Text and graphics: Simon Randles | Research: Farah Bayadsi
“Look at the olives,” says Adlah Taha Abdallah Ali, 66, in the fields of her home village of Al Khadr, Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank. “See how they are dry … they did not get their share of water. Because of the high temperatures, there is not much oil in them.”
Adlah, like her fellow farmers across the region, is battling with the effects of a warming planet.
DAR ES SALAAM, Jan 3 2025 (IPS)* – As the dust settled over Kariakoo’s bustling streets, Halima Abdallah’s voice trembled through the cracks of a collapsed four-story building.
“Help me, please! I don’t get air,” she gasped, trapped under the rubble.
The recent collapse of a high-rise building in Dar es Salaam, killing 16 people and injuring more than 80, has reignited concerns about the city’s disaster preparedness. Credit: Kizito Makoye Shigela/IPS
For four hours, rescue workers scrambled to locate her. Their efforts, hampered by the lack of proper equipment, relied on tools hastily borrowed from a private company. By the time they reached her, it was too late. Abdallah had died.
Geneva, 03 January 2025 (IOM)* – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply alarmed by the devastating impact of winter rains and freezing temperatures on displaced Palestinians in Gaza, adding to the unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe.
(UN News)* —Newborns and infants in Gaza have reportedly died of hypothermia, deaths described by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as preventable. The news comes amid continued Israeli bombardments and an expected further drop in temperatures.
In Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes are sheltering in tents, the temperatures are expected to drop further in the coming days.
Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, reported in a statement on Friday [] that, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, four newborns and infants died in recent days from hypothermia.
(UN News)* — Health challenges in northwest Syria have escalated due to harsh winter conditions, exacerbating the vulnerability of displaced populations, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)-led Health Cluster reported on Friday [].
It also cited rising cases of respiratory illnesses, compounded by inadequate heating, overcrowded camps and damaged infrastructure.
“There is continuous significant rise in influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), since the beginning of winter with subsequent rise in hospital visits and heightened public health concerns,” the Health Cluster said.
(Jerusalem) –Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water since October 2023, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths and thus committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on 19 December 2024.
Israel’s Crime of Extermination, Acts of Genocide in Gaza
(UN News)* —The UN Secretary-General on Thursday [] condemned the deadly escalation between Yemen and Israel, following Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed at least three people, injured dozens, and struck critical civilian infrastructure, including Sana’a International Airport.
The strikes targeted Sana’a International Airport, Red Sea ports, and power stations, injuring also a member of the UN Humanitarian Air Crew at the airport.
A high-level UN delegation, led by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at the airport when the strikes occurred, following discussions on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and the release of detained UN personnel.
As we near the end of another year of war and humanitarian crisis, UN News is highlighting the extraordinary work of staffers in the field who feed our story-telling efforts for global audiences.
UNRWA | UNRWA worker Louise Wateridge visiting a shelter in Nuseirat, Gaza (Nov 2024)
Our first UN News Champion is Louise Wateridge of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNWRA. Louise’s reporting and communications expertise has enriched our coverage and demonstrated why the UN matters to millions of beneficiaries around the world.
(UN News)* — The General Assembly wrapped up the main part of its 79th session on Tuesday [], approving a $3.72 billion budget for the United Nations for 2025 and adopting a new programme to support landlocked developing countries.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe | A view of the UN Headquarters, in New York.
Credit: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNOHCR)
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20 2024 (IPS)* – The United States, long described as a country built largely by immigrants, is planning to clamp down on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers entering the country—which averaged about 2.4 million in 2022-2023, according to the US Congressional Budget Office.
The incoming Trump administration is calling for “mass deportations” of mostly illegal aliens and undocumented workers.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 