Second round of polio vaccination campaign kicks off in Gaza. Top stories of the day | Monday: Lebanon, Gaza, crime, food UN
Top stories of the day in the UN and around the world: worsening situation on the Blue Line, attack on vaccination center in Gaza, consequences of organized crime, youth conference of the World Food Forum.
Shootings between Hezbollah and Israel
The humanitarian situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate, with more than 1.2 million people forced to flee their homes, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Since the start of the recent escalation, 2,200 people have been killed and more than 10,000 injured, according to local authorities, the UN press service reported today. According to the UN, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon recorded 1,557 incidents of cross-Blue Line shooting on Sunday, the highest daily figure since October 8, 2023. Most of the strikes occurred in Lebanon. There were also 116 attacks on Israel, with a Hezbollah drone attack near Haifa reportedly killing four Israeli soldiers and wounding several others.
Second Round of Vaccinations in Gaza
The second round of polio vaccinations began in central Gaza on Monday, despite reports of strikes on a school in Nuseirat and on a hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, where tents where people were sleeping caught fire. Twenty-two people were reported killed in the school that was hit. The facility was intended to be used as a polio vaccination site. The second round of the campaign plans to vaccinate about 590,000 children under the age of 10. After three days of work in the central part of the sector, humanitarian teams will move to the south.
Organized Crime
The consequences of organized crime in the world are more devastating than ever: between 2015 and 2021, it caused the deaths of about 700,000 people. This was stated by the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Waly, speaking at the opening of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. She said the drug trade continues to fuel violence, with the cocaine market expanding and the volume of synthetic drugs on the rise.
Youth Food Forum
The World Food Forum Youth Conference has opened at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome. The event, which runs until 18 October, brings together young leaders, innovators and activists from around the world to highlight the vital role young people play in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future. During the opening ceremony, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said that youth efforts are not just a priority, but a necessary element for successful reform of global agriculture and food systems.