“UNDOF has informed its Israeli counterparts that these actions constitute a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.”
The UN has announced that its peacekeeping mission, UNDOF, has observed “a significant increase” in the movements of the Israeli military along the Golan Heights buffer zone in Syria.
Since December 7, the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has “observed a significant increase in Israel Defense Forces (IDF) movements within the area of separation and along the ceasefire line, where they have been constructing counter-mobility obstacles since July 2024,” Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, said at a press briefing on Friday.
UNDOF Press Statement. Today, 12 Dec UNDOF Press Statement is being distributed to provide an update on the current situation within our AOR in line with United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) mandate (UN Resolution 350 (1974)). pic.twitter.com/4VdDie9JSA
— UN Disengagement Observer Force (@UNDOF) December 13, 2024
The observer force “confirms that as of 13 December,” the Israeli military “remains in the area of separation in multiple locations,” Dujarric added.
“UNDOF has informed its Israeli counterparts that these actions constitute a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement,” he noted.
‘Preserve Stability’
It urged “all parties to respect their obligations under that Agreement, cease all military activities in the area of separation, and uphold the terms of the 1974 agreement to preserve stability in the Golan.”
The agreement between Israel and Syria established the borders of a buffer zone and demilitarized area, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The UNDOF monitors it, as it is tasked with maintaining a ceasefire between Israel and Syria following the 1973 Middle East War.
The Israeli army captured the buffer zone in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, shortly after Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu announced the collapse of a UN-monitored disengagement agreement with Damascus, Anadolu reported.
Gaza’s ‘Deteriorating’ Situation
Dujarric also pointed out concerns about “the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
Citing the OCHA, Dujarric said that since October 6, the UN and its partners have tried to coordinate 137 missions to parts of north Gaza.
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“More than 90 per cent — that’s about 124 planned missions — were denied outright. The other 13 were approved but then faced impediments along the way,” he said.
“Since Monday, we have submitted 16 requests — that’s between three and five each day. Almost all were flat-out denied. The only mission to get the green light was prevented from moving into all the areas it set out to reach,” the spokesperson stressed.
“Humanitarian movements must be facilitated across Gaza — including to areas in the north, where thousands of Palestinians are facing apocalyptic conditions after almost 10 weeks under siege,” Dujarric emphasized.
(PC, Anadolu)
