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Middle East

Gazans depend on us for ‘sheer survival’ insists UNRWA

The development came as more than 462,000 people are estimated to have crossed from south Gaza to the north since the opening of the Salah ad Din and Al Rashid roads on Monday. The UN and humanitarian partners are assisting…

Dreams of returning home dashed by reality in Gaza City

Tess Ingram, Communications Manager for UNICEF Middle East and North Africa, is in the northern city where she witnessed people moving through the streets on donkeys, in cars, or by bicycle. “There’s a lot of people with shovels trying to…

UNRWA ‘continues to deliver’ as Israeli ban comes into effect

“UNRWA continues to deliver assistance and services to the communities we serve,” the agency said in a post on the social media platform X. “Our clinics across the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem are open while the humanitarian operation…

Syria: Hostilities and aid challenges persist across devastated country

In an update, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said more than 25,000 people have been newly uprooted from the northeastern city of Manbij where shelling and airstrikes have been reported. OCHA noted that hostilities have been intensifying over the past week,…

Israel’s new laws banning UNRWA already taking effect

If implemented, the two new laws passed in October will simultaneously prohibit Israeli authorities from contacting UNRWA and ban the agency from operating in war-ravaged Gaza and East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler. As…

Aid efforts in Gaza escalate, as risk from deadly unexploded ordnance grows

“Hope returns to Gaza, but it’s fragile,” said Corinne Fleischer, World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “With open crossings and sustained efforts, Gaza’s recovery can take root,” she emphasised. The WFP has doubled…

Syria: Rights probe reveals systematic torture and detention of Assad regime

The findings from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria detail crimes against humanity and war crimes that left a legacy of trauma for countless Syrians, representing some of the worst violations of international law committed during more than…

UN officials call for ceasefire compliance after 15 people killed in Lebanon

The timelines envisaged in the November ceasefire agreement “have not been met”, according to a joint statement by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and head of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, and force commander Aroldo Lázaro. The agreement…

UN rights office raises alarm over escalating violence in occupied West Bank

OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan added that the Israeli military operation in and around the Jenin refugee camp had involved “disproportionate” use of force, including airstrikes and shootings that reportedly targeted unarmed residents. “The deadly Israeli operations in recent days raise…

Middle East crisis: Updates for 23 January, UN relief chief says ‘we can save more lives’ if Gaza ceasefire holds

Following the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the UN Security Council is meeting in New York to hear from the Secretary-General and foreign ministers from the Middle East and beyond. UN chief António Guterres told the…