HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 7 JANUARY 2025
Lebanon/UNIFIL
In Lebanon, the monitoring mechanism for the cessation of hostilities met yesterday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commenced its withdrawal from areas around Naqoura yesterday. The IDF is still present elsewhere in the UNIFIL area of operations but the preparation of its phased withdrawal, in parallel with the increased deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to southern Lebanon, continues.
Yesterday and today, UNIFIL supported the re-deployment of the Lebanese forces to positions in Naqoura and Alma al-Sha’b after Israeli forces withdrew.
UNIFIL continues to liaise and coordinate with both parties to de-conflict and support the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.
Lebanon/Humanitarian
On the humanitarian front, in Lebanon we and our partners today extended the Flash Appeal, originally launched on 1 October 2024, for a further three months, covering January to March 2025.
The extended Flash appeal calls for US$371 million to provide critical assistance and protection to one million Lebanese, Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants.
More than one month since the cessation of hostilities, humanitarian needs in the country remain pressing. While over 880,000 people displaced by the conflict have started to return to their home areas, many find their homes, as well as infrastructure and essential services, damaged or destroyed.
Moreover, nearly 125,000 people are still displaced outside their areas of origin, unable to return, including to the more than 60 villages and areas for which the Israeli Army continues to reiterate that civilians should not return.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
In central Gaza earlier this week, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Mine Action Service carried out a rapid needs assessment in the Yaffa and Al Somud makeshift sites in Deir al Balah, which host more than 190 families.
Several people at these makeshift sites were reportedly injured by an airstrike this past Friday. The team witnessed dozens of tents destroyed at both sites, with many others damaged. Essential infrastructure – including water, sewage and solar power systems – was affected, and three learning spaces were damaged.
Humanitarian partners provided assistance to the families impacted, including emergency shelter materials, non-food items and food aid. Another partner has mobilized to provide water and sanitation services.
As hostilities continue across Gaza, the UN stresses again that civilians must be protected at all times, and the essential needs for their survival must be met.
In a statement he issued yesterday, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, warned that our humanitarian effort in Gaza, which is already struggling, faces mounting obstacles.
He said that despite our determination to deliver food, water and medicine to survivors in Gaza, our efforts to save lives are at a breaking point.
He noted that there is no meaningful civil order in the Strip, and that Israeli forces are unable or unwilling to ensure the safety of our convoys.
Syria
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that humanitarian access in Syria remains a challenge in parts of north-east Syria. The internal crossing connecting Menbij to areas east of the Euphrates River - including Ar-Raqqa - remains closed, preventing the movement of goods and people, including aid workers.
In other areas in the north-east, access has not been disrupted. For instance, humanitarian shipments from Damascus to Qamishli City in Al-Hasakeh Governorate are ongoing. Several UN agencies also received supplies through the Tabqa crossing point in Ar-Raqqa Governorate.
Despite the challenges, the UN and its partners continue to provide assistance as security and logistical conditions permit.
Over 2.5 million people across the country - including people in camps, collective centres and host communities - have received bread between 27 November and 6 January. Over 300,000 received other food assistance, including ready-to-eat rations, hot meals, and food baskets.
OCHA says that in the north-west, partners continue to support farmers and breeders with agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, as well as start-up grants to help small and medium enterprises.
Without additional support, humanitarian partners warn that wheat and barley production in 2025 will be severely impacted in a country where 15 million people are already food insecure.
Deputy Secretary-General
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Accra, Ghana, today, where she attended the presidential inauguration of John Dramani Mahama on behalf of the Secretary-General.
Later today, she will travel to Nigeria, where she will meet with senior Government officials as well as the senior leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN condemns the ongoing offensive launched last week by the M23 (Mouvement du 23 mars) in North Kivu. On Saturday (4 January), the M23 captured the town of Masisi.
According to the peacekeepers in the country, this attack has resulted in the deaths of at least seven civilians and led to the displacement of tens of thousands of men, women and children, worsening the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC.
The armed group is now threatening to advance further into Masisi and Walikale territories, as well as in the administrative centre of Lubero, in the northern part of the province. Since June, the M23 has occupied large parts of North Kivu, establishing a parallel administration in territories under its control.
The UN reiterates that it is imperative that the group lay down its weapons and abides by the cease-fire in place since 4 August. The UN also urges all parties to remain committed to the Luanda process.
Haiti
Turning to Haiti, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that at least 5,601 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence.
This is an increase of over 1,000 men, women and children, compared to the total number of people killed in 2023 – and this is according to figures verified by the UN Human Rights Office.
Also last year, our colleagues say that over 2,200 people were injured and 1,494 were kidnapped.
The Human Rights office documented 315 lynchings of gang members and people allegedly associated with gangs. They also report 281 cases of alleged summary executions involving specialized police units. In a statement, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said these figures show the unremitting violence to which people are being subjected.
He added that impunity for human rights violations and abuses, as well as corruption, remain prevalent in Haiti and are some of the main drivers of the crisis the country faces, along with entrenched economic and social inequalities.
Restoring the rule of law must be a priority, Mr. Türk said, reiterating our call to ensure the Multinational Security Support mission has the logistical and financial support it needs to implement its mandate.
The High Commissioner also called on the Haitian National Police, with the support of the international community, to strengthen its oversight mechanism to hold accountable police officers reportedly involved in human rights violations.
Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, according to authorities and partners, hostilities in the first week of January resulted in hundreds of casualties, including children. Over the past three days, homes, gas facilities, and electricity infrastructure have been damaged in several front-line regions, exposing civilians to heightened health risks as temperatures dropped below zero in some parts of the country.
In Kherson region alone, in the south of the country, more than 60 residential buildings were damaged.
The ongoing hostilities have also forced new displacements. Since the beginning of the year, at least 1,600 people, including children, have fled front-line areas, primarily in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, according to local authorities.
Despite limited access in some front-line areas due to intense fighting, aid workers continue to deliver emergency supplies, provide first aid, and offer psychological support to civilians.
