Highlights of the noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General António Guterres (20 June 2024)

20 June 2024

(excerpt of the press briefing focusing on Gaza conflict)

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OPT

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that hundreds of thousands of displaced people in southern Gaza suffer from poor access to shelter, health, food, water and sanitation.

From 7-14 June, OCHA led humanitarian assessments in displacement sites in the south of Gaza: in Deir al Balah, two in Khan Younis and two in the Al Mawasi area of Rafah. Our colleagues found people living in overcrowded makeshift shelters and tents which are in dire need of repair and do not offer any protection from extreme heat.

Access to water is critically low, and people have to queue for long hours to collect it and are forced to rely on sea water for domestic use. There is a continuing spread of communicable illnesses, amid sewage overflow, the proliferation of insects, rodents and snakes, and a near-total lack of hygiene items and sanitation facilities.

Many households report having only one meal every day, with some having one meal every two or three days, relying mostly on bread, food sharing with other families, and rationing stocks.

Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that access constraints continue to severely undermine the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance and services across Gaza. Between 1-18 June, out of the 61 coordinated humanitarian assistance missions to northern Gaza, 28 – or 46 per cent- were facilitated by Israeli authorities, eight – or 13 per cent- were denied access, 16 – or 26 per cent- were impeded, and nine -or 15 per cent- were cancelled due to logistical, operational or security reasons.

Once again, we want to underscore that humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated and all impediments must be lifted.

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