Humanitarians uphold commitment to support civilians in eastern DR Congo
Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC, updated journalists on latest developments and obstacles to aid delivery, which include loss of critical supplies to looting and the impact of the decision by the United States to…
Short-range drones: The deadliest threat to civilians in Ukraine
With increasing reports of these drones striking civilians in cars, on buses and on public streets, UN monitors have raised serious concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law. According to HRMMU’s latest monthly update on the protection of civilians, at…
DR Congo crisis: Thousands of displaced in Goma forced to flee again
Last month, M23 rebels captured the city – the largest in the region and capital of North Kivu province. Nearly 3,000 people have reportedly been killed and 2,880 injured. OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke said more than 110,000 displaced people have…
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…
Two mass graves of migrants uncovered in Libya
Nineteen bodies were discovered in Jakharrah, around 400 km south of the coastal city of Benghazi, while at least 30 more were found in a mass grave in the Alkufra desert in the southeast. It is believed the second grave…
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…