Gaza: Return to war must be avoided at all costs, insists UN chief
“We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy,” said the UN chief, in a statement relayed to journalists by UN Geneva spokesperson Rolando Gomez. “I appeal to Hamas to…
Israeli military operation displaces 40,000 in the West Bank
Several refugee camps are nearly empty after Israeli forces launched Operation Iron Wall on 21 January, making it the longest operation in the West Bank since the second intifada, according to the agency. The operation started in Jenin camp and…
‘We all have someone missing’: Families of the thousands of Syrians ‘disappeared’ by Assad regime share stories of loss
It has been two months since Bashar al-Assad, the former president of Syria, was forced to flee the country, as rebel forces – now installed as the interim government – advanced on Damascus, putting an end to 50 years of…
Gaza crisis: Amid winter storms, humanitarians appeal for full aid access
“The health system is ruined. Malnutrition is rising. The risk of famine persists,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. “We are ready to scale up our response – but we…
UN rights office urges humane treatment of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees
“Images of emaciated Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have been deeply distressing,” Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement. He added that the pictures of Israeli hostages released…
Syria: Chemical weapons watchdog hits reset button in Damascus, following productive meetings
In a press release on Saturday the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Director-General Fernando Arias and his team had met interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and caretaker Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, at their invitation – drawing…
Palestinians’ rights matter, says UNRWA chief
In a social media post on Friday, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that “people in Gaza have undergone systematic dehumanization” since the war there began. He emphasized that “Palestinians do matter, including those in Gaza. Their rights, lives and futures matter,”…
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…