OCHA Humanitarian Response Plan; Arrest of 16-year-old – 15 Dec. 2020 Daily Press Briefing – (Excerpts)

15 DECEMBER 2020

The following is a near‑verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary‑General.

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Palestine

Today, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayeh, and the Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lucia Elmi, launched together a $417 million Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) to help 1.8 million vulnerable people over the coming year.  The latest humanitarian needs assessment found that 2.45 million Palestinians — 47 per cent of the population — need aid.

This past year has seen the unique realities of the COVID‑19 crisis, its socioeconomic impact and the temporary suspension of coordination between the parties.  About 346,000 Palestinians, who had been identified as having moderate needs, are now assessed to be in severe need.

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Questions and Answers

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Question:  The second question is about a Palestinian child.  His name is Emil Nakhale, N‑a‑k‑h‑a‑l‑e, Nakhale, and he’s 16 years old.  He was arrested on 3 November.  He has a rare disease.  And the Israeli court ordered his release, yet the military authorities rejected that and extended the detention of this boy for six more months, which means a threat to his life.  Is this case known to Mr. [Nickolay] Mladenov and to the UN bodies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories?

Spokesman:  Look, I personally have not been aware of the case, which doesn’t mean our colleagues on the ground aren’t.  And, as you know, we have repeatedly expressed our concern about children being held in detention and have called for their release.

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For information media. Not an official record.