HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 28 JULY 2014

MIDDLE EAST: AS WORLD MARKS EID AL-FITR, SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES END TO VIOLENCE

  • The Secretary-General spoke to reporters today on the situation in Gaza, saying that, as the world marks Eid al-Fitr, it is time for an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire.  In the name of humanity, the violence must stop.
  • He said that the death toll keeps climbing. The fighting has claimed well over 1,000 Palestinian lives – most of them civilians, hundreds of them children. Hamas rocket fire has claimed the lives of three Israeli civilians.
  • The Secretary-General said that Israelis and Palestinians have a responsibility to stop the fighting, to start the dialogue now, and to address the root causes that will finally break the endless cycle of senseless suffering. That means securing peace through mutual respect, an end to the economic strangulation of Gaza and the nearly half century of occupation.
  • More suffering and siege conditions in Gaza will only hurt innocent civilians, further isolate Israel, empower extremists on all sides, and leave our world far less safe.
  • In a statement issued earlier today, the Secretary-General called on parties to build on the current calm. With hundreds of Palestinian civilians already killed in Gaza and horrifying levels of physical destruction, he urges those responsible to step back from provoking or inflicting yet more tragic violence on civilians there.
  • Asked about the Secretary-General’s work, the Spokesman noted that the Secretary-General had just recently returned from a week-long trip to the Middle East in which he had spoken to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as others in the region and with influence on the parties, to push for a ceasefire.
  • Asked about the efforts by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to tally the casualties in the fighting, Mr. Haq noted that OCHA receives its information from a variety of sources, including the local Ministry of Health and Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups and attempts to cross-check the information it receives.

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U.N. AGENCY DELIVERS MEDICAL SUPPLIES IN SYRIA’S YARMOUK FOR FIRST TIME SINCE JANUARY

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that for the first time since January, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was able to distribute basic healthcare items and medicines to Palestine refugees in need in Yarmouk camp, south of Damascus city in Syria.
  • Despite this positive development, the Relief and Works Agency was forced to halt the distribution of food in the camp over the weekend due to lack of authorization, interrupting food distributions that have been taking place since 16 July.

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Document symbol: NoonBriefing_280714
Document Type: Briefing, Highlights of the Noon Briefing
Document Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Secretary-General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Syria
Subject: Armed conflict, Ceasefire, Gaza Strip, Health, Humanitarian relief, Living conditions, Population, Protection, Refugee camps, Refugees and displaced persons, Security issues
Publication Date: 28/07/2014