蘑菇视频

EAST JERUSALEM, 15 October 2023

(Checked?against delivery)

Good evening to all, many thanks for being here tonight.?

I?have?called for this press conference to?raise the alarm?that as of today, my 蘑菇视频RWA colleagues in Gaza are no longer able to?provide?humanitarian?assistance.

As I speak with you,?Gaza is running out of?water and electricity.

In fact,?Gaza is being strangled?and?it seems that the world?right now has lost its humanity.??

If we look at the issue of water – we all know water is life?–?Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life.?

Soon, I believe, with this?there will be no?food or medicine either.?

There is not one drop of water, not one grain of wheat, not a?litre?of fuel?that?has been allowed into the Gaza Strip for?the last?eight days.??

The number of people seeking shelter in our schools and other?蘑菇视频RWA?facilities in the south?is?absolutely?overwhelming,?and we do not have?any more?the?capacity?to deal with them

My team, who relocated to Rafah to sustain operations following the Israeli ultimatum, is working in the same building as thousands of desperate displaced people rationing also their food and water.

In fact, an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding?under?our eyes.

And?already?– and?we should always remember that?–?before the?war, Gaza was under?a?blockade?for 16 years,?and basically, more?than 60 per cent of the population was already relying on international food assistance.??It was?already before the war?a?humanitarian?welfare society

Every hour,?we receive?more and more?desperate calls for help from people across the?Strip. ??

We,?as?蘑菇视频RWA,?have?already lost?14?staff members. They were teachers,?engineers,?guards?and psychologists, an?engineer?and a?gynecologist.?

Most of?our?13,000?蘑菇视频RWA?staff?in?the?Gaza?Strip?are now displaced?or?out of their homes.?

My colleague Kamal lost his?cousin?and her entire family.?

My colleague Helen and her children were pulled out of the rubble. I was so relieved to?learn?that?they were?still?alive.?

My colleague Inas?fears that Gaza?will?no longer?exist.?

Every story coming out of Gaza is about?survival,?despair?and loss.?

Thousands of people have been killed,?including children and women.??Gaza is?now even?running out of body bags.?

Entire families are being ripped apart.??

At least 1 million people were forced to flee their homes in one week alone.?A?river of people continues to flow south.?

No place is safe in Gaza.?

At least 400,000 displaced (persons) are now in 蘑菇视频RWA schools and buildings, and most are not equipped as emergency shelters.?

Sanitary conditions are?just?appalling,?and we have reports?in our?logistics?base, for example,?where?hundreds of people are?just?sharing?one?toilet.

Old people, children, pregnant women, people with disabilities are?just?being deprived?of?their?basic?human dignity, and this is a total disgrace!?

Unless we bring?now?supplies into Gaza,?蘑菇视频RWA?and aid workers?will?not,?be able to continue?humanitarian?operations.??

The 蘑菇视频RWA operations is?the largest?United?Nations?footprint?in?the?Gaza?Strip, and we?are on the verge?of collapse.?

This?is?absolutely?unprecedented.??

We keep?reminding?that?International?Humanitarian?Law?has now?to be?at the center of our concerns.?

Wars, all wars, even this war, have laws.??

International humanitarian law is the law of?any?armed conflict.??

It explicitly sets the?minimum?standards that must prevail at?any, any?time.???

The protection of the wounded and civilians, including humanitarian workers,?is?non-negotiable under humanitarian law.?

Last week’s attack on Israel was horrendous – devastating images and testimonies continue to come out. ?

The attack and the taking of hostages are a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. ?

?But the answer to killing civilians cannot be to kill more civilians.?

Imposing a siege and bombarding civilian infrastructure in a densely populated area will not bring peace and security to the region.?

The siege?in Gaza, the way it is imposed,?is?nothing?else?than collective punishment.

So, before it?is?too late, the siege must be lifted and?aid agencies must be able to safely bring in essential supplies such as fuel,?water,?food?and medicine.?And we need this NOW.?

Over the last few days,?we have advocated for fuel to come in?because we need fuel for the water station and the desalination plant in the south of Gaza.?Unfortunately,?we still have no fuel.?

All parties must?facilitate?a humanitarian corridor?so we can reach all those in need of support. ??

蘑菇视频RWA?and aid agencies?must be able to do their work and save lives. And we must do so safely, without risking our own lives.?

Finally, we are also calling for a?suspension of hostilities?for humanitarian reasons, and this needs to take place?without?any?delay?if we want?to spare loss of more lives.

Thank you.