UN News Today 4 February 2025 |

UNRWA updates on Jenin camp detonations, ongoing aid efforts in Gaza

Large areas of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have been completely destroyed following recent detonations carried out by Israeli forces, the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA said on Tuesday.

All 30,000 residents have now left the camp, UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma told journalists in Geneva.

Speaking from Amman in Jordan, she said roughly 100 houses were “destroyed or heavily damaged” by the explosions.

“The detonation that happened on Sunday was when children were supposed to go back to school in that camp. When it comes to UNRWA, 13 schools in the camp and the surrounding areas continue to be closed. That affected 5,000 kids in that area.”

UNRWA is facing unprecedented challenges in carrying out its work after the Israeli parliament adopted two laws in October 2024 that ban its operations in Israeli territory and prohibit Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. The laws came into effect last Thursday.

Ms. Touma said the Israeli Government has not communicated to the agency how it intends to implement the laws.

She said UNRWA teams are “staying and delivering” in the remaining parts of the West Bank, where “services, including primary healthcare and education are ongoing”.

Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, humanitarian needs are sky-high, and the biggest priority for UNRWA teams is distributing supplies from thousands of aid trucks that have entered the enclave since the start of the ceasefire on 19 January.

Women’s voices critical to recovery in eastern DR Congo

The renewed escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis which is disproportionately affecting women and girls.

That’s according to a senior official with UN Women, which supports countries in achieving gender equality.

Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action, said “women and girls in the DRC currently face increased levels of sexual and gender-based violence, with reports of rape and exploitation becoming tragically routine.”

Fighting in the east escalated sharply late in January as the M23 rebel movement, which is backed by Rwanda, seized control of parts of North Kivu province, including areas near the regional capital Goma, and advanced further south.

While welcoming ongoing regional political and peace initiatives, Ms. Calltrop stressed that collective efforts “must be focused on ensuring that the voices and needs of women are central to the response and recovery process.”

In related developments, the UN Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva, will hold a special session on eastern DRC on Friday.

World Day honours people affected by cancer

This Tuesday is World Cancer Day and UN health agency WHO is honouring the courage of people affected by the disease while also celebrating scientific progress to treat it.

“Every minute, 40 people are diagnosed with cancer globally, and embark on a journey to overcome it,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on the social media platform X.

He said, “around the world, WHO is working with partners to create global coalitions, catalyze local action and amplify the voices of people affected by cancer.”

The agency’s efforts to improve the lives of millions include providing medicines for paediatric cancers as well as a global campaign aimed at eliminating cervical cancer.

Tedros also used the commemoration of World Cancer Day to affirm WHO’s commitment to health for all.

Dianne Penn, UN News.

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