Iraq: How the world helped Mosul rise from the rubble of war
Now, with UN support, Mosul has risen from the ashes of war and its historic monuments which had been reduced to rubble, dot the skyline once again. The devastating nine-month-long battle to liberate the city from the terrorist group killed…
Gaza: UN health agency urges rapid scale-up of medevacs as thousands remain in critical condition
Speaking from Gaza, WHO Representative Rik Peeperkorn described a scene of widespread destruction, overwhelmed medical facilities and growing mental health needs, as the population in the enclave gradually returns to what is left of their homes after nearly 16 months…
Syria: Assad’s armed forces must face accountability, says rights probe
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria’s latest report follows the lightning operation led by mainly Hayat-Tahrir al-Sham fighters that toppled President Bashar al-Assad last December, ending the 13-year war that decimated the country and destabilised the entire region. The…
Gaza: More than a million receive food aid since the start of the ceasefire
The temporary agreement to stop the fighting and release hostages brought an end to some 15 months of conflict and destruction in the Strip, following the brutal Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel of 7 October 2023. The truce came into…
Deadly attacks in eastern Aleppo highlight Syria’s vulnerability
The explosion on Monday – close to the Turkish border – targeted a vehicle transporting seasonal agricultural workers. According to news reports, at least 11 women and three children were among the dead. It follows another attack just days earlier…
UNRWA delivers bulk of aid in Gaza as destruction mounts in West Bank
UNRWA’s communications director Juliette Touma described catastrophic scenes at the camp, where some 100 buildings had been “destroyed or heavily damaged” by the detonations at the weekend. The camp’s residents had “endured the impossible”, she said, after nearly two months…
West Bank violence undermining Gaza ceasefire: UNRWA
It comes a day after Israeli Security Forces (ISF) carried out a series of controlled detonations at the Jenin refugee camp, located in the northern West Bank, destroying large areas there “in a split second”. UNRWA said it received no…
Syria: Special Envoy applauds ‘shared conviction’ among Syrians on political transition
Geir Pedersen stressed that protection for all Syrian minorities and a fully inclusive process is essential to shaping its future. The top envoy has spent several weeks in Syria, engaging with the caretaker authorities and a broad spectrum of society,…
Relief chief in Israel and Palestine: ‘We must be practical, innovative and persistent’
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher is in the region as a fragile ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas continues to hold in Gaza, amid rising violence in the West Bank. He will engage with authorities, aid partners…
‘Grieving and crying’ as people on either side of Gaza conflict come together
Given the brutality of the recent conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, it has become increasingly difficult to imagine a durable peace. Yet, that remains the aim of a remarkable grassroots organization called Combatants for Peace. The organization, which…