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STORY: UN / GAZA PALESTINE ISRAEL
TRT: 06:20
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 29 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
29 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“More than 88 per cent of Gaza’s territory has come under an order to evacuate at some point. Communities live in a state of limbo, never knowing when the next order to flee will come. And civilians are being forced into an ever-smaller area, now equivalent to just eleven per cent of the territory of Gaza. It is difficult to put into words the immense struggle people are facing to find shelter and other essentials. Any and every square foot of available land is being used for shelter. Temporary encampments have even been built on the beach right up to the water’s edge. The evacuation orders appear to defy the requirements of international humanitarian law.
It therefore comes as some relief to hear this morning that following calls by the UN and Member States, the Israeli military has issued a reversal of orders for three blocks in the southern neighborhoods of Deir al-Balah. This is the first time evacuation orders have been reversed since the start of the conflict. Our teams are working to confirm if we can now return to the premises we had to leave on 25 August.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mike Ryan, Deputy Director-General and Executive Director, Health Emergency Programme, WHO:
“We welcome the commitment to area-specific humanitarian pauses and suspension of evacuation orders for the implementation of a two-round polio vaccination campaign, set to begin on 1 September 2024 in the Gaza Strip. During each round of the campaign, the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and partners, will provide two drops of the WHO-prequalified novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to more than 640,000 children under ten years of age2. The first campaign has a phased approach, starting with Central Gaza followed by South Gaza, followed by North Gaza, each area covered over three days. This agreement is a testament to our collective commitment to overcome barriers and protect every child from polio.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mike Ryan, Deputy Director-General and Executive Director, Health Emergency Programme, WHO: “The polio outbreak is occurring within a much larger public health catastrophe. As of 25 August, only 44 percent of the 132 primary healthcare facilities are functioning. Only 17 out of 36 hospitals are providing services – and each of these is only partially functioning. The functionality of health facilities is compromised by physical damage, lack of fuel, limited medical supplies, and loss of staff. As of 23 August, there are nine operational field hospitals (2 in Deir Al-Balah, 5 in Khan Younis, and 2 in Rafah). Hospitals in the north are facing dire shortage of fuel. Yesterday, WHO managed to reach the Indonesian hospital to deliver fuel, while in last two weeks, only one of six WHO missions was facilitated to deliver fuel and medical supplies to Northern Gaza”
8. Various shots, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert A. Wood, Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations:
“Even as we press all parties to facilitate lifesaving work, we must not ignore how Hamas actions continue to put civilians, including humanitarian personnel and their families, at risk separately, we are alarmed by yesterday's reports that the IDF fired repeatedly on a WFP vehicle. Israel has said it is investigating this most recent incident, which their initial review has said was a result of a communication error between IDF units. We have urged them to immediately rectify the issues within their system that allowed this to happen. Yet the simple fact is, almost 11 months into this conflict, incidents such as yesterday’s remain all too common. We are also concerned by another incident in which the IDF fired toward a UNICEF vehicle. These security incidents make the work of these organizations significantly harder. These incidents should not happen. Israel must not only take ownership for its mistakes, but also take concrete actions to ensure the IDF does not fire on UN personnel again.”
9. Wide shot, Security Council
10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The Israeli military operation continues increasing civilian casualties every day. From August 23 to 26 alone, 170 Palestinians were killed, and 390 were injured as a result of fierce fighting. Another set of Israeli evacuation orders, bringing the total in August to 16, now covers 89% of the territory and about 90% of the population of the sector. This could lead to a complete cessation of humanitarian operations in Gaza. Notably, the UN humanitarian hub in Deir al-Balah is also under an evacuation order. It is well known that the UN's senior coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, planned to open her office there back in May. This once again confirms that efforts to launch the humanitarian aid delivery mechanism remain 'on paper,' while the situation 'on the ground' in all parts of Gaza is catastrophically deteriorating.”
Addressing a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza, a UN official described the polio outbreak as "part of a much larger public health catastrophe."
During a Security Council meeting on Thursday (29 Aug), Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted the dire situation on the ground. “More than 88 percent of Gaza’s territory has come under an order to evacuate at some point. Communities live in a state of limbo, never knowing when the next order to flee will come,” she said. Msuya described the shrinking space for civilians, now confined to just eleven percent of Gaza’s territory, as a “catastrophic” situation where people struggle to find shelter and basic necessities.
Msuya announced that Israel had reversed evacuation orders for three blocks in the southern neighborhoods of Deir al-Balah. “This is the first time evacuation orders have been reversed since the start of the conflict,” she noted, adding that UN teams are working to verify whether they can return to the premises they were forced to leave on August 25.
Dr. Mike Ryan, Deputy Director-General and Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Programme, underscored the severe impact of the conflict on Gaza’s healthcare system. “As of 25 August, only 44 percent of the 132 primary healthcare facilities are functioning. Only 17 out of 36 hospitals are providing services – and each of these is only partially functioning,” Ryan said. He also welcomed a temporary pause in military operations to allow for a two-round polio vaccination campaign, set to begin on September 1. The campaign, coordinated by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA, and other partners, aims to vaccinate more than 640,000 children under ten years old.
Ryan warned that the polio outbreak is just one part of a larger public health catastrophe in Gaza. He cited severe shortages of fuel, medical supplies, and staff, with hospitals in the northern region particularly hard-hit. Despite recent efforts by WHO to deliver fuel and medical supplies, only a fraction of their missions has been successful due to ongoing hostilities.
The United States expressed concern over the safety of humanitarian workers in the region. US ambassador Robert A. Wood, condemned recent incidents where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fired on vehicles belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF. “Israel has said it is investigating this most recent incident… Yet the simple fact is, almost 11 months into this conflict, incidents such as yesterday’s remain all too common,” Wood said, urging Israel to take concrete actions to prevent further attacks on UN personnel.
Russian representative Dmitry Polyanskiy, said, “from August 23 to 26 alone, 170 Palestinians were killed, and 390 were injured as a result of fierce fighting,” adding that the latest evacuation orders could lead to a complete cessation of humanitarian operations in Gaza.
