Any move by Israel to extend its full-scale invasion of Gaza into the massively overcrowded southern city of Rafah could lead to war crimes which must be prevented at all costs, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.
Any move by Israel to extend its full-scale invasion of Gaza into the massively overcrowded southern city of Rafah could lead to war crimes which must be prevented at all costs, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.
Thank you, Madam President.
As we are all too aware, the tensions that have engulfed multiple countries in the Middle East continue to rise. Tragically, this comes as no surprise. The Secretary-General has repeatedly warned about the risks of further escalation and miscalculation in the region since the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October and the devastating Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza.
Since mid-October 2023, we have witnessed near daily incidents in the region. These include some 165 attacks on United States facilities in Syria and Iraq, prompting US strikes in the two countries.
Then, on 28 January, a drone attack killed three US service members and injured 40 at a US base known as “Tower 22,” in northeast Jordan, near al-Tanf base in Syria. On 2 February, the US Central Command said it had carried out 85 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against reported Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Forces and affiliated groups.
Syria and Iraq condemned the 2 February strikes, with both governments claiming they had resulted in deaths and injured civilians. The US said it had targeted command and control operations, intelligence centers and weapons facilities, among other sites, and that it was not seeking conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere.
While the Iraqi Government has continued to repeat its commitment to protecting US and coalition forces inside Iraq, some armed factions linked to the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” have pledged to continue their attacks against US and coalition forces in the region.
Madam President,
The wave of violence since early October involves a large swath of the Middle East. The Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah, along with other non-State armed groups in Lebanon, have exchanged fire across the Blue Line on an almost daily basis since 8 October.
There has been repeated rocket fire over the occupied Golan between Israel and militias reportedly linked to Iran, as well as airstrikes attributed to Israel by the Government of Syria on multiple locations in Syria.
Ongoing Houthi drone and missile attacks and threats to navigation in the Red Sea are deeply worrying and risk both exacerbating the conflict and further impacting international trade, as companies divert ships away from critical maritime routes.
A report on Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea will be shortly before the Council in accordance with resolution 2722 (2024).
Since 11 January, the United States and the United Kingdom, with the backing of six other member states, have launched strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
They have occurred consecutively over the last three days. More than 36 targets across 13 locations were reportedly struck on 3 February, including what was described as underground storage facilities, command and control sites, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars, and helicopters.
An additional missile launch site was reportedly hit on 4 February. Today, sites in Hudaydah were also targeted, including some very close to United Nations offices on the ground.
Madam President,
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call on all parties to step back from the brink and to consider the unbearable human and economic cost of a potential regional conflict.
It has been nearly four months since more than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attacks by Hamas, with over 250 people taken hostage.
As the Secretary-General said, this has been a period of heartache and anguish for Israelis. I echo the Secretary-General’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages.
The past four months have also been heartbreaking and catastrophic for Palestinians civilians in Gaza, where hunger is rampant, disease is spreading and shelter is squalid at best for a vast number of people.
The death toll in the Strip is reported to have surpassed 27,000, mostly women and children. Thousands more are reported missing. The civilian population of Gaza should not pay for the terror unleashed by Hamas.
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
The risk of escalation in the Middle East, and its potential consequences, was obvious from 7 October.
A quick survey of the agenda of this Council explains why: The UN is supporting political and peace processes throughout the region, in countries emerging, or still suffering, from armed conflict.
The Middle East remains highly volatile. Long-term regional stability demands the implementation of a clear political roadmap in each of these situations.
The Secretary-General continues his extensive outreach to all key stakeholders to urge all parties to take concrete measures to de-escalate tensions, and to work towards sustainable political solutions that aim to resolve, rather than merely manage, longstanding conflicts.
I appeal to the Council to continue to actively engage all concerned parties to prevent further escalation and the worsening of tensions that undermine regional peace and security.
Thank you, Madam President.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday appointed an independent panel to conduct an assessment of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, following accusations that several staff were involved in the 7 October attacks against Israel.
The UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA) has heightened ground and aerial patrols to deter further violence, after brutal fighting in the oil-rich region claimed dozens of lives over the weekend.
The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting Monday afternoon at the request of Russia, as the war in Gaza continued to fan tensions across the Middle East, with potentially dramatic consequences for regional peace and security. The UN Political Affairs chief appealed for the Council to help prevent further escalation and ease tensions across the region.
UN humanitarians reported on Monday that a food convoy in Gaza had been hit by shelling after a deadly weekend of hostilities in Gaza in which at least 234 Palestinians were reportedly killed, stoking regional tensions in the Middle East.
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The UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) plays a “critical role” in delivering aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip and it is vital to restore international confidence in the agency, the United States Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Friday.
The UN and the Government of Ethiopia have appealed for urgent funding to respond to rising hunger in the northern highlands region, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported on Friday.
Thousands of Gazans have continued to flee intense hostilities in Khan Younis towards the massively overcrowded southern city of Rafah which UN humanitarians described as a “pressure cooker of despair” on Friday.
The number of hungry people in Sudan has doubled over the past year, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday, adding that it is already receiving reports of people dying from starvation.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk expressed his shock on Thursday at credible reports alleging that Malian armed forces and foreign military personnel executed at least 25 people last week.
Lifesaving aid operations in Gaza are “in peril” amid ongoing Israeli bombardment because of the funding crisis impacting the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, top UN officials reiterated on Thursday.
It’s another day of intense activity across the UN as the crisis in the Middle East stemming from the war in Gaza continues, both in the region and at UN Headquarters in New York. The Security Council is due to meet at the top of the hour to review the world court’s provisional ruling on genocide allegations, and the UN chief will brief the top UN committee on Palestinian rights with the latest on the struggle to stop the fighting and provide lifesaving humanitarian relief in Gaza. Follow lives updates here…
Deadly clashes and shelling continued in Khan Younis in southern Gaza overnight into Wednesday as top UN humanitarians and NGO chiefs warned of the “catastrophic consequences” of defunding UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees facing allegations of collusion with Hamas.
Children in Gaza will likely lose at least a year of education, with the school year suspended, and classrooms closed or turned into shelters. Ziad Taleb, a correspondent for UN News, has been talking to teachers and children at a school in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, which is overflowing with displaced people who have fled their homes in a desperate attempt to find safety.
On the third anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the country.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Wednesday that Russia had violated global anti-terrorism and anti-racial discrimination treaties, but dismissed most of the charges Kyiv brought against Moscow stemming from its 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
Escalating armed violence in Haiti has triggered a profound humanitarian crisis, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, warned on Wednesday.
It has been another day of intense activity across the UN as the crisis in the Middle East stemming from the war in Gaza continues, both in the region and at UN Headquarters in New York. The Security Council reviewed the world court’s (ICJ) provisional ruling on genocide allegations, and the UN chief briefed the top UN committee on Palestinian rights, stressing that the relief agency, UNRWA, is the "backbone" of humanitarian operations in Gaza.
Children in Gaza will likely lose at least a year of education, with the school year suspended and classrooms closed or turned into shelters. Ziad Taleb, a correspondent for UN News, has been talking to teachers and children at a school in the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah, which is overflowing with displaced people who have fled their homes in a desperate attempt to find safety.
The war in Gaza has resulted in an unprecedented level of destruction to its economy which will take tens of billions of dollars and decades to reverse, UN trade and development body UNCTAD said in a new report on Wednesday.
Three years after the military deposed the elected Government in Myanmar, the ever-deteriorating human rights crisis in the country is now in freefall, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday, appealing for greater attention from the international community.
Donor funding cuts stemming from Israel’s allegations against a dozen staff members at the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, will be felt within weeks, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday, as fears grow that consequences on the ground could contradict recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders for temporary measures to prevent “genocidal acts” in Gaza.
As the UN chief prepares to meet representatives from countries who donate to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) late on Tuesday following allegations of collusion with Hamas, the UN health agency, WHO, reiterated that now was not the time to abandon the people of Gaza.
Continuing intercommunal clashes in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan have left more than 50 people dead including two peacekeepers, the UN said on Monday.
The international community’s failure to execute warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and subsequent lack of accountability are fuelling the violence stemming from the war between rival militaries in Sudan, ICC Prosecutor told the UN Security Council on Monday.
Five countries have been awarded for their efforts towards eliminating mass-produced trans fats in food, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday.
Ongoing hostilities across the Gaza Strip have been “particularly intense” in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians warned on Monday, as the UN agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, reported that its shelters were now four times over-capacity.
A humanitarian worker in Gaza has been documenting her struggles after being displaced on numerous occasions as she and her family flee ongoing bombardments by Israeli forces.
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Mass evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military to the people of Gaza continue to push them “into ever smaller areas” amid “ever-intensifying violence” in likely violation of international humanitarian law, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
Secretary-General António Guterres has asked the head of the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees, UNRWA, to “swiftly” investigate “extremely serious allegations” that several agency staffers were involved in the 7 October terror attacks in southern Israel.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday declared that Palestinians had a right to be protected from acts of genocide, calling on Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent such actions and allow the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the war-shattered enclave.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday declared that Palestinians had a right to be protected from acts of genocide, calling on Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent such actions and allow the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the war-shattered enclave.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has warned of dramatic humanitarian suffering throughout Ukraine and worsening conditions as war-affected civilians suffer through the harsh winter.
Yesterday, it was reported that a Russian IL-76 military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, near the border of Ukraine, killing everyone on board.
According to Russian authorities, the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six Russian crew members and three Russian military personnel.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the plane may have been carrying missiles for Russia’s military system.
We understand both Russia and Ukraine are conducting separate investigations into the incident, and Ukraine has called for an international probe.
The United Nations is not in a position to verify these reports or the circumstances of the crash.
What is clear is that the incident took place in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war. To avoid further escalation, we urge all concerned to refrain from actions, rhetoric, or allegations that could further fuel the already dangerous conflict.
Mr. President,
In one month, we will mark the tragic milestone of two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine - in blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law.
And today is already the Security Council’s fourth meeting on Ukraine since the beginning of the year.
In recent weeks, the scale and intensity of attacks against Ukraine have only grown, highlighting the dangerous trajectory of the war.
Shelling and missile strikes on civilian areas continue to kill and maim civilians and cause massive destruction to critical infrastructure.
In total, since February 2022, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 10,312 civilians killed, including 576 children, and 19,530 more injured, including 1,277 children.
These figures continue to rapidly rise. On 23 January, at least 18 civilians were reportedly killed, and more than 130 injured, in Russian missile strikes across Ukraine.
In Kyiv, the latest attacks injured civilians and caused damage to civilian buildings, including next to the United Nations office.
In Kharkiv, 10 civilians were reportedly killed and 66 injured. The city continues to experience repeated air strikes, and the consequences are devastating.
The recent month is the most intense in terms of attacks and civilian casualties that the city has experienced since September 2022.
Aerial assaults also caused loss and destruction in Dnipro and Odesa.
Furthermore, on Sunday, 21 January, 28 civilians were reportedly killed and 30 injured, in shelling on the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
Cross-border strikes are also reportedly expanding inside the Russian Federation, reaching beyond the immediate border regions.
The Secretary-General has been unambiguous in condemning all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur. They are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately.
The recent incident in the Belgorod region, with its claimed link to a planned prisoner exchange, reminds us of the plight of prisoners of war. We remain deeply concerned about their treatment.
Since February 2022, the UN has interviewed over 280 Ukrainian POWs who returned from Russian captivity. Just in the past week, our colleagues in the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine interviewed 31 prisoners of war who returned in early January.
What we hear in these interviews is harrowing.
Only very few had been able to communicate with their families during their internment.
Over 90 per cent say they were tortured.
Many said they did not receive enough food or medical treatment they urgently needed.
We continue to urge the Russian Federation to provide independent international monitors unfettered access to POWs.
The parties must fulfil their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. We commend Ukraine for the progress made in this regard.
Earlier this month, we welcomed the latest exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Notwithstanding the circumstances of yesterday’s incident, the fate of POWs should not be instrumentalized.
We urge the parties to continue pursuing exchanges of prisoners of war.
Families on both sides are waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.
Mr. President,
The war in Ukraine is a war of choice. Its tragic consequences are clear for all to see.
The longer it lasts, the more death and destruction it causes, and the more it eats away at the norms agreed to ensure and maintain a peaceful and secure world.
The United Nations remains ready to support any meaningful efforts to lay the groundwork for just, lasting and comprehensive peace – in line with the UN Charter, international law, and resolutions of the General Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The UN “is not in a position” to verify reports surrounding the crash of a Russian aircraft near the border with Ukraine, the Organization’s top political affairs official said on Thursday, calling on the warring sides to avoid fuelling “the already dangerous conflict.”
