West Bank: New Israeli measures further erode prospects for two-State solution

West Bank: New Israeli measures further erode prospects for two-State solution

The measures would make it easier for Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian land, thus expanding Israel’s power in the territory, according to media reports.  The UN chief warned that the current trajectory on the ground – including this decision – is eroding the prospect for the two-State solution, according to a statement issued by his Spokesperson.  Settlements are illegal  He reiterated that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, […]

UN aid push continues across Gaza despite Israeli airstrikes

  “Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that their partners continue their scale-up efforts, despite reported Israeli airstrikes across the Strip,” he said, noting that some strikes hit areas near the so-called ‘Yellow Line’ – a buffer zone marked by the Israeli military inside Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement. “We stress again that all […]

Israeli strike in Doha marks ‘alarming escalation’, warns top UN official, in call to uphold diplomatic norms

Israeli strike in Doha marks ‘alarming escalation’, warns top UN official, in call to uphold diplomatic norms

Rosemary DiCarlo described Tuesday’s strike in a residential area of the Qatari capital – which targeted Hamas’s political leadership killing several affiliates along with a Qatari security officer – as potentially opening a “new and perilous chapter in this devastating conflict, seriously threatening regional peace and stability.” The attack occurred on 9 September in residential […]

Guterres condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar as ‘flagrant violation’

Guterres condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar as ‘flagrant violation’

In a statement, António Guterres spoke out against what he called a “flagrant violation” of Qatari sovereignty and territorial integrity. He insisted that all parties must focus on achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, “not (on) destroying it”. No senior leaders killed, claims Hamas Hamas reported that six people had been killed, including the son […]

Daily malnutrition deaths continue as Israeli forces push further into Gaza City

Daily malnutrition deaths continue as Israeli forces push further into Gaza City

“Military activities continue in and around Gaza City, but also in the south, taking a heavy toll on civilians, including deaths, injuries and further displacement,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at the daily press briefing in New York: “Our colleagues report that people continue to flee, mainly towards the coast.” More than 76,000 people have been […]

Amid ongoing Israeli attacks, ‘the systematic destruction of Gaza City is already underway’: UN rights office

Amid ongoing Israeli attacks, ‘the systematic destruction of Gaza City is already underway’: UN rights office

Recent attacks have been particularly devastating in the Az Zaytoun neighbourhood, where airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfire are continuous and intense, causing a high number of civilian casualties and the large-scale destruction of residential buildings and public facilities, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a statement. Since 8 […]

Gaza: Aid insufficient to avert ‘widespread starvation’ as Israeli military ramp-up forces more people to flee

Gaza: Aid insufficient to avert ‘widespread starvation’ as Israeli military ramp-up forces more people to flee

“The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva. “This is a direct result of the Israeli government’s policy of blocking humanitarian aid,” he said. Mr. Al-Kheetan insisted that in the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that […]

Israeli plan to take complete control of Gaza must stop now, says UN rights chief

Israeli plan to take complete control of Gaza must stop now, says UN rights chief

“A complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted,” insisted Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, after the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan for a full-scale Israeli military takeover in the battered enclave. The development runs contrary to international law, Mr. Türk continued, referring to a ruling of […]

Gaza: Alarm over Israeli move to deregister NGOs

Gaza: Alarm over Israeli move to deregister NGOs

The development – which also applies to the occupied West Bank – is a result of the Israeli requirement introduced on 9 March impacting international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). “Unless urgent action is taken…most international NGO partners could be de-registered by 9 September or sooner – forcing them to withdraw all international staff and preventing them […]

Gaza: As aid trucks enter, videos of Israeli hostages and attack on Red Crescent staffers spark outrage

Gaza: As aid trucks enter, videos of Israeli hostages and attack on Red Crescent staffers spark outrage

Meanwhile, on Thursday and again on Saturday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants published disturbing videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages, sparking worldwide outrage and condemnation from UN leaders, including Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday. The hostages pictured, Rom Braslavsk and Evyatar David, are two of the 49 are still being held in Gaza, including […]

Gaza children starving despite Israeli ‘tactical pauses’, UN says

Gaza children starving despite Israeli ‘tactical pauses’, UN says

Speaking at the regular news briefing in New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that even four days into the announced pauses, “we are still seeing casualties among those seeking aid and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition.” He added that parents are “struggling to save their starving children” and warned that the […]

UN sounds alarm over Syria as sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes escalate

UN sounds alarm over Syria as sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes escalate

The Druze-majority Sweida governorate, long relatively insulated from earlier phases of Syria’s 14‑year conflict, has now become a flashpoint. Briefing an emergency meeting of the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary‑General Khaled Khiari painted a grim picture: hundreds of casualties among soldiers and civilians –including women, children and the elderly – alongside reports of mass displacement, […]

Guterres deplores Israeli strike on Gaza church

Guterres deplores Israeli strike on Gaza church

Three people were killed and at least 10 others were injured in the bombing of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, according to media reports. Stephanie Tremblay, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General, noted that the church was both a place of worship and a sanctuary for civilians. “Attacks on places of worship are unacceptable. […]

World News in Brief: violence spurs displacement in Syria, Israeli forces cross the Blue Line in Lebanon, mall fire kills dozens in Iraq

World News in Brief: violence spurs displacement in Syria, Israeli forces cross the Blue Line in Lebanon, mall fire kills dozens in Iraq

As of Thursday, nearly 2,000 families have been displaced from violence-affected areas in Sweida governate and are currently sheltering in a dozen collective sites. Many are unable to return home due to damage, looting or destruction of their homes. The health systems in Sweida and neighbouring Dar’a governorate remain under critical strain, operating without power […]

Israeli actions in Palestinian territories constitute war crimes, Human Rights Council hears

Israeli actions in Palestinian territories constitute war crimes, Human Rights Council hears

“The goal of the Israeli government is abundantly clear: the destruction of life in Gaza.” That’s how Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, opened her statement to the 59th session of the Council on Tuesday. Calling the war in Gaza “the most ruthless, prolonged and widespread attack against the […]

Israeli attacks on Gaza schools could be crimes against humanity: UN probe

Israeli attacks on Gaza schools could be crimes against humanity: UN probe

The UN Human Rights Council-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) report found that Israeli forces have used airstrikes, shelling, burning, and controlled demolitions to damage or destroy more than 90 per cent of schools and university buildings across Gaza. This destruction in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel […]

Lifting of Israeli blockade ‘the only way to avert mass starvation’ in Gaza: UNRWA chief

Lifting of Israeli blockade ‘the only way to avert mass starvation’ in Gaza: UNRWA chief

Philippe Lazzarini posted on social media saying that aid distribution “has become a death trap,” citing reports from international medical staff on the ground and local health authorities who reported at least 31 deaths and more than 150 injured as civilians were lining up to receive aid from the Israel and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian […]

Gaza: UN agencies calls for aid ‘surge’ as Israeli distribution plan begins

Gaza: UN agencies calls for aid ‘surge’ as Israeli distribution plan begins

After nearly three months of complete blockade by Israel, a “vastly insufficient” amount of aid was finally allowed into the war-ravaged enclave in the last week, insisted Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “We have not stopped operating,” he said, referring to staff still inside Gaza, who are tasked with liaising […]

Gazans’ suffering goes on amid intensifying Israeli strikes

Gazans’ suffering goes on amid intensifying Israeli strikes

In occupied East Jerusalem, meanwhile, Israeli protesters illegally entered a compound of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. The development comes after the Israeli military coordination unit COGAT said on Saturday that 388 trucks had entered Gaza since last Monday – the first aid to arrive in well over two months of blockade that […]