Attachments
EAST JERUSALEM,
I am appealing to the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) who are meeting today to firmly and unconditionally support the humanitarian efforts to safeguard civilians in Gaza.
At the time of writing these lines, harrowing images are still coming out of the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza where more than 500 people were reportedly killed last night. An UNRWA school sheltering 4,000 internally displaced persons was also hit yesterday, with at least six people killed and dozens injured.
An unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes. Gaza is being strangled and the world seems to have lost its humanity. Every hour we receive more and more desperate calls for help from people across the Gaza Strip. Thousands of civilians were killed over the last 12 days, including women and children.
At least one million people were forced to flee their homes in just one week. Over half a million displaced persons are sheltering in our schools and other premises in the south of Gaza. An unknown number of people, whom UNRWA is no longer able to assist, remain on our premises in the northern part of the Strip.
UNRWA has tragically lost 14 staff members until now and most of our 13,000 staff in Gaza are displaced.
Not one shipment of aid has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since the start of this conflict due to the full siege imposed. People are forced to drink water that is not suitable for consumption, as clean potable water is simply not available. Stocks of food, hygiene material and medicine are rapidly dwindling. We are on the brink of a major health and sanitation crisis.
UNRWA, the largest aid agency in the Gaza Strip, finds itself unable to protect and assist civilians as they face the most tragic and dangerous escalation. The most urgent goals that we must all work towards are to ensure that civilians, including aid workers, are protected, humanitarian access is granted, and that UNRWA has the resources it needs to respond to an unprecedented humanitarian and human tragedy unfolding as the world watches.
Against this background, I urgently request your support for the following:
First, we must reiterate that international humanitarian law must prevail, with an immediate cessation of attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects, including UN and humanitarian personnel and premises. It must be underscored that all UN facilities are protected under international law and should never be subjected to attack under any circumstances.
Second, there is an urgent need to ensure humanitarian access. This can be achieved through an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow without further delay, unimpeded and safe access to humanitarian assistance.
Third, UNRWA must receive adequate resources. The Agency is short of US$ 100 million for its core budget for this year, the backbone of the Agency which covers the salaries of all our staff, including those in Gaza. Doctors, nurses, social workers, sanitation laborers, security guards: all will suffer if we cannot pay their salaries, which is a real risk as of next month.
Additionally, UNRWA has issued a Flash Appeal of US$ 104 million for its immediate emergency response to more than a million displaced and vulnerable Palestine Refugees. This appeal will most likely soon be revised upwards.
Today, I am calling on the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to show the strength of its solidarity and to be decisive in its support to the Palestine Refugees and to UNRWA.
Thank you.
Background Information:
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Juliette Touma
UNRWA Director of Communications
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Secondary mobile: +970-56-294-0311
On Twitter: @JulietteTouma
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Tamara Alrifai
UNRWA Spokesperson/ Director of External Relations & Communications
Mobile: +962 (0)79 090 0140
On Twitter: @UNRWA
UNRWA on Twitter: @UNRWA
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Website: UNRWA
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