"INVESTIGATION"

UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder said that the situation in Gaza is “dire,” with 1.5 million people have lost their homes, and hospitals filled with war-wounded children. He stressed the urgency for a ceasefire and the need for lasting peace. UNIFEED / FILE

Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Sami Bahous welcomed "the news that 50 hostages, all women, and children, will be released in return for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children, and a much-needed humanitarian pause.” UNIFEED

Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths called for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza for an “indefinite period” in order to “facilitate an unimpeded humanitarian response” and to “give the people of Gaza a breather upon the terrible things that have been put on them on these last few weeks.” He also called “without conditions” for the release of all hostages. UNIFEED

The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights told the Security Council that “concerns regarding the enjoyment of freedom of religion in Ukraine, including in occupied territory, have increased since February 2022.” UNIFEED

The UN Human Rights Office is extremely alarmed by reports that Rapid Support Forces and their allied Arab militia killed hundreds of ethnic Masalit civilians in Ardamata town earlier this month, in yet another ethnically motivated mass attack on non-Arab Masalit civilians in West Darfur in just a few months. UNTV CH

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk today urged all States to create the space for a path out of the horror unfolding in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – both Gaza and the West Bank – and in Israel. UNTV CH

A spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office said, “We have received first-hand accounts that the arbitrary expulsion of Afghan nationals from Pakistan has been accompanied by abuse, including ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention, destruction of property and personal belongings and extortion.” OHCHR

The head of UN peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix saluted the service and dedication of women and men police officers deployed in the UN peace operations, who work “relentlessly to serve communities in increasingly challenging contexts.” UNIFEED

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday spoke about the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory at a news conference in Amman at the end of his mission to Egypt and Jordan. OHCHR

A top UN official for Europe, Central Asia and Americas said that in Ukraine, “the past few weeks have seen a pattern of escalation of attacks on critical infrastructure, including attacks on energy infrastructure, across the country.” UNIFEED