{"id":297615,"date":"2024-06-25T12:31:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T16:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&#038;p=297615"},"modified":"2024-06-26T15:25:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T19:25:56","slug":"daily-press-briefing-by-the-office-of-the-spokesperson-for-the-sg-250624","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/daily-press-briefing-by-the-office-of-the-spokesperson-for-the-sg-250624\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (excerpt)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>25 June 2024<\/p>\n<p><em>(Excerpt)<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"Haiti, Ukraine, Nigeria &amp; other topics - Daily Press Briefing (25 June 2024)\" width=\"1320\" height=\"743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Kiyp3ztVQGU?start=108&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today\u2019s noon briefing by St\u00e9phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>**<u>Middle East<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Back here, Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/ongoing-hostilities-in-gaza-sc9667th-250624\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">briefed the Security Council<\/a>\u00a0via videoconference this morning, and he said that the ongoing hostilities in Gaza are further fuelling regional instability.<\/p>\n<p>He said that there must be an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire \u2014 that there is a deal on the table, and it should be agreed.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s briefing covers events happening up until 10\u00a0June.<\/p>\n<p>He said that effective mechanisms for humanitarian notification, safe conditions for humanitarian operations, and sufficient access to humanitarian needs remain sorely lacking and must be put in place without delay.\u00a0 The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, he said, welcomes the opportunity to clarify with the IDF on how the current situation can be improved.<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #000000\">**<u>Occupied Palestinian Territory<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>And speaking of the situation on the ground, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that access constraints, security concerns, and the breakdown of public order and safety continue to hamper the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in need.<\/p>\n<p>OCHA also flags that persistent fuel shortages continue to hinder aid operations and the functioning of critical water, sanitation, health and other facilities in the Gaza Strip.\u00a0 Since the beginning of this year, the amount of diesel and benzene fuel entering Gaza on a monthly basis is just 14\u00a0per cent of levels prior to October 2023 \u2014 that\u2019s 2\u00a0million litres compared to the 14\u00a0million litres that used to enter Gaza during that time frame.<\/p>\n<p>Just one example of the impact of these shortages was Sunday\u2019s announcement by the Director of the Kuwait Field Hospital in Khan Younis that its main electricity generator had stopped functioning, due to the lack of fuel, and that the facility was now relying on a secondary generator to maintain operations.<\/p>\n<p>Our health partners report that given the critical situation in Gaza, their focus continues to be on life-saving and limb-saving operations.\u00a0 However, there are currently no conditions in place to bring in prostheses or deploy special medical teams to assist amputees \u2014 many of whom are children and adolescents.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA \u2014 the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Relief and Works Agency \u2014 said that a school in northern Gaza was hit last night, reportedly killing 12\u00a0people and injuring 22\u00a0others.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>**<u>Questions and Answers<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Edie?<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you, Steph.\u00a0 First, the Associated Press is reporting that senior Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ officials told Israel they will suspend aid operations across Gaza unless urgent steps are taken to better protect humanitarian workers.\u00a0 Can you confirm that and say what the Israeli response has been?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>: \u00a0I\u2019m not going to confirm all sorts of leaks and references to letters.\u00a0What I can tell you is that we are in regular contact with the Israeli authorities to underscore the urgency of having the following things that we need.\u00a0 One is an effective coordination and deconfliction system for operations across Gaza, permissions for essential security equipment commensurate with the risks of working in a war zone, and for the Israeli army to commit to its responsibilities to facilitate humanitarian assistance and to protect humanitarian staff and installations.\u00a0 Let me just correct what I said right at the beginning.\u00a0 I will confirm to you that there was a letter on 17\u00a0June addressed from our Humanitarian Coordinator, Muhannad Hadi, to COGAT, which is our main point of contact.\u00a0 And further contacts were had yesterday between COGAT and our Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, Gilles Michaud.\u00a0 And I think it\u2019s important to make not just a step back, but to reiterate what exactly are the challenges that we\u2019re facing in Gaza.\u00a0 As you know, humanitarians, humanitarian operations have repeatedly been in the crosshairs in Gaza.\u00a0 And I think you know the number of humanitarian workers that have been killed.\u00a0We\u2019ve repeatedly talked about humanitarian convoys shot at and notably last Friday, we\u2019ve talked about areas that were deconflicted, that were hit, hospitals, shelters and so on.\u00a0 And the risks, frankly, are becoming increasingly intolerable.\u00a0 While we keep at the forefront of our work, of our planning, the need to support the millions of Palestinian civilians, who depend on humanitarian aid to survive, every day we assess the situation and look and how we can operate safely, both for our own staff, but really, most importantly for those who are receiving the aid, right?\u00a0 We continue to deliver aid in an opportunistic manner.\u00a0 And every day, we try to do more, but every day we need to grab whatever opportunities we can while continuing to operate in a conflict zone.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Can I follow that up with\u2026 At today\u2019s Security Council meeting, Israel again blamed the United Nations for the failure to deliver humanitarian aid, saying trucks were getting in and the United Nations was not delivering the food to the people in need.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 We\u2019ve seen these accusations over and over again.\u00a0 We keep trying to pick up the aid from the crossings, from the pier.\u00a0 There are risks that are unacceptable.\u00a0 And despite those risks \u2014 and you\u2019ve heard first-hand from our humanitarian colleagues on the ground \u2014 they are so dedicated to their work.\u00a0 They are so dedicated to helping the civilians in Gaza to get aid.\u00a0 They\u2019re doing it in an active conflict zone.\u00a0 The way forward is not a mystery, right?\u00a0 It\u2019s on the table, it\u2019s a humanitarian ceasefire.\u00a0 It\u2019s the free and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip.\u00a0 It\u2019s the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages.\u00a0 The solution exists.\u00a0 But I think to blame those who are trying to help, who are there in Gaza without guns, without real security, to me is a bit far-fetched.\u00a0 Madame?<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Just a quick follow-up.\u00a0 So, was there a response from Israel?\u00a0 And what sort of response was it, if it existed?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Listen, I think you should ask\u2026 I can only speak for us because it\u2019s not for me to speak for the Israelis.\u00a0 This has been an ongoing dialogue.\u00a0 If there had been a great improvement in the situation, I think we would know it.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 And according to the story there was\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Your microphone.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 There\u2019s no final decision yet, but how would that, I mean, given what we heard today from the experts after the IPC report, if this operation is suspended, how would that actually affect the situation in Gaza?\u00a0 [cross talk]<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about suspending operations.\u00a0 What I\u2019m saying is that every day we assess the situation, how best to move forward.\u00a0 Sherwin, then Mike.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Steph, just following up on that.\u00a0 Is the implication being read from maybe what the DPR (Deputy Permanent Representative) in the Security Council said today, is the implication that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ should provide its own security for the effective distribution of that aid?\u00a0 Because otherwise it\u2019s just a blame game.\u00a0 What\u2019s the next step here?\u00a0 Should the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ take\u2026 [cross talk]<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Listen, it\u2019s not a game.\u00a0 It\u2019s about us operating under humanitarian principles of independence, of impartiality where we operate around the world.\u00a0 We operate in other war zones, right?\u00a0 We\u2019re continuing to operate under great challenges in Sudan, where you have two generals who are using\u2026 you have two generals who have put aside the best needs of their people.\u00a0 And we are also trying to deliver humanitarian aid there.\u00a0 Humanitarians do not operate under armed escort.\u00a0 The best protection for humanitarians is that the community protects them and that those who are doing the shooting stop shooting at them.\u00a0 Mike?\u00a0 Do you have a question?<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 I am not done.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Who\u2019s in control here?<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 Fine, carry on.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be collegial to a colleague.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Sorry.\u00a0 Fine, fine, fine.\u00a0 Go ahead.\u00a0Go ahead, Sherwin.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 So, just changing tack a little.\u00a0 The lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court by, in part, many survivors of the 7\u00a0October attack against Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.\u00a0 We heard what the Commissioner-General of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA said, that this is part of a broad onslaught against the Agency.\u00a0 Is that the view the Secretary-General has thought?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I have no particular comment on a suit that we haven\u2019t officially seen.\u00a0 I think I just want to step back and say that I think Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has cracked itself open to those who want to know how it operates, right?\u00a0 There have been independent investigations. \u00a0The OIOS (Office of Internal Oversight Services) thing is still going on.\u00a0 They talk to their donors all the time.\u00a0 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, I think, is clear and has clearly shown it is willing to do whatever it takes to reassure its donors.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Part of the allegations, Steph, is that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA employees aided and abetted Hamas\u2019 attack on 7\u00a0October, that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA employees turned a blind eye to the construction of tunnels.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Look, I mean, who\u2026 let me\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 But my question is this.\u00a0 There has been a six-month investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services into the allegations made against several employees.\u00a0 The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has fired these employees without due process.\u00a0 This investigation continues to drag on.\u00a0 Is it not important that they wrap up their investigation and make their findings known?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 It is important that whatever investigation is done, be credible.\u00a0These things take time.\u00a0 Again, they\u2019re operating in a conflict zone.\u00a0 But let me remind you who first raised the issue of accusations against Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA employees regarding 7\u00a0October.\u00a0 It was Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA itself, right?\u00a0 Mike, would you like to have a question?<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to dispel this notion that Israelis are rude.\u00a0 You know, I\u2019m doing my part here.\u00a0 So, there was much ado in this briefing room yesterday about information integrity.\u00a0 So, I had two questions along that line.\u00a0 The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA humanitarian dashboard was shut down last week.\u00a0 And now you need permission, access granted to view it.\u00a0 Lately, there\u2019s been data before it got shut down showing massive amounts of aid being looted on 15\u00a0June and 18\u00a0June.\u00a0And then it was taken down after that.\u00a0Hamas has a documented history when there\u2019s not good news, of getting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA to get rid of it and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA acquiescing.\u00a0So, I\u2019m asking why that humanitarian dashboard was taken offline and whether it will be put back up in the interest of information integrity?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Short answer is I don\u2019t know, but I will ask our Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA colleagues about the dashboard, so I will find out.\u00a0 But I think we have been as transparent and open from here about the challenges and about when food has gone missing and so forth.\u00a0 But let me follow up on your specific question.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Who\u2019s looting the aid?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 What?<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Who\u2019s looting the aid?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Well, we\u2019ve had issues of what we called self-distribution, where aid was taken at a checkpoint by people who were clearly hungry.\u00a0 There have been activities by criminal gangs, as well, and I think we\u2019ve talked about these things.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 A follow-up question if I may.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 You may.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you very much.\u00a0 Another information integrity question.\u00a0 I asked this question in the briefing room several weeks ago when there was a split between data that OCHA was releasing via Hamas about identified fatalities and casualties and unidentified fatalities and casualties.\u00a0 There was a split in a way that the data was distributed in late April, early May.\u00a0 Since that point, OCHA via Hamas has continued to update\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand what the \u201cOCHA via Hamas\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Well, Hamas provides the information to OCHA.\u00a0 OCHA\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 No, no, no.\u00a0 Let\u2019s be clear.\u00a0 The health ministry in Gaza provides information publicly, right, which many journalists use, as well.\u00a0 We also use it.\u00a0 It\u2019s not as if Hamas is providing information through OCHA.\u00a0 So\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 The source of the information.\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 In any case, OCHA started identifying identified and unidentified casualties.\u00a0 Since that point, though, the numbers of fatalities have gone up, but the identified fatalities have stayed exactly the same.\u00a0There\u2019s been no increase in identified fatalities since 30\u00a0April.\u00a0 So, my question is, because we pointed out at the time, the unreliability of those numbers, why have those numbers not been updated since 30\u00a0April?\u00a0 Obviously, there have been additional fatalities they\u2019ve had.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they haven\u2019t had the data that they need to update the information.\u00a0 As we said in Gaza, we\u2019re not able to do that work ourselves.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been relying, as have many others, on the numbers provided by the health ministry run by the\u00a0<em>de facto<\/em>\u00a0authorities.\u00a0 We have said this over and over again that we have found in the past for those numbers to be generally reliable.\u00a0 This conflict would end at some point, right?\u00a0 At some point, we have a much clearer picture of the fatalities and then people can run, can assess and make a judgment on whether or not the figures were reliable.\u00a0 Abdelhamid, and then we\u2019ll go to the far left.<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Far left for me, yeah.<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Sherwin took one of my questions about Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Sherwin didn\u2019t take your\u2026 He just had the same idea.\u00a0 Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 But I always wonder why Mr.\u00a0Wennesland puts the release of hostages first before ceasefire.\u00a0 He\u2019s the only Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ senior officials, including the SG yesterday \u2014 he speaks about ceasefire, then releasing the hostages.\u00a0 He\u2019s the only one.\u00a0 He puts the carriage ahead of the horse.\u00a0 How could that\u2026 Why he does that?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Sorry.\u00a0 Can you repeat the question?\u00a0 Because I\u2019m not sure I follow.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Why he talks, in his statement today, he asked for the immediate release of hostages and then a ceasefire.\u00a0 Could that\u2026?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I think you\u2019re A, you\u2019re reading too much into it.\u00a0 It is also\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Why I\u2019m reading?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 It is also how things happen chronologically.<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 No, it has to come from the ceasefire.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Listen, you don\u2019t agree with me.<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Following the SG, I\u2019m not\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Listen, he used the words that he uses.\u00a0 The points are there.\u00a0 If you want to write and criticize the way he uses the words, that\u2019s your freedom as a journalist.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 But now, regarding the AP report and the letter to Israeli officials, I guess there might be some Gazans out there now hearing that news, being very concerned and scared that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ might turn their back on them.\u00a0 And do you have a message for these people?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ will not turn its back on the people of Gaza.\u00a0 Yvonne, and then sorry, and then I\u2019ll\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thanks, Steph.\u00a0 I just want to go back to the AP report again to make sure we have the facts correct based on how you\u2019re presenting them.\u00a0 The letter that you said was sent on 17\u00a0June to COGAT from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, in that letter, did it state that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ will suspend aid operations in Gaza unless improved safety is guaranteed?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Look, what we are pushing in all our contacts with the Israelis is to have more effective aid coordination, better deconfliction system, because we\u2019ve seen it clearly ain\u2019t [<em>sic<\/em>] working.\u00a0 Permission for essential security equipment commensurate with the risks of working in a war zone and for the army to commit to its responsibilities to facilitate humanitarian assistance and to protect humanitarian staff and installations.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 So, I mean, some Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ officials are apparently telling the Associated Press that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is telling Israel they will suspend aid operations.\u00a0It sounds like you\u2019re not confirming that.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Look, I\u2019ve been in this place for 24\u00a0years.\u00a0 The people I would really love to meet are the unnamed Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ officials.\u00a0 Ibtisam?<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, first I have a follow-up on that also to just try to understand.\u00a0 So, because you kind of said yes and then you said no and then said yes, and it\u2019s a little bit confusing.\u00a0 So, you have some conditions that you want to be met.\u00a0 But is there any possibility that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ will suspend aid operations in case these conditions or these demands are not met?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 As I\u2019ve said, we are committed to doing whatever we can to helping the people of Gaza who are so desperately dependent on humanitarian aid.\u00a0Every day, we have to assess how we run those operations.\u00a0 Can that convoy move?\u00a0 Can we open up another feeding centre?\u00a0 You know, what supplies we can get in.\u00a0 Every day we\u2019re doing this assessment because we are continuing to operate in a conflict zone.\u00a0 Our message to the Israeli authorities is to put in place these measures that I\u2019ve just outlined to Gabriel that would make our life slightly more predictable.\u00a0 But in the end, the only way to get to where we really want to go is, and I will repeat myself, the humanitarian ceasefire, the free and unfettered humanitarian aid and the release of all the hostages.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 I have another question on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council meeting today in the morning.\u00a0 So, Mr.\u00a0Wennesland, the major part of his report was supposed to be about the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ resolution regarding settlements\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 That\u2019s 2223.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 23, yeah.\u00a0 But he hardly talked about the settlements in that report.\u00a0 There was like maybe one paragraph maximum, no.\u00a0 And a lot happened when it came to settlements and settlement expansion in the last three months.\u00a0 So, the question is, why not?\u00a0 And then I have another related question.\u00a0 The American Ambassador to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, in that meeting, she talked lengthily about the concern of her country regarding settlements and the sanctions of extremist settlers and the groups of nine, et cetera.\u00a0 So, my question here, what does the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ want to see countries like the US or European countries who have a very good relationship with the Israeli Government and also a lot of other ones do when it comes to settlements and settlers and their violence?\u00a0 Because it seems to be that these steps that they are taking are just not enough.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I mean, it is clear that on the issue of settlements that we continue to regard them as illegal and counter to the two-State solution.\u00a0 Whatever countries may have influence on Israel should push for the full implementation of Security Council resolutions.\u00a0 As for your first question regarding Mr.\u00a0Wennesland, I mean, A, I would encourage you to read the whole report of the Secretary-General, right?\u00a0 Which\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 But\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay, so the report, I mean, he was doing highlights of the report.\u00a0As I\u2019ve told Abdelhamid more than once, he said what he said.\u00a0 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ officials say what they say.\u00a0 That\u2019s their job.\u00a0 Your job is to analyse, criticize and even sometimes maybe praise.\u00a0 But I\u2019m not going to go into a full analysis of the number of words on one issue as opposed to another.\u00a0 This was a presentation of the report.\u00a0 Edie?<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 The Israeli Government appointed a civilian official to be the deputy of the governor of the West Bank, which Tor Wennesland mentioned in his remarks.\u00a0 It\u2019s one step before annexing the West Bank completely by changing the government from military to civilians.\u00a0 And he warned of that.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see any statement from the SG of this important development.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Well, I mean, Tor Wennesland, you said, warned of that?<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, he did.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 Tor Wennesland represents the Secretary-General.\u00a0 He was speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General.\u00a0 I\u2019m not the only person who speaks on his behalf.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 The second question?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Please.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 About the Guantanamo of Gaza, is the ETN, the detention centre.\u00a0 There is a report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitoring Group.\u00a0 They issued a very strong report about the treatment of Palestinian in that detention centre, about torturing, killing, keeping the detainees blindfolded all the time.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 No, I\u2019m aware and I think\u2026<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, but we didn\u2019t hear anything about that.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I think my understanding is that our human rights colleagues have spoken on it, and we\u2019re obviously extremely concerned.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 We\u2019re also extremely concerned about all of these reports of not only arbitrary detention, but the horrendous conditions.\u00a0 And I think also Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, and we\u2019ve said it from here, has also been very public in talking about the interviews of people who had been released and the treatment they had had.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 I was expecting it to show in the report of Mr.\u00a0Wennesland.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Again, I mean, listen, I don\u2019t know what else to tell you.\u00a0 Sorry I skipped over Dennis, who\u2019s been very patient.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 I asked Ms.\u00a0[Juliette] Touma from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA about this a couple days ago.\u00a0She said she\u2019d get back, but I know she has her hands full.\u00a0 And you\u2019re omnipotent, so you\u2019ll have the answer anyway.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 My omnipotence?<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 In the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA lawsuit.\u00a0 I\u2019m not asking to comment on the lawsuit itself, but in the lawsuit, there was an accusation made that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA and Gaza, the aid that goes to Gazans through Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, it is the only aid distribution in all of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, where the aid is distributed in US dollars rather than in the local currency.\u00a0 And the accusation behind that was that it\u2019s a way to get that money to Hamas because it needs to be changed over into shekels.\u00a0 Hamas takes their money changer fees, and it helps fund Hamas.\u00a0 I\u2019m just asking from a fact check, is that correct?\u00a0 [cross talk]<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I cannot, I might be omnipotent, but I\u2019m not all-knowing, so I can\u2019t answer the question, but I\u2019m going to try to find out.<\/p>\n<p><u>Correspondent<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Gabriel, and then Benno.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Thank you, Steph.\u00a0 Thanks for coming back.\u00a0 Would your office consider releasing the 17\u00a0June letter that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ wrote to COGAT publicly?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 No.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 If the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was to suspend aid operations, who would make that decision?\u00a0 Would that be the Secretary-General that would have to sign off on that?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to get into what I believe are hypotheticals.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 A last thing.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Yes, please.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 I promise this is it.\u00a0 In your opening remarks, you mentioned that an Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA school was hit, and several people were killed, and several people were injured.\u00a0 It\u2019s been, by some accounts, more than 190\u00a0Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA facilities in one way, shape or form that have been hit.\u00a0 I mean, your comments were very brief about what happened in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA school.\u00a0 And my question is, if this happened many months ago or a year ago, we probably would have spent 45\u00a0minutes talking about that here.<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 Yeah, probably.<\/p>\n<p><u>Question<\/u>:\u00a0 Are you or the Secretary-General at all concerned that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has been so targeted over the last eight months that it\u2019s just become so commonplace now that it\u2019s only worth one sentence in a briefing?<\/p>\n<p><u>Spokesman<\/u>:\u00a0 It\u2019s tragic.\u00a0 It\u2019s tragic that that has become routine.\u00a0 It is tragic.\u00a0And let\u2019s be clear.\u00a0 It is a building that\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0used as a school.\u00a0There are no more schools run by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ in Gaza.\u00a0 Children are not getting an education, right?\u00a0 But I can tell you that we are keeping a catalogue of all of the incidents and attacks on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ facilities or misuse of facilities by combatants.\u00a0 On that note, bon app\u00e9tit and we\u2019ll see you on Monday.\u00a0I just, I\u2019m done for the week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; 25 June 2024 (Excerpt) &nbsp; &nbsp; The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today\u2019s noon briefing by St\u00e9phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. &#8230; **Middle East Back here, Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process,\u00a0briefed the Security Council\u00a0via videoconference this morning, and he said that the ongoing hostilities in Gaza <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/daily-press-briefing-by-the-office-of-the-spokesperson-for-the-sg-250624\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2573,2565,2805],"document-source":[5352],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,1945,2005,1741,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-297615","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-highlights-of-the-noon-briefing","document-category-press-briefing","document-category-video","document-source-secretary-general","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/297615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/297615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":297671,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/297615\/revisions\/297671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=297615"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=297615"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=297615"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=297615"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=297615"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=297615"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=297615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}