Int'l Day of UN Peacekeepers: 2 Egyptians Honoured Posthumously for Sacrifice
Ahmed Emam
The United Nations Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, 29 May 2025.
In 1948, the historic decision was made to deploy military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, in what became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization.
Since that time, more than two million peacekeepers have served in 71 operations around the world. Today, some 68,000 women and men serve as military, police and civilian personnel in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 119 countries currently contribute uniformed personnel.
Egypt is the 13th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently deploys more than 1,200 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and the Western Sahara.
During ceremonies at United Nations Headquarters, Secretary-General, António Guterres, will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948.
He will also preside over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, at which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 57 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year.
Among the peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal are two from Egypt: WO Abdelkawy Mohamed Abdelkawy Sourour who served with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO); and Mr. Moataz Ibrahim Abdelsalam Abdelhamid who served in a civilian capacity with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The Secretary-General will also present awards to the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme from Ghana and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year award to Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone. Both of them serve with the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA).
This year's theme for the Day is 'the Future of Peacekeeping'. The theme emphasizes that the 'Pact for the Future' – adopted last year at the United Nations – includes a commitment to adapt peacekeeping to our changing world, as expressed Member States' pledges presented to fill capability gaps and help adapt UN peacekeeping to emerging challenges and new realities at the recent Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin.
In his message, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: 'Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world... Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations -- and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today's realities and tomorrow's challenges.'
'Today, we honour their service,' Mr. Guterres stated. 'We draw inspiration from their resilience, dedication and courage. And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace. We will never forget them – and we will carry their work forward.'
'Our personnel are our most important capability. The sacrifices made by our peacekeepers call for more than remembrance; they demand action,' said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. 'Throughout its history, peacekeeping has always adapted to ever-changing contexts to achieve results. The future of peacekeeping hinges on our collective commitment to continue to adapt and invest—so we can continue delivering hope and protection where it's needed most,' he added.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
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Int'l Day of UN Peacekeepers: 2 Egyptians Honoured Posthumously for Sacrifice
Ahmed Emam The United Nations Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, 29 May 2025. In 1948, the historic decision was made to deploy military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, in what became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. Since that time, more than two million peacekeepers have served in 71 operations around the world. Today, some 68,000 women and men serve as military, police and civilian personnel in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 119 countries currently contribute uniformed personnel. Egypt is the 13th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently deploys more than 1,200 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and the Western Sahara. During ceremonies at United Nations Headquarters, Secretary-General, António Guterres, will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, at which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 57 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year. Among the peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal are two from Egypt: WO Abdelkawy Mohamed Abdelkawy Sourour who served with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO); and Mr. Moataz Ibrahim Abdelsalam Abdelhamid who served in a civilian capacity with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The Secretary-General will also present awards to the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme from Ghana and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year award to Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone. Both of them serve with the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA). This year's theme for the Day is 'the Future of Peacekeeping'. The theme emphasizes that the 'Pact for the Future' – adopted last year at the United Nations – includes a commitment to adapt peacekeeping to our changing world, as expressed Member States' pledges presented to fill capability gaps and help adapt UN peacekeeping to emerging challenges and new realities at the recent Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin. In his message, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: 'Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world... Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations -- and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today's realities and tomorrow's challenges.' 'Today, we honour their service,' Mr. Guterres stated. 'We draw inspiration from their resilience, dedication and courage. And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace. We will never forget them – and we will carry their work forward.' 'Our personnel are our most important capability. The sacrifices made by our peacekeepers call for more than remembrance; they demand action,' said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. 'Throughout its history, peacekeeping has always adapted to ever-changing contexts to achieve results. The future of peacekeeping hinges on our collective commitment to continue to adapt and invest—so we can continue delivering hope and protection where it's needed most,' he added. The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks
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CNN — A hungry crowd of Palestinians broke into a United Nations warehouse in central Gaza on Wednesday, resulting in at least two deaths and multiple injuries as famine conditions worsen in the Strip. 'Hordes of hungry people broke into the WFP's Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, Central Gaza, in search of food supplies that had been pre-positioned for distribution,' the World Food Programme (WFP) said. 'Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident.' It is unclear what caused the deaths and injuries. WFP said it is working to verify the exact circumstances, but emphasized the tragedy reflects 'alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground' directly linked to the aid blockade. Several videos and photos seen by CNN show hundreds of people inside the warehouse, grabbing whatever food items they can find. A man with a bloodied face is seen in a photo as he clutches a bag of flour. 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'Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve,' it added. Palestinians carry bags of flour after storming a UN World Food Program warehouse in Central Gaza on May 28. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP UNRWA Public Information Office in Gaza called it an 'unfortunate incident' at the WFP warehouse, saying, 'Sadly, once again, people are being forced to take desperate measures as a result of the ongoing Israeli blockade on the entry of food and supplies into the Gaza Strip.' Wednesday's looting comes a day after chaos broke out at an aid distribution site in Gaza run by a controversial US-backed group as thousands of desperate Palestinians rushed to receive food supplies, with Israeli troops firing warning shots into the air and the US contractors overseeing the site briefly withdrawing. Videos from the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan, run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), showed large crowds rushing the facilities, tearing down some of the fencing and appearing to climb over barriers designed to control the flow of the crowd. Palestinian health officials said one person had been shot dead and 48 wounded during Tuesday's incident. A security source said American security contractors on the ground did not fire any shots and that operations would resume at the site on Wednesday. The Israel Defense Forces said their troops fired warning shots in the area outside the compound and that the situation was brought under control. They denied carrying out aerial fire toward the site. 'The smell of death hasn't left us for 600 days' Wednesday marks 600 days of Israel's war against Hamas following the deadly October 7 attacks and the military operations show no signs of abating despite rising international condemnation, including from many of Israel allies. Speaking to CNN from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Abu Amr said that '600 days went by us like 600 years.' The Palestinian man said that civilians fear death by either Israeli strikes or hunger, as limited aid trickles into the enclave. 'Hunger is killing us,' Abu Amr said, calling on the US to end its backing of Israel and broker an end to the war. 'We call on America, we call on all Western countries to stand with us,' he said. More than 54,000 Gazans have been killed since Israel's war in the enclave began 600 days ago, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants. A two-month ceasefire in Gaza that began in late January collapsed on March 18 as Israel renewed its bombardment. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,900 Palestinians since then. Aziz El-Kahnoot, another displaced Palestinian living in Deir al-Balah, said: 'The smell of death hasn't left us for 600 days,' adding that civilians in Gaza are held 'hostage' as the war rages on. Israel plans to occupy 75% of Gaza within two months as part of its new offensive in the besieged territory, an Israeli military official told CNN earlier this week. If carried out, the plans would force more than two million Palestinians into a quarter of the already decimated coastal enclave, surrounded on nearly all sides by Israeli forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month the entire population would be displaced to southern Gaza. Sigrid Kaag, interim UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said on Wednesday that the crisis in Gaza has plunged civilians into 'an abyss' and called on Israel to 'halt its devastating strikes on civilian life and infrastructure.' 'The entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine,' Kaag warned during a briefing, adding that the limited aid permitted into the enclave is 'comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk. CNN's Mohammad Al-Sawalhi, Kareem Khadder, and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed reporting.
