in statementThor Wendsland reminded that all Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law.
The new housing permit was approved by Israeli authorities on Wednesday, the first since the Gaza war broke out on October 7.
The approval means more than 20,000 homes have been approved in illegal settlements in the past year, according to reports.
“Israeli settlement expansion continues to be a driver of conflict in the occupied West Bank, further entrenching the occupation and undermining the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and independent statehood,” Wendsland said. Stated.
victims of the west bank
Since October, 416 Palestinians have been killed and 4,658 people, including 718 children, have been injured in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, according to the latest figures released by the United Nations aid coordination office OCHA. did.
A total of 101 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of this year, compared to 71 in the same period in 2023, the majority by Israeli forces.
Since October 7, 15 Israelis, including four Israeli soldiers, have been killed and 90 injured in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Condemns Nigeria's mass abductions
Nigeria's top UN aid official has condemned the reported abductions of more than 200 people in the northeast of the country.
Mohammed Malik Fall said in a statement on Wednesday that non-state armed groups are suspected of abducting residents from an internally displaced persons camp in Borno state.
The victims reportedly ventured beyond the secure trenches surrounding Ngala town in search of firewood.
Doing so is extremely dangerous, humanitarian workers warned, amid rampant murders, abductions, forced recruitment and sexual and gender-based violence.
Fall said in a statement that some elderly women and children under 10 have been released, but their scores remain unclear.
The senior aid official also said he stood in solidarity with the families of all those abducted and called for their release.
About 2 million people have fled to towns seeking safety in Nigeria's Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, where many areas remain beyond government control after more than a decade of armed conflict. There is.
kidnapped school children
More than 100 Nigerian schoolchildren were reportedly kidnapped in Kuriga, a town in northwestern Nigeria, on Thursday.
The students, aged between 8 and 15, were reportedly rounded up along with their teachers after gunmen on motorbikes entered the school's assembly hall.
Witnesses reported that one student was shot and killed during the kidnapping attack. The incident is not believed to be related to the apparent abduction of a woman and child in the northeast earlier this week.
India: Human rights experts warn of pre-election attacks on minorities
Independent human rights experts from the United Nations on Thursday expressed alarm over reports of attacks on minorities, media workers and civil society activists in India and called on authorities to take action as the country heads to polls in April. .
Experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council have expressed concern that the situation could worsen in the coming months ahead of national elections.
They cited reports of “dehumanizing rhetoric,” discrimination and incitement to violence, vigilante violence, targeted vandalism, enforced disappearances, and detention of rights defenders and journalists.
“We call on India to set a positive example by fully fulfilling its human rights obligations, reversing human rights violations, and addressing the concerns repeatedly raised by the United Nations human rights mechanisms,” the experts said. Ta.
They pointed out that out of 78 communications sent by UN human rights experts over the past five years, only 18 received responses from governments that could be made public.
The experts also noted that although India has been continuously invited to UN special procedures since 2011, there have been no country visits since 2017 and there are 15 pending requests from UN human rights experts. I also regret that there was no response.
Take “specific measures”
They called on India to take concrete steps to address the concerns raised in previous communications and reports.
“This is especially necessary given the continuing reports of violence and attacks against religious, racial and ethnic minorities, and other serious human rights issues, and the apparent lack of response by authorities to the concerns raised. “Considering the early warning aspect of our mission, we are forced to express grave concern for an atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections,” they said.
Special Rapporteurs and other independent rights experts are not United Nations employees, do not receive a salary for their work, and are independent from any government or organization.