Renewed fighting last week led by the terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other armed factions has engulfed parts of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama, destabilising frontlines that had remained unchanged since 2020. UN human rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva of “a number of extremely...
Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said massive missile and drone attacks on the power network this week have heightened serious concerns about the plight of civilians facing a winter of hardship and misery. Russia launched missile and long-range drone strikes on Thursday, which reportedly caused damage in at least 13 regions, in...
The UN Interim Force Lebanon (UNIFIL) is also seriously concerned by numerous strikes on the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) despite their declared non-involvement in the hostilities, he added. The LAF have reported that at least 45 soldiers have been killed in recent attacks. Deadly escalation Mr. Dujarric stressed that such...
“The Secretary General is appalled by the large numbers of civilians being killed, detained and displaced, acts of sexual violence against women and girls, the looting of homes and markets and the burning of farms,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in a statement issued on Friday. The Secretary-General warned that...
Preliminary reports indicate that between 20 and 25 October, fighters from the paramilitary RSF launched major attacks across eastern parts of the Al Jazirah state (also spelled Gezira), indiscriminately shooting at civilians and committing sexual violence against women and girls. “I am shocked and deeply appalled that human rights violations...
According to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), two peacekeepers were injured on Friday after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower. This followed an incident on Thursday when an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Merkava tank fired at an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting...
The war in Gaza was sparked following a brutal attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel and has led to an ongoing offensive by Israeli forces against the militants. Ahmed Abu Aita lost 45 relatives, including his wife and son, together with his family-run dairy and...
“That day left deep scars on individuals, families, and the collective memory of the State of Israel and the world,” said Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who is based in Jerusalem. “Today, we mourn for the over 1,200 people, including many women and children,...
At least 18 people were killed, and many more fatalities could be trapped under the rubble of the three-storied building, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR). The killings “marked yet another escalation of the violence”, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing...
The alert from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine follows significant destruction to power plants and the worsening energy crisis that has affected access to electricity, clean water and heating, while also pushing up prices for consumers. The strikes on the national grid included one coordinated attack on...
John Marks, interim UNICEF Representative in Ukraine, issued a renewed appeal for schools to be protected as war rages on. “During the first week of the new academic year, educational facilities in areas including Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, Lviv and Sumy were reportedly damaged in attacks,” he said. “Evacuations across...
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...