It was impressive to hear
#Sumska
Governor Volodymyr Artyukh in our 1st meeting underline importance of getting children back into education & supporting war veterans.
@UN_Ukraine
@OCHA_Ukraine
will continue to support humanitarian and recovery action to best of our abilities
What a relief! The ugly sounds of war have finally subsided. Only the penetrating noise of surveillance drones in
#Gaza
's skies. The easy part will be to rebuild houses & infrastructure. Much harder & top priority to rebuild shattered lives and achieve justice & lasting peace.
From
@milina_shahin
:
Chatted with my sister online what to cook last Ramadan day. Missile hit her directly while cooking in her kitchen >1 hr later. Her daughter’s wedding scheduled just after Eid; now no more. They were buried quickly & I didn’t have opportunity to say goodbye
Residents of a building near my
#Gaza
apartment have been warned it will be taken down and have evacuated. Over the last minutes a number of terrifying loud warning strikes and just now the big one taking it down.
Impossible to find appropriate words for what is happening in
#Gaza
. Just got
@UNRWA
colleague solemn email: "I regret to inform you that student Sadi Said Abu Salah was killed last Monday in the North. He was in grade nine in a Beit Hanoun boys school". Children are
#NotATarget
More than 3.5 years UNRWA
#Gaza
Director are over. What I will remember most and with utmost admiration is what the people of Gaza have taught me not only about surviving with incredible strength the many challenges they face but also how to maintain dignity & hope for the future
The homes of our almost 13000 Palestinian staff do not have a protective blue UN flag on top. For them and their families this is much more terrifying than for me. Yet they will in the morning again continue serving their people, for which I can only have the deepest respect!
Human cost of this insanity is rising unbearably: among the killed are 8 children from
@UNRWA
schools. And a senior colleague had her sister & niece killed in an airstrike. Civilians are not targets! For the sake of humanity appeal to all: stop killing & not just in
#Gaza
Getting weary of tweeting that we early in the morning were just shaken in
#Gaza
by more arial bombardment very close by that yet again felt more violent than the previous night. Guess those responsible don’t care about the traumatic impact on the civilian population?!
@UNICEFpalestine
My colleagues sent me sober email that among children killed in
#Gaza
3 boys and 1 girl went to
@UNRWA
schools:
Marwan Yousef El Masri
Ibrahim Yousef El Masri
Rahaf Mohamad El Masri
Hussain Muneer Hamad.
This is outrageous! Do NOT kill children!
This is blatant manipulation of my interview, I did NOT say the IDF operated within the laws of war. Killing more than 200 civilians including innocent women & children is NOT acting within laws of war. There must be independent investigation & accountability for those actions
.
@UNRWA
Gaza Director admits on Israeli TV that Israeli airstrikes were targeted and the IDF operated within the laws of war.
Has
@matzschmale
been forced into making an apology for deviating from the Palestinians' false narrative?
Message from a friend
#Gaza
:
The Air Force targeted only bakery factory was functioning in our area in serving the middle area and killed all workers there including the owner , my best friend who refused to go home to servr ppl to find bread !! No bread anymore for ppl here
1) Inspected UNRWA school hit by Israeli air strike Thursday night.
#Schools
must always be protected as safe space where children learn & feel secure. How can school surrounded by 3 UN schools & UN health centre & considerable distance to known military sites be hit by accident?
After almost 7 yrs, last working day
@UNRWA
. Always room for improvement but this is a great Agency that deserves more predictable & sufficient funding to continue essential & quality education, health & humanitarian services ensuring millions of people don’t get left behind (1)
Simply beautiful! Jihad Al Wahaidy, a 9th grader
@UNRWA
school
#Gaza
, won 4th rank in international competition of robotics . Jihad was born with rare brain disability. In spite of that, Jihad shows constant ambition, and he never stops dreaming Photo:
@mohamed21311068
Amidst rising tensions,
#Gaza
being bombed for 8 nights in a row & fishing zone closed,
@UNRWA
providing
#food
to most vulnerable remains critical service. Immensely proud our teams have yet further improved operation through better crowd management & improved hygiene measures
On behalf of
@UN_Nigeria
hugely exciting to welcome
@UN
Secretary General
@antonioguterres
to Nigeria and to start with an insightful field visit in Borno State including meeting Governor
@ProfZulum
Among saddest messages I have received in my life from a Palestinian friend here in
#Gaza
: "Us decided to live or die together, all sleeping beside each others.."
Came with photo of all of them huddled together on mattresses in their living room (not posting to protect privacy)
More important than ever to listen to Palestinian voices as they obviously express feelings and sentiments about what is going on in
#Gaza
much more authentically than any outsider like myself.
@Omar_Gaza
is one of the many..
Birds are chirping again, I see no pillars of black smoke out of my window, no sounds of explosions, ground isnt shaking (or is it?), no warplanes hovering, people are @ the beach & streets, cars are passing by, is this a dream or an end of a nightmare?
#Gaza
#FreePalestine
And here we go again - another 2 strikes close by & rockets going out. Finding it increasingly difficult to stay neutral if that means accepting that the increasing & unbearable cost for the civilian population is acceptable. Please stop the violence!
Helped out for a bit this morning delivering
@UNRWA
food to vulnerable refugees in
#Gaza
. With growing locally transmitted
#Covid19
cases, food support more critical than ever. Trying our best to bring safer home delivery to scale
Emotional meetings w staff after war ended! One told me, "If you think I am okay, I am not! And be skeptical if anyone tells you they're okay after living through 4 wars. We are all deeply traumatised, but don't know how to express it!"
Another, "We have another chance to live"!
As physical damage
#Gaza
becomes visible, we must not lose sight of damage inflicted on people. A father told me, "For 1st time in 4 wars I felt helpless to protect my kids". A mother said, "This was an attack on our soul, and it will take a long time to recover from that"!
After intense night of military confrontation, people in
#Gaza
are terrified. Stop firing rockets into Israel! And stop bombing Gaza! It is no solution & civilians are paying the price. Respect their dignity!
Photo: road in front of
@UNRWA
office; shrapnel all over compound
As physical damage
#Gaza
becomes visible, we must not lose sight of damage inflicted on people. A father told me, "For 1st time in 4 wars I felt helpless to protect my kids". A mother said, "This was an attack on our soul, and it will take a long time to recover from that"!
Congratulated
@princebasseyotu
on being elected Governor of Cross River State. Excellent first discussion on how
@UN_Nigeria
can continue its long years of partnership with the State and effectively support accelerated multi sector development especially in rural areas
#SDGs
This too is
#Gaza
! Pleasure to listen to Gaza Sings concert by 430 children from 12
@UNRWA
schools participating in
#Norway
funded
#music
teaching initiative run by Edward Said Conservatory of Music
@Hildehih
#Gaza
@UNRWA
#sanitation
team insisted not to go home and worked into the night to repair a water line damaged by bombs in Jabaliya Refugee Camp. They also disinfected the water line & pumped water to affected families who suffered water shortage for almost 3 consecutive days
Quoting me like this is,
@i24NEWS_EN
, is manipulative. My issue is that the precise strikes of the sophisticated army killed more than 200 civilians including 20 children that went to UNRWA schools. This is unacceptable and cannot be white washed!
"I have the impression that there is a huge sophistication in the way the
#Israeli
military struck over the last 11 days, so that's not my issue,"
@matzschmale
said of the
#IDF
's response to
#Hamas
' rocket barrages aimed at Israel's population centers.
A huge relief that new school year started today in
#Gaza
. Visiting our
@UNRWA
schools and classrooms is always a source of inspiration not least due to the passion and sense of purpose with which students pursue their
#education
and the commitment of our education staff
Lagos State University
@LASUOfficial
launched its SDGs Youth Club today; already has 800 members! Great to connect to energies & excitement of students committed to promoting
#Agenda2030
and
#SDGs
. Young people leadership & full engagement vital for achievement of SDGs!
Together with the Governor of Bayelsa State His Excellency
@govdouyediri
I today visited several communities that have been affected by record flooding that has submerged their homes and destroyed farms & livelihoods
Fully agree,
@shawajason
, that the context in Gaza does not start with the blockade 14 years ago but with the Nakba more than 7 decades ago. And Israel must be held fully accountable for all its brutal measures against Palestinians
Proper context Mr
@matzschmale
would be more along the lines of "a sustained & brutal colonial occupation that has been around for over 7 decades now". The 14 year old blockade of
#Gaza
is merely a small detail of countless brutal Israeli measures imposed on all Palestinians.
#Health
workers must be protected!
@UNRWA
#Gaza
senior lab technician in serious condition after he was hit in head by flying object triggered by bombing. Ihab was on way home from work after urgent call from wife that neighbours had received warning their house would be bombed
Goodbye Jerusalem. It remains a deeply captivating experience to walk around your enthralling old city. The day will surely come when my Palestinian colleagues and friends living in Gaza can fully exercise their right to do the same!
Alf mabrook to 269,548 students (138,713 males & 130,835 females) from grades 1 to 9 in 275
@UNRWA
schools
#Gaza
for obtaining certificates after completing yet another successful
#school
year. And deep appreciation to 9000 teachers & education staff for dedicated service.
Yet again witnessed invaluable
@UNRWA
#education
work: girls @ Tal Sultan School in Rafah
#Gaza
enthusiastically taking 1st computer lesson. We just must not let them down & mobilise resources needed to continue running our 275 schools for 278000 children this 2018/19 school year
So it is possible to enter humanitarian aid?
@UN
@UNRWA
has been denied movement of people and goods for over a week? This makes it increasingly difficult to support very vulnerable people in need here in
#Gaza
!
I am shocked to have received last night yet again the following email:
“Dear Matthias
I regret to inform you that the student/ Majdi Ramzi Al Satari was killed today near the fence. He was 14 years old.”
Can‘t be repeated often enough: children are
#NotATarget
!
#Gaza
never seizes to amaze me: Edward Said Music Conservatory puts on classical concert on what might be the only grand
#piano
in Gaza. It has survived wars and was restored in 2015 by
@MusicFund_2005
Sheer madness! As
#Gaza
struggles to cope with spreading local
#COVID19
outbreak, military tensions continue. Rockets & missiles flying back and forth all night; this explosion in the middle of Gaza a short while ago. This must stop; we should all focus on fighting the virus!
Great visit
@UNRWA
schools
#Gaza
on day 2 of reopening for blended learning after many months of learning at home. All children & teachers very enthusiastic - while enormous remote learning efforts appreciated by all, huge sense of relief to be back in classroom 3 days / week!
Photos by my colleague Mohammed Hinnawi
@hennawimohammed
of some of more than 56000 internally displaced people seeking shelter in one of 59
@UNRWA
schools. Urge all involved in conflict to fully respect blue
@UN
colour and flag as a sign of safety and protection for civilians!
Privileged to start interim assignment
@UN_Nigeria
Resident &
@OCHANigeria
Humanitarian Coordinator.
@EdwardKallon
a hard act to follow! In handing over, he noted 3 success factors are passion, humility & patience. Will do my best to demonstrate those qualities through action
With
@UNRWA
senior management colleagues supported our
#sanitation
workers Khan Younis Camp for a little while this morning. It really is tough work not least due constant exposure to smells from the waste. Cleaners are the unsung heroes of our time - my deepest respect to them!
I unequivocally don‘t support shooting rockets. And your unsubstantiated & defamatory claim is unworthy of a government spokesman. The children I meet in our schools all the time are no terrorists; they are peace loving kids hungry to learn & to live a dignified life!
Sad 2 leave Nigeria >2 memorable years. Despite huge challenges Naija has much to be proud of! Foremost countless people from all walks of life w/ incredible abilities, skills & zest for life. Thank u
@antonioguterres
@AminaJMohammed
4 enormous privilege 2 serve here!
@UN_Nigeria
“This accumulation of traumas has severely affected us, with increasing feeling of insecurity and fear that went beyond the psychological fatigue to a physical one, we pray hard for justice in this piece of land”
Message sent to me by
@UNRWA
#Gaza
colleague
Small world:
#Frankfurt
taxi driver heard
@Sveva_p
& I talk about
#Gaza
& asked if we had been there. Turns out he is Palestinian from Gaza who has lived in Germany since 1978! Talked about challenges of visiting home & his efforts to financially support family & friends in
#Gaza
Witnessed resumption
@UNRWA
#Gaza
food operation today. We are testing refined home delivery model that minimizes health & safety risks for refugees & staff alike. Once finetuned we will scale up and try to reach 1 million people as quickly & safely as possible
As we start
#2018
my deepest wish is that the people of
#Gaza
will not only experience tangible big improvements in daily life such as normal electricity supplies & open borders but also giant steps towards a healthy economy, full justice and lasting peace
Alf mabrouk!
@UNRWA
school principal
@Raghdah50
graduated with academic excellence from MSc Humanitarian Action Programme @ University College Dublin. Privileged to receive copy of her master's thesis focused on gender-based violence in
#Gaza
Can only confirm that in
#Gaza
as one of our fields of operation this is exactly how
@UNRWA
is seen, "the last life buoy"! A huge thank you to
@alexanderdecroo
and
#Belgium
for pledging $23m to UNRWA after US aid cut
@AJENews
For a lot of Palestinian refugees,
@UNRWA
is the last life buoy. It's better to give children the opportunity to go to school instead of seeing them radicalized
After leave, day 3 of 21 day working from quarantine in
#Gaza
apartment. With 2 new positive
#COVID19
cases here among travelers & numbers rising across the globe, good Gaza authorities maintain strict quarantine for all travelers. This is far from over; we must stay vigilant!
Looking at this harrowing documentation, I deeply regret that my comments about the precision of IDF strikes are being misused to justify what cannot be justified. Killing children breaks the rules of war and must be independently investigated. There must not be impunity!
Nigeria's United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator -
@matzschmale
was in Jalingo, today. During our engagements, I expressed Taraba's interest in collaborating with International Organizations, in harnessing the ever present Resources to further promote development in
We
@UN_Nigeria
thank
@antonioguterres
for his visit. His consistent demonstration of brave & bold but humble leadership is truly inspirational. Our
@UN
SG reminded us that to be effective we must build relationships of trust and not behave like the teacher who has come to teach!
Among your many & significant achievements, dear
@Mo_UNDP
, is setting example of how to make UN Resident Coordinator &
@UNDP
Resident Representative relation productive & constructive. Thank you for your immeasurable contributions to work of
@UN_Nigeria
Thank you
@democracynow
for both telling Ismail's at the end of the day remarkable success story as well as giving
@UNRWA
opportunity to describe the
#education
we provide to Palestine refugees like him including the 284,000 students in our 276 schools in
#Gaza
Ismail Ajjawi, Palestinian Harvard admit, was deported when Logan Airport officials found social media posts by his friends criticizing the U.S. "They just want to fulfill their dreams for a better life," says
@matzschmale
of
@UNRWA
. "Sometimes they get punished for association."
Sleepless night: in response to 2 rockets fired at Tel Aviv, some 35 missilie strikes on Gaza, one shook building where I live. While terrifying for the mind & soul, fortunately no one injured or killed. Fail to see how this brings peace & security closer for anyone.
Between
@UNRWA
and
@BankOfPalestine
we were able to distribute over 65,000 bottles of water to Internally Displaced People today and all 29 schools hosting IDPs in
#Gaza
City received an extra 3,000 liters of potable water each for their drinking water holding tanks
Thank you
@UNYouthEnvoy
@jayathmadw
for taking time to visit
#Gaza
& meet its people including Palestine refugees &
@UNRWA
staff. You have impressive listening skills & gave our school parliamentarians the sense they have a genuine global voice speaking for them
Ramadan Kareem! 💫🌙 Wishing in particular all living in Gaza including Palestine refugees, UNRWA staff and our partner organisations and their staff good health and safety
Proud 45
@UNRWA
schools across
#Gaza
Strip announced as International School Awards winners again this year. Alf mabrook! These awards seek to highlight distinguished initiatives delivered & performed by school students
@BritishCouncil
@MartinDaltry
Photo by Mohammed Hinnawi
New 2019/2020 scholastic year started as planned
@UNRWA
276 elementary & preparatory schools
#Gaza
. 282,528 students - including 31,755 first-graders - will be taught by 8,787 teachers & education staff. Shukran international community for financial support making this possible!
Haunting voice message from close friend in
#Gaza
, who is no terrorist. He says,”We are not violent people.. We are human beings.. Every second we expect to die!”
I worked in Gaza >3.5 yrs. No way >1 million people can physically move within 24 hrs.
Civilians must be protected!
CONT: STATEMENT
🛑🛑 These UN schools and all other UN shelters are UN facilities. They must be protected at all times and must never come under attack in accordance with international humanitarian law.
ENDs-
Impressive collective effort by 40 Member States & institutions reducing deficit from US$ 446 to 21 million! Gives stability to our core education, health & social services. Now hope we attract further resources for crucial humanitarian food security, mental health work
#Gaza
#UNRWA
Commissioner-General
@PKraehenbuehl
addresses the UNRWA Advisory Commission: "UNRWA is on the path to recovery from its biggest deficit to date, and this is thanks to partners like you."
Today
@UN_Nigeria
@OCHANigeria
with Government Iaunched 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan at a cost of US 1.3 billion for Borno, Adamawa & Yobe states. 6 million people identified for assistance, many women & children, and half a million more people than in 2022
#NigeriaHRP2023
Finally to close thread: in deep gratitude for many humbling encounters with
#Gaza
’s citizens & selfless daily service of many -not just UN- with & for vulnerable people, I will continue to advocate for the right of all Palestinians to full self-determination and a just solution
After being severely criticised and asked to resign for my comments on the precision of IDF strikes in killing & injuring civilians as well as leaving thousands homeless, this is now the next wave of social media attacks. Am considering to leave twitter...
Met fantastic
@UNRWA
Sulafa Embroidery Centre team in
#Gaza
, which is both offering some 300 women to earn a living & preserving
#Palestine
embroidery traditions & culture. You can visit them at
#DignityIsPriceless
Sincere gratitude to the Deputy PM of
#Malaysia
@drwanazizah
for her unwavering solidarity with
#Palestine
refugees. Reassured her that
@UNRWA
remains committed to delivering its mandate despite enormous challenges. Looking forward to a robust collaboration.
#DignityIsPriceless
Every life lost, particularly that of a
#child
, is a life lost too many! Devastating that 2 of those killed in
#Gaza
yesterday were
@UNRWA
students, one of them a girl, 8th grader Wesal Fadel Sheikh Khalid; the other a boy, Iz Al Deen Musa Al Samak
#NotATarget
Woke up about an hour ago to the truly terrifying sounds of bombs falling on
#Gaza
. Hoping the hundreds of thousands of little ones can go to school in the morning not to seek safe shelter from war activities but to safely continue their education!
Briefed Member States in Geneva on situation in NE
#Nigeria
, calling on international community to get urgent resources to aid most vulnerable, incl 1.7m food insecure kids. 8.4M people need humanitarian assistance in 2022 & 4.1M face perilous food insecurity this lean season
Alf mabrook to students
#Gaza
Elementary School B for achieving highest
@HandsUpProject
jury votes among final 18 plays with “I can smell her”!
@UNRWA
we greatly value these learning opportunities provided to children through online drama and storytelling sessions
Students
@UNRWA
#Gaza
flying kites on 25 March to commemorate 10th anniversary of Great East Japan earthquake & Tsunami. Making and flying kites common cultural aspect found in both
#Japan
& Palestine symbolizing freedom and hope. Photos by Hussein Al-Neirab
.
@UNRWA
Naser Health center in
#Gaza
has 100%
#COVIDVaccination
among staff - Thank you for your leadership and showing the way! (photo by UNRWA's Director of Health DrAkihiro Seita)
Our
@UNRWA
#education
staff in
#Gaza
have safely delivered textbooks and learning materials to 287,019 students. Some 148,561 boys and 138,458 girls are now ready to start the new school year via remote learning in the next few days. We wish them both fun and success!
Today, met displaced women and girls
@UNFPANigeria
one-stop centre in Jere, Borno State, which helps vulnerable women & girls with livelihoods, healthcare and protection. They spoke about overcoming challenges they face and the critical role livelihoods play in reducing
#GBV
Thank you, Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs
@YusufTuggar
for receiving
@UN_Nigeria
delegation including
@WHONigeria
and
@UNAIDS
today and for your guidance on strengthening how we work together to accelerate implementation of
#SDGs
I received a courtesy visit from the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator to Nigeria, Mr
@matzschmale
and his team at
@NigeriaMFA
today.
His visit underscores the UN's strong support and commitment to humanitarian efforts in Nigeria.
In wishing all who celebrate it a peaceful and happy
#EidAlFitr
, I am struggling to find the right words in the middle of the ongoing insane military confrontation here. Attached is what I sent to my incredible
@UNRWA
colleagues in
#Gaza
8.4M people are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2022 in NE Nigeria. This week
@UN_Nigeria
@OCHANigeria
launched 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, which appeals for $1.1B to get urgent support to the people who need it most.
After receiving life affirming support from
@UNRWA
#nurses
, young Diaa Madi took to painting and dedicated some of his art to UNRWA. This one now has a prominent place in my office as a reminder of the enormous impact of the work of our health staff.
#DignityIsPriceless
Kids & staff
@UNRWA
#Gaza
schools visited today enthusiastic about being back at school after 5 months! They were candid about pros & cons of home learning. Impressed by their knowledge of
#COVID19
and how to stay safe!
As yet another challenging year for
#Gaza
ends, I thank UNRWA colleagues for fantastic work throughout 2019. May 2020 be a more peaceful year for all of us, bring much needed stability for our Agency, and, above all, may it bring positive developments for the people we serve!
Wishing you and loved ones only the very best for 2019! May it be a less tumultuous year than the one that has just ended for all of us and in particular bring Palestinians a significant step closer to justice and dignitiy being fully realised.
May 8 will for me always be a celebration of i) the world defeating the fascist Nazis ii) the great & noble work of
#RedCross
and
#RedCrescent
volunteers & staff around the globe and iii) the life of my late father who was born on this day in 1933
Privileged to be vaccinated. Important as many people as possible get
#COVID19Vaccine
. Must all ensure
#Gaza
gets fair share of vaccines. Some positive developments, but not time 4 business as normal; public health measures like mask wearing & physical distancing must be followed