Occupied West Bank, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Trust me, I'm very pale inside. All right, good afternoon. I'll start off with the situation in the occupied West Bank. Our humanitarian colleagues on the ground there tell us that our teams reached families in Kusra village in the northern West Bank, and that's, as you know, that's the village where Palestinian families have been trapped following the establishment of Israeli settlement outposts next to their homes and much tighter access restrictions imposed on them. A UNICEF team delivered water, food, medicines and hygiene items, as well as recreational kits for children. As of earlier today, OCHA reports that three Palestinian families in the village remain surrounded by a heavy presence of Israeli forces as well as settlers. Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that separate efforts by municipal workers to repair water and electricity connections damaged over the past few weeks faced serious impediments but were ultimately successful. Israeli settlers did attack the municipal workers and Israeli forces detained some of them. Also, we heard that Israeli forces had reportedly ordered nearby Palestinian factory to suspend operations affecting people's livelihoods. Elsewhere in the West Bank, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that multiple people were injured over the weekend, including by live ammunition in two incidents in Hebron Governorate involving Israeli forces, settlers, as well as Palestinians. Our Deputy Special Coordinator, Dr. Ramiz Alabkarov, who also serves as the Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, said that recent developments in the West Bank underscore the urgent the need to protect civilians, safeguard homes and property, and ensure access to essential services. He stresses that what is happening in Kusra must not become the new normal. Moving south to Gaza, our humanitarian partners remain concerned about the impact of continued Israeli strikes on civilians. Over the weekend, our partners leading on security and safety have reported multiple airstrikes and incidents of shelling, of gunfire, and naval fire, primarily west of the so-called yellow line, which is where most of Gaza's 2.1 million people are now confined. And they're confined in an area that is less than half of the Gaza Strip's land. Civilians were reported among some of the casualties. Our humanitarian partners also tell us that preparations for the coming rainy seasons are facing funding shortfalls and other limitations. It is critical that these preparations take place now. They estimate that ahead of winter, we and our partners have been able to buy less than 30,000 tents, most of which are still stuck outside of Gaza. That's compared with an estimated need of 80 to 130,000 tents, which depends on whether more durable supplies are allowed in. As you know, we're still not able to bring more durable shelter supplies into the Gaza Strip. Less than 40% of the $4 billion required for humanitarian support across Gaza, and the West Bank has been secured this year. And moving north to southern Lebanon, we are witnessing both from our humanitarian and peacekeeping colleagues alarming and concerning intensification of violence in the southern part of the country over the weekend, which also includes civilian casualties on the Lebanese side. Some of this violence has displaced families from areas where they had only recently returned, prompting them to seek safety elsewhere. The situation remains very for many families. Civilians must be able to return home safely. They must be able to do it voluntarily and with dignity. And they must be able to do it without repeatedly being exposed to renewed displacement, as we are seeing. UNIFIL peacekeepers recorded intense kinetic activities across its area of operations over the weekend, including five IDF airstrikes near Al-Mansouri in Sector West. In Sector East, IDF airstrikes were reported west of Al-Kantara, Tolosa, and two helicopter attacks were reported northwest of Deir Siryan. UNIFIL also reported extensive IDF indirect fire activity across its area of operations, also north of the Litani rivers, particularly on Saturday, when they recorded a total of 337 rounds. Additionally, they observed several IDF maritime activities in Lebanese territorial waters before the ships crossed back into Israel's territorial waters. Meanwhile, UNIFIL peacekeepers discovered and neutralized several unexploded ordnance. Peacekeepers also continued to encounter restrictions on their freedom of movement and incidents of aggressive behavior. On the humanitarian front, UNIFIL facilitated humanitarian mission in Tyre in Sector West in coordination with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We once again urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, adhere to the latest ceasefire, pursue dialogue, to advance a long-term solution to the conflict in line with Security Council Resolution 1701, including through the ongoing direct talks under the trilateral framework. Moving on to Yemen, we join the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, in expressing alarm at the rising civilian toll and the escalating military activities in Yemen. And we urge restraint and the immediate escalation of tensions. At least 17 casualties from Ansar Allah attacks have been reported in the government-controlled areas since August 6. Two casualties were reported in Houthi-controlled areas in July, in late July. The reported attacks, including missile strike by the Houthis on internally displaced persons camp in Marib, which included civilians, an attack by the group on a cargo ship in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait on 11 August, which reportedly killed four crew members and injured several others. Our Human Rights Office is verifying reports of further Houthi attacks on Al-Mukha port on the 14th and 15th of August that may have resulted in civilian casualties. Multiple civilian objects were reportedly hit, including a fuel storage facility and residential compound at the Saudi field hospital in Mukha. We reiterate that attacks against civilians, attacks against civilian infrastructure only risk further deepening the civilian suffering, and these attacks must end immediately. Turning to Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues warned that ongoing violence continues to kill civilians and force more people from their homes. In North Kordofan state, local authorities reported that more than a dozen civilians were killed and others injured in clashes in Um Aradad, southwest of the state capital El Obeid, that took place on Friday. The International Organization for Migration says that more than 4,200 people were displaced from the town and surrounding areas on Friday and Saturday. Increased violence across North Kordofan is also impacting humanitarian operations, as you would expect. This is forcing our humanitarian partners to suspend activities and health services for over two weeks in Al-Mazroub, which is facing a cholera outbreak. Meanwhile, in Blue Nile State, renewed fighting was reported in Geyssan and Kormuk and surrounding areas last week. IOM says about 5,400 people have been displaced to this in the recent days. We once again call on all parties to protect civilians, to protect civilian infrastructure and to allow aid to reach people quickly and safely and without any obstruction. Despite the insecurity, however, we and our humanitarian partners are continuing to deliver people in need to people in need. Across the Darfur region, the World Food Program reached about 2.3 million people with cash assistance in July. And our humanitarian colleagues continue to urge donors to provide additional funding for humanitarian response. This year's appeal for Sudan is only 41% funded with $1.2 billion in hand against the $2.9 billion that are actually required. And in the Central African Republic, we are mobilized to help strengthen the response and preparedness efforts against the Ebola virus, although no case of Ebola has been reported in the country. The country does share a long border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Ebola outbreak is centered. Our UN peacekeeping mission together with World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, the Internet, and our own Department of Safety and Security are assisting Central African authorities with technical assistance, surveillance and preparedness measures, communications and community awareness activities, as well as capacity building. An interagency coordination mechanism has been established led by WHO and DSS to monitor developments and support the government. Our peacekeeping colleagues on the country have been providing technical and logistical assistance, including transportation of health experts throughout the CAR and the delivery of essential equipment and supplies. Its radio station, Guira FM, has been broadcasting weekly updates and public health messages in Sango, which as you all know is the national language in the CAR, about the evolving situation in the region and prevention measures in place while also helping to counter misinformation. That's it. Edie.

Thank you, Steph. The 60 day deadline to end the war in Iran is approaching rapidly. Does the Secretary General have a message, any message for the parties as this deadline approaches?

His message is the same, which he's been delivering since the start, which is there is no military solution to this conflict. He urges the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States to resume negotiations towards a peaceful and durable settlement as soon as possible. to avoid military action and as well to lower the rhetoric that we've been hearing in recent days. Madam.

Thanks, Steph. Jared Kushner met Benjamin Netanyahu today. There's this, this was his board of peace recommendation. Has the SG been in touch with the Trump administration or to talk about the progress of it?

The contacts are being had locally in Jerusalem. I don't have an update on the most recent meetings. Yes, Namo.

Thank you, Stefan. Just one question. Two drones, two Iranian kamikaze drones targeted Iraq's Kurdistan region earlier today, according to the local officials, and one of them hit. the office of the region's prime minister. The officials there call it serious escalation. Does the Secretary General see this attack on Kurdistan as an attack on Iraq's sovereignty under the charter?

Well, it clearly is a violation of the sovereignty of Iraq. We condemn the attack on the offices of the prime minister of Kurdistan. Volodymyr.

Thank you, Stefan. In Russia, the so-called Supreme Court today rejected the Yabloko Party's appeal against its removal from the ballot in what they call State Duma elections over its anti-war stance. Yabloko's Lev Shlosberg was also sentenced today to 11 years in prison for calling for peace and an end to the war against Ukraine. Do you have any comment on that?

Not on the particular case because I haven't seen the details, but as our principal position is that elections, wherever they are held, should be held in a free atmosphere, and all those who want to participate should be able to participate. Okay, thank you for soft landing on my first day back. We'll try to get the AC fixed and we shall see you tomorrow.