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UN moves to crack down on attacks on peacekeepers

UN moves to crack down on attacks on peacekeepers

The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday approved a resolution designed to help the agency better identify and prosecute those who target and attack UN peacekeepers.

The vote on the resolution, which was sponsored by Pakistan, comes after an escalation in deadly attacks on UN peacekeeping troops, especially in Palestine and Lebanon.

Since 2 March, seven blue helmets with the UN peacekeeping mission have been killed by Israel in Lebanon.

Out of 136 UN personnel who lost their lives in service in 2026, 80 were serving with Unrwa, the UN agency serving Palestinian refugees in Gaza – more than in any conflict or disaster in the history of the organisation, according to UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres.

The coffin of late French UN peacekeeper Sergeant-Major Florian Montorio, killed during an Israeli attack in Lebanon, is carried by servicemen on 23 April 2026 (Valentine Chapuis/AFP)