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	Gaza conflict brings immense human suffering by UN News, OCHA, UNICEF, OHCHR, agencies   Feb. 2025   Study reveals Human Impact of UNRWA Ban: Lifelines to Millions at Risk - Norwegian Refugee Council   In less than one week, Israel’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will come into effect, marking a critical moment for Palestinian refugees. A new report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) outlines the on-the-ground consequences of this unprecedented policy shift.   The Israeli parliament passed the controversial legislation in October 2024, prohibiting UNRWA from operating within Israeli-controlled territories, including East-Jerusalem. The 28 January implementation deadline looms large, threatening to disrupt essential services for millions of Palestinian refugees who depend on UNRWA for education, healthcare and food assistance.   “UNRWA provides a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable communities in the region,” warned Jørgen Jensehaugen, a Senior Researcher at PRIO and co-author of the study. “In less than one week’s time, its collapse in Israeli-controlled areas could cripple the humanitarian operation in Gaza, and lead to a collapse of healthcare and education for thousands in the West Bank.”   The policy brief, ‘Consequences of the Israeli UNRWA Ban,’ highlights the acute challenges posed by the new laws. In Gaza, where nearly 2 million people rely on UNRWA aid, the suspension of services could exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation.   Lifesaving relief delivery will plummet without UNRWA, even with increased aid under the ceasefire agreement, as the distribution structure will collapse. Replacing UNRWA’s mechanisms would involve significant costs and delays, with humanitarian experts estimating it could take one to three years.   Before the latest round of conflict, UNRWA provided primary education to nearly 300,000 pupils. The impact of the ban on Gaza’s education sector has been largely overlooked, despite no other UN entity being equipped to educate so many children. The study warns that without UNRWA, education will likely be replaced by fragmented, lower-quality initiatives run by multiple agencies.   UNRWA has also delivered critical healthcare, including 4.4 million outpatient consultations annually, along with specialist care, dental screenings and x-rays. The cessation of these services will leave millions without essential medical care, depriving refugees of routine check-ups, vital medications and emergency treatments, putting countless lives at risk.   As the deadline approaches, international organizations and donor nations are left grappling with how to respond.   “The clock is ticking, and without coordinated global action, the repercussions will be serious, most acutely effecting Gaza, but also having the potential to push the situation in the West Bank across the brink,” warned Jensehaugen.   http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/new-study-reveals-human-impact-unrwa-ban-lifelines-millions-risk http://www.justsecurity.org/109772/israel-humanitarian-ngo-guidelines/ http://www.diakonia.se/ihl/news/renewed-hostilities-in-gaza/   21 Jan. 2025   UNRWA ‘committed to staying and delivering’ despite ban due to come into effect. (UN News)   In a matter of days, UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees may be forced to end its crucial, life-saving operations in Gaza and The West Bank. Legislation passed by the Israeli Government, due to come into effect at the end of the month, would make it impossible for UNRWA to continue operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.   Juliette Touma, the UNRWA Director of Communications, told Conor Lennon from UN News that despite the threat hanging over the agency, her colleagues on the ground remain dedicated to providing essential services in both Gaza and the West Bank.   http://news.un.org/en/audio/2025/01/1159226   Jan. 2025   The Elders warn Gaza ceasefire and recovery at risk if UNRWA is not protected.   The Elders have warned that a sustained ceasefire and recovery in Gaza are at risk if Israel ends cooperation with UNRWA on 30 January, in line with the legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset in October.   After fifteen months of war and at least 46,000 Palestinians killed, the massive surge in humanitarian relief and the restoration of essential services that are so urgently needed now rely on UNRWA as the indispensable agency in Gaza.   If implemented, the legislation would prohibit contact between UNRWA and Israeli authorities, ending the de-confliction needed for safe operations in Gaza. It could also end UNRWA’s ability to operate across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. To do so at the very moment when a ceasefire is opening the way for recovery in Gaza and the welcome release of all Israeli hostages would be morally reprehensible.   UN member states have a duty to defend UNRWA against this serious attack, which violates the UN Charter. A mandate given by the General Assembly, and reaffirmed in the resolution passed on 5 December, cannot be revoked by a national parliament. UNRWA remains essential until there is a just solution for Palestinian refugees, and its functions are transferred to a Palestinian entity as part of a peace settlement. Member states should impose targeted sanctions if the Israeli government implements the legislation, given it constitutes a clear violation of international law with grave consequences.   We regret that US funding to UNRWA remains suspended, and that Sweden decided to stop funding the agency in December. European and Arab states must stand by their commitments to provide political and financial support to UNRWA at this critical time.   http://theelders.org/news/elders-warn-gaza-ceasefire-and-recovery-risk-if-unrwa-not-protected http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/israeli-laws-set-take-effect-48-hours-un-palestine-refugee-agency-chief-warns-security-council-risks-gaza-ceasefire-recovery-efforts http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/mr-tom-fletcher-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-briefing-security-council-plight-children-gaza-strip-given-gravity-humanitarian-situation-gaza-23-january-2025   Nov. 2024 (UN News, agencies)   The vote by the Israeli Knesset banning the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) contradicts principles of the UN Charter, violates Israel’s obligations under international law, and sets a dangerous precedent, the head of the Agency, Philippe Lazzarini has warned.   “This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees,” Mr. Lazzarini said, following reports of the long-anticipated vote being taken by Knesset members, passing by a margin on 92-10.   Mr. Lazzarini added that the two bills which will reportedly come into effect within 90 days “will only deepen the suffering” of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through “more than a year of sheer hell”.   “These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians and are nothing less than collective punishment,” he said.   Virtually the entire population of the Gaza Strip depends on humanitarian assistance, with UNRWA as the “backbone” of UN’s relief efforts in the war-ravaged enclave.   In addition to helping deliver food and other lifesaving essentials, UNRWA is also crucial for overseeing the ongoing polio vaccination drive.   UNRWA’s importance has been reiterated by several countries as well as UN’s leadership, including the Secretary-General, who has described the agency’s historic and leading humanitarian role as “irreplaceable”.   Mr. Lazzarini stated that putting an end to UNRWA and its services “will not strip the Palestinians from their refugee status”.   “That status is protected by another UN General Assembly resolution until a fair and lasting solution is found to the plight of the Palestinians,” he said.   “Failing to push back these bills will weaken our common multilateral mechanism established after World War Two,” he added.   UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in December 1949 “to carry out direct relief and works programmes” for Palestine refugees. It began its operations on 1 May 1950.   The acting head of UN aid coordination office, OCHA, expressed her teams' "full solidarity with UNRWA whose work is essential to millions of Palestinians." Joyce Msuya added that the decision was "dangerous and outrageous. There is no alternative to UNRWA."   A spokesman for United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said other agencies would not be able to fill the void left by UNRWA, whose banning marked "catastrophe upon catastrophe" for the people of Gaza.   "They are the organisation that is able to go north to south to east to west," James Elder told reporters. "UNRWA has the size and scope and no agency can go with that. "If you take away the backbone of whatever is left of that aid supply, as we've said for a long time, you guarantee that more children are being killed".   Many world leaders expressed their grave concern over the ramifications of the move by Israeli parliamentarians, highlighting that UNRWA plays a critical, important role in delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians in desperate need in Gaza.   UNICEF statement on Israeli legislation on UNRWA:   "UNRWA is the main UN agency providing essential services and protection to Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. As the Secretary-General has said, ‘there is no alternative to UNRWA.’   “UNRWA is the only United Nations General Assembly-mandated agency to provide for Palestinian refugees. UNRWA runs a range of social services, with over 18,000 employees in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, providing health, education and other essential services for Palestinian refugees. No UN agency can take over this responsibility.   “UNRWA is indispensable in delivering the urgent, life-saving assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need. With the children of Gaza already facing one of the gravest humanitarian crises in recent history, if fully implemented, this decision will be deadly.”   http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/press-briefing-unrwa-commissioner-general-philippe-lazzarini-17-january-2025 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/20/unrwa-stop-saving-lives-gaza-israel-un-agency http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1156471 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156231 http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/vote-israeli-parliament-knesset-against-unrwa-evening-unprecedented-and http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/news-releases/united-nations-security-council-press-statement-united-nations-relief-and   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-statement-israeli-legislation-unrwa http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/crc/statements/2024-11-14-Statement-UNRWA.pdf http://www.ochaopt.org/ http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/foreign-ministers-statement-legislation-against-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-palestine-refugees-near-east-under-consideration-israeli-knesset http://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/israelpalestine-statement-high-representative-draft-legislation-could-stop-unrwa-operations-occupied_en http://www.channel4.com/news/banning-unrwa-could-lead-to-mass-death-of-children-says-norwegian-refugee-council http://www.msf.org/israeli-unrwa-ban-will-deepen-palestinian-humanitarian-catastrophe   http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-stop-assault-palestinians-gaza-and-those-trying http://www.unocha.org/news/conditions-gaza-unfit-human-survival-acting-un-relief-chief-tells-security-council http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/ipc-famine-review-committee-alert-gaza-strip-published-8-november-2024 http://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/israels-long-war-against-unrwa/ http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/Gaza-30-day-report   Oct. 2024   It has been a year of unimaginable suffering, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today as it marked one year since Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history – a horrific event that foreshadowed the devastation brought on by the Israeli response.   The toll is staggering:   According to Israeli sources, more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, including children, and nearly 5,500 have been injured.   Scores of hostages remain in Gaza, reportedly subjected to inhuman treatment, including sexual violence, exposed to hostilities and denied access to humanitarian assistance or visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross.   Entire Israeli communities have been displaced, living under the constant threat of indiscriminate rocket fire.   In Gaza, where Palestinians have already been reeling from the impact of a 17-year-old air, sea and land blockade and repeated cycles of hostilities, Israeli military operations have resulted in a catastrophe. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 41,600 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, many of them women and children, and 96,600 injured. Thousands more are missing and believed to be trapped under the rubble.   Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, many of them multiple times, with no safe place to go.   Thousands of Palestinians are arbitrarily detained, reportedly subjected to torture and other inhuman treatment and with no information on their whereabouts.   Civilians face extreme deprivation, with limited or no access to health care, food, electricity or humanitarian aid. Children have missed out on an entire year of education. Schools sheltering displaced families have been repeatedly shelled, health-care workers and hospitals have been systematically attacked, and aid convoys have been continually blocked and even shot at.   In the West Bank, the use of lethal force by Israeli forces, along with rampant settler violence and house demolitions, have led to a sharp rise in fatalities, widespread destruction and forced displacement.   “No statistics or words can fully convey the extent of the physical, mental and societal devastation that has taken place,” said Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.   “But we know what must happen: The hostages must be released and treated humanely. Civilians must be protected and their essential needs met. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be released. Humanitarian workers must be safeguarded and their work facilitated. Perpetrators must be held accountable for any serious violations of international humanitarian law. And the assault on Gaza must stop.”   The past year has seen Israel blocking humanitarian access into and within Gaza, crippling aid operations. As a result, a weakened population is left to battle disease, hunger and death.   More than 300 aid workers, the vast majority from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), have been killed in Gaza – more than in any other single crisis, making Gaza the most dangerous place for aid workers.   Despite the immense risks – including violence, looting of supplies, and access challenges – humanitarian agencies continue to deliver aid when and where they can. More than 560,000 children were vaccinated against polio during the first phase of an emergency vaccination campaign – an example of what can be achieved when aid workers can reach people in need. But such examples are few.   “It has been 12 months of unrelenting tragedy – this must end,” said Ms. Msuya. “Member States must wield their influence to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and human rights and compliance with the rulings of the International Court of Justice. They must also work to end impunity. An immediate ceasefire and durable peace are long overdue.”   http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/one-year-unimaginable-suffering-7-october-attack-enarhe http://reliefweb.int/country/pse http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2024-10-07/secretary-generals-message-mark-one-year-the-attacks-of-7-october-2023-scroll-down-for-arabic-chinese-french-hebrew-russian-and-spanish http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/year-loss-and-pain-icrc-appeals-human-dignity-and-urgent-action-ease-suffering http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/october/israel-gaza-conflict-only-ceasefire-can-end-suffering-for-civilians-after-catastrophic-year/ http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-situation-occupied-palestinian-territory-these   UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. (12/8/2024):   "75 years ago today, the Geneva Conventions were put in place to protect civilians in times of wars. They are the universal “Rules of War” meant to limit the devastating impact of wars and conflicts on humanity. The one set of rules we “all agree on”, but do we?   In the past 10 months, these rules have been blatantly broken day in, day out in Gaza by the Israeli Forces as well as the Palestinian armed groups including Hamas.   More concerning, Member States- party to the Geneva Conventions - have failed in their responsibilities to respect the conventions and ensure that parties to the conflict respect them under all circumstances.   Our shared values enshrined in the Conventions are at stake as is our shared humanity. It is time to re-instate those values and re-commit to the Conventions. They are the compass of international humanitarian law.   The basics still apply: Civilians, women, children, detainees must be protected. Schools, hospitals, people’s homes, humanitarian and UN staff, facilities & operations must be protected".   http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1155471 http://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/israelpalestine-statement-high-representative-draft-legislation-could-stop-unrwa-operations-occupied_en http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/foreign-ministers-statement-legislation-against-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-palestine-refugees-near-east-under-consideration-israeli-knesset http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/remarks-unrwa-chief-staff-mr-ben-majekodunmi-world-humanitarian-day http://www.ochaopt.org/content/mass-evacuations-gaza-choke-survival-and-severely-constrain-aid-operations http://odi.org/en/insights/think-change-episode-52-the-rules-of-war-are-changing-how-can-humanitarians-be-better-protected/ http://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-mourns-a-year-of-devastation-calls-on-hamas-and-israel-to-end-this-war/   May 2024   The war in Gaza has become a moral stain on the conscience of our collective humanity, by Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:   Seven months of fighting have turned Gaza into a hellscape for millions trapped under incessant bombardment. The war has killed over 35,000 people; 80,000 more are wounded or missing, with many more trapped under the rubble. For months, women and children have been killed at a rate that exceeds any war in this century.   And those who’ve escaped death and injury now risk losing their lives because of a lack of food, safe water, medicine and healthcare.   Every day, scores of women give birth in horrifying conditions, often without anesthesia or medical aid, as bombs explode around them. Mothers watch their babies die in their arms because they don’t have enough milk to keep them alive. And children are dying because they don’t have enough food or water.   What aid makes it into Gaza is being delivered by humanitarian workers who are forced to navigate checkpoints, unexploded bombs and intense fighting – at tremendous risk to their own lives.   This war – which has caused such pain, suffering and grief – must end so that the Palestinian people can begin to confront the trauma inflicted on them. I echo the Secretary-General’s longstanding call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.   To reach people in need, we need multiple, reliable entry points for aid. We need law and order. And humanitarian workers must be protected, and not attacked. Until we have safe routes, the flow of aid simply will not match the enormous scale of the catastrophe.   We need Israeli authorities to abide by their obligations to facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers. This includes for UNRWA, which has been the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza for decades and is best positioned to respond to the dire needs of the Palestinian people.   http://news.un.org/en/focus-topic/middle-east http://www.ochaopt.org/updates http://reliefweb.int/country/pse http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements http://www.unrwa.org/ http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-humanitarian-snapshot-15-july-2024 http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/un-human-rights-office-opt-un-human-rights-office-condemns-israeli-defense-forces-strike-al-tabaeen-school-gaza-city http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153041 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153001 http://www.care-international.org/news/nowhere-safe-gaza-attacks-al-mawassi-kill-dozens-people-and-leave-hundreds-more-injured http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1152081 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1151921 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-situation-gaza-strip http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/gaza-hunger-figures-reflect-shameful-failure-global-leaders-oxfam http://www.msf.org/no-end-sight-repeated-trauma-displacement-people-gaza http://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-activities_eng/memorial-ceremony_eng/   28 Mar. 2024   The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued new provisional measures for Israel as the humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza continues to deteriorate. (UN News)   The ICJ provisional measures state that Israel, “in view of the worsening conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza, in particular the spread of famine and starvation”, shall take “all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza”.   The measures outline that the required aid includes food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, as well as medical supplies and medical care.   The fresh ICJ order also calls on Israel, as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, to undertake those measures, “including by increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary”.   UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reminded journalists at the daily news briefing that the ICJ operates independently. “We do believe as a matter of principle that all Member States abide by decisions of the court,” he said.   The ICJ was established by the UN Charter as the principal judicial organ of the UN.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1148096 http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state http://www.icc-cpi.int/palestine http://www.icc-cpi.int/news?f[0]=related_to:786 http://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule139 http://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1 http://www.savethechildren.net/news/over-2-gaza-s-child-population-killed-or-injured-six-months-war http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148161   Mar. 2024   Children in Gaza need life-saving support. (UNICEF)   The escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip is having a catastrophic impact on children and families. Children are dying at an alarming rate – thousands have been killed and thousands more injured. Around 1.7 million people in the Gaza Strip are estimated to have been internally displaced – half of them children. They do not have enough access to water, food, fuel and medicine. Their homes have been destroyed; their families torn apart. There is nowhere safe for them to go.   Even wars have rules. No child should be cut off from essential services, nor fall from the reach of humanitarian hands. No child should be held hostage or used by any means in armed conflict. Hospitals and schools must be protected from bombings, and they must not be used for military purposes, in accordance with international humanitarian law. The cost to children and their communities of this violence will be borne out for generations to come.   UNICEF continues to press world leaders on every occasion for humanitarian access to the whole of Gaza. To respond to the situation for children in Israel and the State of Palestine, UNICEF is calling for:   An immediate and long-lasting humanitarian ceasefire. Safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to and within the Gaza Strip to reach affected populations wherever they are, including in the north. All access crossings must be opened including for sufficient fuel and materials needed to run and rehabilitate essential infrastructure and commercial supplies.   Safe movement for humanitarian workers and supplies across the Gaza Strip must be guaranteed and reliable telecommunications networks made available to coordinate response efforts.   The immediate, safe and unconditional release of all abducted children, and an end to any grave violations against all children, including killing and maiming of children.   Respect and protection for civilian infrastructure such as shelters and schools, and health, electric, water, sanitation and telecommunications facilities, to prevent loss of civilian and children’s lives, outbreaks of diseases, and to provide care to the sick and wounded.   All parties to the conflict must respect international humanitarian law.   Urgent medical cases in Gaza to be able to safely access critical health services or be allowed to leave, and for injured or sick children evacuated to be accompanied by family members.   * 1.1 million people in Gaza are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity between March and July 2024, up from 378,000 in December 2023, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis released on 18 March:   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/gazas-children-trapped-cycle-suffering http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-97/en/ http://www.who.int/news/item/18-03-2024-famine-in-gaza-is-imminent--with-immediate-and-long-term-health-consequences http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/gaza-halt-war-now-save-children-dying-imminent-famine-un-committee-warns http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/children-gaza-need-lifesaving-support http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/acute-malnutrition-has-doubled-one-month-north-gaza-strip-unicef   http://www.ochaopt.org/content/six-months-war-gaza-betrayal-humanity http://www.ifrc.org/press-release/gaza-six-months-inhumanity http://www.ochaopt.org/content/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-occupied-palestinian-territory-mr-jamie-mcgoldrick-6-april http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/unicef-state-palestine-humanitarian-situation-report-no-21-escalation-7-20-march-2024 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147656 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147916   21 Feb. 2024   UN agencies join call for safe humanitarian access.   Hungry, thirsty and weak, more and more Gazans are falling sick, according to a report published this week. At least 90 per cent of children aged under 5 are affected by one or more infectious diseases, with 70 percent having had diarrhoea in the past two weeks, according to analysis from the Global Nutrition Cluster.   “An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide the best chance to save lives and end suffering,” the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said in a statement.   “If the conflict doesn’t end now, children’s nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza for the rest of their lives and have intergenerational consequences,” said UNICEF’s deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations, Ted Chaiban.   High levels of disease, the severe shortage of food and clean water, and the almost total collapse of health services are compounding child wasting and making every day a struggle to survive for adults.   Nutrition screenings conducted at shelters and health centres found that 15.6 per cent of children under 2 are acutely malnourished. Valerie Guarnieri, World Food Programme Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations, has called for “decisive improvements on security and humanitarian access, and additional entry points for aid to enter Gaza.”   “Imagine being so hungry you are willing to run into gunfire to collect food. That’s a reflection of the level of desperation people of Gaza are facing today,” said Matthew Hollingworth, World Food Programme Country Director for Palestine.   In the whole month of January, WFP only managed to get four convoys into Gaza – that’s around 35 truckloads of food, enough for almost 130,000 people. “This is really not enough to prevent a famine, and we know levels of hunger in Gaza City are already at that level or getting to that level”.   “Gaza today looks entirely different than it did four months ago,” he said. “Half the buildings across the entirety of the Strip are rubble.. There’s no, or limited, clean water. It’s a public healthcare crisis as well as a hunger crisis. We desperately need significant amounts of aid to get into Gaza every single day.”   “We need the fighting to stop,” he added. “If the warfare is over, we can get about the business of making sure that we can get sufficient assistance into all areas of the Strip.”   http://www.wfp.org/stories/gaza-wfp-forced-pause-food-distributions-north-report-warns-worsening-crisis http://actionaid.org/news/2024/gaza-airdrops-and-sea-routes-are-no-alternative-aid-delivery-land http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/mr-ramesh-rajasingham-director-ocha-coordination-division-behalf-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-mr-martin-griffiths-update-food-security-risks-gaza-27-february-2024 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/comment-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk-risk-famine-gaza http://www.ohchr.org/en/media-centre/statements-grave-situation-occupied-palestinian-territory-and-israel http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-civilians-gaza-extreme-peril-while-world http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2024/03/fears-over-gaza-catastrophe-brutal-conflict-enters-sixth-month http://www.icrc.org/en/document/statement-gaza-and-israel-president-icrc http://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/israelpalestine/starving-gaza   Feb. 2024   Children are bearing the brunt of the horrors in Gaza. (ABC News)   The most dangerous place in the world to be a child. That devastating description is now being applied to Gaza by UNICEF as the true extent of the catastrophe of this war emerges.   That devastation is leading to one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time – where, for example, a nurse has had to perform emergency caesarean operations on six dead pregnant women to try to save their babies.   The horrors of Gaza are almost unspeakable. As difficult as all this is to read and to watch, it's important the world does not look away.   Rarely, if ever, have so many children been killed, injured or orphaned as quickly as in Gaza right now.   "The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," says UNICEF's James Elder. "And day after day, that brutal reality is reinforced."   UNICEF has compiled a range of statistics from Gaza. It says that a Palestinian child is killed every 15 minutes. Thousands more are missing under rubble. One of every 10 children killed in Gaza did not make their first birthday. More than 1,000 children have lost one or both legs.   Save the Children estimates that more than 10 children a day are losing one or both legs — those having limbs amputated are having it done without anaesthetic.   According to UNICEF, there are now at least 19,000 orphans in Gaza and thousands who have lost one parent.   According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, at least 28,000 Palestinians have been killed — including 11,500 children.   Gaza has more children than almost anywhere else — 47.3 per cent of its population is under 18. The Health Ministry says there are at least 65,636 injured people in Gaza – of which 18,000 are children.   Israel's newspaper Haaretz ran the headline: "11,500 Children Have Been Killed in Gaza. Horror of This Scale Has No Explanation."   Entire neighbourhoods in Gaza have been destroyed. The City University of New York and Oregon State University have examined satellite images that show up to 175,000 of buildings have been destroyed or damaged. That's 61 per cent of all buildings.   The UN estimates that 80 per cent of the population — 1.75 million people — are now without anywhere to live.   Nobody can dispute Israel's right to respond to the October 7 atrocities. Any country would have responded had 1,200 people been tortured and murdered and 240 kidnapped.   But it's the dramatic lack of proportionality of the response that Israel will be asked to answer for in years to come.   News agencies report that between October 7 and December 15 Israel dropped 29,000 bombs on Gaza. Many of those 29,000 were 2,000-pound bombs – which can blow out windows as far as a kilometre way. That means, on average, 79 bombs per square kilometre.   When Vladimir Putin has dropped bombs as large as these on civilians in Ukraine the world branded this war crimes.   Israel insists it has tried to protect civilians by dropping leaflets from jets or sending text messages. But if Israel has tried to avoid civilian deaths then it has seriously failed.   UNICEF'S James Elder said there was now one toilet for every 700 people. In some places, people are defecating in the open.   "Diarrhoea cases in children are above 100,000. Acute respiratory illness cases in civilians are above 150,000. Both numbers will be gross under-counts of the woeful reality," said Elder.   "The Gaza strip has the worst level of malnutrition in the world. With malnutrition soaring among Gaza's children, diarrhoeal diseases are becoming deadly." Aid workers say that 135,000 children under two are now at risk of severe malnutrition. UNICEF says that 1.1 million children are unable to access humanitarian aid.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-rafah-gaza http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/children-gaza-need-lifesaving-support http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-deputy-executive-director-ted-chaiban-upon-conclusion-his-visit http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-risk-famine-gaza-strip http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/barely-drop-drink-children-gaza-strip-do-not-access-90-cent-their-normal-water-use http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1156749/   http://www.wfp.org/stories/gaza-wfp-forced-pause-food-distributions-north-report-warns-worsening-crisis http://www.wfp.org/stories/humanitarian-operations-risk-conflict-strangles-gaza http://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/siege-and-starvation-how-israel-obstructs-aid-to-gaza/ http://gisha.org/en/hunger-in-north-gaza-english/ http://www.acaps.org/en/countries/archives/detail/palestine-risk-of-famine-in-pockets-of-the-gaza-strip   http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/catastrophic-hunger-crisis-declared-in-gaza-by-international-food-security-and-nutrition-experts/ http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/gaza-deaths-from-hunger http://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/lack-of-food-in-gaza-creating-risk-of-famine http://www.hi-us.org/en/gaza-humanitarian-agencies-respond-to-rafah-developments   12 Jan. 2024   Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator: The war in Gaza must end.   Three months since the horrific 7 October attacks in Israel, Gaza has become a place of death and despair.   Tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, have been killed or injured. Families are sleeping in the open as temperatures plummet. Areas where civilians were told to relocate for their safety have come under bombardment. Medical facilities are under relentless attack. The few hospitals that are partially functional are overwhelmed with trauma cases, critically short of all supplies, and inundated by desperate people seeking safety.   A public health disaster is unfolding. Infectious diseases are spreading in overcrowded shelters as sewers spill over. Some 180 Palestinian women are giving birth daily amidst this chaos. People are facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded. Famine is around the corner.   For children in particular, the past 12 weeks have been traumatic: No food. No water. No school. Nothing but the terrifying sounds of war, day in and day out.   Gaza has simply become uninhabitable. Its people are witnessing daily threats to their very existence – while the world watches on.   The humanitarian community has been left with the impossible mission of supporting more than 2 million people, even as its own staff are being killed and displaced, as communication blackouts continue, as roads are damaged and convoys are shot at, and as commercial supplies vital to survival are almost non-existent.   Meanwhile, rocket attacks on Israel continue, more than 120 people are still held hostage in Gaza, tensions in the West Bank are boiling, and the specter of further regional spillover of the war is looming dangerously close.   Hope has never been more elusive. Gaza has shown us the worst of humanity, as well as moments of great heroism. We have seen how violence cannot resolve differences, but only inflame passions and build new generations of danger and insecurity.   We continue to demand an immediate end to the war, not just for the people of Gaza and its threatened neighbors, but for the generations to come who will never forget these 90 days of hell and of assaults on the most basic precepts of humanity.   It is time for the parties to meet all their obligations under international law, including to protect civilians and meet their essential needs, and to release all hostages immediately.   It is time for the international community to use all its influence to make this happen. This war should never have started. But it’s long past time for it to end.   http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-tells-security-council-take-urgent-action-end-war-gaza http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-war-gaza-must-end http://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/statement-adele-khodr-unicef-regional-director-middle-east-and-north-africa-1 http://plan-international.org/news/2024/01/24/call-to-stop-arms-transfers-to-israel-palestinian-armed-groups/ http://www.hi-us.org/en/gaza-geneva-conventions-should-be-respected-and-applied http://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-10000-children-killed-nearly-100-days-war http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-we-cannot-abandon-people-gaza http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/unrwa-funding-cuts-threaten-palestinian-lives-gaza-and-region-say-ngos http://www.icrc.org/en/unga78-annual-statement-ihl   http://www.ohchr.org/en/media-centre/statements-grave-situation-occupied-palestinian-territory-and-israel http://www.ibanet.org/Middle-East-test-for-effectiveness-of-international-law-as-death-toll-mounts http://www.alternatives-humanitaires.org/en/2024/11/27/threats-to-international-humanitarian-law-in-ukraine-and-gaza/ http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/01/16/a-deadly-apathy-israel-palestine-shulman/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocities-present-past-and-future-escalating-crimes-and-consequences-in-israel-and-occupied-palestine http://www.icct.nl/publication/interview-ben-saul-international-humanitarian-law-context-israel-gaza-crisis http://rabbis4ceasefire.com/statement-2/ http://www.btselem.org/press_releses/20240207_israel_based_civil_society_and_human_rights_organizations_call_for_a_ceasefire http://news.gallup.com/poll/642695/majority-disapprove-israeli-action-gaza.aspx   12/10/23   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: “Let me begin by expressing my utter condemnation of the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in Southern Israel, which have left over 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 3,000 injured” he said.   Mr. Guterres said that over 200 Israelis - civilians, including women, children and the elderly - have been captured by armed groups and are being held hostage inside the Gaza Strip.   Meanwhile, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad group have launched thousands of indiscriminate rockets that have reached central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.   “Nothing can justify these acts of terror and the killing, maiming and abduction of civilians,” he said. “I reiterate my call to immediately cease these attacks and release all hostages.”   In the face of these unprecedented attacks, Israel has commenced military operations in Gaza.   “While I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law.”   9 Oct. 2023   Horrific scenes of violence has left 1,200 people dead and over 2,000 people wounded in Israeli towns and villages near the Gaza Strip, amid rocket and armed attacks by armed Palestinian militants on October 7th.   At dawn, a Hamas-led operation launched thousands of rockets towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, and armed Hamas fighters entered Southern Israel and attacked a number of Israeli towns and settlements murdering hundreds of women and children, the elderly and unarmed civilians. Families were burned alive in their homes, shot while trying to flee, massacred en masse in brutal acts defined as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions. Hundreds of young people were murdered while attending a dance party in horrific scenes of brutality.   In response, Israeli authorities declared that the country is in a state of war and have launched a military operation with strikes on the Gaza strip by air, land and sea.   Tor Wennesland, the UN's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:   “I vehemently condemn this morning’s multi-front assault against Israeli towns and cities and the barrage of rockets reaching across central Israel by Hamas militants.. These events have resulted in horrific scenes of violence and many Israeli fatalities and injuries, with many believed to be kidnapped inside the Strip,” he said. “These are heinous attacks targeting civilians.”   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk: “Civilians must never be the target of attack.. I am shocked and appalled that many Israelis have been killed and hundreds injured.”   Noting that Israeli forces have responded with airstrikes into the densely populated Gaza Strip, he called on them to “take all precautions to avoid civilian casualties there”.   Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC regional director for the Near and Middle East: “The images and reports we have seen this morning from Israel are utterly horrific. The violence directed against civilians is appalling and cannot be justified. If the situation continues to escalate, then civilians on both sides will suffer immensely.   “We are aware of reports relating to people being captured or detained. I want to make it clear that carrying out, or threatening to carry out, an act of hostage-taking is prohibited under international humanitarian law. Anyone detained must be treated humanely and with dignity.   “All parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. This is non-negotiable. Civilians and civilian objects must be respected and protected".   http://www.icrc.org/en/document/israel-and-occupied-territories-icrc-calls-immediate-protection-civilians-after-horrific http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/17/october-7-crimes-against-humanity-war-crimes-hamas-led-groups http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/israel-opt-hamas-and-other-armed-groups-must-immediately-release-civilians-held-hostage-in-gaza/ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67053011 http://www.who.int/europe/news/item/23-10-2023-shock-grief-and-the-challenge-of-healing-israel-health-system-responds-to-the-october-attacks http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142082 http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142012 http://theelders.org/news/2024-we-must-see-long-view-leadership http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories http://www.un.org/en/situation-in-occupied-palestine-and-israel Visit the related web page
	Credibility of elections under threat worldwide by International IDEA, World Inequality Institute   The credibility of elections is under threat globally as fewer people turn out to vote and results are increasingly contested. Almost one in three voters this year is casting a ballot in countries where election quality is worse than five years ago, according to a report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).   The deterioration in election quality is part of a global trend of democracy under strain, with 47 per cent of countries declining in at least one key indicator of democratic performance over five years, based on categories ranging from Civil Liberties to Judicial Independence, the Stockholm-based intergovernmental organization said.   The year 2023 was the eighth consecutive year with more countries showing a decline rather than improvement in overall democratic performance, the longest consecutive fall since International IDEA’s records began in 1975, according to The Global State of Democracy 2024 Report (GSoD): Strengthening the Legitimacy of Elections in a Time of Radical Uncertainty.   ‘This report is a call for action to protect democratic elections,’ said International IDEA’s Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora. ‘Elections remain the single best opportunity to end democratic backsliding and turn the tide in democracy’s favour. The success of democracy depends on many things, but it becomes utterly impossible if elections fail.’   The category of democracy related to free and fair elections and parliamentary oversight suffered its worst year on record in 2023 amid growing government intimidation and electoral process irregularities. Threats of foreign interference, disinformation and the use of artificial intelligence in campaigns have added to electoral challenges. The declines span both traditionally strong democracies as well as fragile governments around the globe.   The United States’ democratic performance has recovered in the past two years, but the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump highlights continued risks. Scores in Credible Elections, Civil Liberties and Political Equality have not yet returned to their pre-2016 high levels. Less than half (47 per cent) of the Americans said the 2020 election was ‘free and fair’ and the country remains deeply polarized, according to another study from International IDEA.   The GSoD report also highlights positive developments for democracy. Elections have been critical in many recent success stories, including in Poland, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Fiji.   Key findings   Globally, in almost 20 per cent of elections between 2020 and 2024, one of the losing candidates or parties rejected the results, and elections are being decided by court appeals at the same rate. In total, one in three elections was disputed in some way, from boycotts to legal challenges.   The global average percentage of the voting age population who vote has declined from 65.2 per cent in 2008 to 55.5 per cent in 2023. Only one in four countries is making progress in democratic performance while four out of every nine are worse off.   In 2023, the Credible Elections indicator was significantly lower in 39 countries (21 in Africa) than in 2018. Only 15 countries had higher scores than five years before.   Declines have been most concentrated in Representation and Rights categories. Within Representation, the factors of Credible Elections and Effective Parliament have declined the most, while Economic Equality, Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press are the most negatively affected aspects of Rights.   http://www.idea.int/gsod/2024/ http://www.idea.int/podcasts   * Stockholm Series of Public Lectures on Climate Change and Democracy:   http://www.idea.int/stockholm-series-of-public-lectures-climate-change-democracy http://earth4all.life/news/causing-environmental-damage-should-be-a-criminal-offence-say-72-of-people-in-g20-countries-surveyed/ http://www.ipbes.net/nexus/media-release http://globalcommonsalliance.org/news/new-research-reveals-path-to-prosperity-for-planet-and-people-if-earths-critical-resources-are-better-shared/   21 Jan. 2025   Democracy vs oligarchy, the fight of the century, by Thomas Piketty for the Le Monde.   A few days ahead of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and tech executives aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement coming to power, Joe Biden delivered a forceful warning about the emergence of a new "tech industrial complex" threatening the US’s democratic ideal. For the outgoing president, the extreme concentration of wealth and power risked undermining "our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead."   Biden is not wrong. The issue is that he has done little to oppose the oligarchic drift taking place both in his country and globally. In the 1930s, his predecessor Roosevelt, also deeply concerned about such trends, did not stop at making speeches. Under his leadership, Democrats implemented a robust policy of reducing social inequalities (with tax rates on the highest incomes nearing 70%–80% for half a century) and investing in public infrastructure, health, and education.   In the 1980s, Republican Ronald Reagan, deftly playing on nationalism and a feeling of catching up, undertook to dismantle Roosevelt’s New Deal. The problem was that Democrats, far from defending this legacy, actually helped legitimize and solidify Reagan’s turn, notably under the Clinton (1993-2001) and Obama (2009-2017) administrations.   Biden has often been described as more of an interventionist than his predecessors in economic matters. This is not entirely false, minus two major drawbacks. Biden was among the Democrats who voted for the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the foundational law of Reaganism, which dismantled Roosevelt’s progressive tax system by lowering the top tax rate to 28%. Everyone can make mistakes, but Biden has never felt it necessary to explain that he had made a mistake or changed his mind. If spending isn’t funded, inflation inevitably rises, another major issue on which we are still awaiting Biden’s remorse.   Moreover, the outgoing administration’s so-called "Inflation Reduction Act" primarily facilitated the flow of public funds into private enterprises, effectively supporting the accumulation of private capital. There is no doubt that the Trump administration will push this unrestrained alliance between the federal government and private interests to its peak.   Could Democrats change course in the future? The overwhelming influence of private money in US politics, as pervasive among Democrats as it is among Republicans (if not more so, even with the recent growth of small donations), urges caution. However, the party’s chances of finding its footing remain real. First, the mix of nationalism and ultra-liberalism taking power in Washington will solve none of the social and environmental challenges of our time. Second, opposition to oligarchy continues to be a cornerstone of the nation’s identity.   In 2020, the Bernie Sanders–Elizabeth Warren duo had proposed extending Roosevelt’s New Deal, with the addition of a mega-wealth tax (with rates reaching 8% annually on billionaires, a level never seen in Europe), a massive investment plan for universities and public infrastructure, and the invention of a US-tailored economic democracy (with significant voting rights for employees in corporate boards, as practiced in Germany and Sweden for decades). The two candidates had nearly tied with Biden and won overwhelmingly among younger voters. Disillusioned by the Biden-Harris experience, Democrat voters were largely absent in 2024, a costly blow to the party. It is entirely possible that a Sanders-Warren-style candidacy could succeed in the future.   Above all, the rest of the world might well spearhead the most progressive political changes in the decades to come. Little is expected from the authoritarian oligarchies that China and Russia have become. But within the BRICS, there are vibrant democracies representing more voters than all Western countries combined, starting with India, Brazil and South Africa. In 2024, Brazil supported the idea of a global wealth tax on billionaires at the G20.   The initiative was unfortunately rejected by the West, who, in the same year, also found it strategic to oppose a proposed UN tax convention, in an effort to maintain their monopoly over international tax cooperation within the rich-country club of the OECD. This stance also sought to avoid any significant redistribution of revenue on a global scale. If, in the coming years, India shifted to the left and sent the nationalist, business-oriented BJP into opposition – an increasingly plausible scenario – the pressure from the Global South for fiscal and climate justice could become irresistible.   In the global battle between democracy and oligarchy, one can only hope that Europeans will emerge from their lethargy and play their full role. Europe invented the welfare state and the social-democratic revolution in the 20th century, and it stands to lose the most from Trumpist hypercapitalism. Here again, there is reason for optimism: since the Covid-19 pandemic, the public expects a lot from the European Union and is less hesitant than its leaders. One can only hope that these leaders will rise to the occasion and, by 2025, manage to overcome the mutual distrust and perpetual self-criticism that has held them back.   http://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty/2025/01/21/democracy-vs-oligarchy-the-fight-of-the-century/ http://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty/2024/10/15/how-to-tax-billionaires http://www.taxobservatory.eu/publication/a-blueprint-for-a-coordinated-minimum-effective-taxation-standard-for-ultra-high-net-worth-individuals/ http://wid.world/news-article/10-facts-on-global-inequality-in-2024/ http://eusee.hivos.org/new-survey-us-funding-freeze-triggers-global-crisis-in-human-rights-and-democracy/ http://eusee.hivos.org/document/the-impact-of-the-us-funding-freeze-on-civil-society/ http://www.ipsnews.net/2025/03/new-survey-us-funding-freeze-triggers-global-crisis-human-rights-democracy/ http://monitor.civicus.org/watchlist-march-2025/USA/ Visit the related web page
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