HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM,
THURSDAY, 26 DECEMBER 2024
Occupied Palestinian Territory
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to receive daily reports of civilians being killed and injured across Gaza due to ongoing hostilities, which are also causing widespread destruction and driving displacement.
OCHA stresses once again that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, must be protected and spared from attacks.
Meanwhile, OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny and impede the majority of aid missions across Gaza. Out of 12 UN requests for coordinated humanitarian movements yesterday, six requests were denied outright, three were cancelled by the organizers due to security or logistical challenges, one was approved but faced impediments, and two others were facilitated and accomplished.
One attempt to reach besieged parts of North Gaza governorate was denied yesterday and another one today.
Despite access restrictions and insecurity, aid organizations are working hard to assist the most vulnerable, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
Most families cannot afford the exorbitant cost of basic food, with a 25-kilogramme bag of wheat flour priced between the equivalent of US$160 and $190. Humanitarian partners working to address hunger in Gaza estimate that as of mid-December, 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour are needed to distribute one bag of flour to all families in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Without this, food insecurity in central and southern areas of the Strip will only worsen.
Syria
Across Syria, including in the north-west, the UN and humanitarian partners are providing assistance to people in need. Cross-border aid deliveries from Türkiye continue without impediments. Today, more than two dozen trucks carrying assistance from three UN agencies crossed into Idlib using the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing. The convoy brought more than 300 metric tonnes of food from the World Food Programme; health and medical supplies from UNICEF, and blankets, hygiene kits and other relief items from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Since the start of the year, 777 UN aid trucks have crossed into north-west Syria from Türkiye.
In the meantime, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that in north-west Syria, conditions remain dire at displacement camps in Idlib and northern Aleppo, as winter deepens the hardship of some 730,000 people living in tents.
On 23 December, more than 200 family tents in four camps were damaged by flooding due to heavy rainfall. Since the start of 2024, flooding and strong winds have damaged more than 8,800 family tents – including nearly 2,000 that were fully destroyed – across 260 camps.
Humanitarian partners report that most families living in displacement camps have expressed a desire to return to their areas of origin but said they are unable to do so due to a lack of adequate services and infrastructure damage in their hometowns, as well as the presence of explosive remnants.
Since 26 November, humanitarian mine action partners have identified 109 new minefields across Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Latakia. So far, they have destroyed more than 650 single items of explosive ordnance.
Landmine explosions in north-west Syria reportedly caused at least nine casualties, including one child, on 24 and 25 December alone. Across Syria since 8 December, incidents involving explosive ordnance have killed more than 70 civilians – including a dozen children and five women – with scores more injured, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Israeli military activity continues to be reported in and around the Golan Heights. Yesterday, Israeli forces reportedly injured six civilians when they opened fire in Al-Suweisah town, in Quneitra governorate. Residents were ordered to evacuate, with the Israeli military imposing a curfew.
Lebanon
In a statement issued on Thursday, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that any actions that risk the fragile cessation of hostilities must cease.
Israel and Lebanon have recommitted to full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. To address outstanding issues, both parties are urged to utilize the newly established Mechanism as agreed in the understanding.
UNIFIL continues to urge the timely withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces and deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon and the full implementation of Resolution 1701 as a comprehensive path toward peace. UNIFIL is working closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces as they accelerate recruitment efforts and redeploy troops to the south.
There is concern at continuing destruction by the IDF in residential areas, agricultural land, and road networks in south Lebanon. This is in violation of Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL stands ready to play its role in supporting both countries meet their obligations as well as monitor progress. This includes ensuring the area south of the Litani River is free of any armed personnel, assets or weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL as well as respect for the Blue Line.
Peacekeepers will continue their mandated tasks, including the monitoring and reporting to the Security Council of all violations of Resolution 1701.
Afghanistan/Pakistan
Today, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that it has received credible reports that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed in airstrikes by Pakistan’s military forces in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on 24 December.
The UN Mission stressed that international law obliges military forces to take necessary precautions to prevent civilian harm, including distinguishing between civilians and combatants in operations. UNAMA added that an investigation is needed to ensure accountability, prevent recurrence, and uphold victims' rights.
Secretary-General/Kazakhstan
In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General said that he is deeply saddened by the news of a plane crash in western Kazakhstan, which has claimed the lives of many, including citizens of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expressed his profound sympathy to the affected nations.
The Secretary-General also wishes a swift and full recovery to those injured in this tragic incident.
Ukraine
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned yesterday’s large-scale attack on different areas of the country, which reportedly left hundreds of thousands of people without heat and electricity. He said that Christmas is meant to be a day of peace and hope, and it is utterly reprehensible that it was shattered by devastating attacks on homes and energy infrastructure.
Mr. Schmale added that these attacks worsen the humanitarian situation for vulnerable people and communities struggling in cold winter temperatures. It was the 13th large-scale attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine since March.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted that the Kharkiv region was hardest hit, with as many as 500,000 people left without electricity, heating and hot water in Kharkiv City and two nearby communities, according to authorities. In the Ukraine-controlled part of the Donetsk region, a thermal power plant was damaged, while in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, power supplies were reportedly disrupted.
Following yesterday’s large-scale attack and hostilities on 24 December, humanitarians in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, and in Kharkiv provided emergency assistance, complementing the efforts of first responders. This included repair materials, as well as first aid and psychological support.
Mozambique/Tropical Cyclone Chido
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that, as of today, at least 77,000 people in Mozambique have received some form of humanitarian assistance since Tropical Cyclone Chido struck the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa less than two weeks ago.
The World Food Programme (WFP) noted that more than 456,000 hectares of land – including 28,000 hectares of cropland – were inundated in impacted provinces, causing significant production losses and severely impacting livelihoods and food security. The UN and humanitarian partners continue to provide vital assistance to people affected by Chido, as well as those displaced by violence in northern districts of Cabo Delgado. More than 4,200 people – mostly women and children – have been forced to flee their homes amid attacks by non-state armed groups.
