Middle East crisis: Live updates for 29 November

Gazans line up to fetch food assistance in the enclave where hunger levels have skyrocketed since the conflict erupted in October 2023. UNIFEED

29 November 2024 - As families in Lebanon begin returning home under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, UN humanitarians have flagged “staggering” needs in devastated communities, while in Gaza, relentless bombardment and deprivation continue to take a heavy toll. Follow our live coverage of the Middle East crisis. UN News app users can follow here.

• UN humanitarians warn of worsening civilian suffering in Gaza as temperatures drop, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians with minimal protection against the harsh winter.

• Devastated communities in Lebanon face "staggering" needs, as families displaced by the conflict begin returning home following this week's ceasefire agreement.

• Renewed fighting in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate has forced thousands to flee rural areas, while security concerns continue to hinder humanitarian response efforts.

In Gaza, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has warned that the onset of winter is increasing the risk of collapse for remaining structures – "yet another way to be killed in a city-turned-graveyard."

Lebanon: UNHCR appeals for support as winter compounds suffering

As winter takes hold, UNHCR is working tirelessly to provide essential relief items, including warm blankets and winter clothing, to help displaced families endure the cold.

However, the agency emphasises it cannot meet the growing needs alone.

“More support is urgently needed to keep them safe from the cold this season,” UNHCR stated, urging the international community to step up aid efforts.

Portraits of Palestine

On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, UN Photo looked into its vast archive for snapshots taken in the late 1940s and 1950s. 

In 1948, the UN Relief for Palestine Refugees (UNRPR) agency assisted by voluntary agencies, is supplying food, clothing, tents, blankets and medical attention to some 750,000 Arab refugees spread throughout the Middle East.

By 1949, the UN General Assembly-mandated agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, was on the ground to help.

Here's a look back:

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) provided freshly baked bread, including for this girl and her family, in a refugee camp outside Beirut, Lebanon, in 1948,

Gaza on the brink: ‘Level of destruction just gets worse and worse’

Ajith Sunghay, the head of the OHCHR office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, has painted a grim picture of life in the besieged region.

“Every time I visit Gaza, the level of destruction just gets worse and worse. This time I was particularly alarmed by the prevalence of hunger,” he told journalists at the UN Office in Geneva (UNOG) via video link from Amman, Jordan, after having spent a week in Gaza

“Local markets have collapsed, and I saw women and children scavenging in landfills. This level of deprivation is shocking, and massive aid is urgently needed,” Mr.  Sunghay said.

The collapse of public order has intensified the crisis and looting and violence over scarce resources are rampant. 

“The anarchy in Gaza we warned about months ago is here. Entirely predictable, entirely foreseeable. And as with all of the death and destruction I’ve seen during my past trips to Gaza, entirely preventable,” he warned.

Displaced families face appalling conditions in makeshift shelters. Women described a lack of safety and increasing cases of gender-based violence.

“Protection needs are massive, but response still lags significantly,” he noted.

Despite these horrors, resilience persists, he added, highlighting local efforts, including youth protection responders stepping up to help. However, bombardments continue unabated, forcing constant displacement.

“The common plea by everyone I met was for this to stop. To bring this to an end,” he concluded.

Syria: Renewed hostilities displace thousands amid harsh winter

Escalating hostilities in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate have forced thousands of families to flee to Aleppo City, leaving many vulnerable to the harsh winter, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported.

Displaced individuals arrived with no belongings, underscoring the severity of their plight.

An uptick in violence since 27 November, has reportedly affected the towns of Nabul, Zahraa, Atareb and Darit Azza, causing significant damage to infrastructure and trapping civilians.

The closure of major roads, including the vital M-5 highway serving two million people, has disrupted humanitarian aid and commercial supply chains, raising the cost of essential goods.

An estimated 7,000 people have been displaced, most staying with relatives, while one collective shelter has been established. Civilian casualties have also been reported, though unverified, and ongoing security concerns have disrupted humanitarian operations.

Lebanon ceasefire a ‘huge relief’

The ceasefire in Lebanon offers a “huge relief” to millions who have endured over 13 months of suffering, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has said.

Jeremy Laurence, OHCHR spokesperson, urged all parties to respect the agreement and address any disputes within its framework.

“The focus must now turn to facilitating all necessary help to those in need,” he emphasised, calling for recovery efforts to be guided by human rights principles.

Many civilians in Lebanon face the grim reality of having no liveable homes to return to, with hospitals, schools, places of worship, and other critical infrastructure destroyed or severely damaged.

“Ensuring protection to those in vulnerable situations must be a priority,” he said.

Mr. Laurence also reiterated High Commissioner Volker Türk’s call for Lebanese political actors to set aside differences and act in solidarity for the well-being of the population. He also urged the international community to provide vital support.

“On both sides of the Israel/Lebanon border, the enormous numbers of people forced to flee their homes on account of the conflict must be able to return knowing that they will be safe and can get on with their lives,” he said.

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

The UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) on Friday commemorated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People at the Palais des Nations, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 32/40B of 2 December 1977.

29 November marks the date in 1947 when the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine (resolution 181 (II)).

As truce holds, thousands return to Lebanon

More than 15,000 people have returned from Syria to Lebanon since the ceasefire truce began early on Wednesday morning.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has been assisting people at the border with Lebanon including Masnaa crossing, where an Israeli airstrike have left a large crater last month, reportedly in a bid to target Hezbollah positions.

Lebanon’s kids deeply traumatized: UNICEF

The ceasefire in Lebanon comes at a cost of more than 3,800 lives lost, at least 15,800 people injured and widespread destruction, according to the authorities. 

In an update, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported that nearly 900,000 people have been uprooted across Lebanon by the war between Hezbollah militants and Israel, which escalated massively in September. Another half a million have fled across the border to Syria.

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said that it has provided emergency psychological support to thousands of children “heavily impacted” by the conflict in the past two months. – UN News