UN Senior Official Commences Mission as Gaza Humanitarian Coordinator

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with the UN senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag (UN photos)
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with the UN senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag (UN photos)
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UN Senior Official Commences Mission as Gaza Humanitarian Coordinator

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with the UN senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag (UN photos)
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with the UN senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag (UN photos)

Dutch diplomat and prominent politician Sigrid Kaag officially assumed her role Monday as Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza pursuant to Security Council Resolution 2720.
In this role, Kaag will facilitate, coordinate, monitor, and verify humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza. She will also establish a UN mechanism to accelerate humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza through States that are not party to the conflict.
- Devastating levels
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres sent a letter to the President of the Security Council for January and Permanent Representative of France Nicolas de Riviere regarding the situation in Gaza, and the requirements of Resolution 2712 regarding the delivery of aid to civilians.
Guterres expressed his profound sorrow at the devastating levels of death and destruction, noting that according to Israeli authorities, more than “1,200 people were killed,” and some 250 people were abducted, including 34 children and 65 women.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza disclosed that more than 22,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the current Israeli military operations, in addition to the tens of thousands of Palestinians injured, and many missing.
Resolution 2712 explicitly “demands that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, especially children.”
Guterres pointed out that an estimated 85% of the Palestinians in Gaza are currently displaced, adding that Israeli forces have repeatedly asked Palestinian families to move to other places for their safety, but “of course, nowhere is safe in Gaza.”
The nature and scale of death and destruction, especially in northern Gaza, are characterized by the use of wide-area explosive weapons by Israeli forces, with a significant impact on civilians.
It is estimated that more than 60% of homes in Gaza are damaged or destroyed.
More than two million people live in the enclave, and over 80%, nearly 1.9 million, are now displaced, according to the latest update from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The UN Sec-Gen recalled that UNRWA facilities, like all United Nations agencies, are protected under international law. He stated that since the beginning of the war, 193 incidents have been reported impacting UNRWA premises and the people inside them.
He expressed his deep sadness over the killing of 144 international workers, including 142 from UNRWA.
Since the beginning of the Israeli war in Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it had counted 304 attacks that affected 94 healthcare facilities, including 26 hospitals damaged out of 36 and 79 ambulances.
The UN top official asserted that “civilians – including UN personnel – must be protected,” expressing deep concern at the apparent disregard for these vital binding legal duties by all parties to the conflict. He warned that the failure of one party to comply with international humanitarian law does not relieve the other party of its duties.
Guterres referred to the ceasefire that lasted a week between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 of last year, which allowed some aid to be delivered to Gaza, noting that the delivery was scarce and faced several “challenges.”

He indicated that despite efforts to expand the response, the level of aid to the Palestinians in Gaza is entirely inadequate to meet the needs of more than two million people, adding that an effective aid operation requires security, workers who can work safely, logistical capacity, and the resumption of commercial activity.
Civilians in Gaza need a continuous flow of life-saving humanitarian assistance and fuel to the Strip and all its regions, said Guterres, explaining that the humanitarian sector cannot compensate for the almost complete lack of commercial imports of basic materials.
He reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.



As Sudan's Army Retakes Ground, Some Displaced Residents Return to Ravaged Capital

Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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As Sudan's Army Retakes Ground, Some Displaced Residents Return to Ravaged Capital

Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

The morning sun cast long shadows as Abdulilah Mohamed, an elderly resident of the Shambat neighborhood in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, returned to his family home after fleeing from civil war.

The streets, now strewn with debris and remnants of conflict, led him to a structure barely standing after two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.

"They left nothing behind, they took everything and destroyed everything," he lamented, referring to the RSF as he stood amid the broken walls of his house and the fragments of his family's belongings.

"I came here specifically to assess the situation and see the life, so that my family doesn't come and get confused about what to do. I came first, and then I can evaluate the situation for them here," he added.

Mohamed is one of millions who once lived in the greater capital area, which includes the cities of Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri, and were forced to flee when war broke out in April 2023 amidst a power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a transition to civilian rule.

Entire neighborhoods in Khartoum were flattened, though some parts of Omdurman managed to retain access to utilities, Reuters reported.

Now, as the army pushes back RSF fighters and regains ground in the capital, a cautious trickle of residents is making the journey home.

Huda Ibrahim, who fled to Port Sudan - more than 800 km (500 miles) from the capital—said the longing to return had never faded.

"We were forced to stay away," she said, while on a bus en route to Khartoum.

Mohamed Ali, the driver, noted a shift in mood.

"You can sense that their sense of security has grown,” he told Reuters.

But for many, the road home is lined with uncertainty. This conflict has devastated the nation, claiming countless lives and displacing millions.

"Their war now is not a war against the government, it's a war against the citizens and destruction," Mohamed says.

The return of more residents hinges on the government's ability to rebuild.

Rayan Khaled, a young woman who returned from Egypt, highlights the lack of services and electricity as major obstacles.

"I believe that if the government could provide electricity to the people [...] everyone would return to their homes," she said.