Multiple evacuation orders depriving people of essential health care services in Gaza, Highlights of the noon briefing by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General – 22 August 2024

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SECURITY COUNCIL

This morning, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, briefed Security Council members.

He stressed that an immediate ceasefire is needed, and a political horizon must be re-established that will end the occupation and achieve a two-State solution based on the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both.

Mr. Wennesland referred to the developments across the Blue Line and beyond, warning that any spark or miscalculation could set off a series of uncontrollable escalations.

He underscored that the UN remains committed and ready to scale up humanitarian assistance in Gaza during a ceasefire and supporting implementation of a deal.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, today noted that there has been an average of one evacuation order every two days this month forcing as many as a quarter of a million Palestinians to uproot their lives – yet again.

In a statement, Hadi said that if these evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians, they are in fact doing the exact opposite: They are forcing families to flee again – often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them – into an ever-shrinking area that is overcrowded, polluted, lacking services, and – like the rest of Gaza – unsafe.

The impact on the humanitarian work is also immense.

Many of the UN personnel have been forced to move because of these directives, which affect their premises, warehouses and other facilities. Alongside the people of Gaza, the UN and its humanitarian partners are reaching the point of having no place left to go.

Gilles Michaud, the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, says that mass evacuations are the latest in a long list of unbearable threats to UN personnel. He added that the UN and humanitarian facilities and guesthouses are in the areas affected by the most recent evacuation orders, with crucial UN security infrastructure in adjacent areas. He stresses that we need a safe space from which to operate as we deliver life-saving assistance.

The World Food Programme has now lost access to its warehouse in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza.

This was the third and last operational warehouse in Gaza’s middle area. Five community kitchens operated by WFP have also been evacuated, as the agency seeks new locations for them.

According to OCHA’s latest update on the humanitarian response in Gaza, multiple evacuation orders for Khan Younis and Deir al Balah issued between August 8th and 17th alone have deprived people of essential health services.

In total, 17 health facilities were affected – with the areas impacted by the orders located one kilometre or less from four key hospitals.
With diseases spreading in Gaza, access to health services and to safe drinking water is especially critical.

There’s also a shortage of chlorine for water disinfection – with reserves expected to last for just one more month. Given the presence of hepatitis A – and now polio – in Gaza, this is deeply alarming.

Despite this and other challenges – including active hostilities, ongoing insecurity, and access constraints – the UN and humanitarian organizations continue to do everything possible to provide life-saving health care to Palestinians in Gaza.

In the two weeks prior to August 18th, nearly three dozen health partners reached some 337,000 people across Gaza. Meanwhile, 16 emergency medical teams are supporting the local health-care workforce.

Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, kitchens supported by WFP are providing hot meals.

This first delivery last week is part of the agency’s efforts to ensure that nutritious produce can supplement the emergency food rations that families have been surviving on for months.

So far in August, bakeries in Gaza supported by WFP have produced more than 1.9 million bread bundles – that’s nearly 4 metric tons. Out of 18 bakeries, a dozen are still operational.

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