Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Türkiye
-Occupied Palestinian territory
-Lebanon/Israel
-Lebanon/humanitarian
-Yemen
-Brics
-Deputy Secretary-General/Travel
-Central African Republic
-Security Council/Syria
-Women, Peace and Security
TÜRKIYE
In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries’ facilities in Ankara. He expressed his deepest condolences to the victims and their families and wished a speedy and full recovery to those injured.
The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and Government of the Republic of Türkiye.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that Palestinians in North Gaza Governorate are experiencing extreme suffering as the Israeli siege there continues. OCHA says there are harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction in the north.
Civilians are trapped under rubble. The sick and wounded are going without life-saving health care. Families lack food. Their homes have been destroyed. They have no shelter. And nowhere is safe.
International humanitarian law demands that civilians have the essentials they need to survive – that’s food, shelter, medical care, and other critical assistance. OCHA appeals once again for rapid, unimpeded humanitarian relief – which must reach civilians in need.
Our partners on the ground report that two water stations in North Gaza have stopped operating due to the lack of fuel. The suspension of service is affecting large areas, including the neighbourhoods of Al-Daraj, Al-Tuffah, Al-Zarga and Sheikh Radwan. A request earlier this week to deliver 23,000 litres of fuel to North Gaza Governorate was denied by Israeli authorities.
From 6 October through yesterday, several attempts to get fuel to Gaza Governorate were also denied. Another mission was impeded and therefore unable to be accomplished.
The UN and our partners have also been compelled to postpone the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza due to the escalating violence, intense bombardment, mass displacement orders, and the lack of assured humanitarian pauses across most of the north.
This final phase of the vaccination effort was supposed to begin today, with the aim of reaching more than 119,000 children across northern Gaza.
The current conditions – including ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure – continue to jeopardize people’s safety and movement in northern Gaza, making it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination, and for health workers to operate.
It is imperative to stop the polio outbreak in Gaza, before more children are paralyzed and the virus spreads. To interrupt transmission, at least 90 per cent of all children in every community and neighbourhood must be vaccinated. The vaccination campaign must be facilitated in the north through the implementation of humanitarian pauses.
UN humanitarian partners say that all logistics, supplies and trained personnel were prepared to vaccinate children across the north with their second dose of the polio vaccine. However, given that the area currently approved for temporary humanitarian pauses was substantially reduced in geographic size from the previous round of the vaccination campaign – and is now limited only to Gaza City – many children in northern Gaza would have missed out on a second dose.
The UN and its humanitarian partners continue their efforts to get assistance to people in northern Gaza. On 15 October, the World Food Programme (WFP) was able to deliver one convoy into Gaza City. However, the Israeli siege on North Gaza Governorate has prevented the agency from reaching people there for the past three weeks.
WFP warns that September and October saw some of the lowest levels of humanitarian aid entering Gaza since late 2023, alongside a drastic reduction in commercial cargo.
In October, to date, only 20 per cent of the agency’s operational food needs have entered Gaza. A drastic shortage of supplies across Gaza has almost halted general food distribution.
WFP says very limited aid supplies have entered the south due to insecurity at the Kerem Shalom crossing point. There is a critical need for a safe and enabling environment for humanitarian operations and convoy movements into and within Gaza.
Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=23%20October%202024