek Governorate. This was the first such delivery since September. The convoy brought enough food supplies to support 1,000 people for two months, along with five days’ worth of ready-to-eat meals. UNICEF provided water bottles, mattresses, blankets and other items – including first aid and hygiene kits for the three shelters in Jaboule town.
Health authorities in Baalbeck – as well as Bekaa governorate – have issued an urgent call for support to strengthen health infrastructure in several hard-to-reach-areas.
As of this weekend, nearly 1,100 collective shelters have opened in Lebanon, hosting some 192,000 displaced people. More than 900 of these shelters are already at full capacity. The highest percentage of internally displaced people has been recorded in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorate.
The International Organization for Migration says that more than 800,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon by escalating hostilities over the past year. Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency updated that according to authorities more than 420,000 people have crossed into Syria, with nearly 17,000 people arriving in Iraq.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL
The Secretary-General is in Addis Ababa today, where he took part in the 8th African Union–United Nations annual conference. The high-level discussions, co-chaired by Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and the Secretary-General, focused on progress in the implementation of cooperation frameworks between the two organizations, as well as the operationalization of Security Council resolution 2719, which establishes the framework for financing of African Union-led peace support operations through UN assessed contributions.
Participants also discussed joint action, as well as challenges linked to peace, security, development, human rights and the impact of climate change on the African continent. Discussions also included the implementation of the Pact for the Future.
During a joint press conference with Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Secretary-General highlighted the importance of continued collaboration between the two organizations as we begin the implementation of the Pact for the Future. He also paid tribute to the Chairperson, who is set to end his mandate in a few months.
A short while ago, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, during a ceremony for the inauguration of a renovated Africa Hall. This hall is where Africa came together to give life to the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union, the Secretary-General said. “This Hall is a bridge between Africa’s past and future,” he added, “a state of the art 21st-century facility that preserves the grandeur and history of this great continent.” His full remarks were shared with you.
While in Addis Ababa, the Secretary-General also held meetings with President Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia.
BIODIVERSITY COP
Yesterday, the Secretary-General addressed the opening of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity which is taking place in Cali, Colombia, via video message.
He said this is the COP to make peace with nature and added that the Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted last year, promises to reset relations with Earth and its ecosystems.
“We must leave Cali with significant investment in the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, and commitments to mobilise other sources of public and private finance to deliver the Framework in full,” the Secretary-General said.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that attacks have continued in several parts of the country over the weekend and today. Local authorities reported nearly 90 civilian casualties – including children – and damage to homes, schools, and other civilian facilities in front-line areas of the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
Yesterday, two strikes hit a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipro Region, as police were evacuating people from the area, injuring several civilians, including a child. Also yesterday, an attack in Zaporizhzhia City caused a dozen civilian casualties and damage to homes, a school, a dormitory, and other civilian facilities, according authorities and our humanitarian partners.
Following these attacks across the country, aid organizations responded immediately, providing affected families with emergency shelter kits to cover damaged windows, as well as first aid and psychosocial support.
CUBA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is following reports from Cuba after Hurricane Oscar made landfall there.
The strong but slow-moving storm has generated significant rainfall in the eastern and central parts of Cuba over the past few days. The rainfall may increase the risk of flooding in both rural and urban areas. The slow movement of the storm at only 4km an hour will compound the situation with more rainfall and potential flooding in the coming hours.
The UN is aware of some news reports of the ongoing power outage and other related challenges.
Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator in Cuba, Francisco Pichon, the UN stands ready to support and mobilize technical assistance if needed.
The UN Emergency Technical Team is activated and in touch with national counterparts.
The storm is also impacting the Bahamas, where the UN is coordinating with local and regional authorities any potential response needed.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held a briefing on the “Maintenance of international peace and security: Anticipating the impact of scientific developments on international peace and security”.
The Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, Robin Geiss, was among the briefers.
And this afternoon at 3:00 pm Council members will hold a briefing on Ukraine, as requested by Slovenia and the United States. The Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Miroslav Jenča, will brief.
CHAD
Elizabeth Spehar, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, is leading a High-level delegation to Chad from 20 to 25 October 2024. The delegation includes representatives from Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The visit will focus on the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund support to Chad, nationally and specifically in the East and Lac provinces. The delegation will observe the impact of peacebuilding fund initiatives funded between 2017 and 2024. Ms. Spehar and the delegation will also meet with government officials.
MOZAMBIQUE
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the killings in Maputo of Elvino Dias, legal advisor to Mozambican presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, the legal representative of the political party PODEMOS.
The Secretary-General expressed his deep condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and he urged the authorities to swiftly investigate the killings and bring their perpetrators to justice.
The Secretary-General called on all Mozambicans, including political leaders and their supporters, to remain calm, exercise restraint and reject all forms of violence ahead of the official announcement of the electoral results.
BRIEFING TODAY
At 1:30 p.m., there will be a briefing here by the Chair of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Gabriella Citroni.
