Noon briefing of 29 December 2023

As the hostilities between Israel and Hamas and other groups in Gaza intensify, the Secretary-General remains gravely concerned about the further spillover of this conflict, which could have devastating consequences for the entire region. There is a continued risk of wider regional conflagration, the longer the conflict in Gaza continues, given the risk of escalation and miscalculation by multiple actors.
The escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, including intensified Israeli security forces operations, high numbers of fatalities, settler violence and attacks on Israelis by Palestinians, is extremely alarming. The daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line risk triggering a broader escalation between Israel and Lebanon and affecting regional stability.
The Secretary-General is increasingly concerned about the spillover effects of the continuing attacks by armed groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Houthi attacks against vessels in the Red Sea, which have escalated in recent days. The Secretary-General urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint and take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions in the region.
The Secretary-General again appeals to all members of the international community to do everything in their power to use their influence on the relevant parties to prevent an escalation of the situation in the region. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

GAZA
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) called today on the Israeli Authorities, other parties to the conflict and those with influence over them to safeguard an environment for safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. According to the Agency, the entire population of Gaza of 2.2 million people is now almost exclusively dependent on humanitarian assistance including food.
UN agencies and humanitarian partners continue to do all they can to meet the growing needs of civilians in Gaza. Yesterday and today, the World Food Programme – together with UNRWA and partners - conducted a large-scale food distribution for some 10,000 displaced families in makeshift camps in Rafah, with enough supply for 10 days. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that an estimated 100,000 internally displaced people have recently arrived in Rafah, amid an intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, as well as evacuation orders by the Israeli army.
In a social media post, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has described the situation in Gaza as “impossible” for people in need and those trying to help them, he called for a stop to the fighting, stressing the many major obstacles to getting aid into and across Gaza.
Mr. Griffiths pointed to the multiple inspections required, long queues of trucks, and difficulties at crossing points. Inside Gaza, he underscored that aid operations face constant bombardments, with aid workers themselves killed, and said some convoys have been shot at.

MIDDLE EAST/SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, Mohamed Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, briefed Security Council members on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
He said the situation in the Middle East is alarming. In Gaza, Israeli intense ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas and others continues in most areas; Hamas and other Palestinian factions continue to fire rockets from Gaza into Israel, and civilians from both sides, particularly in Gaza strip currently, continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.
Mr. Khiari also warned of the high risk of regional spillover of this conflict with potential devastating consequences for the entire region, noting the daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line, the attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria, and the continued Houthi threat to maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
Mr. Khiari appealed to all members of the international community to do everything in their power to use their influence on the relevant parties to prevent an escalation of the situation in the region.

UKRAINE
In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General condemned in the strongest terms the overnight large-scale missile and drone attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian cities and towns across the country, including against civilian and critical infrastructure. The attack reportedly resulted in at least 24 civilians killed and more than 134 injured.
The Secretary-General noted that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure
violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable and must end immediately. He extended his deepest condolences to the families of all the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Also in a statement, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, noted that today’s series of attacks – reportedly one of the largest-scale since the start of Russia’s invasion – was just the latest example of why 2023 has been another year of enormous suffering for people in Ukraine.
In response to the strikes, humanitarian partners mobilized emergency support for impacted people in Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and other cities. Alongside local authorities, they are providing construction materials for emergency repairs, medical and psychological assistance, tents with heating and hot meals for people who are unable to access their homes due to the destruction, amid harsh winter conditions.

VENEZUELA
In answer to questions on the recent announcement of the Venezuelan Government to conduct defensive military exercises in response to the arrival of a United Kingdom military patrol vessel off the coast of Guyana we can say that the Secretary-General continues to follow developments between Guyana and Venezuela, including the joint Argyle Declaration of 14 December.
The Secretary-General welcomes the commitment of the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela to settle their differences through peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated 17 February 1966, and reiterates his calls for the use of solely peaceful means to settle international disputes.
He urges the parties to continue to uphold their commitment to the pursuance of good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence and to refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute or make it more difficult to resolve.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
We would like to say thank you to our friends in Grenada for paying their 2023 Regular Budget dues in full. This brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 142.