The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know

6 September

• Post by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, on the killing of two children by Israeli security forces in Jenin and Tulkarem (UNSCO)
• Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Understanding the status of land rights for sustainable reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (FAO)
• From celebrities to civil society, a growing number of people around the world are providing unprecedented support for UNRWA, the UN agency supplying a lifeline to two million Palestinians trapped in war-torn Gaza (UN News)

4 September

• First phase of polio campaign concludes successfully in Gaza (WHO)Over 187 000 children under ten years of age were vaccinated with novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) in central Gaza during the first phase of a two-round polio vaccination campaign, conducted between 1–3 September 2024.
• Ms. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, OCHA, on behalf of Acting USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Ms. Joyce Msuya – Briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, 4 September 2024 (OCHA)
• Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo’s Remarks to the Security Council on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question (UN DPPA)
• Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, on the Completion of the First Phase of the Polio Vaccination Campaign in the Gaza Strip (UNICEF)

3 September

• The UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, 3 September, that 161,030 children under 10 have been vaccinated in central Gaza during the first two days of the UN-led mass vaccination campaign, surpassing the initial target of 156,000. The figure amounts to around a quarter of the total population they aim to reach – some 640,000 children. (UN News)
• Israeli forces continue to employ “lethal war-like tactics” in the West Bank, including airstrikes, with people being killed, injured and displaced, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday. (UN News)
• For more than six days now, Jenin has been ravaged by violence + destruction (UNRWA)

2 September

• “I welcome the humanitarian pauses to allow for the (polio) vaccination campaigns to take place.” – Statement by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, on the Situation in the Gaza Strip (UNSCO)

1 September

• The first phase of the polio campaign kicks off in the middle areas (UNRWA)
• The spread of misinformation & disinformation continues to be used as a weapon in the war in Gaza (UNRWA)

29 August

• The UN Security Council met in emergency session in New York on the continuing crisis in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Thursday. Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced agreement had been reached with Israel to allow a mass polio vaccination campaign to get underway through a series of humanitarian pauses. (UN News)
• Ms. Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Gaza (OCHA)

28 August

• WFP temporarily suspend staff movement across Gaza following a security incident that targeted WFP vehicle (WFP)
• UN Human Rights Office calls on Israel and on Member States, particularly those with influence, to stop attacks by the Israeli Security Forces, settler violence and forcible transfer of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank (OHCHR)
• Comment by UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on West Bank violence (OHCHR)

27 August

Gaza through the eyes of Palestinian photojournalists

• The Gaza Collective Photo Essay project, organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), collected work from 14 Palestinian photographers who were each asked to share one image that captured the devastation of the Gaza Strip. The photos were published in “Rolling Stone”.
• The United Nations has upheld the safety of the polio vaccine that will be administered to more than half a million Palestinian children during an inoculation campaign in Gaza. (UN News)

25-26 August

• Food operations in Gaza face growing challenges as ongoing conflict keeps hunger needs high (WFP)
• Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the situation on the Blue Line (OSSG)
• UNRWA MOPAN Assessment Report (August 2024)
  A donor-led organizational performance assessment report lauds UNRWA’s unparalleled services for Palestine Refugees