Jerusalem: Europe and the Arabs

The UN Secretary-General strongly condemned the Israeli authorities' decision to establish military facilities in the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, which they seized last January. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, António Guterres said that UNRWA is an integral part of the United Nations and that its compound in Sheikh Jarrah remains a UN facility.

He explained that "these unprecedented and escalatory measures against UNRWA constitute a violation of the inviolability of UN premises and an obstacle to the implementation of the clear mandate adopted by the General Assembly to ensure the continuation of UNRWA's operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem." According to the UN Daily News, Guterres said that "the continued escalatory measures against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are completely unacceptable," expressing his deep regret that the Israeli authorities continue to take steps that violate their obligations regarding the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. He explained that such measures, as the International Court of Justice has affirmed, are illegal, stressing that "the State of Israel has no right to exercise sovereign powers in any part of the occupied Palestinian territory, and it is obligated to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, as soon as possible."

The Secretary-General urged the Israeli government to rescind its decision and immediately return the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to the United Nations.

In a related matter, teams from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its partners in the Gaza Strip began a campaign to remove large quantities of waste and combat rodents and insects in the Firas Market area in central Gaza City, amid growing health concerns as summer approaches and tons of waste accumulate near areas where displaced people live.

Trucks and bulldozers belonging to the program are working to transport waste from the vicinity of Firas Market and Omar al-Mukhtar Street to a temporary landfill in the center of the Strip, while technical teams are carrying out insecticide spraying and distributing poison to combat rats near residential areas and tent encampments. The UN spokesperson said that 20 patients and more than 40 of their companions were medically evacuated from Gaza through the Rafah crossing, with support from the World Health Organization and its partners. However, thousands of people still need medical services that are unavailable in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Stéphane Dujarric said the evacuations took place the previous day, adding that once medical referrals to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resume, "more patients will be able to access medical care."

Dujarric stressed that expanding health services within Gaza remains a top priority at present, "which requires facilitating the entry of vital equipment."

For its part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that, in collaboration with local partners, it continued to scale up its emergency shelter interventions during April, "using repurposed wooden and metal pallets originally used to bring humanitarian goods into Gaza."

Dujarric explained that this initiative enabled the production of 73 large family kits, including high-quality, durable plastic sheeting, as well as nails, wire, and ropes for securing the materials. It also enabled the establishment of safer and more secure shelters for the most vulnerable families, including those with newborns.

He noted that some 900,000 people across the Gaza Strip still require emergency shelter assistance, adding that UN partners are currently managing about a third of the 1,652 displacement sites scattered throughout the Strip.