Ceasefire

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday that it remains gravely concerned about the impact of ongoing military activities in Lebanon on civilians. These concerns include the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs late Thursday, just before the start of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha. Additional strikes were recorded in the southern village of Ain Qana that same night.

The entire population in the Gaza Strip faces an imminent risk of famine, with more than half a million people already in catastrophic conditions, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns. Meanwhile, after days of intense negotiations on a humanitarian pause and the delivery of aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip, the United States abstained Friday on a United Nations Security Council (SC) resolution, allowing its adoption by the 15-member body.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called Wednesday for Israel and Hamas to prolong a temporary truce, saying a “true humanitarian cease-fire” is needed in the eight-week-old war. Meanwhile, a last-minute deal was struck on Thursday between Israel and Hamas to continue their cease-fire for a seventh day.

The United Nations on Tuesday condemned the ongoing offensive launched last week by the rebel group Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On Saturday, the non-state armed group captured the town of Masisi in the eastern province of North Kivu. Intense clashes between the Congolese army (FARDC) and the M23 have forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes in less than a week.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk called Friday on Myanmar's military to end all attacks on civilians and civilian objects. He said the unremitting violence against civilians, despite a ceasefire declared after the March earthquakes, underscores the need for the parties to the conflict to commit to and implement a genuine and lasting nationwide cessation of hostilities and a return to civilian rule.

As the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza passed the grim milestone of 40,000, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday called for an end to the killing "once and for all" and the release of all hostages. Meanwhile, international negotiators meet in Qatar on Friday to renew efforts to end the conflict and avert a wider war in the Middle East.

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher on Friday again called on the international community to protect civilians in Gaza and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, in accordance with international law, as Israeli attacks on civilians, aid workers, UN personnel, hospitals and ambulances continue with impunity. The complete blockade of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza, imposed by Israel four weeks ago, remains in place.

On Wednesday, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the recent surge in deadly attacks by the Rwandan-backed M23 and other armed groups against civilians in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo). According to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), at least 490 civilians were killed in these attacks in July alone.

This Sunday marks 100 days since the devastating war in the Gaza Strip began, killing tens of thousands of civilians – among them more than 10,000 children - and displacing millions of people, following the major attacks that Palestinian armed groups carried out against Israel on October 7 last year. United Nations officials say Palestinians in Gaza are in a state of desperation after three months of being militarily battered and left without sufficient supplies of food, water and medicine. 

The situation for civilians in the Gaza Strip is getting worse by the day. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that food stocks and other essential supplies in Gaza are largely depleted or have run out, and the situation is desperate as no humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered the territory for more than eight weeks. In addition, escalating Israeli attacks, movement restrictions and the expansion of military zones have made humanitarian operations nearly impossible, putting civilians and aid workers at extreme risk.

The heads of more than a dozen United Nations agencies and international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have issued a rare joint statement Sunday calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Gaza officials reported today that more than 10,000 Palestinians - including more than 4,100 children - have been killed since October 7 by Israel’s retaliatory attacks against the tiny enclave.

As civilians lining up for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip continue to be killed by Israeli forces, speakers at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday urged Israel to lift restrictions on aid operations in Gaza, called for a return to UN-led delivery mechanisms, and stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire and the protection of civilians. Among them was UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, who told members that "we are beyond vocabulary to describe conditions in Gaza."

Retaliatory attacks by Israeli security forces have killed more than 25,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip, including about 70 percent women and children, and injured more than 62,000 others. The carnage follows a large-scale attack on Israelis and foreign nationals by Palestinian armed groups on October 7 last year.  Meanwhile, heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continue across much of Gaza, causing more and more civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction.

As the war in Yemen entered its tenth year this week, millions of Yemenis continue to suffer the long-term consequences of the devastating ongoing conflict. Nine years after Saudi Arabia launched its military offensive, Yemen remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than half of the country's population - an estimated 18.2 million people - are in need of humanitarian assistance this year. Among them are 9.8 million children.

With the current truce agreement between the warring parties in Yemen set to expire on 2 October 2022, more than 40 national and international humanitarian organizations today urged all parties to the conflict to renew and expand the ceasefire. They also reminded the parties that the future of the people of Yemen is in their hands.

Amid growing hopes for a Gaza ceasefire and an end to the war, United Nations humanitarian officials revealed disturbing details on Friday about the ongoing killing and injuring of Palestinians desperately seeking food. Israeli forces continue to target and kill people attempting to access food supplies at militarized distribution centers, UN distribution sites, and near aid convoys.

The United Nations Security Council overcame weeks of inaction and bickering Wednesday to issue a call for "extended humanitarian pauses" in the Gaza Strip, especially for the protection of children, only to have the Israeli government immediately reject the measure. Meanwhile, Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land continue across Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians every day; the majority of them are children and women. 

The United Nations humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said in a statement on Wednesday that the world is watching horrifying scenes day after day of Palestinians being shot, wounded, or killed in the Gaza Strip simply for trying to eat. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has recorded the deaths of at least 82 Palestinians and the injuries of at least 506 others, reportedly while they were trying to reach food distribution points in Rafah and Deir al Balah.