The United Nations observes the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (November 29), commemorating the adoption of the Partition Resolution. Amidst a devastating war in Gaza that has claimed over 43,000 lives, the call for a ceasefire, an end to the occupation, and progress toward a two-state solution is more pressing than ever. This day serves as a reminder that the Question of Palestine remains unsolved, with the Palestinian people still striving for their inalienable rights to self-determination, national independence, sovereignty, and the right of refugees to return.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is holding a special meeting today to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November). During the event, Member States and global leaders will gather at the ECOSOC Chamber to express solidarity through messages emphasizing the unresolved question of Palestine. Watch the meeting live on UN WebTV (10 a.m. - 1 p.m. New York time). Additionally, the exhibition "Gaza, Palestine: A Crisis of Our Humanity" will be on display in the General Assembly Visitors' Lobby until 5 January 2025.

Gaza after one year

One year after the war in Gaza, violence persists, and the humanitarian crisis continues. Over the past year, UN officials have condemned Hamas's attacks, called for the immediate release of all hostages, and urged for ceasefires. Gaza remains sealed off, leaving no safe areas for civilians. The UN is fully committed to staying and delivering aid to the people of Gaza.

UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a comprehensive report detailing the profound economic destruction that has gripped the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the aftermath of the Israeli military operation in Gaza.

“I think if there is hell on Earth, it's Gaza.”

Muhannad Hadi knew that humanitarian work was his calling from an early age. Now UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he is devoting himself to helping to alleviate the unimaginable suffering in Gaza. 

“They told me that agony, 24/7. They told me what they go through from the morning until they drop asleep, out of exhaustion. And I promised that I will tell the story.”

The UN estimates that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has displaced up to 1.9 million people – 90% of the population - many of whom have fled multiple times. In this episode of Awake at Night, Muhannad Hadi reflects on the horrendous conditions in Gaza, the importance of having a supportive family, and how his time volunteering in Jordan led to a lifelong humanitarian career.

As the war in Gaza reaches a 200-day mark, the Security Council is set to receive a briefing today from Sigrid Kaag, the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. Ms. Kaag will provide a firsthand account of the current humanitarian situation and challenges to aid and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Since assuming her role, she has been working with UN agencies, NGOs, and member states to improve aid delivery in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has led to nearly 34,000 deaths, including 10,000 women and nearly 14,000 children, and has brought the population to the brink of famine.

The Gaza conflict has been going on for over six months with devastating consequences. Thousands of Palestinian women have been killed, leaving children orphaned. Over a million women and girls face dire living conditions with limited access to necessities like food and medical care. Destruction of infrastructure has exacerbated the crisis, leaving many injured individuals without treatment. Urgent calls for humanitarian aid and a ceasefire are needed to prevent further suffering. Escalating violence in the West Bank and a potential regional conflict between Israel and Iran are also of concern.

The Security Council is hearing a briefing today from the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. With almost 30,000 killed in Gaza, intense Israeli bombardment is causing further civilian casualties and displacement. Amid already widespread hunger, WFP has announced that it is pausing deliveries of food aid to northern Gaza, because of the deteriorating security situation. The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for the unconditional release of all hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire, and called the Security Council failure to implement such measures a 'global deadlock’. 

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the impact of the Israel-Gaza crisis on the Palestinian economy with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) economist Rami Alazzeh. Since the deadly assault by Hamas militants on October 7, Israel's military response has destroyed more than 37,000 buildings and displaced most of the 2.3 million people in the tiny enclave. With so much destruction, UNCTAD says in a new report that rebuilding Gaza will be all the more difficult given the already dire state of the economy from Israel’s decades-long blockade.

The current Israeli military operation in Gaza will take tens of billions of dollars and many decades to reverse, according to a new report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). According to the report, the Israeli offensive greatly accelerated the contraction of Gaza's economy, resulting in a 24% contraction of GDP and a 26.1% drop in GDP per capita for the entire year. In addition, has displaced 85% of Gaza's population, halting economic activities and further worsening poverty and unemployment. The recovery of Gaza's economy from the current military operation will demand a financial commitment several times more than the $3.9 billion that resulted from the 2014 military operation in Gaza and will require a concerted international effort to restore pre-conflict socioeconomic conditions.

Amidst the escalating crisis in Gaza, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is holding a critical meeting to elect new members, with the UN Secretary-General presiding. The meeting will also adopt the 2024 Programme of Work and hear from high-profile dignitaries. Following the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and Israel's intensive military response in Gaza, the Committee's role in advocating for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is more urgent than ever in its quest to promote the two-State solution and a path toward a just peace and stability in the region.

For the people of Gaza, the past 100 days have felt like 100 years. This has been the largest displacement of the Palestinian people since 1948. 

As hostilities in Gaza reached the grim milestone of 100 days, the UN reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages. In the aftermath of the attack on Israel last October that left 1,200 dead, Israel started a military response that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians so far - two-thirds of them women and children. The UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council have passed resolutions demanding immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, and the UN Secretary-General has vowed not to give up on his calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, and has expressed grave concerns about the conflict spilling over and destabilizing the entire region.

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 fourth month. 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. Children and families need humanitarian assistance and protection now.

In the desolate southern reaches of Rafah, amidst the biting cold of winter, Mustafa Al-Bayed, a tenacious TV correspondent, weaves a story of resilience against the backdrop of an unrelenting war in the Gaza Strip. Conditions in Gaza are dire, with insufficient food, water, shelter, feul and medical supplies. Only 10 percent of the required food assistance had entered Gaza in the last 70 days, according to World Food Programme estimates. Reporting live from the unfolding events in Gaza, Mustafa faces the dual challenge of professional dedication and the ever-present concern for his family's safety amidst Israeli airstrikes and the relentless conflict. Mustafa's utmost goal is to broadcast the stories and struggles of his people to the global stage.