Middle East - Page 3

Israel’s renewed bombing campaign and intensifying ground operation in Gaza are reversing gains achieved during the brief ceasefire, UN humanitarians inside the devastated enclave said on Friday.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is descending further into violence, with mounting civilian casualties in the West Bank and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the UN’s top envoy for the region warned on Friday.

A senior UN political affairs official called for Israel and Hamas to restore the shattered ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday and release all remaining hostages, while one of those freed told the Security Council of his 500-day ordeal in captivity.

The legacy of the Syrian conflict, which saw the overthrow of the Assad regime in December last year, is that 16.5 million people are in dire need of assistance, making it one of the largest humanitarian crises globally, a senior UN humanitarian

Israeli bombardments continued across Gaza on Wednesday, killing hundreds more people – many of them women and children – and leaving widespread destruction in its wake, according to local authorities. 

At least one UN staffer has been killed and at least five others injured – several very severely – following an explosion at their official premises in Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday spoke of new “intolerable” suffering for Gazans following the resumption of deadly Israeli airstrikes, underscoring three immediate needs: a renewed ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and the unconditional release of hostages.

A relative of two Syrians tortured and murdered by the Assad regime has spoken of the anguish caused by their enforced disappearance during the country’s civil war.

Fourteen years of war have left Syria’s people in desperate need – but international support is dwindling, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, calling for urgent investment in the country’s recovery.

The UN Security Council meets at 10 AM in New York to discuss the situation in Middle East, as deadly Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza and a two-week aid blockade strains critical supplies. Well over 400 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more

Marking 14 years since the start of the Syrian conflict, top UN officials raised alarm over renewed violence and growing instability, warning that without urgent action, Syria’s fragile transition could be at risk.

For Waad Al-Kateab, the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria in December 2024 felt almost unreal. “I thought the ending of my story was dying in exile,” she told UN News.  “And it just happened out of the blue.”

The UN emergency food relief agency has not been able to transport any aid into the Gaza Strip, due to the ongoing closure of all border crossing points, which is now in its twelfth day, the UN Spokesperson said on Friday.

Senior human rights investigators reporting to the UN Human Rights Council alleged on Thursday that sexual and gender-based violence by Israeli security forces against Palestinians – including children – have been increasingly used “as a method of war” following the 7 October

The Constitutional Declaration issued by Syria’s caretaker authorities marks a pivotal moment in the country’s turbulent transition, with UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen expressing cautious optimism about its potential to fill a legal vacuum and pave the way for a “credible and