SUMMARY OF CRISIS AND KEY FINDINGS

More than a year after the most recent escalation began, Gaza is in ruins.3Gaza is facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe; over 45 000 people have been killed, with women and children accounting for 70% of fatalities. An additional 111 000 people have been injured, and nearly 1.9 million displaced multiple times, amid relentless bombardments.

After 15 months of continuing genocide against the Palestinian people, Al-Haq releases a new report: “The Systematic Destruction of Gaza’s Healthcare System: A Pattern of Genocide”. The report details Israel’s campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people, by systematically destroying the healthcare system in Gaza and wilfully denying critically ill and injured Palestinians access to lifesaving medical care, acts carried out with an intent to destroy Palestinians in breach of the Genocide Convention.

Limited Prenatal Care; Unsafe Deliveries; Newborns Facing Fatal Conditions

(Jerusalem, January 28, 2025) – The Israeli government’s blockade of Gaza and attacks on healthcare facilities have created serious and sometimes life-threatening danger for women and girls during and after pregnancy and delivery since hostilities began in October 2023, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. 

This statement was originally posted on the official website of the Government of Canada on behalf of the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom and is accessible here.

October 26, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

Chaired by Spain, the Advisory Commission held an extraordinary meeting on 24 October 2024 in the context of the draft bills on UNRWA introduced in the Knesset.

During the meeting, members shared their deep concerns about the serious consequences for UNRWA and its work should these bills be finally approved.

If adopted, the bills would make it impossible for UNRWA to implement its mandate according to UN General Assembly Resolution 302(IV) (1949) and would effectively prevent the operations of the Agency in the occupied Palestinian territory.

From Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General as posted on his official X account (previously known as Twitter)

The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) against UNRWA this evening is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent. It opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law. 

I am deeply concerned by the adoption today by the Knesset of Israel of two laws concerning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which, if implemented, would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as mandated by the UN General Assembly.

UNRWA is the principal means by which essential assistance is supplied to Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. There is no alternative to UNRWA.

His Excellency

Mr. Philémon Yang

President of the General Assembly

New York

Dear Mr. President,

Riyadh

Your Royal Highness, Prince Faisal Ben Farhan 

Excellencies,  

The vote by the Knesset against UNRWA this week is outrageous and sets a dangerous precedent.

It is the latest in an ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role in providing human-development and assistance to Palestine Refugees.

NEW YORK, 30 October 2024 - 

"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.’