SECURITY COUNCIL
Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, briefed the Security Council by video teleconference on the protection of hospitals in Gaza. 
He said that the destruction of hospitals across Gaza goes beyond depriving Palestinians of their right to access adequate healthcare. Those hospitals provided sanctuary for thousands of people with nowhere else to go.  
He said that across Gaza, Israeli military operations in and around hospitals, and associated combat, have had a terrible impact, precisely at a time of massive demands on healthcare due to the ongoing conflict. He added that, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 1,050 medical professionals have been killed in Gaza.  
The High Commissioner is calling for independent, thorough and transparent investigations into all Israeli attacks on hospitals, healthcare infrastructure and medical personnel – as well as the alleged misuse of such facilities.  
Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also briefed the Security Council on Gaza. He said that some 7 per cent of Gaza’s population has been killed in the past 14 months’ fighting while many others have suffered life-changing injuries.
The health care system is being pushed to breaking point, he added, with only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remaining partially functioning. 
Dr. Peeperkorn added that more than 12,000 people in Gaza still require medical evacuation – which means, at the current rate, it would take five to ten years to evacuate all the critically ill patients.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that civilians are facing heightened pressure to relocate yet again within the Gaza Strip. Today, the Israeli authorities ordered those staying in Al Bureij area of Deir al Balah governorate to move west, citing rocket fire into Israel.
The Israeli authorities continue to deny UN attempts to coordinate aid workers’ movement within Gaza. Today, six out of 10 coordination attempts were rejected outright. Of the remaining four, only two went ahead fully, while the other two encountered serious impediments.
Among the rejected attempts today was our plan to deliver supplies to the besieged areas of North Gaza governorate. OCHA says that the denial of humanitarian assistance, especially to survivors who remain in North Gaza, is a push factor for further displacement.
OCHA reminds us that most people across the Gaza Strip have already been displaced multiple times. They are often forced to flee amid intense bombardment with almost none of their belongings. Also, people are pressured to move into unsafe areas that lack the basics for human survival.
In this situation, humanitarian organizations are doing everything they possibly can to support people wherever they are.
The World Health Organization reports that 55 patients and 72 companions were evacuated from Gaza on Tuesday for medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates. Over 5,300 patients have been evacuated abroad since October 2023, leaving over 12,000 patients still awaiting evacuation.
UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said today that the Israeli Knesset bill to ban the agency from operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is due to come into effect in less than four weeks. Mr. Lazzarini emphasized that UNRWA’s teams are meanwhile committed to stay and deliver.
 Since October 2023, UNRWA has provided 6.7 million medical consultations in Gaza – over 1,600 consultations per day. Some 730,000 people have received mental health and psychosocial support, thanks to UNRWA. And, with partners, the agency vaccinated 560,000 children under the age of 10 against polio. In addition, nearly 2 million people have received food assistance, hundreds of thousands of displaced people have stayed in UNRWA shelters and, since the summer, UNRWA’s teams have reached 18,000 children with learning activities.
 
LEBANON/PEACEKEEPING
Our peacekeeping colleagues in Lebanon are telling us that operations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) north of the Blue Line have continued, including with movements further north reported in Sector East. A redeployment by the Lebanese Armed Forces was conducted this week in Shama in Sector West.
Israel and Lebanon have recommitted to full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. To address outstanding issues, we urge both parties to utilize the newly established Mechanism as agreed in the understanding.
UNIFIL also continues to urge the timely withdrawal of the IDF and deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon and the full implementation of resolution 1701 as a comprehensive path towards peace.
The Mission stands ready to play its role in supporting both countries meet their obligations and in monitoring 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.

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN
Meanwhile. we and our humanitarian partners continue to provide critical support in Lebanon to those still displaced or returning to their communities following the cessation of hostilities. 
The International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 124,000 people remain displaced, while over 4,000 people remain in 42 shelters. 
On cross-border movements with Syria, as we have mentioned before, the UN Refugee Agency reports that – according to local authorities - 90,000 people, including 20,000 Lebanese nationals, have arrived in Hermel in northeastern Lebanon. Of these, more than 39,000 are living in 175 collective sites and are in urgent need of assistance. 
For its part, the World Food Programme says that in 2024 it reached 750,000 people displaced by fighting. It supplied hot meals, food supplies and cash assistance in shelters and communities across Lebanon. 
WFP is currently prepositioning food supplies as close as possible to hard-to-reach areas. For example, a warehouse has been leased in the Bekaa to ensure access during winter snows. 
WFP has facilitated 17 inter-agency convoys delivering vital humanitarian aid to conflict-affected families since September 23. 

SYRIA
In Syria, UNHCR has distributed core relief and winter items to returnee families in Damascus, Homs and Idlib governorates as well as to internally displaced people living in collective centres and unfinished buildings across Raqqa and Al-Hassakeh governorates.  
 Meanwhile, WFP has swiftly readjusted its capacity to continue providing regular monthly assistance to 700,000 severely food insecure people, including food and nutrition assistance and school meals, while also expanding relief to newly displaced populations. 
WFP is planning to provide food and nutrition assistance to 2.8 million people in the coming weeks. 

MYANMAR
Turning to Myanmar, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the crisis there is deepening.  
Conflict persists in many parts of the country, and the fighting in Rakhine has recently escalated. Civilians continue to face extreme risks, acute food insecurity and a near total collapse of critical public services. 
Conflict has driven more than 3.5 million people from their homes, marking a staggering increase of nearly 1.5 million internally displaced persons compared to last year.  
As a reminder, at the end of 2024, the nearly $1 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan was funded at only 36 per cent. This year, humanitarian needs in Myanmar are expected to reach unprecedented levels, with nearly 20 million people in need of assistance, compared to last year’s 18.6 million. 
The 2025 humanitarian response plan aims to reach 5.5 million people with assistance, requiring funding of $1.1. billion. 
 
FOOD INDEX
The Food and Agriculture Organization reported today that the benchmark for world food commodity prices declined in December compared to the previous month, led down by a drop in international sugar quotations. 
For 2024 as a whole, the index recorded 122 points, 2.1 per cent lower than the average value in 2023, offsetting significant decreases in quotations for cereals and sugar with smaller but not insignificant increases in prices for vegetable oils, dairy, and meats. 

MANDELA PRIZE
The United Nations is calling for nominations for the 2025 United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize. 
This prize is given out every five years to two individuals - a woman and a man from different geographic regions. 
The Prize acknowledges individuals who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity, by promoting the purposes and principles of the United Nations. 
It also honours Nelson Mandela’s legacy of reconciliation, political transition and social transformation. 
The Prize is selected by a United Nations committee chaired by the President of the General Assembly and representatives of six Member States, plus five eminent advisers.  
The Department of Global Communications serves as the committee’s secretariat. 
Online nominations for the Prize will be accepted until 28 February 2025. The award ceremony will be in New York at the annual commemoration for Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July. 

WORLD BRAILLE DAY
Tomorrow is World Braille Day. This Day is observed to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of human rights for blind and partially sighted people.