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UN / GAZA WRAP
STORY: UN / GAZA WRAP
TRT: 4.06
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“The Israeli military have advised that 44 percent of Gaza is a battle zone. With the blockade in place, most people are not able to leave Gaza even to get urgent medical attention. So they come to the United Nations facilities for protection when their home and neighbourhoods come under fire. More than 240,000 people, but over 103 UN facilities have come under attack, including an UNRWA school hosting over 3,300 displaced yesterday.”
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“The parties to the conflict have an obligation, an absolute obligation to protect civilians from direct or indiscriminate attacks. Under international law, United Nations operations, personnel and premises must remain inviolable, and parties to the conflict should protect humanitarian workers. There can be no justification for failing to do so.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner General of UNRWA:
“Like many of you around the table, I have children of my own and what I saw today, the terrible wounds, devastated me. I refer to young Yousef because I have always refused the anonymity in death and injury. Too often reports from war zones refer to list of numbers. The Palestinian children I saw today are not statistics and behind every death and injury there is a story and a destiny to be respected.
8. Med shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner General of UNRWA:
“The population is facing a precipice. I appeal to the international community to take the steps necessary to address this extreme situation. Should further large scale displacement indeed occur, the occupying power, according to international humanitarian law, would have to assume direct responsibility for these people.”
10. Pan left, Ambassador Ron Prosor of Israel walks up to the stakeout position
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
10. Close up, reporter’s notepad
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ron Prosor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations:
“It’s time to abandon this romantic notion of Hamas as freedom fighters. It should be clear by now to everyone in the international community that this is a radical terror organization with a global Islamic agenda.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
12. Close up, reporter’s laptop computer
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ron Prosor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations:
“Every missile that is being fired has an imprint, made in Teheran. And every terror tunnel, basically funded by dollars under the auspices and generous donations of the Emir of Qatar. So, this is what we have to deal with.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
14. Close up, reporters’ laptop computers
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
15. Med shot, Ambassador Riyad Mansour walks up to the stakeout position
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
16. Close up, reporter’s mobile device
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad H. Mansour, Ambassador and Permanent Observer to the State of Palestine to the United Nations:
“The representative of the criminal regime and government of Israel tried his best to tell you stories of defending the conduct of his government which cannot be defended.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
18. Close up, reporter’s notepad
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad H. Mansour, Ambassador and Permanent Observer to the State of Palestine to the United Nations:
“When you put 1.8 million people, Palestinian civilians in this huge prison, denying them food, because they cannot fish in the sea, denying them electricity, denying them safe places, denying them adequate medical facilities, denying them clear water, what are you doing? Isn’t that genocide?”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
20. Close up, reporter’s notepad
31 JULY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
21. Zoom out, Mansour walks away
As the crisis in Gaza continues unabated, United Nations relief officials today (31 July) urged the parties to protect civilians amid the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in thousands of casualties and caused widespread displacement and destruction.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos briefing the Security Council via teleconference from Trinidad and Tobago said that with the blockade in place, and 44 percent of the territory as a battle zone, “most people are not able to leave Gaza even to get urgent medical attention.”
Amos said that people go to the United Nations facilities for protection “when their home and neighbourhoods come under fire.” As of today, she said, more than 240,000 people are being sheltered in UN facilities, “but over 103 UN facilities have come under attack, including an UNRWA school hosting over 3,300 displaced yesterday.”
The UN official said “the parties to the conflict have an obligation, an absolute obligation to protect civilians from direct or indiscriminate attacks. Under international law, United Nations operations, personnel and premises must remain inviolable, and parties to the conflict should protect humanitarian workers. There can be no justification for failing to do so.”
Nearly four weeks of conflict have left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead and 6,000 injured,. Amos reported. Over 80 per cent of those killed have been civilians; 251 children. Israel has faced rocket fire, and the hostilities have resulted in the deaths of 3 civilians and 56 soldiers, with dozens injured.
She noted that the current crisis in Gaza takes place against the backdrop of decades of instability, poverty and vulnerability resulting from repeated outbreaks of hostilities and the ongoing blockade on land, air and sea.
Briefing the Council from Gaza City, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl said the Palestinian population “is facing a precipice.”
He appealed to the international community “to take the steps necessary to address this extreme situation” adding that “should further large scale displacement indeed occur, the occupying power, according to international humanitarian law, would have to assume direct responsibility for these people.”
Outside the Council, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said “It’s time to abandon this romantic notion of Hamas as freedom fighters. It should be clear by now to everyone in the international community that this is a radical terror organization with a global Islamic agenda.”
Prosor said “every missile that is being fired has an imprint, made in Teheran. And every terror tunnel, basically funded by dollars under the auspices and generous donations of the Emir of Qatar. So, this is what we have to deal with.”
Also speaking to reporters, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said “when you put 1.8 million people, Palestinian civilians in this huge prison, denying them food, because they cannot fish in the sea, denying them electricity, denying them safe places, denying them adequate medical facilities, denying them clear water, what are you doing? Isn’t that genocide?”
Over 80 per cent of Gaza’s population of 1.8 million – more than half of them children under the age of 18 – were already dependent on humanitarian aid before the outbreak of hostilities.
Up to 440,000 people in Gaza are now displaced, almost 24 per cent of the population. Over 240,000 are being hosted in schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), while others are seeking refuge wherever they can; in government buildings, hospital grounds or with families and friends.
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