Tag Archives: attacks

World News in Brief: Türk slams relentless Russian attacks, Gaza update, Cyclone Gezani hits Madagascar

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His reaction followed overnight attacks on energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Dnipro and the key port city of Odesa.

Nearly 8,800 multistorey buildings in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa are without heating.

In Kharkiv, temperatures are forecast to drop to minus 10°C or 14°F on Thursday evening, said Viktoriia Andrievska from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

“Without heating or electricity, homes will turn freezing, basic services will stop, for example, the lifts will stop working, and people, especially older residents and families with children, will struggle to stay warm and safe,” she said.

Illegal strikes

In his statement, the UN human rights chief emphasised the lasting impact of “large-scale” attacks by Russia on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which he stressed are prohibited under international law.

“Millions of households struggle with only a few hours of electricity each day,” Mr. Türk said, noting that unheated schools have been forced to shut and medical care has been impacted too.

International efforts to end the war in Ukraine continue, meanwhile, with Moscow announcing on Thursday that it expected the “next round” of talks “to take place shortly”, according to a Kremlin spokesperson.

Gaza: Another UN worker is killed, says UNRWA

Another UN worker has been killed in Gaza, despite a ceasefire agreement between Hamas fighters and the Israeli military.

According to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, a staff member was killed during Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday, reportedly after an attack by Hamas militants in Rafah.

UNRWA said that the Israeli strikes in Gaza City and shelling in Khan Younis killed at least four Palestinians, including their colleague, as he was hit while out walking on Salah Eddin Street in central Gaza.

Nearly 400 staffers killed

Since the war began, 391 UNRWA staff and partners have been killed.

In other Gaza news, Israeli forces have demolished a United Nations school in Jabalia in northern Gaza, it has been confirmed.

According to UNRWA, the school was one of a number of facilities it has behind the so-called “Yellow Line” of concrete blocks that separates the Israel Defense Forces from the people of Gaza.

Between January and February, eight UNRWA schools in the militarised area have been reportedly demolished by Israeli forces, the UN agency said.

Cyclone Gezani displaces thousands in northeastern Madagascar

Tropical Cyclone Gezani has killed at least 31 people and displaced thousands after making landfall in Madagascar on 10 February, bringing winds exceeding 195 km/h, heavy flooding and widespread destruction across eastern and central regions.

According to local authorities, four people remain missing and 35 have been injured. Preliminary reports indicate that more than 250,000 people have been affected, with nearly 7,000 displaced. 

Over 65,000 homes have been flooded, damaged or destroyed, and around 600 classrooms have been partially or completely rendered unusable.

UN emergency teams deployed

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has deployed emergency teams to Toamasina to support authorities as displaced families shelter in 28 evacuation centres across 16 districts. A national state of emergency has been declared.

“The scale of devastation…has left families struggling to cope with urgent needs and heavy losses,” said IOM Chief of Mission Roger Charles Evina.

The Government is leading search-and-rescue operations and delivering emergency shelter and food assistance, including the distribution of 800 metric tonnes of rice, with support from UN agencies and partners.

A $3 million allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund will assist more than 90,000 people as additional donor funding supports early response efforts.

The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned that the cyclone could also affect central and southern Mozambique in the coming days.

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South Sudan: UN forced to suspend food aid after ‘unacceptable’ attacks on convoy

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As fighting intensifies there between opposition forces and national troops, there are reports of airstrikes and daily civilian casualties.

UN agencies warn that worsening insecurity is blocking lifesaving aid, while hunger projections deteriorate and cholera treatment centres struggle to cope with an influx of newly displaced people.

The renewed violence comes as South Sudan’s 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement continue to fall apart amid stalled reforms, rising political tensions ahead of planned elections in 2026, and mounting pressure from more than one million refugees fleeing the brutal war in neighbouring Sudan.

Click here to read a summary of threats to South Sudan’s peace process and the converging political, security and humanitarian crises, and their impact on civilians.

Humanitarian statistics for South Sudan as of December 2025.

WFP convoy attacked, activities suspended

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday suspended all activities in Baliet County, Upper Nile state, following repeated attacks on a convoy carrying humanitarian assistance down river.

Between last Friday and Sunday, a 12-boat convoy transporting more than 1,500 metric tonnes of food and other relief items was attacked several times by armed youth.

The cargo was later looted in multiple locations, despite receiving prior security assurances for the safe passage of aid.

WFP said the suspension would remain in place until the safety of its staff, partners and contractors is assured and authorities take immediate steps to recover the stolen supplies.

“Attacks on humanitarians are never acceptable,” WFP said, urging all parties to respect humanitarian workers and safeguard the facilities and resources essential for delivering aid.

Aid access under threat

The convoy attack reflects a broader collapse in humanitarian access, particularly in Jonglei state, where renewed fighting since late December has intensified clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition across multiple counties.

According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, fighting and airstrikes have displaced around 280,000 people since late December, including more than 235,000 across Jonglei alone. Many have fled to areas with minimal water, sanitation and health services, sharply increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Humanitarian partners report that at least seven aid facilities have been looted or damaged in Jonglei, with assets confiscated and aid workers intimidated, forcing the suspension of operations in several locations.

South Sudan: Humanitarian snapshot (December 2025).

Hospitals hit, services halted

The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that Government forces bombarded its hospital in Lankien, Jonglei State, overnight on 3 February, destroying the main warehouse and most critical medical supplies. One MSF staff member suffered minor injuries.

In a separate incident the same day, MSF’s health facility in Pieri was looted by unknown assailants, forcing staff to flee. The NGO said the violence had left around 250,000 people without healthcare, as the organization had been the only provider in the area.

Hunger and disease risks rising

UN agencies warn that escalating conflict is expected to significantly worsen food insecurity, particularly in northern Jonglei and Upper Nile states.

Projections indicate that the number of counties facing emergency-level hunger (IPC Phase 4) between February and May will more than double, with some households at risk of slipping into catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5).

Insecurity has already forced WFP to pause plans to pre-position 12,000 metric tons of food ahead of the rainy season in Jonglei, raising concerns that access will further deteriorate once roads become impassable.

Since September 2024, South Sudan has recorded nearly 98,000 cholera cases and more than 1,600 deaths, with Jonglei among the worst affected, overwhelming treatment centres.

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World News in Brief: Children at risk in South Sudan, Balochistan attacks, summit backs boost for undersea cable security

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Clashes in Jonglei state since the start of 2026 have displaced at least 250,000 people, mainly in the north and centre of the state, cutting families off from lifesaving care in areas already suffering some of the highest malnutrition rates in the country.

Deadly risks

“We are extremely concerned for women and children impacted by these violent clashes,” said UNICEF Country Representative Noala Skinner. “A malnourished child without treatment is 12 times more likely to die.”

Access for aid agencies remains severely constrained, with restrictions on river, road and air travel. Six counties in Jonglei are already at, or close to, running out of therapeutic food, while 17 health facilities nationwide have closed due to conflict. 

UNICEF has also recorded 10 incidents of looting of health and nutrition supplies.

Despite the challenges, UNICEF said it is responding, delivering water purification equipment amid cholera concerns and sending malaria treatments, emergency health kits and therapeutic food to reach more than 10,000 people.

UNICEF condemns killing and injury of children in Balochistan attacks

UNICEF has expressed grave concern over reports that children were among those killed and injured during a wave of violent attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan last weekend.

“Children cannot be targets nor collateral damage, and their lives must always be protected,” said UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Pernille Ironside, extending condolences to the families and communities affected. 

She warned that the escalation of violence is spreading fear, with children and families “bearing the heaviest burden”.

The attacks, which took place on 31 January, were also strongly condemned by the UN Security Council. 

In a press statement released on Tuesday, Council members described the incidents as “heinous and cowardly” acts of terrorism that left 48 people dead, including 31 civilians. 

Council expresses ‘deepest sympathy’

Civilian casualties reportedly included five women and three children. The so-called Balochistan Liberation Army separatist group has claimed responsibility. 

A senior local official told reporters that 145 members of the banned group had subsequently been killed by security forces.

The Council expressed its deepest sympathy to the victims’ families and to the Government and people of Pakistan, wishing the injured a full recovery. 

Global summit backs stronger protection for submarine cables

Governments and industry leaders from more than 70 countries have reaffirmed the need to protect submarine cables that carry the vast majority of the world’s digital traffic.

Meeting in Porto, Portugal, at the International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit 2026, participants adopted a declaration and recommendations aimed at strengthening cooperation to safeguard the global network of around 500 cables stretching more than 1.7 million kilometres.

Read our explainer on the summit and what’s at stake, here.

“When it comes to critical digital infrastructure like submarine cables, resilience is both an end-to-end imperative and a shared responsibility,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, welcoming commitments to improve repair times, readiness and investment.

‘Meaningful impact’

The summit highlighted the importance of protecting connectivity for remote and underserved regions, which are particularly vulnerable to cable disruptions.

“I firmly believe [the advisory body] is already delivering concrete and meaningful impact,” said ANACOM Chairwoman Prof. Sandra Maximiano, noting the risks faced by countries and island communities with limited capacity to respond to outages.

The Porto meeting followed the inaugural summit in Abuja, Nigeria, as momentum builds for global action to protect what many experts see as the backbone of the digital economy.

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Ukraine: Civilians injured, miners killed, in separate Russian attacks

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Matthias Schmale was “appalled” by the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv, noting that many more people in several regions – including Dnipro, Odesa and Vinnitsya – are facing power outages. 

“Systematic attacks by the Russian Federation Armed Forces on critical infrastructure affect the daily lives of millions and cause life-threatening conditions for the most vulnerable, including older people and children,” he said in a statement posted on social media. 

He recalled that international humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure. 

Keeping families warm 

In the face of the “incessant attacks” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) is scaling up efforts to help keep critical services running amid freezing temperatures. 

Since November, UNICEF has delivered 106 mid- and large-capacity generators across the country to support water utilities and district heating companies.  

An additional 149 generators will be released over the coming weeks to further boost operations and strengthen back-up power solutions. 

“Across the country, vital services for children and families are strained and parents are struggling to keep their children warm, prepare hot food, and access regular running water,” said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. 

“These generators will help the brave technicians on the ground to keep systems running to keep the heating on, hospitals open and water flowing.”  

Miners killed in drone attack 

Meanwhile, UN human rights monitors confirmed that a Russian drone attack on Sunday in the Dnipropetrovsk region near the frontline in eastern Ukraine killed and injured coal mine workers commuting home after completing their shift. 

The attack occurred in the city of Ternivka, and 12 civilians were killed and 16 wounded, according to local authorities. 

“This incident highlights the dangers civilians face when hostilities extend into areas of everyday life, even well beyond the active fighting zone,” said Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). 

Deadly explosion 

The mine employees were travelling by bus on a regular commuter route through Ternivka, approximately 65 kilometres from the frontline, when multiple Russian drones struck the road near the vehicle over several minutes. 

The bus windows were blown out in the explosion, killing and injuring passengers. Other civilians driving nearby, as well as people who rushed to help, were also reportedly among the casualties. 

Simply trying to return home 

UN rights monitors visited the scene on Monday and interviewed witnesses.  They observed two craters, in front of and behind the destroyed bus, along with remnants of the drones used in the attack. 

One of the injured coal miners described climbing out of a bus window after the first explosion.  He heard screams from inside the bus, and then a second explosion shortly afterwards. 

He told the UN team that “this is all wrong” adding that “we are ordinary coal mine workers. People were simply returning to their homes, to their families.” 

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‘Cycle of attacks must end’: Lead UN official in Ukraine

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The attacks on some of Ukraine’s most important population centres, which reportedly involved almost 400 drones, also left thousands without electricity, heating and water.

Temperatures in the country have dropped to -20° Celsius, and the attacks on energy infrastructure have left families in freezing conditions. Many older persons and people with disabilities are often stuck in their homes in high-rise apartment buildings, without electricity and heating, unable to cook hot meals or recharge their devices to stay connected. 

The latest attacks took place during ongoing peace talks in the United Arab Emirates, involving delegates from Russia, Ukraine and the United States

In Kharkiv, a dormitory housing displaced persons who fled the fighting on the front line came under fire. A hospital and residential buildings were also damaged.

In the capital, Kyiv, thousands of apartment buildings which were gradually being reconnected to basic utilities after the previous wave of attacks on January 9 and 20, were again left without electricity in sub-zero temperatures.

The entire city of Chernihiv and hundreds of thousands of families in the surrounding region were left without electricity.

Repair crews and humanitarian workers continue to work in low temperatures to help the victims.

According to media reports, more than one million people are without power across the country, around 800,000 of whom are in Kyiv.

“This systematic cycle of attacks on energy infrastructure violates international humanitarian law and must stop,” said Mr. Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator said in a statement. Ukrainian civilians, he said, should live in their homes in safety and warmth, and not in fear of the next round of destruction.

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World News in Brief: Winter attacks in Ukraine, looming food aid cuts in Nigeria, drought in Kenya

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They include attacks in Odesa region on Wednesday that killed a 17-year-old boy, according to UN child rights agency UNICEF which called for an “end to attacks on civilian areas and the infrastructure children rely on.” 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that attacks on the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday had recommenced on Thursday. 

Aid deliveries 

“Teams delivered shelter materials to cover damaged homes and provided protection services to the affected residents,” OCHA said in a tweet, stressing that “the cold weather is worsening the needs, requiring urgent aid.” 

Russia continues to target energy infrastructure in Ukraine, knocking  out heat, electricity and water supply, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Tuesday. 

“Civilians are bearing the brunt of these attacks. They can only be described as cruel. They must stop,” he said. 

Nigeria: Looming food aid cuts put one million at risk 

More than a million people in northeast Nigeria could lose emergency food and nutrition assistance unless funding can be found “within weeks”, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday. 

Nigeria is facing one of the worst hunger crises in recent times, with nearly 35 million people projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the lean season. 

They include roughly 15,000 people in Borno state who risk falling into catastrophic hunger, which is one step away from famine. These are the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade, WFP said.  

The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north which has devastated rural communities, displaced families and destroyed food reserves. 

‘Catastrophic’ consequences 

“Now is not the time to stop food assistance,” said David Stevenson, WFP’s Nigeria Country Director.  

He warned of “catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences” for Nigeria’s most vulnerable people, who had been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter.   

WFP is urgently seeking $129 million to sustain its operations in the northeast over the next six months, warning that this work could shut down unless funds are received.   

People living in Turkana in northern Kenya are dealing with the impact of drought.

Kenya drought impacts over two million people 

More than two million people in Kenya are facing worsening food insecurity in the wake of the October to December 2025 rainy season – among the driest on record, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. 

The prolonged drought has led to rising malnutrition rates, increased risk of disease outbreaks and disrupted access to essential health services. 

Regional drought 

The impacts are also being felt in neighbouring Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, where millions more people are at risk due to similar weather patterns and water shortages. 

In Kenya, 10 counties are currently experiencing drought conditions, one of which is in the “alarm” phase. Furthermore, another 13 counties in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions are showing signs of drought stress. 

While severe, the emergency was part of a known seasonal risk, WHO said.  The UN agency has supported the Kenyan authorities including by providing cholera kits, pneumonia kits and essential supplies, as well as pre-positioning equipment in high-risk counties before the drought intensified. 

WHO stressed the need to mobilize urgently to ensure both people and livestock have access to adequate food supply and safe water, and to prevent the situation from worsening. 

 

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Deadly Attacks, Trembling Services Push Sudan Closer to Catastrophe

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According to local reports, heavy shelling and assaults late last week in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, killed at least six civilians and injured scores more, triggering fresh displacement from the already besieged city.

Sudan has been roiled in a brutal civil war between rival militaries – the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and affiliated militias. Thousands of civilians have been killed, villages and farmlands destroyed, and nearly 12 million people driven from their homes – over four million as refugees into neighbouring countries.

The country also risks becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis in recent history as infrastructure, trade routes and supply chains lie in ruins. Famine has already been confirmed in the Zamzam camp, which once sheltered hundreds of thousands of civilians – and many more areas are at risk.

Humanitarians warn that essential services are breaking down. Water trucking to the only functioning hospital was suspended over the weekend and community kitchens shut down after running out of food.

Without urgent support, they warn that the most vulnerable people could face severe hunger within days. Across Darfur, hospitals remain under immense strain.

Nearly 100 wounded people, including women and children, were admitted to medical facilities in a single day last week, with several pronounced dead on arrival, according to reports from the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF – Doctors Without Borders).

Survivors who managed to escape El Fasher described “unbearable” conditions in the city, which has endured more than a year of siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups.

Children sit beside makeshift tents in El Fasher, North Darfur, where intensified fighting has left thousands trapped.

Drone strikes on 10 September hit multiple locations across Darfur, injuring scores. A strike landed just four kilometres (about 2.5 miles) from an MSF-supported hospital in Central Darfur, forcing staff to activate a mass casualty plan. The following day, two more strikes struck Nyala in South Darfur, reportedly killing at least four people, including a child.

The fighting is not confined to Darfur. In Khartoum, RSF airstrikes on 9 September damaged a power station, causing a blackout in parts of the capital and disrupting critical hospital equipment and services.

Disasters add to misery

Meanwhile, Sudan is grappling with natural disasters on top of conflict. A landslide triggered by heavy rains on 31 August in Sharg Aj Jabal, near the Central and South Darfur border, killed an estimated 400 people, half of them children, according to local reports.

Furthermore, over 4,000 people were displaced and 550 homes destroyed in Aj Jazirah state in flash floods last week.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan are affected by heavy rains, flash floods and landslides.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stressed that civilians remain at the epicentre of the violence. “[We] once again call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and increased international support to sustain life-saving operations across Sudan,” the Office said.

In Khartoum, OCHA reported some improvements in restoring basic services and security. Yet more than 800,000 people who have returned to the capital in recent months still urgently need assistance to rebuild their lives.

On the political front, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, is currently in Port Sudan after concluding consultations in Nairobi.

According to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, Mr. Lamamra has held “very constructive engagements” with Sudanese stakeholders across the spectrum as well as key international interlocutors.

“These discussions will help lay the groundwork necessary to support an inclusive process that can deliver a sustainable solution that preserves Sudan’s sovereignty, its unity and its territorial integrity,” Mr. Dujarric said.

He added that the UN also looks forward to working closely with regional partners, including the African Union, the east African regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the League of Arab States, to restart efforts toward an intra-Sudanese dialogue.

Attacks on schools surge by ‘staggering’ 44 per cent over the past year

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Over 41,000 incidents of violence against school-age children were reported by the UN in 2024.

Countries with the highest levels of violations in were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.

In a message to mark the International Day to Protect Education, commemorated annually on 9 September, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said that “each violation carries profound consequences, not only for teachers and young learners, but for the future of entire communities and countries,” adding that “no child should risk death to learn.”

The UN chief’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict for 2024 highlights not only an upsurge in attacks on schools but also a 34 per cent increase in rape and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated against children.

In addition, the number of children victims of what the UN calls grave violations increased by 17 per cent as a result of abduction, recruitment, and other types of violence, characterised by the UN as “an alarming escalation in brutality.”

Gaza children deprived of right to education

In Gaza where more than 2.3 million people have been displaced by the two-year-long war, 660,000 children remain out of school and classrooms have been converted into shelters. 

“There is no education now. We live inside the school, where we are displaced, eating and sleeping,” said Diana, a child living in Gaza. 

Despite the ongoing conflict more than 68,000 children in Gaza have been reached through temporary learning spaces offering education and psychosocial support.

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, is also recycling pallets into school furniture and converting supplied boxes into tables and chairs.

© UNICEF/Oleksii Filippov

Boys play amidst the ruins of a school in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Barriers to education in Ukraine

In Ukraine, 5.3 million children face barriers to education, and around 115,000 are completely out of school due to the ongoing war.

“1,850 facilities have been damaged since the beginning of the conflict,” said Nelson Rodrigues, Education Specialist at UNICEF.

With many schools on the front lines either closed or operating remotely, over 420,000 children attend school fully online, while one million use a hybrid model. 

UNICEF has supported the rehabilitation of 57,000 war-affected school facilities, which has allowed a considerable number of children to return to the classroom. 

The UN agency has also provided catch-up and remedial learning, enabling children to recover from disruptions and continue their education. 

Meanwhile, between January and July of this year, the UN and its humanitarian partners have supported 370,000 children and teachers, mainly in front-line and host communities. 

Respect schools 

Parties to conflict anywhere in the world are obliged under international law, to respect schools as places of safety, and hold accountable those responsible for attacks.

“The pen, the book, and the classroom are all mightier than the sword,” said UN Secretary-General Guterres.

“Let’s keep it that way and protect the fundamental right of every child to learn in safety and peace.”  

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World News in Brief: UN chief condemns Russian attacks on Ukraine, Gaza crisis continues, protecting civilians in DR Congo

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Secretary-General António Guterres said it marked a “further escalation” of the conflict.

Authorities reported more than 80 civilian casualties, including a national non-governmental organization (NGO) worker and her two-month-old son in Kyiv.

Other affected cities included Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih and Kherson. Energy infrastructure was also hit, causing temporary power and water outages ahead of winter, with repair crews working to restore services.

“Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable and must end immediately,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Monday at the regular news briefing in New York.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions,” he added.

Meanwhile, humanitarian support continues. On 5 September, UN agencies and partners delivered medical kits and hygiene supplies to roughly 1,000 people in several Donetsk villages, marking the tenth convoy to the region this year.

People seek food at a community kitchen in western Gaza City.

Gaza: Civilian toll continues to climb

Civilians in Gaza continue to face mounting deaths, displacement and famine as hostilities continue, with UN agencies warning that the window to prevent widespread starvation is closing.

According to local health authorities, some 67 people were killed and 320 injured in the past 24 hours, Mr. Dujarric said, adding that since the end of the ceasefire in mid-March nearly 12,000 people have died amid repeated displacement and attacks.

“We continue to condemn all killings of civilians,” he said.

The humanitarian situation remains dire. The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, noted urgent needs for food, water and shelter.

“Our colleagues remind us that over 80 per cent of Gaza is either under displacement orders or within militarized areas,” Mr. Dujarric added.

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that over 100 people, a quarter of them children, have died from malnutrition since famine was confirmed in Gaza governorate.

Humanitarian operations remain heavily constrained.

Only 11 of 24 coordinated missions were facilitated on Sunday, including fuel collection at crossings, while others were denied or cancelled. Humanitarians were able to distribute water in northern Gaza and collect food shipments from Kerem Shalom, Karem Abu Salem and Zikim crossings.

UN peacekeepers in DR Congo continue to protect population against ‘grave danger’

Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to be protected against “grave danger” by United Nations peacekeepers, according to the head of UN Peace Operations.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix was speaking at the end of a mission to the DRC, where he visited the troubled Ituri and North Kivu regions.

Mr. Lacroix emphasised that hundreds of thousands of Congolese people, including displaced people, rely on the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO for daily protection, particularly in the areas of Fataki and Beni, in North Kivu, where joint operations with the Congolese armed forces continue against armed groups.

USG Lacroix on the role of MONUSCO

Dire situation continues

The security situation in the eastern DRC remains dire, despite diplomatic efforts to bring lasting peace to the country.

The DRC is currently facing one of the most acute humanitarian emergencies in the world, with food insecurity on the rise and 5.9 million Congolese currently internally displaced.

“People are protected here by our MONUSCO colleagues, and they are provided with humanitarian support and protection”, said Mr. Lacroix adding that the UN remains committed to supporting government efforts towards peace and stability in the country.

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Amid escalating attacks in Gaza, UN rights chief calls on US to withdraw sanctions against Palestinian rights groups

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The measures announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) Addameer.

“For decades now, these NGOs have been performing vital human rights work, particularly on accountability for human rights violations,” that is “all the more important when international humanitarian and human rights laws are being violated systematically in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.

Mr. Türk urged the US to immediately withdraw its sanctions “as well as the ones imposed earlier on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and on multiple Judges and Prosecutors of the ICC.”

He added that the sanctions will have a “chilling effect” not only on civil society in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but potentially worldwide.

Attacks, famine spread across Gaza

The ongoing Israeli offensive to take full control of Gaza City further intensified on Friday, increasing civilian casualties and attacking facilities on which they depend to survive, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a press briefing at UN Headquarters.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to launch attacks against them, damaging tents sheltering displaced people nearby, according to initial information collected by the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the north, people are simply exhausted; they can’t afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost up to $1,000,” Mr. Dujarric said, announcing that nearly 41,000 people have been displaced from Gaza City since 14 August.

‘Catastrophe Israel could have prevented’: WHO chief

Reminding that the offensive is running alongside the spread of famine, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “a catastrophe that Israel could have prevented and could stop at any time.”

Starvation ‘will not make Israel safer’

“Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime that can never be tolerated. Doing so in one conflict risks legitimising its use in future conflicts.”

Since the conflict began in October 2023, at least 370 people have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 300 just in the past two months, according to the UN health agency, which said the lack of food and clean water and cramped living conditions are leaving people with weakened immune systems.

It’s also exposing the population to more disease, with more than 100 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, including 11 deaths, reported in the last month.

“The most intolerable part of this man-made disaster is that it could be stopped right now,” he said.

“People are starving to death while the food that could save them sits on trucks a short distance away. And for what? The starvation of the people of Gaza will not make Israel safer, nor will it facilitate the release of the hostages.”

While WHO is doing the best it can to alleviate suffering in Gaza, supporting medical evacuations of over 7,640 patients, more than 15,000 others need urgent specialised care, including 3,800 children.

More than 700 people have died while waiting for evacuations, Tedros said, calling for countries to “open their arms to these critically ill patients” and on Israel to allow people to be treated in the nearby West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“Above all, we call on the Government of Israel to end this inhumane war,” he said. “If it will not, I call on its allies to use their influence to stop it.”

Attacks across Gaza intensify amid fear and hunger: ‘Leave me here,’ injured girl told fleeing family

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A 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who depends on a wheelchair was among crowds fleeing Israeli military aircraft operations east of Rafah in Gaza on 13 October 2023, said committee member Muhannad Salah Al-Azzeh, who presented a report on the occupied Palestinian territories on Wednesday in Geneva. In the melee, she lost her wheelchair.

“She was crawling on the sand and asking her family, telling them ‘you can leave me here’ because she felt that she was slowing them down,” he said.

Indeed, some people are unaware of evacuation orders being given in Gaza due to their disabilities since the start of the nearly two-year-long war triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

“This is one of the most serious issues because in regular situations, personal disabilities are excluded in emergencies, more excluded,” he said. “It’s more complicated for them.”

A woman in a wheelchair is carried across rubble.

States fail to protect rights of persons with disabilities

Following extensive interviews with individuals, delegations and organizations working in Gaza and the West Bank, the UN committee submitted a series of recommendations and serious concerns to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The situation in Gaza is a grave concern, Mr. Al-Azzeh stated.

“What we are witnessing there is highly concerning for us,” he warned. “We do believe that all the State parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, they really failed in one way or another to fulfill their obligations to protect and to ensure the minimum protection of persons with disabilities in the emergency situation.”

Citing grim cases reported to the committee since the start of war, he said in one instance, prolonged electricity shutdowns in Rafah left a mother unable to receive evacuation messages on her mobile phone, and she and her children subsequently died in an Israeli strike.

Nine-year-old Noor’s parents, who are deaf, have heavily relied on her to survive Israeli tank shelling and attacks. She has had to learn new signing vocabulary for the language of war, including tanks, armed quadcopters, shrapnel and aircraft, the committee representative said.

There are dozens of examples of people like Abdulrahman Al-Gharbawi, with cerebral palsy and a lower limb disability, he said. 

All nine times the 27-year-old graphic designer’s family has been forcibly displaced since the start of the war, his mother would carry his wheelchair while his father and brother would carry him.

‘Horrific’ situation in Gaza City

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Wednesday that further intensification of the continued offensive on Gaza City, amid ongoing famine, will push civilians – already battered and bereaved – into an even deeper catastrophe that world leaders must act decisively to prevent.

“Partners supporting displacement sites warned that the escalating hostilities in Gaza City are having horrific humanitarian consequences for people living at these sites, many of whom were previously displaced from North Gaza,” the UN agency said. “They say that many households are unable to move due to high costs and a lack of safe space to move to, with older people and those with disabilities especially affected.”

Partners report that between 14 and 31 August, more than 82,000 new displacements have been recorded, including nearly 30,000 movements from north to south, OCHA stated.

Chronic aid delivery obstacles

Meanwhile, humanitarian efforts continue to face chronic obstacles. While a trickle of aid is getting into the war-torn Gaza Strip, steep challenges remain, according to OCHA’s latest situation report.

Between 17 and 30 August, partners continued daily convoys to uplift humanitarian food aid from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, bringing more than 6,900 metric tonnes of wheat flour, food parcels and bulk food supplies into Gaza through the UN-coordinated aid mechanism, OCHA reported.

“However, nearly all of this aid was offloaded by hungry crowds or looted by organized groups along convoy routes, preventing targeted household distributions and delivery to partner warehouses,” the UN agency stated.

Since 20 July, when regular food cargo shipments from Gaza’s crossings resumed, less than 40 per cent of the 2,000 metric tonnes of food supplies required daily to meet basic humanitarian food assistance needs could enter the Strip, OCHA said.

“Daily, civilians continue to be killed and injured by military forces or due to violence erupting among desperate crowds while trying to access aid, including in the militarised zone near checkpoints waiting for aid convoys and at non-humanitarian militarised distribution sites,” the UN agency reported.

‘Two per cent of food aid reached warehouses’

As of 30 August, 99 kitchens supported by 19 partners were preparing and distributing 468,000 meals daily across the Gaza Strip, with 155,000 in the north and 313,000 in central and southern Gaza, according to the OCHA report.

“Partners relied on the two per cent of food aid that safely reached warehouses, coupled with resources secured locally from markets,” the UN agency said.

“While representing an 80 per cent increase compared to the 260,000 daily meals prepared in early August, this remains far below the over one million meals produced in April with the humanitarian and commercial food stocks and cooking gas entered during the ceasefire.”

Families and children seeking food from a community kitchen in western Gaza City in late July. (file)

Famine response

The UN and partners continued integrated famine response efforts come on the heels of the UN-backed global hunger experts’ report finding famine conditions in parts of Gaza last month.

Efforts included scaling up cooked meal provision, promoting small-scale home gardening and community oven initiatives, expanding cash and voucher assistance and strengthening real-time monitoring and analysis systems.

“Intense advocacy continues with the Israeli authorities to increase the volume of humanitarian and commercial goods approved for entry, with a focus on fresh produce and fortified food, nutrition, health and cooking gas,” OCHA said in its report.

© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

Access to safe drinking water in the Gaza Strip has been severely compromised due to the ongoing war.

New supplies and critical shortages

For the first time in over five months, concentrated fodder for livestock owners entered Gaza. Approximately 60 metric tonnes were distributed to 600 livestock holders in Deir Al-Balah, OCHA said.

However, despite sustained advocacy, cooking gas has not entered Gaza for more than five months and is no longer available in markets, the UN agency stated.

“Firewood has also become increasingly unaffordable,” according to the agency. “Many people are reduced to using waste and scrap wood as alternative cooking sources, exacerbating health and environmental risks.”

Meanwhile, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees’ (UNRWA) health facilities continue to serve around 132,000 patients with non-communicable diseases despite facing dire shortages of medical supplies. Insulin stocks will be exhausted within one to two weeks, leaving at least 16,000 diabetic patients without an essential part of their treatment, OCHA reported.

Access to clean water is severely limited. At the same time, hospitals remain lacking in essential supplies and continue to face overcrowding as daily attacks are seeing a rise in the numbers of dead and injured.

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SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Push for peace in Ukraine could rapidly fade if large-scale Russian attacks continue

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The UN Security Council met in emergency session in New York on Friday afternoon following overnight strikes early on Thursday by Russia on Ukrainian cities including the capital, which left at least 23 dead, including four children. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča told ambassadors that diplomatic momentum towards a possible peace deal was “at risk of rapidly fading” if large-scale attacks by Moscow continue. Follow our live meetings coverage below. 

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Sudan: Guterres calls for ceasefire in El Fasher, deplores ‘relentless’ militia attacks

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António Guterres said he was “appalled by the relentless attacks” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on the North Darfur state capital, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

The paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been battling for control of devastated country since April 2023 and El Fasher has been the epicentre of fighting for more than 500 days.

Shelling, incursions and summary executions

Recent weeks have seen near-continuous shelling in the city and repeated deadly incursions into the adjoining Abu Shouk displacement camp, where famine conditions were identified last December.

Since 11 August, the UN has documented the killing of at least 125 civilians in the El Fasher area, including summary executions – although the actual number is likely to be higher.

“The Secretary-General is alarmed at the grave risks of serious violations of international humanitarian law as well as violations and abuses of international human rights law, including ethnically motivated ones,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Aid awaiting entry

Meanwhile, supplies are pre-positioned near El Fasher, but the UN and partners continue to face obstacles in moving them into the city.  

Some 70 trucks of humanitarian assistance are currently waiting in Nyala, South Darfur, a top official with the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Thursday in New York.

Mr. Dujarric also noted that repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets in North Darfur have occurred over recent months.

Ceasefire and a lasting peace

“The Secretary-General calls for an immediate ceasefire in and around the El Fasher area,” he said.

Furthermore, the UN chief “insists that immediate steps must be taken to protect civilians and enable the safe, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance into the area, and to allow any civilians seeking to leave the area voluntarily to do so safely.” 

 In the interim, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, continues to engage the warring parties and “stands ready to support genuine efforts to halt the violence and establish an inclusive political process that the people of Sudan demand.” 

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Ukraine: Toddler among four children killed in Russia’s attacks on Kyiv

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The youngest victim of the bombing raid was two-and-a-half years old, according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which released video footage showing smoke billowing from a Kyiv apartment block with a massive hole where its roof had been.

Leading condemnation of the attacks, the UN Secretary-General said that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure violated international humanitarian law. [They] are “unacceptable and must end immediately”, followed by a ceasefire resulting in a “just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine”, he insisted, in a statement issued by his Spokesperson. 

Eyewitness testimony

Speaking to UN News after visiting the shattered building and its residents, UNICEF Representative, Munir Mammadzade, insisted that nowhere in Ukraine is safe today. The air-raid alert in Kyiv lasted almost 12 hours, he noted.

The senior UN official also condemned the “continuous attacks” reportedly involving ballistic missiles and drones by Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“I’m just back from one of the sites that were impacted, severely…and still, the search and rescue operation is continuing,” he said. “Across the city, there were four kids confirmed killed and more than 10 injured; most likely these numbers will go up.”

Media reports indicated further damage to civilian infrastructure including Ukraine’s railways. Russian attacks have also continued closer to the front line, targeting key energy infrastructure ahead of winter, Mr. Mammadzade warned.

Winter is main threat

In Kyiv and in frontline areas, plummeting temperatures are “the biggest challenge”, the UNICEF senior official insisted, in an appeal to donors and partners to support the UN agency’s winterization plan by contributing more to its Ukraine humanitarian fund, which faces a 40 per cent funding shortfall.

People within 10 kilometres (around six miles) of the front line “require immediate support”, the UNICEF official said, so that “families and children can survive and most importantly, have their livelihoods protected”.

Back to school

The development comes as the country’s children prepare to return to school against a backdrop of ever-present air-raid sirens that are “becoming kind of a norm”, even if the impact of the war on many youngsters’ mental health is as serious as it is common.

“We know that even if war ends today, [it] will be for generations to come,” Mr. Mammadzade explained, pointing to sudden mood swings linked to post-traumatic stress and feelings of hopelessness among children he has met in frontline areas including Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv.

“What they basically fear the most is about their lives and unfortunately, quite often, they mention to us that they don’t have dreams or any hopes,” he continued. “What they only need is peace – and this peace to happen as soon as possible – so that they can go back to normalcy.”

In his renewed call for a ceasefire, the Secretary-General insisted that it should fully uphold Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions”.

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Amid ongoing Israeli attacks, ‘the systematic destruction of Gaza City is already underway’: UN rights office

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Recent attacks have been particularly devastating in the Az Zaytoun neighbourhood, where airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfire are continuous and intense, causing a high number of civilian casualties and the large-scale destruction of residential buildings and public facilities, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a statement.

Since 8 August, the office has recorded 54 attacks on residential buildings and entire blocks in Gaza City, killing 87 Palestinians, including at least 25 children and entire families.

It also recorded attacks on shelters for internally displaced people, including tents and schools, killing at least 14.

These casualty figures “indicate that the systematic destruction of Gaza City is already underway,” the statement said.

However, OHCHR stressed that these devastating figures are only a portion of the actual toll due to underreporting in such dire circumstances.

Impact of attacks

As a result of recent attacks, hundreds of families have been forced to flee, with nowhere safe to go amid dire humanitarian conditions across the Gaza Strip.

However, those who remain trapped are completely cut off from food, water and medical supplies.

OHCHR emphasised that “Israel’s reported decision to take full control of Gaza City and to forcibly displace its population will lead to mass killings of civilians and destruction of infrastructure vital to the survival of the population.”

The office is seeing the Israeli military repeat means of warfare that caused mass killings, serious injuries, forced displacement, arbitrary detention, starvation and extensive destruction in previous operations in North Gaza and Rafah.

To reportedly prepare for the offensive, the Israeli military has repeatedly called on Palestinians to move to Al Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.

However, Israel has repeatedly struck tents of the displaced in Al Mawasi, where people are struggling to survive with barely any access to food, water and other necessities.

Violations of international law

Under international law, Israel must not destroy civilian property unless it is rendered necessary by military operations. Yet, the widespread destruction of residential buildings in Gaza City is not seen as an imperative military necessity.

Additionally, by forcing the entire population of Gaza City and those remaining in North Gaza into displacement – with no shelter, food or medical provisions and no indication for allowing them to return to their homes in the future – OHCHR is concerned that these are grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Thus, the office is urging States party to the Geneva Conventions to follow their obligation “to exert maximum pressure on Israel to immediately halt this offensive, which risks triggering an unprecedented, life-threatening humanitarian crisis and permanently extinguishing the Palestinian presence in Gaza’s largest urban area.”

Worst-case famine

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed Japan’s life-saving contribution of 500 million yen ($3.3 million) to provide emergency food and nutrition assistance to Palestinians as they face severe food insecurity.

Adding to the assistance, on 4 August, limited commercial truck entries resumed, containing mainly dry food items and a small amount of fresh produce, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

However, the risk of spoilage and infestation of food supplies has drastically increased due to being stranded for months, heat and impending expiration dates.

Furthermore, cooking gas has not entered Gaza for over five months, and firewood has become increasingly unaffordable, forcing many to use waste and scrap wood as alternative cooking sources, exacerbating health and environmental risks.

Due to such limited aid, WFP underscored that the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report finds that the worst-case scenario of famine is currently occurring in the Gaza Strip.

“I meet families who have lost everything and don’t know where their next meal will come from.” said Antoine Renard, WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine.

But thanks to this support from Japan, he continued, “WFP can continue procuring life-saving food assistance, but we urgently need a ceasefire and sustained access to reach those most at risk and prevent a full-scale famine.” 

DR Congo: UN deplores deadly attacks in the east of the country

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The attacks, which took place between 9 and 16 August in the localities of Beni and Lubero territories, claimed the lives of at least 52 civilians, including eight women and two children, but peacekeepers on the ground say the death toll may very well rise.  

“These attacks targeting civilians, which add to the atrocities committed during the night of 26 to 27 July in Komanda (Ituri territory, Ituri), are intolerable and constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights,” said Binto Keita, Head of the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO.  

Appeal to armed groups

The violent attacks were accompanied by abductions, looting, and the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to the population already facing dire humanitarian conditions.  

MONUSCO issued a statement calling for foreign armed groups, such as the ADF, to lay down their arms unconditionally and return to their countries of origin.  

The Mission also urged “the Congolese authorities to conduct thorough investigations to identify those responsible for the massacre of civilians and bring them to justice.”  

Stronger military presence

In response to this new wave of violence, the peacekeeping mission reinforced its military presence and support to Congolese authorities.

For instance, on 13 and 14 August during incidents in Mayi-Moya in North Kivu, MONUSCO provided physical protection to 206 civilians, including 93 children and 70 women, who had sought refuge at the mission’s military base.  

“MONUSCO remains fully committed to supporting Congolese authorities and local communities in preventing further violence, protecting civilians, reducing tensions and contributing to the stabilisation of areas affected by armed conflict,” it said.   

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More young lives lost and devastated in Russia attacks on Ukraine: UNICEF

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The development came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of European leaders arrived in Washington to meet President Donald Trump, who held talks on a possible peace deal to end the war with President Vladimir Putin of Russia last Friday.

“More young lives lost and devastated in brutal attacks in Ukraine,” UNICEF said in an online post condemning the attacks. “End attacks on populated areas. Protect children.”

Destruction in Kharkiv

Footage released by the Ukrainian authorities showed an apartment complex in Kharkiv with a massive hole in the shattered roof and upper floors, where fires had been extinguished.

Kharkiv is located in the northeast of the country and just 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from the Russian border. Ukraine’s second city has suffered heavy destruction and repeated shelling since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022.

Meanwhile, a separate Russian attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia left three dead and approximately 20 injured, according to the Ukrainian authorities, who said they had shot down 88 drones and missiles launched overnight.

A recent update from UN human rights monitors in Ukraine noted that July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in the country since May 2022, with 286 killed and 1,388 injured.

“Aerial bombs caused the biggest rise [and] short-range drones made up 24 per cent of casualties,” said the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).

Russian troops’ push

The increase in the number of civilian casualties between June and July 2025 mainly took place in areas controlled by the Ukrainian Government along frontlines. This indicated the “intensive military efforts by Russian armed forces to capture territory”, the UN monitors explained.

And although long-range missile strikes and other munitions caused about 20 per cent fewer casualties in July compared with June, they were responsible for almost 40 per cent of all non-combatant deaths and injuries, including in the cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv.

Short-range drones were the second leading cause of civilian casualties, accounting for nearly one in four death and injuries (64 killed and 337 injured), said HRMMU.

As in June, nearly all civilian casualties (98 per cent) occurred in areas controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. Civilian casualties were recorded across 18 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.

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Gaza Strip: Humanitarians warn of worsening famine conditions, attacks on civilians

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Of the 154 malnutrition-related deaths since October 2023 (including 89 children) reported by Gazan health authorities, the World Health Organization (WHO) said 63 occurred in July alone.

These deaths follow a steep drop in food consumption: 81 per cent of households reported poor food consumption in July (up from 33 per cent in April), and 24 per cent experienced severe hunger (up from 4 per cent), crossing the famine threshold, according to the humanitarian update issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday.

Acute malnutrition rates also surpassed famine thresholds in Khan Younis, Deir al Balah and Gaza City.

Given these recent figures, IPC food security experts warned that the worst-case famine scenario is unfolding. However, they added that while the third famine threshold of starvation-related deaths is rising, collecting data remains a challenge. 

UN agencies caution that time is running out for a full-scale humanitarian response. 22 per cent of the analyzed population is facing “catastrophic” level of food insecurity, and a further 54 per cent is at “emergency” level. 

At the same time, less than 15 per cent of essential nutrition services remain functional.

Attacks on civilians

Of the over 60,000 Palestinians reported killed since October 2023, nearly 9,000 died after hostilities reignited in March, and 640 between 23 and 30 July.

Civilian casualties while seeking food are also rising, with 1,239 killed and over 8,152 injured since 27 May.

OCHA further noted that displacement figures since 18 March have surpassed 767,800, though no new evacuation orders were issued by Israeli authorities since 20 July. The 20 July order affecting a humanitarian hub in Deir al Balah has since been rescinded.

Amid ongoing displacement, overcrowding in shelters, lack of privacy and worsening hunger has elevated the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls.  

The conditions are especially dire in southern Gaza, where there are no longer any safe shelters for GBV survivors.

Humanitarian measures

Between 23 and 29 July, only 47 per cent of 92 coordinated aid movements were fully facilitated by Israeli authorities. About 16 per cent were denied, 26 per cent impeded after initial approval and 11 per cent withdrawn by organizers.

The Israeli military announced a daily 10-hour pause in military activity, beginning 27 July, in Al Mawasi, Deir al Balah and Gaza City “to increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.”

They also announced measures including airdrops of flour, sugar and canned food; the reconnection of the power line from Israel to the southern Gaza desalination plant; the removal of customs barriers on food, medicine, and fuel from Egypt; and the designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys.

However, humanitarian partners warned that airdrops could endanger civilians, lead to unequal distribution and fall short of needs.

Working with limited funding

In addition, lack of sufficient funding is also hampering response efforts.

As of 30 July, only about 21 per cent of the $4 billion requested for the 2025 urgent humanitarian appeal for the region has been secured, leaving critical gaps. 

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UN warns of escalating human toll in Ukraine amid relentless aerial attacks, mounting aid shortfall

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“Nowhere is safe in Ukraine,” said Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe at the UN Department of Political Affairs (UNDPPA).

Citing figures from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, he said civilian casualties reached a three-year high in June, with 6,754 civilians killed or injured in the first half of 2025 alone.

Russian forces launched over 5,000 long-range munitions against Ukraine so far in July, including a record-breaking 728 drones in a single day. Major cities such as Kyiv and Odesa have been hit by swarms of missiles and drones.

Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya echoed those words, saying “there is no safe place left in Ukraine” as the use of explosive weapons in populated areas has left cities reeling.

A rehabilitation centre for persons with disabilities in Kharkiv, maternity wards, schools, and energy infrastructure have all come under fire in recent weeks.

Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs the Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Spiralling humanitarian situation

The humanitarian impact is worsening sharply, she continued.

“Nearly 13 million people need assistance, but limited funding means we can reach only a fraction of them,” Ms. Msuya warned. As of now, only 34 per cent of the $2.6 billion required for this year’s humanitarian response has been received.

Ukraine’s displacement crisis also continues to grow. Over 3.7 million people remain displaced within the country, while nearly six million are refugees abroad. More than 26,000 people have newly registered at transit centres since April alone.

Strikes in Russia

The senior UN officials also expressed concern over reported civilian casualties from Ukrainian drone strikes inside Russia, including in Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow.

While the UN could not independently verify these incidents, Mr. Jenča reiterated: “International law clearly prohibits attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We strongly condemn all such attacks – wherever they occur.”

Concerns over nuclear safety

Attacks near Ukraine’s nuclear facilities have further alarmed the UN.

Earlier this month, drone strikes hit Enerhodar, where Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant staff live, and drones have been detected near other operating plants.

“Any nuclear incident must be avoided at all costs,” Mr. Jenča said.

ASG Miroslav Jenča (on screen) briefs the Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Political momentum needed

While some diplomatic movement continues – including recent prisoner exchanges and talks in Istanbul – UN officials called for intensified political will toward a ceasefire.

“The heartbreaking and rising human toll of the past nearly three-and-a-half years of war underscores the urgency of a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” Mr. Jenča said, “as the first step towards a just and lasting peace.”

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World News in Brief: Thailand-Cambodia border hostilities, humanitarian efforts in Syria and attacks across Ukraine

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The dispute dates to 1953 when France first mapped the border, but tensions resurfaced in May after the death of a Cambodian soldier in a border skirmish.

Secretary-General António Guterres is “following with concern” reports of the clashes, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York.

“The Secretary-General urges both sides to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue and in a spirit of good neighbourliness, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the dispute,” he said.

Inter-agency humanitarian assistance in Syria

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) led an inter-agency visit to Rural Damascus governorate in Syria on Thursday to assess needs and provide assistance to more than 500 families displaced by recent violence in nearby Sweida governorate.

The UN agencies visited the Sayyeda Zeinab community and plan to visit the neighbouring Dar’a Governorate in the coming days, where humanitarians are supporting tens of thousands of people displaced by violence.

In Rural Damascus and Dar’a, OCHA and its partners are expanding protection services for displaced people. This includes psychosocial first aid and case management support for children.

Also on Thursday, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed urgent food assistance to displaced families. The agency additionally continues to provide assistance across the country, including to Syrians returning home after a decade of conflict.

Limited access to Sweida

On Wednesday, a second convoy from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) arrived in Sweida, with UN agencies providing support.

The convoy included food, wheat flour, fuel, medicines and health supplies. Medical supplies were delivered to the Sweida national hospital, and wheat flour was dispatched to bakeries.

Across Sweida, Rural Damascus and Dar’a governorates, the UN has distributed over 1,600 dignity kits to displaced women and girls. UN partners are also providing recreational activities, awareness sessions on gender-based violence and support for women and children.

But despite efforts in neighbouring governorates and increasing support in Sweida, full and direct access to the conflict-ridden governorate itself is limited due to security constraints.

Nonetheless, the UN is continuing dialogue with Syrian authorities to facilitate direct access to Sweida.

Nationwide attacks in Ukraine

OCHA further reported that at least five civilians were killed, and 46 others injured, in attacks across several regions of Ukraine over the past two days.

Kharkiv in the northeast was one of the more affected regions, where a glide bomb strike injured at least 16 people on Thursday, and fighting killed three and injured five others on Wednesday.

Additionally, overnight attacks in central Ukraine injured seven people in Cherkasy and four in Odesa City, damaging homes, health centres, schools, shopping areas and a market.

Civilians in the southern Kherson region, the eastern Donetsk region and the southeast Zaporizhzhia region were also affected.

Evacuations and humanitarian response

Following the overnight attacks in Cherkasy and Odesa, aid workers assisted first responders by providing first aid, meals, shelter materials, hygiene kits, emotional support and legal assistance to affected families.

Amid the hostilities, nearly 600 people were evacuated from the Donetsk region, and, in the past day, another 24 were evacuated from the northeastern region of Sumy.

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