UN and other staff detained in Sanaa 100 days ago. Top stories of the day|Thursday: Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the humanitarian situation in the Donetsk region is worsening, Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, the reaction of UN experts to the explosions in Lebanon and Syria, a call to release humanitarian workers detained in Yemen.
Ukraine: civilian casualties
Shelling in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions over the past two days has resulted in civilian casualties. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate as fighting intensifies in the Donetsk region town of Pokrovsk. About 16,000 local residents, including more than 170 children, remain without water and gas, while electricity is supplied intermittently. Authorities are calling on the population to evacuate to safer areas.
UN human rights experts warned Thursday that Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are likely to force another 500,000 (half a million) people to flee their homes ahead of winter.
Israeli Settlements
Israel continues to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories despite a 2016 Security Council resolution calling for an end to such activity, said Thor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, while presenting the 31st report of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of that resolution. During the reporting period, some 6,370 housing units were built or approved for construction in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The demolition and seizure of Palestinian-owned buildings has forced 553 people to flee their homes.
Yemen: Call for Release of Humanitarian Workers
Regional heads of several UN agencies have called on the de facto
Yemeni authorities to immediately release all detained UN and other staff. The statement, signed by the regional directors of the UN Human Rights Office, the UN Development Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, and a number of non-governmental organizations, marks the tragic anniversary of the detention of 50 people from UN agencies, international and national NGOs, as well as civil society and diplomatic missions, in Sana’a 100 days ago.
Pager and Walkie-Talkie Explosions in Lebanon
UN human rights experts have condemned the manipulation of thousands of electronic pagers and walkie-talkies that exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria, calling them a “horrific” violation of international law.
At least 1,000 people have been reported killed in the attacks 32 people and 3,250 were injured or wounded, including seriously. Among the dead were children and medical personnel. The attacks were previously condemned by the UN Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.