During the first four days of the ceasefire, the World Food Programme delivered more food to the people of Gaza than in the entire month of December 2024. Top stories of the day | Monday: Gaza, Lebanon, US foreign aid, Holocaust UN
Top stories in the UN and around the world: the return of residents of northern Gaza, developments in Lebanon, the reaction of the UN Secretary General to the decision of the new US administration to suspend foreign aid, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Return of the Residents of Northern Gaza
UN aid workers are closely monitoring the return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza, providing them with hot meals, nutritious food and, where needed, emergency medical care. According to the latest figures, nearly 220,000 people have returned north from southern Gaza since the Israeli army opened the Al-Rashid road crossing on Monday alone. In the first four days of the ceasefire, the World Food Programme delivered more food to the people of Gaza than it did in the entire month of December 2024. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in turn, delivered food supplies to the Gaza Strip, the reserves of which are enough to feed a million people.
The situation in Lebanon
The UN Secretary-General is concerned about reports of numerous casualties from Israeli shelling of Lebanese civilians who were returning to their villages in the south of the country. Antonio Guterres called on the parties to exercise restraint and recalled that the ceasefire agreement reached in November led to a significant reduction in the scale of hostilities. The Secretary-General welcomed the extension of the agreement between Lebanon and Israel until 18 February and urged both countries to fulfil their commitments and fully implement the provisions of resolution 1701 as a comprehensive path forward to long-term peace.
US Foreign Aid Suspension
The UN Secretary-General expressed concern over the new US administration’s decision to suspend foreign aid. António Guterres called for exceptions to the new rules to ensure the continuation of critical development and humanitarian activities for the world’s most vulnerable communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on US support. The Secretary-General looked forward to working with the new US administration to provide much-needed assistance to people facing some of the most difficult challenges facing developing countries.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered an emotional speech on Monday at the General Assembly meeting dedicated to Holocaust remembrance. His call for preserving the memory of the victims, global unity in the fight against anti-Semitism and the protection of human rights was made on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The General Assembly session was attended by Holocaust survivors, their descendants and diplomats from dozens of countries. “Remembrance is not only a moral duty. Remembrance is a call to action,” Guterres said. “To forget the Holocaust is to insult the past and betray the future.”