Tag: United Nations news

March marks the thirteenth anniversary of the conflict in Syria, with systematic atrocities and untold suffering of civilians.

According to UN estimates, 16.7 million people, equivalent to 70 per cent of the total population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Roughly half the pre-war population remains displaced inside or outside Syria.

Compounding the crisis, a series of earthquakes struck the country’s north in February last year, claiming nearly 5,900 lives, severely damaging infrastructure, and exacerbating the vulnerability of millions already struggling to meet their basic needs.

Entire communities are struggling to survive, as humanitarian funding has dropped to an all-time low. In 2023, for instance, only $2.02 billion or 37.4 per cent – was received against the $5.41 billion required for UN-led humanitarian efforts.

‘Do all that is necessary’

In a statement, Secretary-General António Guterres urged all stakeholders to “do all that is necessary to reach a genuine and credible political solution”.

A solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, restores the country’s sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) and create the conditions necessary for the voluntary return of refugees in safety and dignity, he said.

Protect civilians

“We need civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected,” the UN chief emphasized.

Alongside, he also called for a strategic approach to countering terrorism, in line with international law; sustained and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Syria; and urgent and adequate funding to sustain critical aid operations.

“It is long past time for key parties to step up and meet these needs. An entire generation of Syrians has already paid too high a price,” he added.

End impunity

Mr. Guterres also highlighted that arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, sexual and gender-based violence, torture, and other violations continue and pose an obstacle to sustainable peace in Syria.

“We all have a responsibility to end impunity,” he said.

“Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Syrian victims, survivors and their family members count on it.”

“I endured the artillery’s roar, the fire in the nursery, yet I stand tall,” read the lyrics. “I weathered the paralyzing fear under the covers, felt everyone turn their backs, yet I stand tall.”
When he wrote the song in October, shortly after the war began, Marwán, whose father grew up in UNRWA tents in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, decided to donate the rights to raise donations for the Spanish committee of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian Refugees.

“UNRWA is the lifeline that sustained my father since birth. He was born in a refugee camp and attended an UNRWA school, where he received all his education until he was 18. It’s always been there for him, providing food, support, education,” he explains in an interview with Beatriz Barral from UN News. “They continue to support millions of Palestinians, all Gazans, and it was the least I could do. Without a political solution, there’s little more we can do than rally and offer our help”.

The “Urgent Lullaby for Palestine” addresses “brutal injustices and the deprivation of rights,” the “neglect Palestinians face from the international community,” yet it repeats in each verse: they endure.

“Despite the neglect, the abandonment, the bombings, the atrocities inflicted on children, the deaths… I want to spotlight Palestinian resilience, their ability to keep going, even in dire conditions,” he explains.

Marwán has visited the West Bank several times, where distant relatives of his father still reside. He even recorded a song in front of what was his father’s school in Tulkarm.

Asked about accusations against UNRWA, Marwán expresses deep sorrow. “To label UNRWA as problematic or supportive of terrorism is utterly unprecedented and nonsensical. It solely strives to aid people in the direst circumstances and bring dignity to Palestinian lives time and time again. That’s all that concerns me. I’m focused on supporting UNRWA. Regardless of criticism directed at me for aligning with UNRWA, or criticism against UNRWA itself, it doesn’t faze me. I march on, saddened by the lack of support, by governments withdrawing aid, but we press on,” he says.

Marwán urges anyone hesitant to donate to UNRWA to “thoroughly research what’s happening in Palestine.”

“Learn about UNRWA’s work since 1948, which has been impeccable and significant. I would urge them to consider that a genocide is occurring, and that Palestinians truly rely solely on UNRWA. It’s as straightforward as that. They have nothing else, but the funds received through UNRWA,” he argues.

The suspension of funds to UNRWA is “an appalling disgrace”

Presenting the song at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid on Tuesday, with Spain’s Minister for Youth and Childhood Sira Rego in attendance, Marwán described the suspension of funds as “heartbreaking.” This comes after Israel accused several workers of involvement in the October 7 attacks, that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 taken hostage, despite UNRWA firing the employees and launching an investigation.

With his song, he hopes to prevent the Gaza war from fading into obscurity.

“In Palestine, human rights violations occur daily We’re not talking about a conventional war between two countries, one defending itself against the other”, he says.

“I only place faith in international judicial intervention”

Marwán is appalled by what he terms “flagrant violations of international law.”

“After World War II, international legal mechanisms were established to prevent such atrocities, yet people are circumventing international laws. Even the countries that talk the most about defending human rights are the ones that are most supporting this, but they are the countries that have the most power in the UN because they have the right to veto [in the UN Security Council],” he laments.

The artist sharply criticizes the media coverage of the war, requiring individuals to seek information “via Twitter, through accounts of Palestinian journalists, or on Instagram.”

“We’re allowing a genocide to happen in prime time, with journalism aiding the perpetrators. It’s hard to comprehend. It’s because there are vested interests. There’s no other explanation than Western self-interest. There cannot be any other explanation,” he says.

Marwán believes a solution and a peaceful future can only be achieved through “international judicial intervention.” “It’s the only beacon of hope right now,” he concludes.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed by the interviewee are his own and do not represent the position of the United Nations Organization.

The warning from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, comes nearly four months since Israel commenced a devastating bombing campaign in response to Hamas-led terror attacks on 7 October that left some 1,200 people butchered in southern Israeli communities and more than 250 taken hostage.

“In recent days, thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing to the south to Rafah, which is already hosting over half of Gaza’s population of some 2.3 million people,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.

Repeating deep concerns that nowhere in Gaza is safe amid reports of Israeli shelling on the periphery of Rafah on Friday, Mr. Laerke told journalists that most of the new arrivals were “living in makeshift structures, tents, or out in the open. Rafah is now a pressure cooker of despair and we fear for what happens next.”

To date, 100,000 people in Gaza “are either dead, injured, or missing and presumed dead” as a result of bombing raids and fighting on the ground between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Sixty per cent of the 27,019 fatalities reported by the enclave’s health authorities have been women and children, the UN health agency reported, with more than 66,000 now injured and requiring medical care that remains difficult to access.

Highlighting the “extremely challenging” task of replenishing hospitals and medical centres throughout the wartorn enclave, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Dr. Rick Peeperkorn explained that of 15 planned missions to the north in January, three had been carried out, four had been impeded by impassable routes, one postponed and eight were denied.

Dr Peeperkorn added that of the 11 planned missions to the south last month, four had gone ahead, two were postponed, two were impeded either because checkpoints opened late or owing to excessive delays. Authorisations were denied for three missions.

“Lack of safety guarantees and humanitarian corridors in Gaza are making it increasingly challenging to safely and rapidly carry out humanitarian operations,” the WHO official said, speaking from Jerusalem. “Lack of sustained access to hospitals could dismantle the health system.”

The development came as UN Children’s Fund UNICEF reported that at least 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated.

“Each one, a heartbreaking story of loss and grief,” said Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF Chief of Communication in the State of Palestine.

Speaking from Jerusalem to journalists in Geneva, the UNICEF official described meeting youngsters in Gaza earlier this week. Among them was 11-year-old Razan who lost almost all her family during a bombing raid in the first weeks of the war.

“Her mother, father, brother, and two sisters were killed,” Mr. Crickx continued. “Razan’s leg was also injured and had to be amputated. Following the surgery, her wound got infected. Razan is now being taken care of by her aunt and uncle, all of whom have been displaced to Rafah.”

Because of the lack of food, water and shelter, extended families are struggling to look after themselves, let alone orphaned or unaccompanied children, the UNICEF officer said.

“I met these children in Rafah. We fear that the situation of children who have lost their parents is much worse in the north and the centre of the Gaza Strip.”

Some 613 people have died within facilities as a result since 7 October last year and more than 770 have been injured, according to latest data on healthcare attacks from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Condemning the continuing fighting and bombardment, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that the “ongoing reduction of humanitarian space plus the continuing attacks on healthcare are pushing the people of Gaza to breaking point”.

Children in the Gaza Strip face a deadly triple threat to their lives, as cases of diseases rise, nutrition plummets and the escalation in hostilities approaches its fourteenth week.

Thousands of children have already died from the violence, while living conditions for children continue to rapidly deteriorate, with increasing cases of diarrhea and rising food poverty among children, raising the risk of mounting child deaths.

Hundreds of facilities hit

WHO’s online platform covering attacks on healthcare indicated that more than 550 medical facilities and vehicles had been impacted in the almost 100 days since constant Israeli airstrikes began in Gaza.

The attacks have affected 94 healthcare sites including 26 hospitals damaged out of a total of 36 in the enclave.

‘Nightmare’ conditions for children: UNICEF

The head of the UN Children’s Fund UNICEFsaid in a statement on Friday that children in Gaza “are caught in a nightmare that worsens with every passing day”.

Catherine Russell noted young lives are “increasingly at risk from preventable diseases and lack of food and water. All children and civilians must be protected from violence and have access to basic services and supplies.”

Cases of diarrhoea in children under five rose from 48,000 to 71,000 in just one week starting 17 December, equivalent to 3,200 new cases of diarrhea per day.

She said the significant increase indicated child health in Gaza is “fast deteriorating”. Before the escalation in hostilities, an average of 2,000 cases of diarrhea in children under five were recorded per month.

Relief effort stymied

In a statement released by Eri Kaneko, Spokesperson for aid coordination office OCHA, humanitarians made clear on Thursday that the speed and volume of relief is being continually hampered by conditions on the ground.

“The UN and our humanitarian partners are committed to and continue to do all they can to meet the growing needs in Gaza. However, the operating environment and response capacity continues to be hindered by security risks, mobility constraints, delays and denials”, she said.

“Multiple inspections, long queues of trucks and difficulties at crossing points continue to hamper operations. Inside Gaza, aid operations face constant bombardments, with aid workers themselves killed and some convoys having been shot at.

She made clear other challenges include poor communications, damaged roads and delays at checkpoints.

“An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security, staff who can work in safety, logistical capacity and the resumption of commercial activity.”

142 UNRWA staff killed

Meanwhile, the UN agency providing help to Palestinians, UNRWA, said that the total number of staff killed since the beginning of hostilities stands at 142.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees also reported that since 7 October last year, up to 1.9 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, some multiple times.

This number represents over 85 per cent of the population of the Gaza Strip, UNRWA said, adding that families have been forced to move “repeatedly in search of safety”.

Nearly 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) now shelter in 155 UNRWA facilities across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip.

This figure includes 160,000 in the north and Gaza City according to data last revised shortly after the escalation began.

Another 500,000 people “are in close vicinity of these installations and receiving assistance” from UNRWA, the UN agency said in an update.

IOM launches $69 million appeal

The UN’s migration agency IOM launched an urgent appeal on Friday for $69 million to support its response to rising and critical humanitarian needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The appeal also covers neighbouring countries affected by the ongoing hostilities in Gaza.

In a statement, IOM said that hundreds of thousands of civilians need aid desperately. But getting help to them continues to be hampered by “long clearance procedures for humanitarian aid trucks at the border (and) the intense ground operation and fighting”.

“Frequent disruption” to communication networks has also prevented humanitarian aid coordination, the UN agency said “along with insecurity, blocked roads and scarcity of fuel”.

Outside Gaza, IOM noted that deteriorating security situation along border areas between Israel and Lebanon has forced some 76,000 people from their homes in southern Lebanon.