World News in Brief: Hostilities in Syria, Israeli detention practices, ‘summer wave of COVID-19’ in Europe

At least 20 civilians were reportedly killed, and 15 others injured, in recent days, while water stations and other civilian facilities were reportedly damaged or affected, including a UN-supported centre on rural livelihoods.

The fighting has also resulted in power cuts that affected hospitals and water stations.

People living in Deir-ez-Zor continue to experience severe water and fuel shortages, very limited access to healthcare facilities and food insecurity.

OCHA urged warring parties to respect international humanitarian law, including taking constant care to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure in the course of military operations. 

The latest escalation comes as Syria faces record levels of need following 13 years of war, with more than 16 million people requiring assistance this year, amid critical shortfalls in funding.

A $4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for the country has received $962 million so far, or less than 25 per cent. 

Human rights office renews call for probe into Israel’s detention practices

The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has reiterated the urgent need for an investigation into Israel’s detention practices following the circulation of another video which allegedly shows a Palestinian man being sexually abused and tortured by soldiers.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Office said that “according to a major Israeli media outlet, the video is purportedly of the act in Israel’s Sde Teiman detention camp for which nine soldiers were arrested on 29 July.”

It added that UN Human Rights has documented a number of videos in recent months which show gross violations of the rights of Palestinians detained by Israel, including acts of ill treatment, torture, sexual violence and rape.

“Israel must ensure prompt, independent and effective investigations into all allegations of violations related to the treatment of detainees and conditions of detention, which UN Human Rights monitoring reveals may be widespread, and ensure that perpetrators are held to account,” the Office said.

Vaccines in the spotlight amid ‘summer wave of COVID-19’ in Europe

As Europe confronts a rise in COVID-19 infections, a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that vaccines do indeed save lives.

The study found that from the time they were introduced in December 2020 through to March 2023, COVID-19 vaccines reduced deaths due to the pandemic by nearly 60 per cent.  As a result, more than 1.6 million lives were saved in the WHO European Region, which comprises 53 countries.

The report also revealed that the known COVID-19 death toll in the region, currently 2.2 million, might have been as high as four million without the vaccines.

“The results are clear: COVID-19 vaccination saves lives,” said Dr. Margaux Meslé, author of the study, which was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.

“Without the enormous vaccination effort, we would have seen many more livelihoods disrupted and families losing the most vulnerable among them,” she added.

WHO said the findings are valid as several European countries have reported an uptick in cases in recent weeks, or “a summer wave of COVID-19”.

The agency said this serves as  “a timely reminder that while COVID-19 is fading into distant memory for millions of people, the virus has not gone away.”