Middle East crisis: Live updates on UNRWA, Gaza and more

UNRWA and partners completed the second round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, but access to the north remains blocked for the final phase. © UNRWA

29 October 2024 - Our live coverage ranged from the Security Council and UN Headquarters to dispatches from across the Middle East as tensions escalated and the war on Gaza and Lebanon continued in the shadows of a new Israeli ban on UNRWA, the agency serving nearly six million Palestine refugees in the region. 

Gaza update: ‘UNRWA is irreplaceable’

The UN migration agency, IOM, said in a statement that it fully supports the Secretary-General and the UN's resolute stance that the “UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is irreplaceable. The absence of UNRWA from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in Gaza, will be catastrophic.”

“UNRWA’s comprehensive mandate underscores its unique role as a custodian of Palestinian refugees' rights and well-being, extending well beyond the provision of basic aid. It is an essential provider of education, healthcare, social services, infrastructure, protection, and so many other vital services for Palestinian refugees. It upholds the dignity and rights of those it serves, promoting human development until a just and lasting solution to their plight is achieved. It is imperative that we support and protect this mandate,” IOM said, adding that UNRWA’s services are indispensable to the people of Gaza.

“There is no alternative to UNRWA. Together with our partners, including UN agencies, we will continue to provide support to individuals in crisis,” the UN migration agency declared.

Nothing can capture Gaza’s actual devastation, South Africa tells UNSC

Ambassador Mathu Joyini of South Africa said that yesterday the country had filed a package of evidence with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) related to its case alleging Israel has violated the Genocide Convention by its ongoing actions in Gaza.

The package, called a “memorial”, contained evidence of over 750 pages of text and the 4,000 pages of exhibits and annexes, however, “nothing can fully capture the actual devastation of Palestine living in Gaza as a result of actions of the State of Israel,” she said. 

“South Africa’s memorial is once again a reminder to the global community to remember the people of Palestine, to stand in solidarity with them and to stop the catastrophe which has been possible only because Israel has failed to comply with its international obligations despite the orders of the ICJ and actions and interventions of numerous UN bodies,” she stated.  

She added that Israel has “effectively been granted unprecedented impunity to bridge international law and norms which has imperiled the institutions of global governments which were established to hold all States accountable”. 

“The resolutions adopted by this Council and international law as a whole cannot be selectively applied. Giving rights to some and protecting a select few is something we as South Africans are well aware of,” she emphasised. 

Gaza: Agricultural aid is key to feed hungry people

Amid the brutal war in Gaza and fears of famine, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing Palestinian livestock holders with veterinary kits to keep their animals healthy and disease-free.

This is just one example of the UN agency’s work to ensure food security and economic stability in conflict zones, including the West Bank, Ukraine and Sudan.

To find out more about these efforts, UN News’s Nancy Sarkis in Geneva spoke to FAO Deputy Director Beth Bechdol. 

Gaza update: Action must avert famine

Food insecurity in Gaza could soon escalate into famine unless immediate action is taken. Severe restrictions on humanitarian aid are worsening the situation. @WFP is calling for greater access to help avoid greater devastation.

UNRWA: One year of war

The war in Gaza has left a trail of death and destruction. The UN agency for Palestine refugees has been providing lifesaving assistance to more than two million people trapped in the Gaza Strip.

Private donations to UNRWA keep coming in United States

US-based private donors have continued to show their support for the UN agency for Palestine refugees since the war broke out in Gaza in October 2023, Hani Almadhoun, senior director of philanthropy at UNRWA USA, told UN News just now.

“A total of $67 million has been donated since the start of the war through UNRWA USA because of the generosity of private US-based donors who see the need in Gaza and know that UNRWA is showing up daily for Palestine refugees there and elsewhere,” he said.

New report: Genocide as colonial erasure

A new report, Genocide as colonial erasure, by Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, is now available in all official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). – UN News