Palestine, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing | United Nations

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:

Secretary-General /Middle East
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon
Lebanon/Humanitarian
UN Refugee Agency
Sudan
Deputy Secretary-General/South Africa
International Days
Programming Note


Secretary-General /Middle East
In a video message, the Secretary-General said that today, October 7, marks one year since the horrific events that took place when Hamas launched a large-scale terror attack in Israel, killing over 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals, including children and women. He said that this is a day for the global community to repeat in the loudest voice our utter condemnation of the abhorrent acts of Hamas, including the taking of hostages.  
The Secretary-General demanded once again the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Until then, Hamas must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages. 
He said the war that has followed the terrible attacks of one year ago continues to shatter lives and inflict profound human suffering for Palestinians in Gaza, and now the people of Lebanon. The Secretary-General asserted that it is time for the release of the hostages. Time to silence the guns.  Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region.  Time for peace, international law and justice.
You will find messages throughout the UN system marking one year since the 7 October attacks.
Among those is a statement by the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland, saying that, during his engagements with Israeli officials and other stakeholders, the Special Coordinator expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the attacks, with his profound sympathy for the families of those who were abducted. He reiterated his commitment to mediation efforts towards a ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also said that today it has been 12 months of unrelenting tragedy that must end. She calls for the hostages to be released and treated humanely; for civilians to be protected and have their essential needs met; for Palestinians arbitrarily detained to be released; for humanitarian workers to be safeguarded and have their work facilitated; for perpetrators to be held to account for any serious violations of international humanitarian law; and for the assault on Gaza to stop.

Occupied Palestinian Territory
On the ground, our OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) colleagues remain very concerned that areas north of Wadi Gaza that are increasingly being cut off, compounded by the issuance of evacuation orders for the vast areas there. This is putting pressure on more than 400,000 people to move south to Al Mawasi, an area that is overcrowded, polluted and lacking in the basic services that people need.
Southern Gaza is completely overwhelmed and cannot accommodate more people.
As of this morning, initial information indicates that more than 50,000 men, women and children have been displaced within northern Gaza, and some patients have left hospitals in the evacuation zone. Many others in the north, especially in the Jabalya camp, are trapped in their homes, unable to leave safely. So far, few families have crossed Wadi Gaza heading South.
We and our partners are continuing to closely monitor the movement of people and also to provide displaced families with the necessary assistance as needed. However, OCHA stresses that ordering civilians to evacuate does not keep them safe if they have no safe place to go and no shelter, and food, medicine or water to survive.
OCHA warns that the situation in northern Gaza is increasingly dire - with residential areas being attacked, hospitals ordered to evacuate, and electricity still cut off. As heavy bombing and ground operations in the north continue, medical facilities and other essential services there are at risk of shutting down. Bakeries are already closing, with workers displaced along with their families. No fuel or commercial goods are allowed in, and aid workers are only able to bring in a trickle of humanitarian aid through Israeli checkpoints in parts of the north.
Meanwhile in the south, there is no shelter stock as the rainy season approaches, and health supplies are running low.
Israeli authorities have allocated a single, unsafe road for aid workers to bring in supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing, where they face active hostilities and violent, armed looting, fuelled by the collapse of public order and safety.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...