Famine in Gaza: ‘a failure of humanity itself,’ says UN chief

Famine in Gaza: ‘a failure of humanity itself,’ says UN chief

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the results of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis were no mystery: “It is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity itself. “Famine is not about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival.” Famine conditions are projected […]

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

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

“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 […]

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

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

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 […]

Gaza: Looming offensive and restrictions on humanitarians

Gaza: Looming offensive and restrictions on humanitarians

In the past 24 hours in Gaza, there have been more reports of casualties in shootings along aid convoy routes, where desperate crowds of civilians often wait to take supplies from the back of trucks. Meanwhile, hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are also escalating. In the past 24 hours, air strikes and […]

Gaza: Aid insufficient to avert ‘widespread starvation’ as Israeli military ramp-up forces more people to flee

Gaza: Aid insufficient to avert ‘widespread starvation’ as Israeli military ramp-up forces more people to flee

“The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva. “This is a direct result of the Israeli government’s policy of blocking humanitarian aid,” he said. Mr. Al-Kheetan insisted that in the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that […]

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

In an alert from the World Food Programme (WFP), the agency said that half a million people “are on the brink of famine”, a claim backed up by multiple humanitarian agencies. The latest worrying data is showing widespread acute malnutrition. A ceasefire is the only way to scale up aid deliveries, the UN agency insisted. It explained […]

UN warns Gaza crisis could worsen without safe, unrestricted aid flow

UN warns Gaza crisis could worsen without safe, unrestricted aid flow

In his regular daily briefing, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric highlighted that ongoing delays, bottlenecks at holding points and interference in the loading process at crossing platforms are undermining efforts to collect and distribute supplies to those in need. “It is imperative that the UN and its humanitarian partners are enabled to deliver aid at scale, […]

Trapped in Gaza: Palestinians with disabilities cannot reach aid

Trapped in Gaza: Palestinians with disabilities cannot reach aid

But for an increasing number of Palestinians, including those who cannot hear the orders or whose mobility is impaired, following these orders may be impossible. Yet, failure to do so, could cost them their lives.   “In a normal situation, people with disabilities suffer the most. And in wartime, of course, the situation is heightened […]

Hunger and a heatwave plague the Gaza Strip

Hunger and a heatwave plague the Gaza Strip

Recently, Israel has denied fewer humanitarian movements but approved missions “still take hours to complete and teams have been compelled to wait on roads that are often dangerous, congested or impassable,” the UN aid coordination office OCHA said in its latest update. Between 6 and 12 August, humanitarians made 81 attempts to coordinate planned movements […]

Record starvation and malnutrition in Gaza; more West Bank displacement

Record starvation and malnutrition in Gaza; more West Bank displacement

That warning comes from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in a tweet posted on Tuesday, calling for more aid to be allowed into the enclave by Israeli authorities.  Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that five people died over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition and starvation, the UN Office for the Coordination of […]

Gaza: UNESCO condemns ‘unacceptable’ killing of journalists

Gaza: UNESCO condemns ‘unacceptable’ killing of journalists

“I condemn the killing of journalists Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Al-Khaldi and call for a thorough and transparent investigation,” UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, said in a statement on Tuesday. Five of the six worked for the influential Qatari-based media organization, Al Jazeera: Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh […]

Gaza: Guterres urges probe into killing of journalists, as child malnutrition deaths rise

Gaza: Guterres urges probe into killing of journalists, as child malnutrition deaths rise

The reporters – five of whom worked for the Al Jazeera media network – were killed in a targeted Israeli strike in Gaza City the previous day.  “These latest killings highlight the extreme risks journalists continue to face when covering the ongoing war,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his regular media briefing from New York. […]

Aid blockade deepens Gaza crisis as malnutrition deaths rise, warns UNRWA

Aid blockade deepens Gaza crisis as malnutrition deaths rise, warns UNRWA

“For over 150 days, not a single truck from UNRWA has been permitted to deliver food, medicine or other essentials into Gaza,” the agency said on Friday. “This denial of access is costing lives every single day.” Nearly 100 children dead from malnutrition According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, cited by the UN, at least […]

‘There is no military solution’ to end Israel-Palestine conflict, Security Council hears, as starvation stalks the Gaza Strip

‘There is no military solution’ to end Israel-Palestine conflict, Security Council hears, as starvation stalks the Gaza Strip

Two top UN officials warned that the Israeli cabinet’s green light this week for a fresh offensive aimed at gaining total military control of Gaza City – home to around one million Palestinians – would only risk igniting “another horrific chapter” of displacement, death and destruction. Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and […]