Hello, this is Michelle. Over one month after the attacks by Hamas, Israel's retaliatory bombing campaign in Gaza and the ensuing humanitarian crisis have cast a long shadow over the plight of Israelis being held hostage by the Palestinian group.

Israel's foreign minister was in Geneva yesterday in the latest bid to revive attention on the hostage situation and rally support for its war against Hamas.

An internal document reveals WHO's controversial methods in dealing with sex abuse victims. Plus, individuals can now measure their carbon emissions thanks to a Geneva-born carbon calculator.

Michelle Langrand

15.11.2023

On our radar

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Families hold up photos of their loved ones held captive by Hamas since October 7, next to Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, foreign minister Eli Cohen and health minister Uriel Menachem Buso, 14 November 2023. (Geneva Solutions/Michelle Langrand)

Israel redoubles diplomatic efforts in Geneva. Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, was in Geneva this week to revive the attention of the international community on the issue of over 200 hostages being held by Hamas since 7 October. The visit to Geneva also signals a redoubling of efforts by Israel to counter anti-Israel rhetoric and keep sympathy alive for its military campaign to “destroy” the Palestinian militant group that has killed over 11,000 Palestinians.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Here's what else is happening

⚕️Sister of injured Israeli hostage pleads for medical access. More than a month since they were taken from their home, Bibas Levy is in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside other families to meet senior officials of the WHO and the ICRC to push for their release, or at least for medical access.
Reuters (EN)
🇨🇩 Internal documents show WHO paid sexual abuse victims in Congo $250 each. The amount paid to over 100 local women by staffers and others who were abused during a deadly Ebola outbreak is less than a single day’s expenses for some UN officials working in the Congolese capital.
AP News (EN)
🔢 Geneva launches carbon footprint calculator. The tool, which allows individuals to measure their carbon emissions, was launched by the canton in collaboration with the City of Geneva and the 2050 Today “Climate Action Forum” which works to decarbonise international Geneva.
Le Temps (FR)
🧊 Australia and other western governments ‘paralysed’ in response to Gaza conflict, says UN expert. Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, says many leaders are ‘muttering inaudible words of condemnation’.
The Guardian (EN)

Graphic of the day

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Landmines still cause thousands of injuries and deaths around the world each year. Statista

⚠️ Landmine casualties surge in 2022. New use of antipersonnel landmines, including extensive use by Russia in Ukraine, drove a global rise in new casualties from the weapons in 2022, the annual Landmine Monitor released on Tuesday said. Some 4,710 people were injured or killed by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) across 49 states and two other areas last year, with Ukraine experiencing a ten-fold increase in casualties compared to 2021, the monitor showed. The highest number of casualties was recorded in Syria. The report was published ahead of the Mine Ban Treaty’s meeting of states parties taking place at the UN in Geneva next week.

France 24 / AFP (EN)

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