Middle East

Hunger, dire living conditions made worse by heavy winter rains and ongoing hostilities continue to endanger people’s lives in Gaza, which has become “a graveyard”, UN humanitarians warned on Friday. 

The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.

In a landmark mission to Syria, the UN probe into the most serious rights violations committed in the country since 2011 has called on caretaker authorities to take immediate measures to protect mass grave sites and preserve critical evidence.

A flame of hope burns bright today in Syria – but if it’s not carefully managed by both Syrians themselves and the international community, it risks being extinguished.

Around 1.3 million Syrians have received food aid in the past three weeks across Syria from the UN and partners, as the restoration of key services begins in some of the relatively stable areas of the country.

The head of the UN aid coordination office in Gaza, Georgios Petropoulos, issued a harrowing update on the dire situation in the enclave on Thursday, describing it as "the most dangerous place on earth right now." 

Nearly one million Gazans risk spending winter without adequate shelter as UN agencies struggle to provide cold weather assistance, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment, repeated evacuation orders and restrictions on aid deliveries, they warned on Wednesday.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria concluded talks in Damascus on Wednesday, expressing optimism that the fall of the Assad regime could mark the start of a peaceful and democratic transition for the shattered country, while acknowledging challenges remain.

The United Nations continues to voice major concern over hostilities and Israeli settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the Security Council heard on Wednesday. 

Senior UN officials have been meeting representatives of the new caretaker authorities in Damascus in the past few days, following the overthrow of the Assad regime. This morning in New York, the Security Council met to discuss the future of Syria, with briefings from the UN Special Envoy and the UN's emergency relief chief. UN News app users can follow our coverage here.

The historic shift of power in Syria and the possibility of finally accessing evidence of horrific human rights violations could bring accountability closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved - a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.

The head of UN political affairs called on Tuesday for urgent re-engagement to restore an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme. 

At a historic crossroads, just 11 days after the collapse of the Assad regime, Syria faces a fragile mix of hope and chaos, plagued by a volatile security situation and a worsening humanitarian crisis, top UN officials told the Security Council on Tuesday.

Authorities in Gaza reported on Monday that more than 45,000 people have been killed in the enclave in the last 14 months, as humanitarians condemned new deadly airstrikes across the war-torn Strip, including on a UN school-turned-shelter.

The UN’s top Syria envoy has held talks in Damascus with the head of the new administration as well as the prime minister of the caretaker Government, stressing the imperative for a “credible and inclusive Syrian owned and led political transition.”