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Breaking updates, policy debates,  ideas, criticisms, essays, expert analysis, commentaries, on-the-spot reporting, insights and opportunities from the Middle East.

Aid surging into Gaza ‘at scale’ but massive needs remain: OCHA, WHO

On day three of the ceasefire which entered into force on Sunday 19 January, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, welcomed the “surge” in...

UN rights chief in historic meeting in Syria’s with caretaker authority in Damascus

Speaking from Damascus after meeting the leader of the caretaker authorities, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Mr. Türk said that he had been “assured…of the importance of...

Syria emergency: Four children a day killed by leftover explosives

Ricardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, told journalists from Damascus that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance...

Al Jazeera ban must be lifted, rights experts urge Palestinian Authority

The development comes one week after a court in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank ordered the closure of several Al Jazeera websites. A...

Top humanitarian official issues ceasefire appeal during visit to Gaza City

 Muhannad Hadi, who is also the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, made the appeal during a visit to Gaza City,...

Critical aid blocked in Gaza, as fuel shortages threaten lifesaving services

On Thursday, only 10 out of 21 planned humanitarian movements were facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Seven were denied outright, three were impeded and...

‘Children are now freezing to death’: harrowing updates from Gaza

Tragically in the last month alone, eight newborns have died of hypothermia and 74 children have already died amid the brutal conditions of winter...

Gaza: Humanitarians assist families impacted by recent airstrike in Deir Al-Balah

Personnel from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) conducted the assessment earlier this...

Syria crisis: UN teams support cholera vaccination in northeastern camps

The cholera outbreak was detected in the camp in early October and subsequently confirmed by laboratory tests. Because Al Hol does not have a...

Over 115,000 Syrians have returned home since end of Assad dictatorship

The information is based on public statements by host countries, contacts with immigration services from inside Syria, and border monitoring by the agency and...

‘RC blog: ‘It will take years to help people deal with the invisible consequences...

“I am continually inspired by the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people. As I have travelled to Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and...

The inspiring female engineer breathing new life into Yemen’s ancient capital

"There is a common language between me and the buildings. In every house I try to preserve. I feel that the city is grateful...

UN News Champion: ‘Are you keeping up with the death?’ The grinding toll of...

“My team — my friends — are the reason I stand where I am today.This will, inevitably, evolve into a homage to them, but...

Syria’s new ‘flame of hope’ must not be extinguished: Guterres

That’s the warning from UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday morning. He said there is “a real risk that...

Winter rains and aid convoy obstacles worsen ordeal for one million Gazans

In an update, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, stressed that attacks on civilian infrastructure have not stopped, “particularly in North Gaza, where the...

In Damascus, top UN envoy stresses need for credible, inclusive, ‘Syrian owned’ transition

The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria also called for all parties to prioritize the protection of civilians as the country grapples with...

Lime-flavoured memories drive innovation on Saudi farm

Mohamed Alnwairan stands in front of a verdant citrus tree which four months hence will bear his first harvest of limes.A former businessman turned...

Forging Peace in Syria: Great opportunities, grave risks

As the fighting intensified, the UN never stopped working behind the scenes to bring about a political solution that would deliver dignity, freedom and...

Syria crisis: UN delivering life-saving assistance; relocates non-critical staff

“The UN is strategically reducing its footprint by relocating non-critical staff outside the country... amid the evolving circumstances,” Adam Abdelmoula said in a statement...

Iraq: Security Council briefed on major milestones and ongoing challenges

“As you have heard many times by now, today’s Iraq is not the same as the Iraq of 20 years ago, or even five...

Middle East crisis: Live updates for 4 December

The Middle East crisis continues to deepen, with families in Gaza struggling to secure basic food amid constant displacement, plummeting temperatures, and relentless conflict....

Syria risks grave division and destruction, Security Council hears

Geir Pedersen told the Security Council the country faced grave risk of further division that was in no Syrian’s interest.“As I brief you today,...

Force will not secure Middle East peace: UN General Assembly President

Addressing the 193-member Assembly, President Philémon Yang reiterated the importance of the two-State solution, calling it the only path to lasting peace.  “After more...

Middle East crisis: Live updates for 26 November

With all eyes on a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, UN humanitarians condemned unrelenting violence there, in Gaza and...