Ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile: UN official

The ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile, while humanitarians continue to face obstructions in delivering aid to the people, Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said at a meeting on the question of Palestine at the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

He said that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned over the escalating violence in West Bank and the situation of Palestinian detainees, urging Israel to abide by international law and reiterating his commitment to promoting a two-state solution to end the illegal occupation and achieve lasting peace.

Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, condemned Israel's settlement expansion and settler violence in West Bank and East Jerusalem.

He said Israel should comply with international law, allow access for humanitarian aid and lift economic restrictions. He also urged Israel to adhere to the ceasefire agreement which took effect in this October.

"More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been injured or maimed. Thousands have been detained. An entire population has been displaced and starved. One figure captures the depth of this agony. During the final months of the Israeli onslaught, the number of babies dying on the very same day that they were born in Gaza was 75 percent higher than before this war on our people began. That is why no one welcomes the ceasefire more than the Palestinian people in Gaza. But Israel has yet to cease fire," said Mansour.

Also speaking at the meeting, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon insisted that Israel's goal remains disarmament of Hamas.

Ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile: UN official

The International Claims Commission for Ukraine was launched by the Council of Europe and the Dutch government at a conference on Tuesday in the Hague of the Netherlands.

Thirty-five countries, along with the European Union, signed the convention to formally launch the commission to address compensation for damage caused to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

The convention will enter into force once it has been ratified by 25 signatories, provided sufficient funds have been secured to support its initial work, according to the Council of Europe.

The commission will examine, assess, and adjudicate claims submitted to the Register of Damage for Ukraine established by the Council of Europe in 2023, and will determine the compensation amount payable for each case where applicable.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned on Saturday that it will take swift retaliatory measures against the EU's illegal freezing of Russian assets.

She also stated in September that the decision to establish such a commission would lead to an escalation of anti-Russian "legal aggression."

International Claims Commission for Ukraine launched in Netherlands