Lebanon/Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Iran & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right. Good afternoon. Tomorrow we will have a guest, and that will be Zoe Brennan, the spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, who will be here to talk to you about the launch of the World Migration Report. She will be joined by Jonathan Prentice, head of the UN Network on Migration, who will address questions relating to the International Migration Review Forum, which takes place this week and which the Secretary General will address. I will start off with the situation in Lebanon, where our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that today they facilitated an aid convoy of around 30 trucks to the village of Remik along the Blue line, where approximately 7,000 residents remain in in very challenging circumstances. This comes as the situation remains volatile. Over the weekend, UNIFIL observed intensive activities from the Israeli Defense Forces, including extensive airstrikes near a number of villages on the south, as well as continued naval activities off the coast of Nakora in southern Lebanon. Furthermore, UNIFIL reported drone activity in an area of operations, including drones that they say were operated by Hezbollah. On Friday, UNIFIL patrols faced restrictions on their freedom of movements near Al Bayada, where Israeli tanks blocked a road. The same day, IDF machine gun fire impacted a UNIFIL position near At Tiri in Bin Jabail district, with one round striking UN vehicle inside the compound. We reiterate once again that our peacekeepers must never be targeted and their safety and security must be guaranteed at all times by all parties. On the broader humanitarian front, our colleagues on the ground say that humanitarian situation in the country remains volatile, as you can imagine, despite the announcement of extension of the ceasefire. Yesterday, Ministry of Health reported 13 people were killed, including at least one child and four women and 1332 injured as a result of strikes in several locations in the southern part of Lebanon. On Sunday, displacement orders by Israeli authorities were renewed in 11 villages and towns in Nabatiyeh, followed by airstrikes causing new displacements. That's what local authorities in Lebanon are telling us. People continue to be on the move, with reports of some people returning to shelters after attempting to go back to their homes in the which some cases were reportedly inaccessible or outright destroyed. Authorities estimate that more than 124,000 people are residing in 625 schools and other public buildings being used as collective shelters. Despite growing and deepening humanitarian needs, the Lebanon flash appeal remains significantly underfunded. We've received only 38%. That's translated to 117 million U.S. $117 million of the $308 million we actually need. That is, of course, limiting our ability to reach the most vulnerable people at a scale that is actually required. Turning to Gaza, our Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on social media that more than six months since the Gaza cease fire agreement, we continue to work strenuously to help Palestinians in Gaza, but we need sustained access. We need civilians to be protected. Neutrality and Partnership Last week our partners leading on emergency shelter assistance delivered tents, bedding items and other supplies to nearly 4,500 households. One shelter partner also installed 150 improved emergency shelters in Khan Younis. These shelters are made of plastic sheets and other materials available and aim to provide displaced families with immediate solutions as soon as restricted materials are allowed to enter on. Health concerns remain with skin diseases and other medical issues linked to the presence of pests and rodents. In addition, our partners report that more than 6,600 people need prosthetic or rehabilitation care. That includes thousands of people who receive amputation since October 2023, yet only eight prosthetic technicians are available to respond. Our partners say that one in five amputees is a child, but with severe shortages of specialists and restricted entry of prosthetic materials, it could take five years or more to meet the needs that we see today. International prosthetic technicians are urgently needed as well as the unappeded entry of prosthetic materials which remains restricted by the Israeli authorities. Turning to Iran, I can tell you that we are very well aware and we've seen the reports over the weekend of the deteriorating health condition of the imprisoned Iranian Nobel Prize laureate Narges Mohammedi. The Secretary General expresses his deep concern over her medical condition and he urges the Iranian authorities to ensure that she receives, at the very least, urgent medical care as required by her current health condition. As you know, she was taken from jail to a hospital last week and reportedly requires urgent specialized medical care to treat life threatening heart condition. In a statement released last week, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said her medical condition is also compounded by existing chronicle chronic medical conditions resulting from her extensive years in detention. Mr. Turk has also warned that detention conditions in Iran's prisons are dire. Detainees suffer from severe overcrowding, acute food shortages, water, hygiene supplies, medicines and are often denied medical care. Also, we want to update you on the work that Georges Moura da Silva, the Executive Director of UN Office of Partnership Services, has been doing in his capacity as the person who is leading our task force on the Strait of Hormuz. His mission that was announced last week was postponed, but he will continue consultations this week in New York with key interlocutors on a mechanism for humanitarian corridor There is a growing number of countries supporting the creation of such a mechanism to prevent a massive food security crisis, and we'll keep you updated on that. Turning to Syria More than a decade after it began, the UN has now concluded its cross border humanitarian operations from Turkey into Syria following the reopening of border crossings to commercial traffic and improved access via just regular supply routes. Our humanitarian colleagues said this was one of the largest and most complex humanitarian supply chains in terms of scale of operations, the need to coordinate across multiple borders and authorities, and the challenges of delivering aid through shifting security conditions, damaged infrastructure, an earthquake, as you'll recall, and changing access routes inside Syria. During those years it was operating, the Cross Border Mechanism successfully moved more than 65,000 trucks of critical aid across the border to support an average of 1.225 million human beings every year that it was in operation. The shift also reflects a deliberate transition in how humanitarian aid is delivered, taking place alongside the gradual normalization of Syria's trade links, which has expanded opportunities for bringing humanitarian supplies through the regular commercial channels. Tom Fletcher, our Under Secretary General for Humanitarian affairs, says this new model builds on years of sustained progress, but the needs remain high. As you know, over 13 million people require food assistance, 12 million need access to clean water and nearly 13 million require health care support. We and our partners remain fully committed to reaching people wherever they are and wherever we're able to reach them. Turning to Sudan, I can tell you that we are alarmed by the escalating drone attacks that continue to endanger civilians with a wave of strikes reported across several states in recent days. Earlier today, a drone was reportedly shot down over the Khartoum International Airport leading to flights being canceled. That airport, as you know, is vital to our humanitarian operations in Sudan. In Al Jazeera State, local sources report that five members, including women and children from the same family were killed on Saturday In White Nile state, a fuel station and attacker were hit near the city of Kosti. And in North Kordofan state, the state television building in the capital El Obeid was damaged. Drone attacks have also intensified in Darfur. Strikes were reported today in West Darfur while a strike two days earlier in Yala injured at least five people and damaged buildings near the offices of humanitarian organization. The insecurity is forcing people to flee their homes. Over the past week, more than 2,600 people were displaced in North Kordofan and and some thousand people in South Kordofan. That's what the International Organization for Migration is telling us. As a reminder, nearly 9 million people are currently estimated to be internally displaced within Sudan itself, while some 4.5 million others have fled to neighboring countries since the start of the war there over three years ago. We reiterate that parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times, that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Aid must be able to reach everyone who needs it in a sustained and unhindered manner. Turning to Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues there tell us that over the past three days, continued missile and drone strikes across the country have caused civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. In the region of Dnipro, strikes hit by hit a public bus carrying children and at least two humanitarian vehicles. These included a bus of the World Health Organization donated to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine for vaccination. These incidents are part of a recent uptick in drone activity affecting civilian vehicles, including those used for humanitarian purposes. Over the weekend and in the early hours of this very morning, authorities in Ukraine reported that hostilities caused nearly 250 civilian casualties, including more than 20 deaths, as well as widespread damage to civilian infrastructure. The regions of Kherson, Kharkiv and Odessa were among the worst affected. In response, our humanitarian partners are providing emergency assistance, delivering psychosocial support, hot meals and other needed assistance to impacted communities. And they're doing this alongside communities and local responders. Also, over the weekend, with support of our humanitarian partners and local authorities, more than 900 civilians, including more than 180 children, were evacuated from frontline areas in the Donetsk region. And we have seen the reports also of a drone hitting a high rise apartment building near Moscow today. Once again, the Secretary General condemns all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, no matter where they occur. He reiterates his call for full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire leading to a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions. Finally, I'd like to flag a new report today by the UN Development Program which warns that rising debt repayments are taking a heavy toll on women, costing an estimated 55 million jobs and cutting their incomes by as much as 17%. Men's income remain largely unchanged, which is widening the gender gap. The report finds that as governments spend more on debt, they often cut back on essential services such as health, welfare and care. The UNDP administrator, Alexandre Ducro, stressed that when care services are cut, responsibility shifts back into households, with women bearing much of the burden. The report calls on governments and international financial institutions to prioritize investment in jobs, social protection, care systems rather than austerity measures, and deepen equality. There is no quiz today but what do we say on the 4th of May?

May.

May the 4th be with you. There you go, Edie. Let's go.

Thank you, Steph. The United States said today that it has opened a passageway in the Gulf of Hormuz. Does the Secretary General have any comment?

I mean, I think we're still trying to fully understand exactly what this means, but that being said, our position remains the same, that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be reopened. Freedom of navigation needs to be reestablished. We need to see a return of what has been centuries of practice of common law, which is freedom of navigation in these waters. Madame Salume.

Thank you, Stephen. We actually have reports of an exchange of fire in the strait in the last hour. The UAE apparently intercepted Iranian missiles. Do you have any independent knowledge of this?

No, we've seen. I mean, I just saw the.

Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. All the same, I've seen the press reports. All of these developments are concerning. We saw press reports this morning of a ship being hit. There's not much clarity at this point, but what we do not want to see is a return to outright kinetic activity in the area.

Okay. Yes, please.

Hello, I'm Miho from NHK Hiroshima Brew and I have two questions regarding the the atomic bomb exhibition in the lobby. So the organizer said some of pictures were banned this year and they put the warning board in the entrance for the first time. Could you tell me how the decision was made and who made that decision? And second question is the Hibakusha, the survivor of atomic bombing, were very concerned because that their message on humanitarian impact of nuclear weapon is diluted. What do you respond to their concern?

Look, first of all, I can tell

you that the Secretary General has the utmost respect, the utmost regard for all the survivors of the atomic bombs both in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that are still with us. They are modern day witnesses to the folly of nuclear weapons. And their message needs to be heard and they need to be respected. And Secretary General has often met with them, whether in New York or in Japan. That needs to be clear. And that has been unchanged for the warning.

I think it is just part of

greater sensitivity given that we also have sometimes young children going through these halls. So I think in many places there's greater sensitivity to that. I'm not aware of any images having been banned, but I will continue to look into it.

Abdel Hamid, I see you. Which means you have a question.

Yes, I have in fact two. Thank you, Steph. The first is about Gaza. Reports say that Israel now controls 59% of the total area of Gaza they have been moving. It started with 51 during the ceasefire week. Now it's 59%. Can you confirm that?

I can't confirm those exact numbers. I think the Israeli authorities have been very. Have been somewhat transparent about what areas they control. What we want to see is a withdrawal of the Israeli forces from those areas. And we want to see the people of Gaza regain some sort of control over their own lives. And we want to see in the immediate, a lifting of all the restrictions on humanitarian goods that continue to be imposed on us. Your second question.

A few days ago, the young Palestinian boy of 17, his name is Mohammad Rayan, was killed by the Israeli security forces in the village of Beddo near Jerusalem. His body is still kept by the Israeli authorities. Are you aware of this?

I'm not aware of this particular. Of this particular case, but in every. I can tell you that in every case, whenever there is the bodies, the remains of a person, they need to be returned to the families. Okay, thank you. On that note, fairly easy Monday. See you tomorrow.