UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Gaza

UN Entities

• United Nations in Palestine: https://palestine.un.org/,
  https://unsdg.un.org/un-in-action/state-palestine
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA): https://www.unrwa.org/
  • UNRWA Situation Reports on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem: https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports
• Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO): https://unsco.unmissions.org/
• United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Division for Palestinian Rights: https://dppa.un.org/en/palestinian-rights
• UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People: https://www.un.org/unispal/committee/
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – State of Palestine: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/palestine
• Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-palestine
• The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-israel/index

• International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa: https://mena.iom.int/
• Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – Occupied Palestinian Territory: http://www.ochaopt.org/
  • ReliefWeb – Occupied Palestinian Territory: http://reliefweb.int/country/pse
  • Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel – Flash Updates: https://ochaopt.org/updates
• UN Women – Facts and figures: Women and girls during the war in Gaza: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2023/10/facts-and-figures-women-and-girls-during-the-war-in-gaza
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People: https://www.undp.org/papp
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – Crisis in Gaza: https://www.unfpa.org/crisis-gaza
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – State of Palestine: https://www.unicef.org/sop/
  • Children in Gaza desperately need lifesaving support: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/children-gaza-desperate-need-lifesaving-support
• World Food Programme (WFP) – State of Palestine: https://www.wfp.org/countries/state-palestine
  • State of Palestine emergency: https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/palestine-emergency
• World Health Organization (WHO) -Occupied Palestinian territory: https://www.emro.who.int/countries/opt/index.html
  • Conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory: https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/conflict-in-Israel-and-oPt

Meetings of UN Bodies

• Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly – Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory:
  http://www.un.org/en/ga/sessions/emergency10th.shtml
  • UN General Assembly convenes emergency meeting on Gaza (UN News Updates, starting 26 October 2023): https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142847
• Security Council Meetings on the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian question
  • 2023 meetings – meeting records, press releases and resolutions:
    http://research.un.org/en/docs/sc/quick/meetings/2023
  • 2022 meetings – meeting records, press releases and resolutions:
    http://research.un.org/en/docs/sc/quick/meetings/2022
  • Earlier years:
    http://research.un.org/en/docs/sc/quick/meetings
• Human Rights Council
  • 30th special session of the Human Rights Council – 27 May 2021, The grave human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session30/30th-special-session
  • 28th Special Session on the deteriorating situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem – 18 May 2018: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session28/th-special-session
  • 21st special session on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem – 23 July 2014: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session21/st-special-session
  • United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session9/fact-finding-mission
  • 12th Special Session of the Human Rights Council: “The human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and East Jerusalem – 15 and 16 October 2009: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session12/th-special-session
  • 9th Special Session on the “The Grave Violations of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including the recent aggression in the occupied Gaza Strip” –
    9 January 2009: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session9/th-special-session
  • 6th Special Session on human rights violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the recent ones in occupied Gaza and West Bank town of Nablus, Geneva, 23-24 January 2008: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session6/th-special-session
  • 3rd Special session on Israeli military incursions in Occupied Palestinian Territory,
    15 November 2006: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/special-sessions/session3/rd-special-session

Selected Statements and Speeches by UN Officials

• Statements by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General:
  https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/secretary-generals-speeches
• Statements and speeches by Martin Griffith, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: https://www.unocha.org/latest/speeches-and-remarks
• Statement by Lynn Hastings, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory: https://www.ochaopt.org/updates
• Statements by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
  https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements?id=9
• Statements by Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process: https://unsco.unmissions.org/special-coordinator-statements-0
• Statements by Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights on Palestinian territories occupied since 1967: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-palestine

UN Databases

• UNISPAL – UN Information System on the Question of Palestine
  https://www.un.org/unispal/data-collection/
  The United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) is the world’s largest online repository of documents on the question of Palestine. It was established and is maintained by the Division for Palestinian Rights in response to successive General Assembly mandates. The main collection contains the texts of current and historical United Nations material concerning the question of Palestine and other issues related to the Middle East situation and the search for peace. UNISPAL contains the English texts with a growing number in the other official UN languages.

UN Observances

• International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, 29 November: https://www.un.org/unispal/international-day-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people/

Further Information

• UN News Focus: Middle East
  https://news.un.org/en/focus/middle-east
• Middle East Quartet Statements
  https://unsco.unmissions.org/mideast-quartet
  
• Legal Study on the legality of the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (August 2023): https://www.un.org/unispal/document/ceirpp-legal-study2023/
• Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident (September 2011): http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/middle_east/Gaza_Flotilla_Panel_Report.pdf

Non-UN Sources

• Security Council Report – Israel/Palestine
  http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/israelpalestine/
• The New Humanitarian (formerly “IRIN News”) – Palestine:
  http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/middle-east-and-north-africa/palestine