Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Rik Peeperkorn called on “many more countries” to accept medically evacuated patients from Gaza, as well as “the restoration of the West Bank and East Jerusalem medical referral pathway.”

Discussing the data from the WHO’s new injuries and rehabilitation trends in Gaza report, Peeperkorn said, “nearly 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip have life-changing injuries caused by the ongoing conflict.”

According to the report, released today, “one in four of those injuries are in children.”

Peeperkorn, briefing reporters in New York from Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza strip, said “as new injuries mount and health needs rise, the health system teeters on the brink of collapse.”

He said, “probably 12 or 13 of Gaza 36 hospitals remain partially functional,” and “none are fully functional despite the efforts of WHO, the emergency medical teams and other health partners.”

Peeperkorn noted that Gaza “once had around 1,300 physiotherapists at 4,000 occupational therapists,” but many have been displaced, and “at least 42 have been killed.

As the Israeli incursion into Gaza City intensifies, he said, WHO evacuated 180 patients and companions, and added that “Gaza’s health system is unable to provide specialist care or services beyond the most basic emergency treatment,” and “15,600 people, including 3,008 children, need to be medevac’d.”

Peeperkorn who has worked in many health emergencies and conflict zones in a career spanning over 20 years, said, “what I’ve witnessed in Gaza, I’ve never witnessed before.”

He said, “you’ve seen the health system disintegrating incredibly rapidly. And I’m still actually surprised that with a partly or minimally working health system, how much is done.”

Asked about malnutrition, the WHO official said, “if you talk to the physicians and medical specialists in hospitals, and I’ve seen so many patients, I mean, severe trauma patients. They’ve said even the simple trauma; their wounds didn’t recover that quickly because almost all of them had a level of malnutrition.”

According to the report, life-changing injuries account for one quarter of all reported injuries of a total of 167,376 people injured since October 2023. Over 5,000 people have faced amputation. Based on a larger pool of data, the findings are consistent with WHO’s previous analysis.

Other severe injuries, including to arms and legs (over 22,000), to the spinal cord (over 2,000), to the brain (over 1,300), and major burns (more than 3,300) are also widespread, further increasing the need for specialized surgical and rehabilitation services and deeply affecting patients and their families across Gaza.

The report also highlights the prevalence of complex facial and eye injuries, especially amongst patients listed for medical evacuation outside Gaza, conditions often leading to disfigurement, disability, and social stigma.

The updated analysis draws on data from 22 WHO-supported Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs), Gaza’s Ministry of Health, and key health partners, providing a more comprehensive picture of rehabilitation needs as a result of severe trauma injuries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ecC27HDmo

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
United Kingdom
Jane Goodall
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central African Republic
Haiti
Myanmar
International Day of Non-Violence
Guest Tomorrow

UNITED KINGDOM
The Secretary-General strongly condemns today’s deadly terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester, in the United Kingdom.
Houses of worship are sacred places where people can go to find peace. Targeting a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, is particularly heinous.
The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the victims and their families and wishes a swift recovery to the injured. He stands in solidarity with the Jewish community and calls for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the alarming rise in antisemitism worldwide and stresses the urgent need to confront hatred and intolerance in all their forms.

JANE GOODALL
The Secretary-General said in a social media post yesterday that he was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jane Goodall, who had served as a UN Messenger of Peace since 2002.
The Secretary-General said that she has left an extraordinary legacy for humanity and for our planet. He said he is grateful for her lifelong environmental protection efforts and her strong support for the United Nations.
As a UN Messenger of Peace for over two decades, Dr. Goodall’s voice brought global attention to the urgency of protecting our environment. Her legacy will continue to guide and inspire humanity’s collective efforts for peace, sustainability, and harmony with nature.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said today that as fighting continues in Gaza City, getting aid to the north is difficult. He stressed the need for humanitarians to be able to work unimpeded, noting that many have been forced to suspend their work in the area. Mr. Fletcher stressed that issuing displacement orders does not take away the parties’ obligations under international humanitarian law; many civilians remain in Gaza City and must be protected.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that people continue to be displaced from northern Gaza. In the span of just 10 hours yesterday, our colleagues tracking population movements counted 6,700 people fleeing from the north to the south. Since mid-August, more than 417,000 such displacements have been recorded.
But conditions in the south remain unsafe. OCHA has received reports of intense strikes in recent days in parts of Deir al Balah, one of the places where people have been told to move. Tents, houses and even a crowded market have been hit, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting that many of those killed appear to be civilians.
Between Saturday and Tuesday, some 127,000 people arrived in nearly 360 displacement sites that our partners have been able to monitor in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. Altogether, those sites are hosting more than half a million people.
Families in southern Gaza are squeezed into these and other overcrowded shelters or makeshift tents along the coast. Many others are sleeping out in the open, often amid rubble. New arrivals in the south face poor sanitation, no privacy or safety, and a high risk of children being separated from their families – all while being exposed to explosive ordnance.
Our partners also warn of the financial burden of displacement, as families are selling their essential belongings to pay for transport. Those who can’t afford it are forced to walk, which is especially hard for families with mobility challenges.
To support people in the south, the UN and our partners have expanded services. For example, in Khan Younis, UNRWA has recently rehabilitated nine medical points, alongside the Japanese Health Centre and Hamad Health Centre – more than doubling the number of functioning health facilities there. Work also continues to rehabilitate shelters and other medical facilities.
And, of course, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to operate in the north, to the extent possible. Just today, humanitarians successfully transferred some fuel to that area to power critical facilities that people rely on for their survival.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=02%20October%202025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlq93u7OgCE