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STORY: UN / GAZA HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
TRT: 05:10
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 03 JULY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
03 JULY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“And I have a statement to share with you on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. I can tell you that the Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life. In just one day this week, Israeli orders to relocate forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, yet again, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, of food, of medicine and of water. International humanitarian law is unambiguous: civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population need to be met. With no fuel having entered Gaza in more than 17 weeks, the Secretary-General is gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off. Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and the sick, and water will not be able to be purified. The delivery by the United Nations and our partners of what little of our lifesaving humanitarian aid is left in Gaza will grind to a halt. The Secretary-General once again calls for full, safe and sustained humanitarian access so aid can reach people who have been deprived of the basics of life for way too long. The UN has a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians – to do that safely and at scale, wherever those people are. The Secretary-General reiterates that all parties must uphold their obligations under international law. He renews his call for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, held by Hamas and other groups.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Just yesterday, the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order – this time for parts of Gaza City – citing Palestinian rocket fire. Our colleagues estimate that about 40,000 people were in these areas, which included one displacement site, one medical point, and a neighbourhood that had been spared from any displacement orders since before the ceasefire. As of earlier today, about 900 families are estimated to have fled. OCHA notes that since mid-March, when the ceasefire ended, over 50 such orders have been issued. Together, they now cover about 78 per cent of Gaza. Add the Israeli-militarized zones and that percentage jumps to 85 – leaving just 15 per cent where civilians can actually stay. Those areas are of course overcrowded, they also severely lack any services or proper infrastructure. Imagine having just over two million people in Manhattan – which is actually slightly bigger – but instead of buildings, the area is strewn with the rubble of demolished and bombed-out structures, without infrastructure or basic support. And in Gaza, these remaining areas are also fragmented and unsafe. Yesterday, our colleagues from the UN Population Fund said that menstruation has become a nightmare for an estimated 700,000 women and girls in Gaza. They remind us that, alongside food, people need water, soap, menstrual pads and privacy. UNFPA notes it has supplies ready – almost 170 truckloads’ worth – but they are not being let into the Strip. In a report issued yesterday, OCHA notes that since last Thursday, nine more aid workers have been killed – from five different organizations. That brings together the total number of aid workers killed to 107 so far this year, and 479 since October 2023. Among them are 326 of our UN colleagues. Looking back at the month of June, out of nearly 400 coordination attempts, 44 per cent were outright denied by Israeli authorities. Another 10 per cent were initially accepted but faced impediments. Only a third were fully facilitated. And the rest, which is about 12 per cent – had to be cancelled by the organizers for logistical, operational or security reasons. Today, we had four denials out of 16 coordination attempts, hindering our teams’ efforts to relocate medical supplies or remove debris, among other critical operations.”
5. Wide shot, end of press briefing
“The Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters, as violence and displacement continue to escalate in the besieged enclave.
Relaying the Secretary-General’s statement at the daily press briefing today (03 Jul), Dujarric said that “multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians.” He added that the Secretary-General “strongly condemns the loss of civilian life.”
According to the UN, nearly 30,000 people were forced to flee in just one day this week following orders to relocate - a situation the Secretary-General described as “yet again, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine or water.”
The Secretary-General reminded all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law, stating that “civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population must be met.”
The ongoing blockade of fuel deliveries, which has lasted more than 17 weeks, is pushing Gaza's humanitarian situation to the brink, Dujarric warned. “Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and sick, and water cannot be purified,” he said, noting that even the limited life-saving aid still being provided by the UN and its partners could soon grind to a halt.
Dujarric emphasized that the UN has “a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians – safely and at scale, wherever they are.” But for that to happen, “full, safe and sustained humanitarian access” is urgently needed.
Dujarric also said the Secretary-General also renewed his calls for “an immediate permanent ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
