Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Gaza by Ramesh Rajasingham Director Coordination Division, OCHA, on behalf of Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
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| The ongoing fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, known as, Hamas, has resulted to the destruction of 62% of all homes in Gaza – UNRWA says. Photo: unocha.org |
As delivered
Thank you, Madam President.
On Sunday, it will be six months since the outbreak of this horrific chapter in the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Six months of heartache and grief for the families and friends of those killed and taken hostage in the grisly attacks of 7 October.
And six months of unfathomable death, destruction, deprivation, trauma and suffering for the people of Gaza.
Six months that calls our collective humanity, and priorities, into question.
In Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health, more than 32,000 people have been killed, and more than 75,000 have been injured. At least two-thirds of these casualties are women and children.
And thousands more are missing, many of them buried beneath the rubble.
And 17,000 children are now unaccompanied or separated from their parents or families, alone amidst the destruction and horror.
1.7 million people – or 75 per cent of the population – have been forcibly displaced. For many of them, time and time again, forced into tents, overcrowded shelters or even on the streets, lacking the most basic necessities for dignified life and survival. Some 60 per cent of housing has now been damaged or destroyed.
So, it’s clear there is no protection of civilians in Gaza. And if they have no protection from the dangers of armed conflict there, they must be allowed to seek it elsewhere. Some Palestinians in Gaza have already left through Egypt, and we know more are trying. It is vital to recall that any persons displaced from Gaza must be guaranteed the right to voluntarily return, as international law demands.
