Tag Archives: ceasefire

World News in Brief: Syria ceasefire welcomed, ‘Olympic truce’, Ukraine’s freezing children

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“We welcome efforts to bring stability to the region and now hope for a complete end to hostilities and a sustainable resolution,” said Chair of the independent UN Human Rights Council-mandated investigative team, Paulo Pinheiro, stressing the need to address acute humanitarian needs, including food, water and electricity.

Recognition of rights

He also welcomed a recent presidential decree recognising the cultural and citizenship rights of Syria’s Kurdish population.

The independent investigators called for strict adherence to international humanitarian law, warning of alarming reports of killings, abuse and desecration of bodies.  

“We are investigating alleged violations and abuses and will report on them in due course,” said Commissioner Monia Ammar.

Cold winter conditions, combined with limited access to basic services, risk proving catastrophic for displaced families, particularly children, the Commission warned. It voiced grave concern over the situation of detained children in prisons and camps, including Al-Hol – where thousands of family member of alleged former ISIL fighters are being held.

While noting some resumption of aid deliveries, Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aoláin said assistance “must be augmented” and urged authorities to enable the safe and dignified return of women and children, while calling on States to urgently repatriate their child nationals.

UN urges ‘true mutual ceasefires’ for 2026 Winter Olympics

The UN General Assembly has called on warring parties in conflicts worldwide to agree to “true mutual ceasefires” during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, reviving the ancient principle of the Olympic Truce.

Taking note of a Solemn Appeal for the 80th session, read out by Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, who presides over the body, Member States were urged to use the Games as a window for peace. 

Humanity’s ‘common ground’

“The Olympic Truce proves that, even in times of division, humanity can still find common ground through sport,” she said.

The appeal recalls the Greek tradition of the ekecheiria, or Olympic Truce, which the Assembly has endorsed ahead of each Summer and Winter Games.

The upcoming Milano-Cortina Games will begin shortly, with the truce traditionally observed from seven days before the opening ceremony, until seven days after the Paralympics conclude.

“The Games will bring together athletes from all parts of the world,” Ms. Baerbock said, “as a means to promote peace, mutual understanding and goodwill among nations.”

The International Olympic Committee will fly the UN flag at Olympic venues as a symbol of peace.

UNICEF steps up winter response to protect children and families amid Ukraine’s harsh cold

Ukraine is once again facing a bitterly cold winter, with temperatures regularly dropping to around minus 20 degrees Celsius, or minus 4 Fahrenheit.  

The severe weather, combined with the widespread destruction of housing, energy, and heating infrastructure, continues to make the winter months particularly harsh, especially for children.

Among them is three-year-old Dasha, who has spent the past nine days in a flat without heating. Each night, her mother, Iryna, fills two five-litre plastic bottles with hot water and tucks them into Dasha’s cot.  

The challenges are compounded by rising poverty: among households with children, the rate has increased from 43 percent in 2021 to 65 percent in 2023.

Well over 3 million displaced

Today, around 3.3 million people, including more than half a million children, remain displaced within Ukraine.

Last year, the UN children agency’s (UNICEF) winter response reached 2.3 million people, including 380,000 children.  

In 2026, UNICEF appealed for $65 million to meet the needs of at least one million vulnerable people including 170,000 children.

Drawing on lessons from past winter campaigns, UNICEF’s response this year will focus on providing cost-effective cash support to families and schools, and strengthening district heating systems to ensure long-term, sustainable warmth. 

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Gaza ceasefire improves aid access, but children still face deadly conditions

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That’s the assessment of two senior officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking on Monday to journalists in New York following a week-long visit to the enclave and the occupied West Bank.

The two agencies have brought more than 10,000 trucks of aid into Gaza since the 10 October truce between Israel and Hamas, representing some 80 per cent of all humanitarian cargo.

Three months later, “the food security situation has improved and famine has been reversed,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations.

Carl Skau, WFP Deputy Executive Director, added that most families he met “were eating at least once a day” – sometimes twice.

Commercial goods have reappeared in Gaza’s markets, including vegetables, fruits, chicken and eggs. Recreational kits to help children heal from the stress and trauma of two years of war are now in their hands.

‘These gains matter’

UNICEF and partners have provided more than 1.6 million people with clean drinking water and distributed blankets and winter clothes to 700,000.  They have also restored essential life-saving paediatric intensive care services at embattled Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The second round of a Gaza-wide “catch-up campaign” for routine childhood vaccinations is currently underway, while another 72 UNICEF-supported nutrition facilities have been established, bringing the total to 196.

“These gains matter,” said Mr. Chaiban. “They show what is possible when the fighting pauses, political commitments are sustained and humanitarian access opens.”

Hot meals and school snacks

WFP has also scaled up massively over the past 100 days, said Mr. Skau, speaking from Rome. Teams have reached more than a million people every month with full rations for the first time since the war began.

They are “serving 400,000 hot meals every day and delivering school snacks to some 230,000 children in 250 temporary learning centres,” in addition to operating hundreds of distribution points and some 20 warehouses.

Other humanitarian organizations are bringing in tents, blankets, mattresses and other essentials thanks to WFP’s shared logistics services.

The agency is also helping to facilitate more regular aid convoys and is expanding common storage facilities so that more aid can be positioned closer to the population. It has also ramped up cash support to roughly 60,000 households.

Although more aid is entering Gaza, quantities are not yet sufficient to meet the immense needs. Furthermore, “the situation also remains extremely precarious and deadly for many children,” said Mr. Chaiban.

“More than 100 children have been reported killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October.    Despite the progress with food security,100,000 children remain acutely malnourished and require long term care.  1.3 million people, many of them children, are in urgent need of proper shelter.”

Families are shivering in fabric tents and bombed-out buildings amid freezing temperatures that have killed at least 10 children this winter season.

Mr. Sklau met a young woman with a 10-day-old baby who “was sitting on a wet mattress in this cold tent on the beach,” describing their plight as “just absolutely brutal.”

Hopes for a brighter future

Yet hope blossoms in the Gaza Strip. UNICEF and partners are supporting over 250,000 children to resume learning – a critical element to mental health and psychosocial support for more than 700,000 students who have been out of school for two years.

Mr. Skau recalled a conversation with young girls at a temporary learning space who “were happy to be back learning and eating more regularly,” he said.  “They could see a future again as nurses or engineers or restaurant owners, and they seemed impressively confident and determined to build a future for themselves.”

Humanitarians need essential items – such as water and sanitation provision, as well as educational supplies – to be allowed to enter Gaza which can help jump start recovery and reconstruction.

Mr. Chaiban said WFP and UNICEF are ready to scale up operations.

“The children of Gaza and the State of Palestine including the West Bank, which is also experiencing a wave of violence do not need sympathy. They need decisions now that give them warmth, safety, food, education, and a future,” he said.   “We have an opportunity, a window, to change the trajectory for these children. We can’t waste it.”

Gaza: Ceasefire urgently needed as civilians left with ‘no safe place’ to go

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“We are witnessing a dangerous escalation in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have stepped up their operations and ordered everyone to move south,” said the Humanitarian Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“Nearly one million people are now left with no safe or viable options – neither the north nor the south offers safety.”

The warning comes two weeks after famine was confirmed in Gaza Governorate.

Starving and exhausted

According to latest figures from the World Health Organization-led Health Cluster, 361 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition since the war began nearly two years ago, including 130 children.

Over half a million people are in living with catastrophic conditions marked by starvation, destitution, and death.

Civilians who try to leave northern Gaza face dangerous and barely passable roads, overcrowded shelters, and prohibitive transport costs – sums that most families simply cannot afford.

“Survivors in Gaza are exhausted,” aid agencies said, underscoring that both civilians and the health infrastructure they rely on “must never be targeted.”

Hospitals overwhelmed

Hospitals are overwhelmed and collapsing under the strain.

Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli facilities in Gaza City are operating at nearly three-times capacity, with mass casualty incidents averaging eight per day.

If a wider Israeli offensive proceeds, the Gaza Strip could lose half its remaining hospital beds, the health agencies warned.

Aid restrictions continue

The Humanitarian Country Team also noted ongoing Israeli impediments on aid, stating that “current levels of humanitarian support are wholly insufficient.”

Fuel, water, and supply routes must remain open and uninterrupted, agencies said, warning of “devastating consequences” if access is further obstructed.

“To families in Gaza: the humanitarian community will remain in Gaza City for as long as we can and will remain across the Strip, doing all we can to bring aid and deliver lifesaving services,” they said.

“To the international community: Act. Call for an immediate ceasefire. Uphold international humanitarian law, including the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained. This catastrophe is human-made, and responsibility rests with us all.”

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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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Amid massive destruction of Gaza City, UN chief renews ceasefire call

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“It is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza,” the Secretary-General told reporters on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), “and the unconditional release of all hostages and to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause.”

Around one million people still live in the city – Gaza’s largest – in the north of the war-torn enclave. The Israeli army has reportedly described it as a stronghold of Hamas, the terror group whose deadly attacks in Israel and hostage-taking sparked the war on 7 October 2023.

The UN chief also condemned the Israeli Government’s decision to approve a long-shelved settlement expansion project in the occupied West Bank.

“The decision by the Israeli authorities to expand illegal settlement construction, which would divide the West Bank, must be reversed. All settlement construction is a violation of international law,” he insisted.

The settlement is believed to have permission for well over 3,000 houses, schools and a clinic, cutting off East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day war after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

Urban destruction

Meanwhile in Gaza City, whole urban areas are being “totally destroyed”, the UN understands, with further destruction now underway in the south and southeast, as military manoeuvres continue.

Recent attacks have been particularly devastating in the Az Zaytoun neighbourhood of the city, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) reported on Wednesday.

Highlighting more than 50 attacks on residential buildings and entire blocks in Gaza City since 8 August, OHCHR warned that its “systematic destruction” had begun.

Acute malnutrition soaring

Meanwhile, UN aid teams highlighted the catastrophic impact of the accelerating Israeli military operation, with acute malnourishment soaring among children in Gaza City to 28.5 per cent, or more than one in four youngsters.

“Children continue to die from man-made starvation,” UNRWA said in a statement, noting that it has screened more than 95,000 children aged six months to five years for malnutrition across the Gaza Strip since March 2025, after the ceasefire collapsed.

While the ceasefire still held in early March and relief supplies were allowed into Gaza in far greater quantities than today, malnutrition rates were six times lower in Gaza City, at 4.5 per cent, according to the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA. 

Across Gaza, acute malnutrition rose to nearly 16 per cent in mid-August, more than three times higher than the 5.2 per cent level recorded by the UN agency in March, it said.

Vital services in danger

Today, services provided by UNRWA in Gaza City are at “severe risk”, the agency warned, pointing to the tens of thousands of people who still live in its shelters and the “many more” who remain in surrounding areas.

There is particular concern for UNRWA’s Gaza Field Office compound – its largest logistics hub in northern Gaza – as the UN agency’s operations in the south have been “crippled” by displacement orders and bombardment.

As an indication of UNRWA’s key role in aid and relief provision across Gaza, it noted that last month alone, it provided more than 100,000 medical consultations and screened 3,500 children for malnutrition in Gaza City.

UNRWA also delivered drinking water to 220,000 people, domestic water to 250,000 and cleared hundreds of tons of waste.

Education and protection specialists from the UN agency reached thousands more in temporary learning spaces or by offering counselling, recreational activities and risk awareness training about the dangers of lethal unexploded weapons.

“While our colleagues, like the rest of the UN, are determined to stay and deliver, all of these services are now at risk as the military operations intensify,” UNRWA said.

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Syria: Ceasefire under strain as violence and aid access issues persist in Sweida

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The 19 July truce followed weeks of sectarian clashes, Israeli airstrikes and grave human rights violations in the southern governorate, also known as As-Sweida.

As a result, more than 190,000 people have been displaced there and in neighbouring Dar’a and Rural Damascus governorates.

The fighting also caused severe damage to infrastructure and to livelihoods.  Electricity networks, water production assets including wells, and key public facilities were impacted.

Volatility, surveillance and demonstrations

Between 1 and 5 August, the security situation in Sweida and surrounding areas remained volatile, with clashes reported in three places, according to the OCHA flash update.

“Additionally, aerial surveillance activity attributed to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has been observed over multiple locations in Dar’a and As-Sweida, contributing to regional tension,” the agency said.

During the same period, public demonstrations occurred across multiple locations in Sweida, reiterating calls for improved humanitarian access and protection.

Parallel demonstrations also took place in Dar’a and Damascus governorates which emphasised the importance of national unity. 

Aid efforts continue

Humanitarian access remains constrained, OCHA said, as the UN and partners continue to support response efforts.  

The main highway between Sweida and the capital, Damascus, has been inaccessible since 12 July due to security concerns. 

Furthermore, the southern corridor via Busra Esh-Sham in eastern Dar’a was temporarily closed for 24 hours but reopened on Monday, affecting aid delivery.

“Humanitarian actors scaled up response efforts, including fuel and food deliveries to As-Sweida and Dar’a, commercial convoy facilitation, and shelter support for displaced populations,” OCHA said.

Inter-agency mission

Since the escalation of hostilities, humanitarians have provided bread assistance to nearly 1.5 million people.

OCHA also led an inter-agency mission to Dar’a to assess shelter conditions and to discuss medium-term housing options for displaced people.

Meanwhile, restoration of essential services is ongoing in Sweida, with partial electricity restored through emergency repairs.  

However widespread telecommunication and internet outages persist across the governorate, and maintenance of water and power networks continues in rural areas. 

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Ceasefire in doubt as Rwanda-backed rebels kill hundreds in eastern DR Congo

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The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had received first-hand accounts indicating that at least 319 civilians were killed by M23 fighters, aided by members of the Rwanda Defence Force, between 9 and 21 July in North Kivu province.

Most of the victims, including at least 48 women and 19 children, were local farmers camping in their fields during the planting season.

Stop attacks immediately

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the “surge of deadly violence”.

“I am appalled by the attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups in eastern DRC amid continued fighting, despite the ceasefire that was recently signed in Doha,” he said in a news release on Wednesday.

“All attacks against civilians must stop immediately and all those responsible must be held to account.”

The latest massacre marks one of the highest civilian death tolls documented since the M23 – a group largely composed of Congolese Tutsi fighters established over 15 years ago – re-emerged as a major military threat in 2022.

Peace agreement faltering

The spike in violence comes just weeks after two high-level peace initiatives appeared to offer a path forward.

On 27 June, Rwanda and the DRC signed a bilateral peace agreement in Washington, followed by the so-called Doha Declaration between the DRC Government and M23 rebel leaders on 19 July, which committed both sides to a ceasefire and further negotiations.

However, humanitarian NGOs say little has changed on the ground.

“I urge the signatories and facilitators of both the Doha and Washington agreements to ensure that they rapidly translate into safety, security and real progress for civilians,” Mr. Türk said.

Attacks from all sides

Meanwhile, other armed groups continue to terrorise civilians across eastern Congo. In July alone, the UN documented deadly attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CODECO) and Raia Mutomboki/Wazalendo militias in Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu.

On 27 July, ADF fighters attacked a Christian congregation in Ituri’s Komanda village, killing at least 40 worshippers – including 13 children – and torching homes, shops and vehicles. Earlier in the month the same group killed at least 70 civilians in a single attack on Pikamaibo village.

Women and girls are also enduring systematic sexual violence as a weapon of war. On 27 July, eight women were raped by Raia Mutomboki/Wazalendo fighters in South Kivu’s Busolo village.

Worsening humanitarian crisis

The growing insecurity is fuelling what humanitarians describe as one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises.

According to UN figures, over 7.8 million people are now internally displaced (IDPs) in eastern DRC – the highest figure on record – while 28 million people are facing food insecurity, including nearly four million at emergency levels.

Adding to the strain, more than 30,000 refugees from South Sudan have fled into Ituri province since April, escaping a wave of killings and active hostilities across Central Equatoria State.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that funding shortfalls may soon force it to suspend lifesaving assistance to hundreds of thousands.

Health services are also collapsing under pressure. In the first half of 2025, 33 attacks were recorded on health workers and facilities – a 276 per cent increase from the previous six months, according to the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA.

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World News in Brief: Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire, bloody weekend in Ukraine, stop hepatitis deaths

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The deal was announced on Monday by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, current chair of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, and was due to take effect at midnight local time.

The clashes, which began on 24 July, reportedly displaced more than 130,000 people in Thailand and over 4,000 in Cambodia, UN aid partners said last week.

Nearly 40 people were killed and some 200 injured, according to media reports, which cited Thai and Cambodian sources

The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Friday afternoon to discuss the crisis, which goes back decades.

‘A positive step’

The Secretary-General hailed the ceasefire “as a positive step towards ending current hostilities and easing tensions,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

The UN chief urged both countries “to respect the agreement fully and to create an environment conducive to addressing long-standing issues and achieving lasting peace.

He commended Malaysia, the current ASEAN Chair, as well as the United States and China, for their dedicated efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the situation.

Media reports said Prime Minister Ibrahim of Malaysia mediated talks between the sides at his official residence near the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The statement concluded by underlining that the UN stands ready to support efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region.

Ukraine: 20 dead and 120 injured in weekend attacks

Since Friday, at least 20 people were killed and a further 120 injured in Ukraine as attacks continued to devastate the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday.

The most severe attacks occurred in the Sumy region where a civilian bus was hit, killing three women over the age of 65 and injuring 19 more. Sumy also experienced electricity outages as a result of the attacks. 

These attacks come in the midst of a three-year high for civilian casualties, with 6,574 killed in the first half of 2025 and 5,000 long-range munitions launched by Russia in July alone. 

Civilian structures damaged

Residential buildings, shops and schools were hit across the border region this weekend, damaging structures which civilians rely upon for their livelihoods. A hospital in Kharkiv was also struck on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. 

To support families and people impacted by the attacks, aid workers delivered assistance in the form of shelter materials and psychosocial support. They also helped with repairs to some structures. 

“Aid workers continue to coordinate with local organizations to support the most vulnerable people in the Sumy region,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists at Headquarters in New York.

In Chile, new hepatitis treatments mean around 98 per cent of patients recover completely.

UN health agency calls for urgent action on hepatitis

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging governments and partners to step up efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat and reduce liver cancer deaths.

The UN agency issued the appeal on Monday, World Hepatitis Day.

“Every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related severe liver disease or liver cancer. Yet we have the tools to stop hepatitis”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Viral hepatitis – types A, B, C, D and E – are the main causes of acute liver infections, but only hepatitis B, C and D can lead to chronic disease, significantly increasing the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

However, most people with hepatitis are unaware that they are infected. Types B, C, and D affect over 300 million people globally and cause more than 1.3 million deaths each year, mainly from liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Break down the barriers

World Hepatitis Day is observed annually on 28 July. This year’s theme, Let’s Break It Down, calls for urgent action to dismantle the financial, social and systemic barriers that stand in the way of hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention.

Last month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – a specialized branch of WHO – classified hepatitis D as a human carcinogen, along with types B and C. 

Hepatitis D, which only develops in people already infected with hepatitis B, increases the risk of liver cancer two to six times compared with hepatitis B alone. 

WHO said the disease’s reclassification “marks a critical step in global efforts to raise awareness, improve screening, and expand access to new treatments for hepatitis D.”

Oral treatment can cure hepatitis C in two to three months and effectively suppress hepatitis B with lifelong therapy, the agency said.

Although treatment options for hepatitis D continue to evolve, reducing the incidence of cirrhosis and liver cancer will only occur with significant expansion and deepening of vaccination, testing, and treatment programmes. 

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Syria: Fragile ceasefire in Sweida ‘largely holding’ amid volatility

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Declared on July 19, the ceasefire followed a harrowing wave of sectarian clashes, Israeli airstrikes and grave human rights violations.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told ambassadors in the Security Council on Monday that the recent escalation had “rocked” the country’s already precarious transition and highlighted the need for “major course corrections” on security and political fronts.

“Syrians are reeling after appalling violence in Sweida – violence that should not have happened and which also saw unacceptable foreign intervention,” Mr. Pedersen said.

Escalation and fallout

The unrest began on July 12 when mutual kidnappings escalated into armed conflict between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes, drawing in Syrian security forces.

The violence spiralled, with reports of extrajudicial executions, desecration of corpses and looting. Footage circulated widely on social media fanned sectarian tensions and disinformation.

Though fighting has largely subsided, Mr. Pedersen warned the situation “remains tense and volatile.” Civilians suffered the most, with hundreds killed and widespread accounts of abuses by both state and non-state actors.

“I condemn the appalling violations against civilians and combatants in Sweida. I also condemn Israel’s intervention,” he said, referring to airstrikes around Sweida and Damascus that reportedly caused civilian and security force casualties.

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria. On screen is Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria.

Humanitarian crisis worsens

Humanitarian needs are escalating sharply. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), described Sweida as “teetering on the edge of collapse.”

“The recent violence in Sweida has displaced an estimated 175,000 people…a third of the population in the governorate, where two-thirds of people were already in need of assistance,” she told ambassadors.

Hospitals are overwhelmed and face severe shortages of electricity, supplies and personnel. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed five attacks on healthcare in Sweida, including the killing of two doctors, obstruction and targeting of ambulances

Vital infrastructure, including water systems are critically damaged, and food, fuel and medicine remain scarce. Aid access remains limited due to insecurity.

While three UN-supported aid convoys reached Sweida with food, fuel and health supplies, Ms. Wosornu stressed the need for “sustained humanitarian access” and protection for aid workers and infrastructure.

Droughts and wildfires deepen suffering

The violence coincided with devastating wildfires in Lattakia that displaced over 1,100 people and destroyed farmland.

The fires were worsened by “the worst drought-like conditions Syria has seen in 36 years,” Ms. Wosornu said, with water reservoirs falling to historic lows.

UN agencies are responding with clean water, health services and food assistance.

Edem Wosornu, Director of the Operations at OCHA, briefs UN Security Council members on the situation Syria.

Comprehensive political reforms

Special Envoy Pedersen emphasised that sustainable peace in Syria hinges on inclusive political reform, security sector transformation and transitional justice.

“The state has a clear duty to act professionally and with discipline, even when under attack. It must take control of its forces and ensure visible accountability,” he said.

A new People’s Assembly is expected in September, a key step in the transitional framework. Mr. Pedersen warned that unless the process is inclusive, transparent and representative, it risks deepening public mistrust.

Transition simply cannot fail

“The Syrian political transition simply cannot fail,” he said.

Ms. Wosornu echoed the call for international solidarity, urgent funding and a halt to hostilities. Only 12 per cent of the revised $3.2 billion humanitarian appeal has been met.

“Our assistance is falling far short of meeting the level of needs,” she said, “If Syria is to recover, such violence must stop.”

Broadcast of the Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria.

While Gaza ceasefire remains elusive, UN readies for Conference around Israel-Palestine two-State solution

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“It’s not a peace conference,” Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the UN, told UN News ahead of the event, mandated by the General Assembly, in which his country will play a leading role.

“It’s a way of trying to maintain the debate and get beyond the sticking points to the solutions. We hope there’ll be some listening, and we hope there’ll be some learning on the basis of what we hear.”

Mr. Rae’s caution reflects the high levels of uncertainty and concern surrounding the two-State solution. Neither one of the two parties to the conflict will be taking part, and the United States, a strong backer of Israel, is not expected to participate.

In an address to the Security Council in April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the process is “at risk of vanishing altogether.” Political will to achieve the goal, he said, “feels more distant than ever.”

However, in an exchange with the press on 5 June Mr. Guterres also said, “And for those that doubt about the two-state solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-State solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled, or the Palestinians will be forced to live in their land without rights?” 

He reminded that it was “the duty of the international community to keep the two-state solution alive and then to materialize the conditions to make it happen.”

The Canadian Ambassador said that, whilst the organisers of the event continue to urge Israel and Palestine to engage with the conference, they understand the difficult situation they both find themselves in. “Many citizens [of Israel] are still being held as hostages by Hamas. They’ve suffered this tremendous attack, the worst attack on the Jewish population anywhere in the world since 1940. And now we’re having to deal with the outcome of that which has been the war in Gaza, which is hugely traumatic for the Palestinians and for many members of the Arab community.”

Making a difference on the ground

The conference, held in the Trusteeship Council at UN Headquarters in New York, was convened as a result of the adoption of a General Assembly Resolution (Resolution ES-10/22) in 2024. In a concept note released ahead of the event, the two nations declared that international consensus on the two-State solution “still enjoys near-universal support,” and that it is “clearly the only way to satisfy the legitimate aspirations, in accordance with international law, of both Israelis and Palestinians…and create the conditions for regional peace and stability.”

In a swipe at the failure of previous efforts to bring about peace, the statement declares that “the aim of this international conference would not be to ‘revive’ or to ‘relaunch’ another endless process, but to implement, once and for all, the two-State solution.”

In a preparatory meeting for the conference held at the UN in May, Anne-Claire Legendre, Middle East and North Africa advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, said that “ the prospects of a Palestinian State must be maintained. Irreversible steps and concrete measures for the implementation thereof are necessary,” and called for a lasting ceasefire, an immediate influx of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.

Her counterpart, Manal bint Hassan Radwan, head of the Saudi Arabian negotiating team, added that  efforts to end fighting and secure release of hostages and detainees must be “anchored in a credible and irreversible political plan that addresses the root cause of the conflict and offers a real path to peace, dignity and mutual security.”

“There has to be the basis for a broader political solution. It’s not just about saying there’s going to be a ceasefire and that will solve the problem. How do we reconstruct Gaza? How do we change the governance of Gaza? How do we approach the West Bank? How do we deal with issues which have long been the source of a lack of agreement between the parties? Let’s not forget that there has been one really successful negotiation, which was based on the 1993 Oslo Accords, and since that time we have not had a lot of substantive agreements. We’ve got to try to find a way to create a framework for actual discussion.”

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UN official reiterates call for Gaza ceasefire as ‘nightmare of historic proportions’ unfolds

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Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, told ministers and ambassadors that ongoing talks must lead to a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all hostages, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and for recovery and reconstruction to begin.

He painted a grim picture of conditions on the ground, citing expanded Israeli military operations, particularly in Deir Al-Balah, which have led to further mass displacement.

UN premises were also struck, hampering humanitarian operations and exacerbating the already dire situation.

ASG Khiari briefs the Security Council.

Humanitarian toll deepens

At least 1,891 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 30 June, according to figures from Gazan health authorities, including 294 people reportedly killed while attempting to collect aid near militarised distribution points.  

Evacuation orders continue to force repeated displacement, while food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening despite a limited uptick in the entry of humanitarian supplies.

On the Israeli side, 13 soldiers have been killed in the same period. Palestinian armed groups have continued sporadic rocket attacks into Israel. According to Israeli sources, 50 hostages – including 28 believed to be dead – are still being held by Hamas and other groups.

“The Secretary-General has repeatedly condemned the continued holding of hostages by Hamas and other armed groups,” Mr. Khiari stressed. “Hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Places of worship struck

The briefing also highlighted growing concerns about civilian casualties and attacks on protected sites.  

Mr. Khiari condemned a 17 July strike on the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, which killed three and injured several others. The strike forced the evacuation of roughly 600 Palestinians, including children and persons with special needs, who had been sheltering there.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office expressed regret, describing the strike as the result of “stray ammunition,” and said an investigation was underway, Mr. Khiari reported.

© UN Women/Samar Abu Elouf

A woman and child walk through the heavily bombed town of Khuza’a in the Gaza Strip.

Dire fuel shortages

Since 9 July, Israel has allowed limited fuel deliveries through the Kerem Shalom/Karim Abu Salem crossing, after 130 days of a full blockade.

However, the amount is “a fraction of what is required to run essential life-saving services in Gaza, where nearly every aspect of life depends on fuel,” Mr. Khiari warned.

Occupied West Bank

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Mr. Khiari reported high levels of violence, including deadly Israeli military operations, attacks by settlers on Palestinians and retaliatory attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.

He noted that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing a severe fiscal crisis, with $2.7 billion in withheld clearance revenues, crippling its ability to pay salaries and provide basic services.

“Unless urgently addressed, the deterioration of the PA’s fiscal and institutional situation could have catastrophic consequences, undermining the significant progress made over many years to build up Palestinian institutions,” he warned, urging immediate international support.

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Tensions in the wider region

Mr. Khiari also highlighted continued tensions along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, as well as renewed violence in Syria’s Sweida region and Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory.

He urged both Israel and Syria to adhere to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and to avoid any actions that risk escalating the conflict.

Call for a political horizon

Mr. Khiari concluded by reiterating that only a revived political process towards the two-State solution can deliver a sustainable solution.

“Our goal is clear: realizing the vision of two States – Israel and a viable and sovereign Palestinian State of which Gaza is an integral part – living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States,” he said.

Guterres calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’

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Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire.

“Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land,” he said.

“Even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs are falling – on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.”

Search for food must never be a death sentence

Mr. Guterres described the situation as the most severe since the onset of the war, citing acute shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

“The search for food must never be a death sentence,” he said, highlighting the danger faced by Palestinians simply trying to survive.

He has repeatedly called for three urgent steps: an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full, unimpeded humanitarian access.

On Friday, he again pressed for these demands, emphasising that aid workers are starving, hospitals are rationing life-saving supplies and civilians are trapped in unsafe zones.

Surge in aid urgently needed

“What’s needed now is a surge – the trickle must become an ocean,” he said.

The UN chief stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally obliged to facilitate humanitarian relief.

“To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say: use it,” he added.

Earlier this week, a small convoy of UN medical supplies entered Gaza for the first time in months, Mr. Guterres noted, adding that it only underscored the overwhelming scale of the need.

He also also cautioned that any aid delivery method must ensure civilian safety, stressing that “operations which place desperate people in or near militarized areas are inherently unsafe.”

“We have the solution – a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence,” he said.

“It worked during the last ceasefire. So it must be allowed to work again.”

Two-State solution critical

Mr. Guterres concluded with a broader political appeal:

“The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-State solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.”

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UN urges renewed diplomacy on Iran nuclear deal, hails Tehran-Tel Aviv ceasefire as ‘significant achievement’

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Amid this relative calm, the United Nations has renewed its call for a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear issue, warning that the objectives of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and the resolution that endorsed it – remain unmet.

Addressing a planned Security Council meeting on Tuesday to try and revive the deal amid the dramatic military escalation of the past 12 days, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said the fragile ceasefire announced by Donald Trump overnight provided “an opportunity to avoid a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue.”

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal – more formally known as the JCPOA and backed by the Security Council – offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for strict limits on uranium enrichment, stockpile levels and centrifuge use, alongside robust monitoring and verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

But the accord has remained in limbo since the United States withdrew in 2018, followed by Iran’s rollbacks of its nuclear-related commitments.

With key provisions under resolution 2231 set to expire on 18 October – unless the Council decides otherwise – the UN’s top political official has warned that the window for reviving diplomacy is narrowing.

With less than four months before resolution’s remaining nuclear-related restrictions are set to expire on 18 October – unless extended by the Council – the UN’s top political official warned that the agreement’s key aims remain elusive.

Diplomacy kneecapped?

Ms. DiCarlo told ambassadors the recent surge in violence had significantly undermined diplomatic momentum.

“The military escalation between Israel and Iran since 13 June and United States air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on 21 June complicated prospects for achieving full implementation of resolution 2231,” Ms. DiCarlo said.

“Iran’s strikes yesterday on a base in Qatar further exacerbated insecurity in an already tense region.”

Despite five rounds of bilateral talks between Iran and the US, facilitated by Oman in recent months, Ms. DiCarlo noted that efforts “did not produce a way forward” to restore full JCPOA implementation.

A sixth round of talks was called off due to the outbreak of hostilities.

Meanwhile, the toll from the recent conflict has been sobering. According to Iranian authorities, at least 606 people were killed and more than 5,300 injured since hostilities erupted on 13 June. Israeli officials reported 28 deaths and nearly 1,500 injuries.

Time running out

While divisions persist, Ms. DiCarlo said JCPOA participants – China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, and the United Kingdom – had all reiterated their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution.

In a joint statement shared with the Secretary-General in March, China, Iran and Russia stressed the importance of resolution 2231’s provisions and timelines. China separately proposed a “step-by-step and reciprocal approach” to settle the nuclear issue.

“Diplomacy, dialogue and verification remain the best option to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme,” Ms. DiCarlo said.

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis briefs the Security Council as the Coordinator of the Joint Commission established by the JCPOA.

Deal, not force, key to resolution: European Union

Echoing UN appeals for dialogue, the European Union stressed that “a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue can only be through a negotiated deal, not military action.”

Briefing the Council on behalf of EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis underscored the urgent need “to come back to a diplomatic solution.”

Ensuring that Iran does not acquire or develop a nuclear weapon remains a key security priority for the EU, he said.

He added that Iran’s accelerating nuclear activities and the absence of IAEA oversight – compounded by the economic fallout from US sanctions – have severely undermined the JCPOA, despite sustained EU efforts to preserve it through diplomacy.

Mr. Lambrinidis reaffirmed that diplomacy must prevail, with the IAEA remaining central to monitoring and verification efforts going forward.

US urges Iran to return to talks

Ambassador Dorothea Shea, Acting US Representative, said Iran’s increase in nuclear activity lacked “any credible civilian justification.”

Even after the IAEA Board of Governors found it noncompliant with nuclear safeguards, she noted, “it is regrettable that certain members of this Council have opted to turn a blind eye to, if not encourage, Iranian noncompliance.”

The US “will not turn a blind eye to Iran’s noncompliance and ongoing threat to regional stability,” she continued.

Ambassador Shea said the 21 June “precision operation effectively fulfilled our narrow objective – to degrade Iran’s capacity to produce a nuclear weapon,” after which President Trump coordinated a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

“In this critical moment,” she concluded, “we must all urge Iran to seize this opportunity for peace and prosperity and abide by its international obligations.”

UK calls ceasefire a first step

UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward welcomed the ceasefire brokered by President Trump but warned that “the situation remains extremely fragile.”

Expressing that “now is the time for a return to diplomacy,” she urged Iran to engage in talks without delay, warning that its nuclear programme has exceeded “any credible civilian justification.”

She said all diplomatic levers will be deployed for a negotiated outcome and to “ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.”

Iran: Diplomacy can and must resolve differences

Iran’s Ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said that his country “never initiated this war” and that “once the aggressors stopped their attacks, Iran stopped its lawful military response as well”.

Mr. Saeid also expressed his country’s strong commitment to diplomacy as the path through which differences can and should be resolved.

“Iran continues to believe that a diplomatic resolution to nuclear and sanction issues is possible,” Mr. Saeid said.

He called on the Security Council to condemn Israel’s and the United States’ attacks on Iran and their IAEA-protected nuclear facilities and work to ensure that they never happen again.

Ambassador Iravani added that Iran upheld Council resolution 2231 and the JCPOA, and that remedial measures were “fully consistent” with these two instruments.

Israel warns diplomacy with Iran has failed

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon defended his country’s military operation against Iran, describing it as a necessary move to neutralise a “double existential threat” from Tehran’s nuclear and missile programmes.  

He said Israel achieved complete air superiority and removed key regime targets, acting in coordination with the US.

Ambassador Danon accused Iran of deceiving the world for years, using diplomacy as cover to advance its nuclear weapons programme.

“There is still time,” he said, “to take meaningful and decisive action to ensure that the threat of a nuclear Iran does not return stronger than before.”

“We are often told that diplomacy must be given a chance – it was given every chance, every round, every channel, every deadline – but so far it has failed, the regime in Tehran never had any intention of complying.”

Video feed of the Security Council meeting.

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SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Political Affairs chief hails Iran-Israel ceasefire as ‘significant achievement’

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The Security Council is meeting over the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action put in place in 2015 to prevent Iran from weaponising its ambitious nuclear programme, which has been in effective limbo since the US withdrawal in 2018 and Iran’s rejection of parts of the deal. UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo described the US-brokered ceasefire overnight between Israel and Iran as a “significant achievement” and “an opportunity to avoid a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue.” Follow our Meetings Coverage Section live coverage below and UN News app users can follow here.

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Guterres renews call for Israel-Iran ceasefire

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“I reiterate my call for immediate de-escalation leading to a ceasefire,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement in which he strongly appealled against any further internationalization of the conflict. 

“Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved but for the whole region and for international peace and security at large,” he warned.

He condemned “the tragic and unnecessary loss of lives and injuries to civilians and damage to homes and critical civilian infrastructure.” 

Deadly escalation

The crisis erupted on Friday when Israel began targeting nuclear and military sites across Iran, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes on Israeli cities.

Since then, more than 250 people have been killed across both countries, according to media reports.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has been monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme for decades, said that it had received information that two centrifuge production facilities were struck on Wednesday.

The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center were previously under its monitoring and verification as part of a 2015 international agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested,” the agency said in a tweet. “At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured.”

Last week, the IAEA passed a resolution declaring that Iran was not complying  with its non-proliferation obligations.

The text noted Iran’s “many failures” to provide the agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in the country.

 Diplomacy reigns supreme

As the crisis in the Middle East deepens, the Secretary-General stressed that “diplomacy remains the best and only way to address concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security issues.”

 He underlined that “the UN Charter remains our shared framework to save people from the scourge of war,” urging all Member States to fully comply with the document and international law, including international humanitarian law. 

UN General Assembly adopts Gaza ceasefire resolution by overwhelming majority

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The move followed the Security Council’s failure to pass a similar resolution last week due to a lone veto by permanent member the United States.

The resolution was backed by 149 Member States, with 12 voting against and 19 abstaining. Among those opposing the resolution were the United States and Israel, who were joined among others by Argentina, Hungary and Paraguay.

India, Georgia, Ecuador, Romania and Ethiopia were among the countries abstaining.

End starvation as weapon of war

Brought forward by over 20 countries, it strongly condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war, demands a full lifting of the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid, and insists on the protection of civilians under international law.

Although General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they carry significant political and moral weight.

On 4 June, the Security Council failed to adopt its draft resolution after a veto by the United States, a permanent member.

Meanwhile, famine conditions continue to threaten lives across Gaza, and reports persist of civilians being killed or injured while trying to access food at distribution points operated independently of the UN but supported by Israel and the US.

Assembly steps into as Security Council stalls

Opening the special session, General Assembly President Philémon Yang said that “the horrors in Gaza must end” after 20 months of war. He criticised the Security Council’s ongoing paralysis and inability to fulfil its core responsibility to uphold peace and security.

He called the situation on the ground “unacceptable”, highlighting the deprivation of food, water and medicine for civilians, the continued captivity of hostages, and the need for urgent international action.

Mr. Yang noted that next week’s high-level meeting in New York on implementing a two-State solution, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, saying it would offer a chance for renewed commitment towards peace in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Key elements of the resolution:

  • Ceasefire: Calls for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire by all parties.
  • Hostages: Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other armed groups.
  • Implementation: Urges the full and immediate implementation of Security Council resolution 2735 (2024), including the ceasefire, hostage and prisoner exchanges, return of displaced persons, and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
  • International law: Reaffirms that all parties must uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, with particular attention to civilian protection and accountability for violations.
  • Starvation as a weapon: Strongly condemns the use of starvation and the denial of aid as tactics of war.
  • Humanitarian access: Demands the full, safe and unimpeded delivery of aid – including food, medicine, water, shelter and fuel – throughout Gaza.
  • Detention practices: Calls for the humane treatment and release of those arbitrarily detained, and the return of remains.
  • ICJ advisory opinion: Recalls the request for an urgent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on Israel’s obligations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
  • End of blockade: Demands Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza and open all border crossings for aid deliveries.
  • Accountability: Urges Member States to take necessary steps to ensure Israel complies with its international legal obligations.
  • UN and humanitarian personnel: Calls for full respect for the work and immunity of UN staff and humanitarian workers.
  • Protection of aid workers: Urges both humanitarian and UN bodies to ensure the safety of their personnel.
  • Medical neutrality: Underscores the duty to protect medical workers, health facilities, and transport routes.

You can catch up with the full meeting by going to our live coverage of the emergency session and today’s developments in Gaza, here.

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GAZA LIVE: UN General Assembly to vote on resolution demanding immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire

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The General Assembly meets at 3pm in New York on Thursday in emergency session following the Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution on 4 June calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which was vetoed by permanent member the United States. As starvation looms across the Strip, mass casualties continue to be reported of desperate civilians trying to access food at Israel and US-backed distribution sites. App users can follow our live coverage here.

US vetoes Security Council resolution demanding permanent ceasefire in Gaza

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The text, co-sponsored by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia – collectively known as the E-10 – received 14 votes in favour, with the US casting the lone vote against.

As one of the council’s five permanent members, the US holds veto power – a negative vote that automatically blocks any resolution from going forward.

Had it been adopted, the draft would have demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza” to be respected by all parties.

Release all hostages

The text reaffirmed the Council’s earlier call for the “immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.”

The draft also expressed grave concern over the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza – following more than the months of almost total Israeli aid blockade – including the risk of famine, highlighted by recent international food security assessments.

It reaffirmed the obligation of all parties to comply with international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law.

Resume flow of aid

In addition to a ceasefire, the draft resolution demanded the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions” on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, calling for safe and unhindered access for UN and humanitarian partners across the enclave.

It also urged the restoration of essential services, in accordance with humanitarian principles and prior Security Council resolutions.

The text voiced support for ongoing mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to revive the phased ceasefire framework outlined in resolution 2735 (2024), which envisions a permanent cessation of hostilities, the release of all hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, the return of all remains, full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and the start of a long-term reconstruction plan.

Draft resolution unacceptable: United States

Speaking ahead of the vote, acting US Representative Dorothy Shea described the draft resolution as “unacceptable”.  

“US opposition to this resolution should come as no surprise – it is unacceptable for what it does say, it is unacceptable for what it does not say, and it is unacceptable for the manner in which it has been advanced,” she said.

“The United States has been clear,” she continued, “we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza.”

She added that Hamas has rejected numerous ceasefire proposals, including one over the weekend that would have provided a pathway to end the conflict and release the remaining hostages.

“We cannot allow the Security Council to award Hamas’ intransigence,” Ms. Shea said, stressing, “Hamas and other terrorists must have no future in Gaza. As Secretary [Marco] Rubio has said: ‘If an ember survives, it will spark again into a fire’.” 

‘The world is watching’

The failure of the resolution comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with UN agencies warning of the total collapse of health services, growing displacement, and a rising death toll around the new privatized US-Israel led aid distribution system which bypasses established agencies.

“The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,” said UN relief chief Tom Fletcher earlier on Wednesday.

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SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: US vetoes new resolution calling for immediate Gaza ceasefire, unconditional release of hostages

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The United States has vetoed a new draft resolution on Gaza, standing as the lone vote against the text which called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas and others and the immediate lifting of all aid restrictions. Follow live coverage from our Meetings Coverage Section and UN News app users can follow here.

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At Arab League Summit, Guterres reiterates call for Gaza ceasefire

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António Guterres told leaders meeting in the Iraqi capital that “the region and the world face trials and tests on all fronts,” starting with the situation in Gaza.

He reiterated that neither the atrocious 7 October 2023 terror attacks by Hamas nor the collective punishment of the Palestinian people can be justified.

Permanent ceasefire now

“We need a permanent ceasefire, now. The unconditional release of all hostages, now. And the free flow of humanitarian aid ending the blockade, now,” he said.

The Secretary-General expressed alarm over reports that Israel plans to expand ground operations in Gaza and stressed that the UN “will not participate in any so-called aid operation that does not adhere to international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”

He again called for full support for UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, including funding.  

Two-State solution at risk

The UN chief rejected the repeated displacement of the Gaza population, as well as any suggestion of forced displacement outside Gaza, and urged leaders to remain focused on the terrible situation in the occupied West Bank.

“Let’s be clear,” he said. “Annexation is illegal.  Settlements are illegal. Only a two-State solution can deliver sustainable peace.”

He said the high-level conference in June, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is an important opportunity.

“The world, the region – and, most of all, the people of Palestine and Israel – cannot afford to watch the two-State solution disappear before our eyes,” he said.

Respect Lebanese sovereignty

The Secretary-General addressed the situation in Lebanon.  He emphasized that the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, and the Government must have full control over the entire territory.

He was encouraged by continued progress on reforms as well as efforts to deploy the Lebanese Armed Forces to the south, with support from the UN Mission in the country, UNIFIL.

Mr. Guterres touched on Syria, saying sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity are critical.  He urged strong support for an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that safeguards the rights and participation of all the country’s people and ensures their protection.

Regarding Yemen, he noted that attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have caused significant damage to regional and local economies. He welcomed the cessation of hostilities between the Houthis and the United States, announced by Oman on 6 May.

The Secretary-General also called for the release of UN staff and other personnel in Yemen who have been arbitrarily arrested.

Engagement on Sudan

In Sudan, renewed and coordinated multilateral engagement is crucial to help stem appalling violence, famine, and mass displacement, he said, and thanked the Arab League and African Union (AU) for the excellent coordination meeting convened the previous day.  He also commended the Arab League’s efforts to strengthen multilateral coordination.

The Secretary-General turned next to Somalia, saying unity and inclusive dialogue are imperative. Furthermore, assistance from Somalia’s partners will be essential in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants and to strengthen peace and security.

For this reason, Mr. Guterres said he has put forward a recommendation to the UN Security Council to enable predictable and sustainable financing for the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in the country.

Meanwhile in Libya, the UN is also actively engaging in efforts to end the confrontation between armed groups, to preserve the independence of key oversight institutions, to address obstacles preventing national elections, and set the course for long-term stability and prosperity in line with the people’s needs and aspirations.

Lessons from Baghdad

The Secretary-General concluded his remarks by commending the progress Iraq has made over since the restoration of sovereignty in 2004, such as strengthening institutions, resolving outstanding disputes through dialogue, and promoting sustainable development as well as human rights.

He said the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has accompanied the country on this path and is working to ensure the successful delivery of its residual mandate and an orderly drawdown by the end of the year.

“Despite the enormous challenges, let us draw lessons and hope from here in Baghdad. Working in unity and solidarity, we can help resolve conflicts and build a future of peace and prosperity,” he said.

Gaza situation ‘beyond inhumane’

Speaking later to reporters, Mr. Guterres said the situation for Palestinians in Gaza “is beyond description, beyond atrocious and beyond inhumane.”

Since 2 March, Israel has banned the entry of cargo into the Strip, including aid and other life-saving supplies. UN agencies continue to warn that the entire population, 2.1 million people, is at risk of famine and one if five faces starvation.

“A policy of siege and starvation makes a mockery of international law,” he said, calling for the blockade to end immediately.

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