Secretary-General’s condemnation, on-going military operation in West Bank – Highlights of the noon briefing by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General – 29 August 2024

(Excerpt)

/…

*Occupied Palestinian Territory 
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and starting from the West Bank. In a statement issued last night the Secretary-General said he was deeply concerned by the latest developments in that area, including the launch of large-scale military operations in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates by the Israeli security forces, that involved airstrikes, which resulted in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. He strongly condemns the loss of lives, including that of children.

The Secretary-General said these dangerous developments are fueling an already-explosive situation in the West Bank, further undermining the Palestinian Authority. He called for the immediate cessation of these operations.

Today, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that deadly warfare tactics that seem to exceed international standards for law enforcement are still occurring in the north.

In the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, the number of fatalities, according to what OCHA is receiving, is 15 people in less than two days, with many others injured.

Initial reports suggest that some families have been displaced, particularly in urban areas where Israeli security forces have repurposed homes as military positions. In multiple locations, heavy damage to infrastructure has been caused by military bulldozers. Electricity and telecom outages are also reported.

Meanwhile, there continue to be military operations near hospitals, severely impacting those facilities. An United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) clinic in Al Far’a refugee camp had to suspend operations yesterday, but was able to resume today once the Israeli security forces left that area.

OCHA has convened UN agencies and other UN humanitarian partners working in the West Bank. They stand ready to assess the damage and the people’s needs, and to respond accordingly. Agencies have also warned people of the risk of unexploded ordinances in some areas, and that will be one of the first issues that will need to be addressed.

Meanwhile, on the political end, Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the UN in the region continues to monitor the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations and to engage regularly with key national, and international and regional actors.

He remains in contact with all relevant parties, reiterating the need to urgently reach a deal and the UN’s commitment to support all efforts toward this goal. He has also held high level talks with Israeli security officials regarding the incident involving the World Food Programme (WFP) vehicle that we told you about yesterday. In his discussions, he continues to raise serious concerns about the deteriorating dynamics in the occupied West Bank.

And as we said yesterday, Israeli forces in the West Bank must adhere to international law enforcement standards.

Moving to Gaza, yesterday, the WFP decided to temporarily pause the movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip following the shooting of the vehicle.
Despite the pause in staff movement, WFP continues its life-saving humanitarian operations in Gaza through cooperating partners and hopes to resume its staff missions as soon as the necessary safety and security guarantees from Israeli authorities are received and they feel it is safe to resume the movement of staff.
WFP is committed to staying and to delivering for the people of Gaza, but the incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever-shrinking humanitarian space for our colleagues.

And also, OCHA says that in Gaza, Israeli authorities announced that displaced people could return to specific areas in Deir al Balah. This is the first time where return is officially allowed to an evacuated area. Obviously, the evacuation orders that Palestinians have received numerous times since the beginning of August has severely disrupted our humanitarian work and our ability to work.

Also, last Saturday, the UN team assessed the water, hygiene and sanitation conditions in two sites hosting over 1,200 families in Rafah. People there are struggling with drinking water as no trucking is currently available. They report skin diseases being the main morbidity among women and children, with no treatment available when they go to medical points.

Also, those residing in the areas near, on the beach, in Mawassi, have had sea water flooding their tents.

This afternoon, the Security Council will meet to hear a humanitarian briefing on the area – Joyce Msuya will brief on behalf of OCHA and and Dr. Mike Ryan will also brief on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO).

/…