Gaza: Nearly 600 healthcare attacks since start of war, says WHO

Gaza: Nearly 600 healthcare attacks since start of war, says WHO

Some 613 people have died within facilities as a result since 7 October last year and more than 770 have been injured, according to latest data on healthcare attacks from the World Health Organization (WHO). Condemning the continuing fighting and bombardment, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that the “ongoing reduction of humanitarian space plus the…

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Gaza war: ‘Intense ground battles’ reported, hospital hit kills five

Gaza war: ‘Intense ground battles’ reported, hospital hit kills five

Airstrikes and missiles struck dwellings and public buildings on Tuesday including Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis killing five, among them a five-day-old baby, reports indicate. “No child in the world should be killed, let alone one sheltering under the emblem of a humanitarian organisation; this has to end,” said Gemma Connell, a team leader from…

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UPDATING LIVE: Security Council meets over Red Sea attacks amid growing threat of spillover from Gaza war

UPDATING LIVE: Security Council meets over Red Sea attacks amid growing threat of spillover from Gaza war

3:41 PM Red Sea is more than just a shipping route: Algeria In his inaugural address as a Security Council member, Algeria’s ambassador, Amar Bendjama, said Algeria was committed to international peace and security. He recognized the crucial role of the Red Sea passage as of “paramount importance for the whole world.” The Permanent Representative…

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‘Genuine progress’ towards political solution, essential to end war in Syria: UN envoy

‘Genuine progress’ towards political solution, essential to end war in Syria: UN envoy

Briefing ambassadors at the Security Council, Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, noted that though there have been some diplomatic breakthroughs none led to tangible changes on the ground for civilians. He also raised the alarm over the impact on the region of the devastating Israel-Palestine crisis. On top of killings, injuries, displacement, abduction…

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Ukraine: Lasting toll of war, ‘beyond measure’, Security Council hears

Ukraine: Lasting toll of war, ‘beyond measure’, Security Council hears

Briefing ambassadors at the Security Council, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, said that like the previous year, the year 2023 has been devastating for the people of Ukraine. The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has verified 10,065 civilians killed and a further 18,679 injured since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022….

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Ukraine: Civilian casualties mount, as war enters second winter

Ukraine: Civilian casualties mount, as war enters second winter

The Monitoring Mission stated that the casualty figure represents deaths verified according to its methodology, cautioning that the actual figure may be significantly higher given the challenges and time required for verification. “Ten thousand civilian deaths is a grim milestone for Ukraine,” said Danielle Bell, head of the Monitoring Mission, adding that the war, now…

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World News in Brief: Diabetes on the rise, UN prisoners in Yemen, Ukraine war fuels rise in landmine casualties

World News in Brief: Diabetes on the rise, UN prisoners in Yemen, Ukraine war fuels rise in landmine casualties

Diabetes is a chronic disease which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. WHO said that more than 460 million people worldwide live with diabetes and millions more are at risk. The UN health agency stressed that people with the condition require…

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Israel-Palestine crisis: Amid war crimes fears, UN rights chief renews calls to stop violence, free hostages 

Israel-Palestine crisis: Amid war crimes fears, UN rights chief renews calls to stop violence, free hostages 

“Water is scarce and fear is pervasive” in Gaza, Mr. Türk told journalists in Amman, recounting a conversation he had minutes earlier with a colleague in Gaza who had to flee Israeli bombardments with his family. “His children, aged nine and seven, are asking him questions he does not know how to answer: ‘Why is…

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At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes

At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes

Volker Türk highlighted the dichotomy at the border crossing, describing it as a “lifeline” for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza over the past month, although “unjustly, outrageously thin.” But it is also “the gates to a living nightmare”, he continued, as people in Gaza “have been suffocating, under persistent bombardment, mourning their families, struggling…

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