Pedersen: Syria Remains One of World’s Most Dangerous Conflicts

Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, speaks to the media about the sixth session of the Constitutional Committee Small Body, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (AP)
Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, speaks to the media about the sixth session of the Constitutional Committee Small Body, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (AP)
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Pedersen: Syria Remains One of World’s Most Dangerous Conflicts

Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, speaks to the media about the sixth session of the Constitutional Committee Small Body, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (AP)
Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, speaks to the media about the sixth session of the Constitutional Committee Small Body, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (AP)

Geir Pedersen, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, admitted on Thursday that significant differences remain between the Syrian government and opposition delegations on writing the country’s new Constitution.

Briefing the 15-member Council on the penultimate day of the seventh session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, he said it remains possible to find and build on common points, if the will exists to do so.

“Serious attempts should be made by all delegations to begin to narrow differences,” Pedersen said, calling for efforts that explore compromise as a way to build public trust and confidence in the process — “something sorely lacking among the Syrians at present.”

The Envoy said that Syria remains of the most dangerous conflicts in the world.

Recalling that the war marked the grim milestone of 11 years of conflict this month, he appealed to the members of that Committee to “work this week with the sense of seriousness and spirit of compromise that the situation demands.”

He said that so far, members of the Constitutional Committee have discussed draft constitutional texts in four areas of constitutional principles: basics of governance; State identity; State symbols; and regulation and functions of public authorities.

Turning to the situation on the ground, the envoy cited growing humanitarian needs, as well as the ongoing human impacts of the country’s destruction and of the economy’s collapse.

He urged all concerned to take steps to reverse those trends, and to expand the delivery of cross-line and cross-border humanitarian assistance.

“While there have been no shifts in the front lines for two years, violence has nonetheless flared between several actors — including two listed terrorist groups and five foreign armies — in the past month,” Pedersen stressed, calling for efforts to de-escalate and build a true nationwide ceasefire and for the parties to cooperate against terrorists.

Meanwhile, he said Syrians on all sides continue to be affected by the plight of the detained, the abducted and the missing. “Any credible attempt to build trust and confidence must include serious steps forward on this issue,” he stressed.

The Envoy said much could be done by Damascus and outside actors to address the challenges and concerns expressed by Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons, namely safety and security, lack of opportunities, inadequate housing, military service requirements and inadequate basic services.



52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said Saturday. Also, 24 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites.

The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Another four people were killed in strikes near a fuel station, and 15 others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.

The Israeli military said in a statement that over the past 48 hours, troops struck approximately 250 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional Hamas infrastructure sites. The military did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment on the civilian deaths.

The Hamas-led group killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.