UN Geneva Press Briefing – 2 July 2024 (excerpt on New evacuation orders from eastern Khan Younis, Gaza & Health Update in the Occupied Palestinian Territory)

2 July 2024

Watch Full Press Briefing

(Excerpt)

…

New evacuation orders from eastern Khan Younis, Gaza 

Louise Wateridge, for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), speaking from Gaza, said new displacement orders issued in eastern Khan Younis, were already resulting in people trying to leave the area. Around 250,000 people were impacted by these orders. It was another devastating blow to the humanitarian response in Gaza and the people and families on the ground who were forcibly being displaced again and again. Makeshift shelters could be seen right up to the shoreline; it was packed with families who had already had to move. Khan Younis had previously been a ghost town and after the Rafah incursion, families had been forced back to this area. Families now needed to move again; where could they go? There was no answer; there was no safe space in the Gaza strip. There was not an option to leave the Gaza strip. There had been ongoing bombardments which made it difficult for families to make a decision. 17,000 children were unaccompanied or separated from their families. It was over 30 degrees Celsius and there was limited availability for fresh drinking water. There was garbage everywhere and disease was spreading. The options on the ground were very limited. 

Responding to questions, Ms. Wateridge said the recent orders had come through overnight. It was estimated that 250,000 people had been impacted through the area but this would be updated. UNRWA had received some fuel, but it was difficult to plan long term without access to fuel. The recent evacuation orders would impact UNRWA’s ability to reach the Kerem Shalom crossing, with the aid needed. 

When the Rafah military operation began, people and their families made decisions based on what they could do. It was understood people were going to the west towards the coast. There was a severe lack of communication on the ground, even with UNRWA staff, as communications were continually cut due to fuel restrictions. As soon as there was more information, this would be shared across UNRWA platforms. 

Health Update in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the health care system in Gaza had lost 70 per cent of its bed capacity. There were no functioning hospitals in Rafah for the third consecutive week. The generators in the hospitals were barely functioning as they had been operating overtime, and the limited access to electricity, fuel and solar system hindered the proper functioning of health facilities and aid operations. Power blackouts particularly affected newborns, ICU services and kidney dialysis.

Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean for the World Health Organisation (WHO), speaking from Jerusalem, said she had arrived to the OPT on Sunday to gain firsthand insights into the scale of the health crisis. In meetings with partners and senior United Nations officials, it was confirmed that WHO and humanitarian partners were committed to staying and delivering in Gaza. They had the required resources to alleviate people’s suffering, but a lack of an enabling environment was one of the biggest challenges. Today WHO had procured 30 million USD of medical supplies, 59 per cent of which had already been delivered to the Gaza strip. Emergency medical teams coordinated by WHO, had conducted around 900,000 medical consultations and 25,000 surgical operations, and facilitated the medical evacuation of 4,913 people. WHO had also worked to restore Nasser medical complex and Al Shifah hospital. But these could not replace a well-functioning health system which was needed in Gaza today. One key challenge was a shortage of fuel. Since the closure of the border, the health response operations had been significantly compromised. 

Since June, only 125,000 litres had entered Gaza to be shared by all sectors. To maintain full operations, health alone needed 80,000 litres a day and water and sanitation needed 70,000 litres a day. Hospitals were again short on fuel risking delays to critical services. From 15 to 23 June, the water and sanitation cluster received less than five per cent of the fuel needed each day to keep these services running. As a result, water services were required to ration and reduce water reduction. A lack of sanitation of water was contributing to an increase in diseases. This situation needed to be prevented. Closure of the Rafah border crossing was preventing patients from receiving the critical care they needed. More than 10,000 patients remained stranded inside the Gaza Strip waiting to be evacuated. Patients needed to be evacuated through all possible routes. The facility in East Jerusalem was ready to receive up to 100 patients from Gaza as soon as they could be evacuated. The need for a sustainable solution in the occupied Palestinian territory was more urgent than ever. Despite the challenges, WHO and partners were unwavering in their commitment to provide critical health services. However, a long-term solution to the crisis required a concerted effort from all international communities to resume and continue with political discussions to address the root causes of this conflict and to create peace. 

Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, speaking from Jerusalem, said the latest evacuation orders included the European Gaza hospital area, although the hospital itself was not under evacuation order. Yesterday, 70 patients had reportedly self-evacuated along with medical staff to the national complex. This morning more patients were evacuated and only three patients remained at the European Gaza hospital and three in the ICRC field hospital. WHO was supporting the transfer of valuable medical equipment and supplies out of the hospital. The European Gaza hospital was one of the few remaining key referral hospitals in the south of Gaza. The hospital was already overwhelmed and needed more fuel. WHO was trying to resupply the hospital and increase its capacity to provide services. Currently 16 out of 36 hospitals were partially functional and eight of the ten field hospitals were functional or partially functional. Based on data from 25 to 27 June, only 195,200 litres of fuel entered Gaza to be shared by all sectors. This meant risking disruption of critical surgeries, people suffering, and the humanitarian operation being compromised. 

Responding to questions, Dr. Peeperkorn said the health infrastructure had been extremely damaged. WHO was mandated by the World Health Assembly to monitor, analyse, and report on attacks on health care. This occurred in conflicts all over the world. As of 25 June, WHO had reported attacks on 74 health facilities which killed 14 people and injured 960. 128 health workers remained detailed. 103 health facilities had been affected. 

Responding to further questions, Dr. Peeperkorn said most staff had already left the European Gaza hospital; there were still three patients remaining with some staff. 10 ICRC staff were remaining in the European Gaza hospital or in the adjacent ICRC field hospital. 16 out of the 36 hospitals provided most of the secondary and referral care, including the 43 out of 99 primary health care services. The eight out of the ten field hospitals were incredibly important and were working fully or partially. None of the three hospitals in Al Shifa were functional. There was only one field hospital functioning in that area. 

Responding to further questions, Mr. Peeperkorn, welcomed the release of the director of Al Shifa. No WHO staff members had spoken to him. WHO remained concerned about the wellbeing of health care workers who remained in detention and called for their immediate release. 

…