UN News Today 10 September 2024 |

UN envoy condemns deadly strike on Gaza camp in humanitarian zone

The UN Middle East envoy strongly condemned deadly airstrikes by the Israeli Defense Forces on Tuesday on a camp in an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians were staying in the camp in Khan Younis (Khan Yoonis), and at least 19 people were killed, according to the latest media reports.

“Such actions underscore that nowhere is safe in Gaza,”Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said.

The envoy repeated his call for all sides to immediately reach an agreement that will bring about the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that the killing of civilians must stop, and the horrific war must end.

Meanwhile, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reported late on Monday that the Israeli army had stopped a convoy heading to north Gaza to vaccinate children against polio, despite prior detailed coordination.

UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a three-part campaign this month to protect more than 600,000 young children in the enclave against polio after the disease was detected in sewage samples in June.

The convoy was stopped at gun point with threats to detain UN staff.

In a tweet on Tuesday however, UNRWA sent an update that despite the convoy delay their “teams have been able to vaccinate thousands of children in north Gaza today.”

Escalating violence in Syria raises fear of ‘large-scale war’

Increased violence along the frontlines in Syria, with continued war crimes on all sides, is leaving civilians in the region fearful of a “large-scale war”, warns a new report from the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry release Tuesday.

The recent fighting in northeast Syria is between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on the one hand and Arab tribes, Government forces and an Iran-backed militia on the other.

The report links rising regional tensions to both the war in Gaza and increased Israeli attacks against Iranian officials and Iranian-backed forces across Syria.

The Syria Commission noted that Iranian-affiliated groups have also targeted US bases in eastern Syria over 100 times, prompting US counterattacks.

Based on investigations by the Commission, increased violence in northwest Syria, including the Syrian Government forces’ use of cluster munitions in densely populated areas, has killed or injured over 150 civilians, half of them women and children.

These attacks, along with Russian airstrikes causing civilian casualties, may amount to war crimes, the report said.

Nicaragua’s people defenseless in face of grave human rights violations

And finally, in Nicaragua, the human rights situation has dramatically worsened since last year, with the Government continuing to carry out serious human rights violations, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua warned in its latest update to the Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

Power is increasingly being concentrated in the hands of Nicaragua’s President and Vice-President, the Group said, and there is nowhere for citizens to turn to for justice and accountability.

Arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment, and the manipulation of criminal law to eliminate any opposition continue. Victims are forced to choose between prison and leaving the country.

Civil rights are also under massive threat. The Group said that in August this year the Government forced 1,800 non-profit organizations to close, and arbitrarily confiscated their assets.

The State’s forced takeover of universities and violations against student leaders and professors have immensely impacted thousands of students’ educations, having a serious impact on the development of the country.

The systematic persecution of leaders and activists from Indigenous peoples and communities of Afro-descent, waves of repression against Christian denominations, along with the failure to investigate gender-based violence and murders, continues to plague Nicaragua.

Violations with cross-border reach also persist as exiles are arbitrarily deprived of their livelihoods. Relatives of opponents of the Government, including children, have been victimized solely for their family ties.

Special Rapporteurs serve in their individual capacity, independent of the UN system or any national government. They are not UN employees and do not receive a salary.

Julia Foxen, UN News

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