Al Jazeera ban must be lifted, rights experts urge Palestinian Authority
The development comes one week after a court in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank ordered the closure of several Al Jazeera websites. A Palestinian Authority ministerial committee had earlier justified the enforced closure of the media company’s office in…
Top humanitarian official issues ceasefire appeal during visit to Gaza City
Muhannad Hadi, who is also the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, made the appeal during a visit to Gaza City, where he met with representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The senior official also visited Holy Family…
US: Rights experts urge Senate to reject bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Go here to read our analysis of the decision and the…
Critical aid blocked in Gaza, as fuel shortages threaten lifesaving services
On Thursday, only 10 out of 21 planned humanitarian movements were facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Seven were denied outright, three were impeded and one was cancelled due to security and logistical challenges, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, at Friday’s…
Syria has real opportunity to ‘move from the darkness to the light’
That’s according to Najat Rochdi, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, who is in Damascus meeting several members of the transitional authorities to ensure all Syrians are able to participate in the country’s future, which is struggling to cope…
UN chief offers condolences amid devastating wildfires in California
The fires, described as some of the worst in the city’s history, have burned thousands of acres, destroyed homes and left firefighters battling to contain multiple blasts in unprecedented conditions. “The Secretary-General is shocked and saddened by the widespread devastation…
Resilience of Ukrainians remains high, as UN maps aid and reconstruction needs for 2025
It has been almost three years since the 24 February 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has killed thousands of civilians and destroyed vital infrastructure, putting the economy under enormous strain. The UN has recorded more than 28,000 civilian…
Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia attack marks highest civilian casualties in nearly two years
Thirteen civilians were killed, and 110 injured, when two aerial bombs struck an industrial facility in the southern city. This marks the largest number of casualties the HRMMU has recorded since a residential building in Dnipro city was struck on…
More than 125,000 refugees return to Syria in desperate conditions
Leading calls for the international community to “move from words to action” to help the country’s most vulnerable returnees urgently, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that many families have little shelter and few economic prospects. “In recent weeks, there…
‘Children are now freezing to death’: harrowing updates from Gaza
Tragically in the last month alone, eight newborns have died of hypothermia and 74 children have already died amid the brutal conditions of winter in 2025. “We enter this New Year carrying the same horrors as the last – there’s…