Tag Archives: gaza

World News in Brief: Gaza humanitarian update, more killings in Sudan, ending impunity in Myanmar

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Multiple strikes overnight into Friday were reported in the Jabalya Al Balad and An Nazla neighbourhoods, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update.

As a result, around 900 people reportedly fled towards the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood and western Gaza City.

Safe passage, more aid

The UN and partners again reminded parties to the conflict of their obligation to protect civilians, in line with international law, including humanitarian workers and people who cannot or choose not to move. 

“Those fleeing must be allowed to do so safely. They must also be allowed to return if they wish to do so, as the situation allows,” OCHA said.

The agency underscored the need to ensure that people have access to aid and basic services, whether they leave or stay.

Supplies also must be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip through all available crossings and corridors, and humanitarians must have safe, predictable and sustained access to deliver aid at scale.

Hospitals under strain

Meanwhile, as strikes continue to intensify across the enclave, casualties are flooding hospital emergency departments.  

Humanitarians warned that the expansion of military operations would further cripple the collapsing healthcare system. 

Nearly half of all hospitals and field hospitals are located in Gaza City, accounting for some 40 per cent of bed capacity in the entire enclave.  Additionally, many medical facilities in the south are operating several times over their bedspace capacity.

Humanitarians stressed that access to healthcare must be immediately restored to avert more preventable deaths. 

Sudan: UN rights office horrified by recent killings in El Fasher 

Recent brutal attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan have left at least 89 people dead in North Darfur state, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday

The RSF have been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of the country for more than two years.

OHCHR said RSF attacks on the besieged North Darfur capital El Fasher and the adjoining Abu Shouk camp for displaced people resulted in the killing of at least 89 civilians, though the actual number could be higher.

The attacks took place over a 10-day period ending on 20 August.

Apparent summary executions 

At least 32 civilians were killed in attacks between 16 and 20 August, while at least 57 were killed in previous attacks on 11 August.

OHCHR was particularly horrified that 16 of the most recent killings appear to have been summary executions, Spokesman Jeremy Laurence told journalists in Geneva.

“Most of the victims were killed in Abu Shouk camp and belonged to the African Zaghawa tribe, according to information gathered by our Office,” he said.

“In another case in the El Fasher area, a victim was asked which tribe he belonged to. He was killed after responding that he was from the African Berti tribe.” 

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in El Fasher has reached a critical stage after more than a year of siege, and there is growing risk of famine in the city and other areas of North Darfur.

OHCHR was appalled by two separate attacks on UN humanitarian convoys in North Darfur this month and in June, saying such attacks only worsen the human rights situation for civilians.

© UNICEF/Ilvy Njiokiktjien

Ending impunity for violence critical for Rohingya in Myanmar

The UN human rights office has also called for ending impunity in the violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar and ensuring their rights to security, citizenship and equality.

It said the Rohingya – a mostly Muslim minority community in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar – continue to suffer, eight years after a deadly crackdown by the military.

More than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh in the wake of the assault which began on 25 August 2017, joining others who had escaped earlier waves of attacks. 

Break the cycle

OHCHR said that ending impunity and ensuring the Rohingya’s rights to security, citizenship and equality, are essential for breaking the cycle of violence.

The Rohingya mainly live in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, and the office noted that the human rights and humanitarian situation there have sharply deteriorated since November 2023, further deepening the already life-threatening conditions they face.

OHCHR urged the international community to step up support for the Rohingya by increasing humanitarian funding to secure access to basic needs, essential services, and to ensure accountability. 

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

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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 to spread from Gaza Governorate to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in the coming weeks, the IPC estimates.

UN agencies have collectively and consistently highlighted the extreme urgency of delivering immediate and full-scale humanitarian aid given the escalating hunger-related deaths, rapidly worsening levels of acute malnutrition and plummeting levels of food consumption in Gaza – with hundreds of thousands going days without anything to eat.

Israel’s obligations

“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population,” said the UN chief, reacting to the famine declaration from the IPC, which is endorsed by dozens of governments, UN agencies and NGOs as the key evidence-based measure of food insecurity and malnutrition.

See our UN News explainer here.

Mr. Guterres said Israel’s denial of its duties could not be allowed to continue: “No more excuses. The time for action is not tomorrow – it is now.”

Silence the guns, release the hostages

UN agencies operating in Gaza joined the UN chief in calling for an immediate ceasefire to finally allow unimpeded, large-scale humanitarian response and the immediate release of all hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the 7 October 2023 terror attacks.

Agencies also expressed grave concern over the threat of the intensified military offensive on Gaza City and any further escalation in the conflict, as it would have further devastating consequences for civilians where famine conditions already exist.

“Many people – especially sick and malnourished children, older people and people with disabilities – may be unable to evacuate,” they said in a joint statement.

Famine set to expand

By the end of September, more than 640,000 people will face ‘catastrophic’ levels of food insecurity – classified as IPC Phase 5 – across the Gaza Strip.

An additional 1.14 million people in the enclave will be in phase 4 with a further 396,000 people facing phase 3 ‘crisis’ conditions.

Conditions in North Gaza are estimated to be as severe – or worse – than in Gaza City. However, limited data prevented an IPC classification, highlighting the urgent need for access.

Classifying famine means that the most extreme category is triggered when three critical thresholds – extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition and starvation-related deaths – have been breached. The latest analysis now affirms on the basis of reasonable evidence that these criteria have been met, UN agencies said.

Briefing journalists on Friday at UN headquarters in Geneva, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said it was a famine that could have been prevented “if we had been allowed.”

A young severely malnourished girl is helped into her clothes.

Famine in a fertile land

“Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel. It is a famine within a few hundred metres of food, in a fertile land.

It is a famine that we repeatedly warned of – but that the international media has not been allowed in to cover, to bear witness,” he added.

“It is a famine in 2025. A 21st century famine watched over by drones and the most advanced military technology in history. It is a famine openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war.”

On a wider scale, Mr. Fletcher said it was “the world’s famine. It is a famine that asks ‘but what did you do?’ A famine that will and must haunt us all.”

Malnutrition among children in Gaza is accelerating “at a catastrophic pace”, said UN agencies, who note that in July alone, more than 12,000 children were identified as acutely malnourished – the highest monthly figure ever recorded and a six-fold increase since the start of the year.

First Middle East famine

Since the last IPC Analysis in May, the number of children expected to be at severe risk of death from malnutrition by the end of June 2026 has tripled from 14,100 to 43,400.

The new assessment reports the most severe deterioration since the IPC began analysing acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition in Gaza Strip, and it marks the first time a famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East region.

Since July, food and aid supplies entering Gaza increased slightly but remained vastly insufficient, inconsistent and inaccessible compared to the need.

Meanwhile, approximately 98 percent of cropland in the territory is damaged or inaccessible – decimating the agriculture sector and local food production – and nine of ten people have been serially displaced from homes. 

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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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.” 

Gaza: Looming offensive and restrictions on humanitarians

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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 shelling have occurred across five neighbourhoods in Gaza City, with reports of tanks and ground troops advancing.  

UN and partner officials in Gaza warned on Monday that the Israeli offensive would result in further mass displacement and “have a horrific impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of the basics needed for survival.”

Additionally, starvation persists in the enclave as supplies remain insufficient and inaccessible.  

Restrictions on international NGOs

OCHA also reported that the new requirements for international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are preventing many humanitarian partners from bringing supplies into Gaza.  

To secure registration and bring in materials, international NGOs must share sensitive personal information about Palestinian employees, often contrary to their countries’ domestic legislation, which affects their ability to protect civilians.

Upcoming humanitarian work  

The UN and its NGO partners stressed that their teams will remain in Gaza City to provide life-saving support, reminding parties of their obligation to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and safeguard humanitarian infrastructure.

“Every day and every night, aid workers in Gaza courageously put themselves in harm’s way to keep others alive. At the same time, they also struggle to feed themselves and feed their own families,” said Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, reporting on the situation in the context of World Humanitarian Day at Tuesday’s daily press briefing in New York.

“The world cannot look away while attacks on aid workers and on the very people they try to help have become routine.”

The humanitarian community welcomes the Israeli announcement that tents and shelter equipment will be allowed into Gaza, aiming to utilise this lifting of the ban to bring in tents, shelter materials and other items into the Gaza Strip. However, the UN and partners said it is deeply troubling that this lifting is in connection with a looming offensive.

They called for a significant scale-up of private sector operations and a full facilitation of deliveries from local and international humanitarian organizations, with supplies allowed to enter through all crossings. 

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

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“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 remain “far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation”.

The UN said on Monday that hunger-related deaths continue to be reported in the Strip, including among children.

More people displaced

As the Israeli army intensified its attacks in the north of the enclave, it has continued to issue displacement orders for Palestinians, Mr. Al-Kheetan said.

He noted that Gazans have been told to move to the Al-Mawasi area, despite continuing airstrikes and disastrous conditions there.

“Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to Al-Mawasi have little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents,” he warned.

Deadly pursuit of aid

The OHCHR spokesperson stressed that reaching humanitarian aid “can be a deadly pursuit” with latest data indicating that 1,857 Palestinians were killed while seeking food from 27 May, when the US and Israel-backed militarized aid distribution scheme known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started its operations.

Out of that number, he said that 1,021 were killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites and 836 on the routes of supply trucks.

“Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military,” Mr. Al-Kheetan said.

Asked how the situation could get even worse, Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA), said that “it has already gotten worse”, insisting on the devastating effects of the Israeli ban on the entry of shelter materials into the enclave.

While the Israeli authorities recently announced that they would lift the ban on shelter supplies, Mr. Laerke said that “the United Nations and our partners have as of last night not been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement.”

“There’s a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance,” he added.

Need for shelter

The UN said on Monday that according to partners’ estimations at least 1.35 million people in Gaza need emergency shelter.

Aid agencies have warned that tents being used in Gaza are worn out from prolonged sun exposure and frequent displacement.

Asked about the reasons given for the ban on shelter items, Mr. Laerke explained that in a conflict, some shelter items such as tentpoles can fall under the “dual-use regime” as they could be used for both civilian and military purposes.

“Shelter has been banned entry for about five months and in that period over 700,000 people have been displaced or re-displaced,” he said.

People forced to flee time and again often have to leave behind the tents that they have been provided, Mr. Laerke explained, which creates a challenge for aid workers “trying to respond to people where they are”.

The looming expansion of Israel’s military activities in Gaza City is another major concern for UN humanitarians, as it would again push thousands of people into a severely overcrowded area in the south of the Strip.

Asked about the impact of Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City, Mr. Al-Kheetan underscored a “huge risk” for civilians.

“There are risks of mass displacement… more killings and more misery that we have already seen in the Gaza Strip,” he warned. “Among those who will be affected are the most vulnerable, people with disabilities, the injured, the children, women”, he concluded.

Response to prison video

In other developments, the human rights spokesman said that video footage showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir berating and taunting Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi inside an Israeli jail was “unacceptable.”

He said the minister’s behaviour and the publication of the images constitute an attack on Mr. Barghouthi’s dignity.

He added that international law requires that all detainees be treated humanely, with dignity, and that their human rights be respected and protected.

“Such conduct by the minister responsible for the Israeli Prison Service may encourage violence against Palestinian detainees, enabling human rights violations in Israeli detention facilities,” he said

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

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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 that although teams are doing everything they can to deliver food assistance, only 47 per cent of the daily target amount is getting in.

No meals, no bread

Unless the fighting stops, organized aid distributions and WFP-supported hot meals and bakeries can’t restart, the agency stated.

The UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reported on Monday that instead of being able to prepare for the start of a new school year, children in Gaza are instead searching for water and queuing for food while their classrooms have “turned into crowded refuges”.

Three years of schooling has now been lost, the agency stressed in a tweet.

UN chief expresses ‘deep sorrow’ over deadly flash floods in India and Pakistan

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday expressed his deep sorrow at the tragic loss of life due to flash floods in India and Pakistan in recent days, with many still missing and forecasts showing the possibility of further flooding and landslides ahead.

Indian rescue services responded to a deadly flood on Friday which reportedly killed at least 60 after it crashed through a village in the Himalayas while in remote villages of northwestern Pakistan, torrents of water killed more than 300, according to news reports.

Hundreds were also injured, Pakistani authorities reported. Buner district was the worst hit, with more than 200 deaths reported there, said the provincial disaster management authorities.

Standing in solidarity

“The Secretary-General offers his sincere condolences to the victims’ families and stands in solidarity with those affected by this disaster,” said the statement issued by his Spokesperson.

UN country teams in India and Pakistan have also been placed are at the disposal of authorities although no request for assistance has been made so far.

Impacts of Somalia drought made worse by funding cuts: OCHA

In Somalia, severe drought and funding cuts are undermining lifesaving assistance there, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Monday.

Because of the reduction in the amount of support for aid work, food assistance has declined, health centres are closing and malnutrition is high, the UN agency warned.

OCHA said that 4.6 million people now face high levels of food insecurity while two million more are at risk from funding cuts.

Funding cuts mean ‘lives lost’

Without scaled-up support, “lives will be lost and progress reversed” across the east African nation, where cash shortfalls have left one million people without food assistance every month.

The global trend seeing less humanitarian assistance has curtailed vital support for healthcare across Somalia. So far this year, it has impacted at least 150 medical facilities and left hundreds of thousands of Somalis without the medical care they need.

OCHA noted that because of the cuts, the number of people being targeted for assistance in Somalia has had to be reduced by a staggering 72 per cent.

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

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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, using community-based mechanisms to reach the most vulnerable,” he said.

Injured trying to reach food

Recent figures illustrate the scale of the challenge. Between May 27 and August 8, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah treated more than 4,500 wounded patients – most reporting injuries sustained while attempting to reach food distribution sites.  

Many were hurt in crowd crushes or subjected to theft or violence immediately after receiving critical food aid.

Of 12 aid missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities on Thursday, five were facilitated without impediments. Four missions were cancelled by the organisers, and three others were impeded and only eventually fully accomplished – these included the collection of food aid from Zikim and Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossings.

The UN Spokesperson also highlighted an ongoing starvation crisis, with increasing numbers of deaths, particularly among children.

Hospitals are struggling to cope with rising cases of malnutrition and many facilities have reportedly run out of bedspace to treat patients, he said.

No cooking fuel

Energy shortages are compounding the crisis, Mr. Dujarric said, noting that cooking gas has been unavailable in Gaza’s markets for five months, while firewood has become increasingly unaffordable.

“More people are resorting to using waste and scrap wood as alternative fuel sources for cooking, which only makes worse health and protection risks, and causes environmental hazards,” he added.

Protect fleeing civilians

He also stressed that civilians must be protected in the event of expanded military operations in Gaza City.

“Fleeing civilians must be protected and they must have their essential needs met, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows. And if they choose to stay, they should not be threatened or put at risk,” he said.

Mr. Dujarric also reiterated the UN’s long-standing call for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held in the Strip.

Trapped in Gaza: Palestinians with disabilities cannot reach aid

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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 further,” said Muhannad Salah Al-Azzeh, member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at a public dialogue this week in Geneva.  

With the number of disabled people in Gaza increasing every day, Mr. Al-Azzeh said that the minimum level of safety for people with disabilities is not being upheld.  

No replacements for a broken hearing aid

Over 83 per cent of people with disabilities in Gaza do not have the assistive devices they need, including wheelchairs, hearing aids and other tools. And for those that do, the batteries which enable these devices to work are in very short supply.   

This makes it exponentially more difficult – if not impossible – for them to access healthcare and food.  

This shortage comes amidst an increasing number of people with disabilities. The UN Relief and Works Agency in Palestine (UNRWA) estimates that one in four Gazans has a new disability as a result of the war between Israeli forces and Hamas, which requires treatment and rehabilitation.

At least 35,000 people have “significant hearing damage” as a result of repeated explosions. And Ammar Dwaik, director-general of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human rights, said that an average of 15 children are newly disabled each day. According to some rights groups, Gaza has the largest number of child amputees in modern history.  

But with over 134,000 people having sustained conflict-related injuries – 40,500 of whom are children – the besieged and under-resourced healthcare system cannot keep up.  

“Hospitals, ambulances, and medical and humanitarian personnel have been systematically targeted, with over 1,580 health workers and 467 humanitarian staff killed,” UNRWA noted.

Aid out of reach

Seeking life-saving aid has become a life-threatening prospect for even the healthiest in Gaza. But for people with disabilities, is almost impossible, according to Hector Sharp, a representative from UNRWA at the meeting in Geneva.  

“Reaching [the distribution points] and needing to physically compete for this aid is difficult for all Palestinians, but all the more so for people with disabilities to whom aid is being effectively placed out of reach,” Mr. Sharp said.  

The US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund, for example, has only a handful of distribution points throughout the Gaza Strip since it bypasses all established UN and NGO operations, forcing people to walk long distances in the hopes of receiving meagre amounts of food.  

If people with mobility impairments do not have families or friends willing to retrieve aid for them, they may simply be unable to reach it, according to Mr. Al-Azzeh.

Key infrastructure destroyed

Since 1962, UNRWA has operated a rehabilitation centre for the visually impaired in the Gaza Strip. It was the only one of its kind and served, at any given time, over 500 children.  

“Today [the centre] lies in rubble,” Mr. Sharp said.  

The destruction of other civilian infrastructure throughout the Strip – including schools and hospitals – is impeding rehabilitation efforts for people with disabilities and further entrenching societal exclusion.  

The UNRWA representative in Geneva noted the impact that shuttered schools will have on children with disabilities.  

“For children with disabilities the loss of inclusive education deepens the systematic inequalities and places them at a heightened risk of lifelong social and economic exclusion,” he said.  

Peace, the only answer 

Despite the challenges, UNRWA has continued to provide services to people with disabilities, including over 53,000 sessions of physiotherapy and assistive devices or rehabilitation services to 8,500 people since the beginning of the year.  

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has called on the Israeli authorities to allow in more assistive devices and technology both for people with existing disabilities and those who are sustaining new ones amidst the ongoing conflict.  

He also called for medical evacuations to be expanded in order to allow people with disabilities to obtain vital, specialised care. But ultimately, he said, the only lasting solution is to end the conflict.  

“Peace is the only way to stop the suffering of Palestinians, including those with disabilities.” 

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‘Humanitarian work, a moral obligation’: Retired doctor returns to face the ‘silent threat’ in Gaza

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After a successful career that lasted 43 years, during which he worked in Saudi Arabia, for the Palestinian Ministry of Health and then the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Awadallah decided to retire at the end of 2021.

But, that was short-lived. As the crisis in Gaza escalated and polio reappeared, he decided to return to the field. Doing so was not just a job assignment. As he describes it, it’s a “message of loyalty” to his profession, to the children of Gaza and to the institution that gave him so much.

Dr. Awadallah’s return was driven by a “deep inner sense of responsibility and belonging”.

“I felt that my long experience and field knowledge could make a difference in these critical times,” he told UN News.

‘The Silent Threat to Gaza’

Dr. Awadallah’s story was the focus of the film The Silent Threat to Gaza, produced by UNICEF in conjunction with World Humanitarian Day, observed annually on 19 August. The organization emphasises that the film is a powerful testament to the resilience of humanitarian workers who are facing the dangers of conflict.

Named in May on Time Magazine’s TIME100 Health List for leading “a heroic vaccination campaign” that reached 600,000 children in Gaza, Dr. Awadallah was one of the lead subjects of the 32-minute documentary. The film follows him and his colleague Fairuz Abu Warda, who, during short periods of last year’s ceasefire, delivered lifesaving vaccines to children across the Gaza Strip.

Watch the full document here:

UNICEF said their courage underscores a fundamental fact that when humanitarian principles are adhered to, workers are protected and given safe and timely access, lives can be saved even in the most fragile environments. The UN agency stressed that the courage of humanitarian workers, such as Dr. Awadallah and Ms. Warda, reinforces the urgent need for principled action and international accountability.

Dr. Awadallah told UN News how exhaustion, hunger and fear were part of their daily routine under constant bombardment from the air and sea.

However, their priority was to keep vaccinations effective and reach every child, he said, remembering the moments when he would see his colleagues collapse from exhaustion and then immediately return to work.

A living testimony to willpower

Dr. Awadallah points out that every scene in the vaccination campaign, from the smile of a child to the insistence of the teams to reach the farthest house despite the security difficulties and the danger of moving, reminded him that “humanitarian work cannot be retired.”

Children received the polio vaccine as part of a Gaza-wide campaign. (file)

“I provide humanitarian work, and even if I retire, it does not apply to humanitarian work,” he said.

“The Silent Threat to Gaza was not just a film or a depiction of events, but a living testimony to the strength of will and the power of hope.”

He believes that every shot in the film was “a message to the world that despite the wounds, despite the death and the difficulty of life, Gaza is able to rise up and protect its children”.

Despite the risks to their lives, Dr. Awadallah and his fellow humanitarian workers in Gaza continue their work under constant bombardment.

Protecting humanitarian workers is ‘not a luxury’

“Fear knows no way to their hearts,” he said. “We hear the explosion and then we go to do our work. We are moving towards our goal and we are used to it.”

He said more than 350 medical personnel have been killed, hundreds injured and more than 1,300 arrested.

He appealed to the world that the protection of those who lend a helping hand “is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for ensuring that life and hope reach those in need”, and that it is a “humanitarian duty” that is as important as the provision of assistance itself.

Dr. Younis Awadallah administers a polio vaccine in Gaza.

Spreading hope

After decades of experience, Dr. Awadallah said he has learned that human beings have an incredible resilience beyond imagination.

“Resilience is not the absence of pain and suffering, but the ability to persevere and rise despite tragedies,” he said. “I saw mothers smiling and laughing at their children despite the bleeding and pain. I saw patients facing the pain with a smile and hope.”

Their role as humanitarian workers goes beyond providing treatment and material assistance to include “promoting and instilling hope in people’s hearts, supporting them psychologically and maintaining their strength in the face of problems”, he said.

Not just a profession

On World Humanitarian Day, Dr. Awadallah pays tribute to all those who choose to walk towards danger rather than away from it.

I believe in this business

“We are throwing ourselves into perdition for the sake of others,” he said.

Humanitarian workers in Gaza and everywhere in the world – regardless of their specialties – “are witnesses that mercy knows no boundaries and that human solidarity can flourish even during wars or amid the rubble”, he added.

He said he hopes he would be able to reunite with his family soon.

“My message today is that humanitarian work is not just a profession, but a moral and humanitarian obligation. I left my family and haven’t seen them for two years because I believe in this business.”

Hunger and a heatwave plague the Gaza Strip

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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 with the Israeli authorities, including to transfer fuel and personnel.

Challenges to aid delivery

Of this number, 35 were facilitated, 29 were initially approved but then impeded on the ground, 12 were denied and five had to be withdrawn by the organizers.

However, 14 of the missions that had faced obstructions eventually went ahead.

Nearly three years have passed since hostilities erupted in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel which left roughly 1,200 people dead.  

Some 250 others – both Israelis and foreigners – were taken hostage.  It is believed that 50 people are still being held in Gaza, including some who have been declared dead. 

Desperate times, desperate measures

Starvation in the enclave is now at its highest level since the conflict began, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). 

The update cites the Gaza health authorities who have documented 235 malnutrition-related deaths, including 106 children, as of 13 August.

Despite hunger spreading, aid convoys are limited each day and dangers persist as the trucks travel through the war-ravaged enclave.

“Additionally, desperate crowds often offload food supplies from trucks to feed their families – while looting also prevents aid from reaching its intended destinations,” OCHA said.

Last month, WFP collected 1,012 trucks transporting nearly 13,000 metric tonnes of food from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim border crossings with Israel.  Only 10 arrived at warehouses and the rest were offloaded on the way.

Food aid risks spoiling

Although WFP and partners have enough food either in the region or headed there to feed all 2.1 million people in Gaza for at least three months, “the risk of spoilage and infestation of the stranded food supplies has significantly increased, and some of them are nearing their expiry dates.” 

Humanitarians continue to push for more aid and commercial goods to be allowed into Gaza. Although more food is entering, the quality and quantity remain insufficient to meet the immense needs.

As of 10 August, 81 community kitchens were preparing 324,000 individual meals daily – a “noticeable increase” over the 259,000 daily meals prepared two weeks ago but far below the more than one million daily meals distributed in April.

The heat is on

Meanwhile, a heatwave is making conditions much worse as Gaza is currently experiencing temperatures that surpass 40°C or 104°F.

UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA warned that dehydration is increasing because of the very limited water available.

As part of its ongoing efforts to help the people of Gaza, UNRWA has provided emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services to about 1.7 million people since the start of the war. 

Malnutrition deaths mark ‘latest in the war on children’ in Gaza: UNRWA chief

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These young deaths are “the latest in the war on children and childhood in Gaza,” Philippe Lazzarini, head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, said in a tweet on Wednesday.

The toll also includes some 40,00 boys and girls reported killed or injured due to bombardment and airstrikes, at least 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children, and one million deeply traumatised youngsters who are not getting an education. 

“Children are children,” he said.

 “No one should stay silent when children die, or are brutally deprived of a future, wherever these children are, including in Gaza.”

A sombre reunion

Thousands of sick children in Gaza need urgent medical evacuation, according to UN aid coordination office OCHA.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the agency, recalled the moment she recognized a young girl requiring treatment in a Gaza hospital after a year’s interval, once again suffering from malnourishment.

“I remembered her long eyelashes,” the veteran humanitarian told UN News, describing seven-year-old Janah, who she came across at Gaza City’s Patient Friendly Hospital on Tuesday.

“The first time I met her was in the IMC Field Hospital in southern Gaza in April 2024. Back then, she was severely malnourished and was getting treatment. And she gradually became better and was released eventually and went home.”

Seven-year-old Janah is treated at Gaza City’s Patient Friendly Hospital.

Evacuation saves lives

However, Janah was now back in hospital “because the malnutrition became aggravated and the condition that she has also is not properly diagnosed and cannot be properly diagnosed.” 

The girl is on a list of people to be medically evacuated for treatment outside Gaza.  The most recent evacuations took place last week when the World Health Organization (WHO) supported the transfer of 15 critically ill children to Jordan, but more than 14,800 people are still waiting.

Ms. Cherevko stressed the importance of ensuring that evacuations continue to save as many lives as possible.

More aid needed

She also pointed out that for children and adults with pre-existing conditions, their situation becomes worse with malnutrition.

“It wouldn’t be this way if they had proper nutrition, because these conditions existed before the starvation crisis and they weren’t getting as sick as they are now,” she said.

“This is why it’s imperative to make sure that we have proper conditions on the ground for adequate volumes of supplies to be entering – everything from food to medicine to nutrition to shelter,” she continued. 

“And these lifelines have to be really enabled for us to be able to deliver this aid to the people in need.” 

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Record starvation and malnutrition in Gaza; more West Bank displacement

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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 Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update.

This brings the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 227, including 103 children, since October 2023.  

Still not enough aid

Humanitarians continue to decry the low level of supplies entering Gaza, which remains a fraction of what is needed to meet the immense needs of the roughly 2.1 million people living there.

One third of the population is not eating for days on end, and half a million are on the brink of starvation, WFP emphasised.

The agency is calling for at least 100 trucks a day to be allowed into Gaza, much faster approvals and clearances, and for no armed presence or shooting near humanitarian convoys and food distribution sites, among other measures.

Humanitarian missions face obstructions

Although the UN and partners continue to do everything possible to bring assistance in, humanitarian movements still face significant delays and other challenges. 

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric outlined the situation for journalists attending the regular media briefing at Headquarters in New York. 

He said on Monday humanitarians had formally asked Israel to coordinate 16 missions – including the collection of food, medical supplies and fuel – from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim border crossings, the only two aid corridors in operation.

Other missions involved moving goods and personnel within Gaza, from south to north and within the southern part of the Strip. 

‘Precious time’ wasted

“Out of the 16 missions, four were facilitated and three were denied; another four were impeded but eventually were fully accomplished,” he said.

Of the remaining missions, two were cancelled by the respective organizations and two more that involved collection of food and health supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing were impeded and unable to be completed.  Another mission was impeded but was still ongoing.

“Efforts to coordinate humanitarian movements often drag on for hours due to unpredictable clearances by the Israeli authorities, wasting precious time,” he added. 

West Bank unrest

OCHA also updated on the situation in the occupied West Bank, where another Palestinian Bedouin community was displaced on Monday due to violence by Israeli forces and settlers. 

Israeli forces raided the community of Ein Ayoub in Ramallah governorate and ordered the immediate eviction of its roughly 100 Palestinian residents.

Many of these people have no alternative means of shelter, OCHA said. 

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Gaza: UNESCO condemns ‘unacceptable’ killing of journalists

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“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 were on air correspondents, while Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa worked as camera operators. Mohammed Al-Khaldi was a freelance photojournalist.  

They were reportedly killed by an Israeli attack on a tent used by media personnel at the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Blatant, premeditated attack

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) alleged that 28-year-old correspondent Anas al-Sharif was a serving Hamas operative. Al Jazeera strongly denies this, describing the attack as an “assassination” and “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.”

The UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert on freedom of expression issued a statement on 31 July denouncing an Israeli military spokesperson’s “repeated threats” and “unfounded accusations” against Mr. Anas Al-Sharif, flagging it as “a blatant attempt to endanger his life and silence his reporting” in Gaza.  

Condemning the attack in the strongest possible terms on Tuesday, two special rapporteurs described the killings as “an attempt to silence reporting on the ongoing genocide and starvation campaign” in Gaza.

“It is outrageous that the Israeli army dares to first launch a campaign to smear Anas Al-Sharif as Hamas in order to discredit his reporting and then kill him and his colleagues for speaking the truth to the world,” the experts said, demanding an immediate investigation into the killings and full access to international media, which Israel currently bars from entering Gaza.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by and report regularly to the Human Rights Council. They work in their individual capacity, are not UN staff and receive no payment for their work.

Violation of international law

UNESCO chief Ms. Azoulay stressed that targeting journalists reporting on conflicts is unacceptable and violates international law.  

She also reiterated her call to respect UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which was unanimously adopted in 2015 to protect journalists, media professionals and associated personnel in conflict situations.

Since October 2023, UNESCO has reported at least 62 journalists and media workers killed in the line of duty in Palestine, excluding deaths in circumstances unrelated to their work, while OHCHR reports that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in the same time frame. 

Gaza health system ‘catastrophic’ as hospitals overwhelmed and medicines running out, WHO warns

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Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals and under 38 per cent of primary healthcare centres are partially functioning – or are doing so at minimal levels – said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for the West Bank and Gaza.

Bed occupancy in major facilities is exceeding limits by large margins – Shifa Hospital is at 250 per cent capacity, Nasser at 180 per cent, Al-Rantisi at 210 per cent and Al-Ahli at over 300 per cent.

Critical supplies running out

“The critical shortage in medications and consumables continue and have only exacerbated, with 52 per cent of the medicines and 68 per cent of consumables at zero stock,” Dr. Peeperkorn told journalists in Geneva, speaking from Jerusalem.

“Hospitals are particularly overwhelmed by injuries from food distribution areas, which are also driving persistent shortages of blood and plasma,” he added, noting that since 27 May, at least 1,655 people have been killed in those areas and more than 11,800 injured.

The crisis has been exacerbated by displacement orders in Gaza City that now place WHO’s own warehouse in an evacuation zone. Hospitals, primary care centres and ambulance facilities are also located inside or near these areas, threatening further disruption to services.

Malnutrition worsening

Hunger and malnutrition are worsening rapidly.

Since the start of 2025, 148 people have died from malnutrition, including 49 children – 39 of them under five years old. Nearly 12,000 children under five were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in July, the highest monthly figure to date, with more than 2,500 suffering from the most severe form.

New threat from meningitis

Disease outbreaks are adding to the pressure.

Suspected meningitis cases reached 452 between July and early August – the highest number since the escalation began. Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare post-infection disorder, has also surged, with 76 suspected cases since June.

Both conditions are harder to treat due to “zero stocks” of vital medicines, including intravenous immuneoglobulin and anti-inflammatories, Dr. Peeperkorn said.

Access challenges

Access for international medical teams and supplies remains a major obstacle.

Dr. Peeperkorn said that international medics face entry denials, while key items such as ICU equipment, anaesthesia machines and cold chain supplies continue to be held back.

Though WHO managed to bring in 80 trucks of medical supplies since June, he stressed that procedures are slow and unpredictable, with many shipments delayed or denied.

“We need multiple crossings into Gaza opened, procedures simplified, and access impediments lifted,” he said. “We hear about more humanitarian supplies being allowed in – but it’s not happening, or it’s happening far too slowly.”

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

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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.

“The Secretary-General calls for an independent and impartial investigation into these latest killings.” 

Respect the press

Mr. Dujarric pointed out that at least 242 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began nearly three years ago.

“The Secretary-General underscores that journalists and media workers must be respected, they must be protected and they must be allowed to carry out their work freely, free from fear and free from harassment,” he said.

© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

A child suffering from malnutrition lies on a bed in the Patient Society Hospital in Gaza City.

Hungry children dying

Meanwhile, the number of children in Gaza who have died from malnutrition since October 2023 has surpassed 100, according to the Gazan health authorities, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said in an update.

More than a third of the population is not eating for days at a time, according to the UN World Food Population (WFP).  Furthermore, acute malnutrition is spiking, with over 300,000 children at severe risk.

This comes amidst a recent warning by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that a mere 1.5 per cent of cropland in the enclave remains both accessible and undamaged, “signaling a near-total collapse of the local production of food.”

Aid taken from trucks

On the aid front, the UN and its partners collected food and hygiene kits from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem border crossing on Wednesday.

“However, supplies were offloaded directly from these trucks before reaching their destination, given the extreme desperation pervasive in Gaza today,” OCHA said.

The agency stressed that people there “need a predictable lifeline – not a trickle of aid – so they do not feel they need to take desperate measures to survive.”

WFP said that just to cover basic humanitarian food assistance needs, more than 62,000 metric tonnes are required to enter Gaza every month, and so far, humanitarians have not been permitted to bring in enough supplies to support the population. 

Fuel shortages continue

Humanitarians also collected fuel from the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday. Israel is allowing, on average, the entry of about 150,000 litres of fuel daily, which is still far below the minimum required. As a result, life-saving operations continue to be at risk.

The Palestine Civil Defence organization has warned that more than half of their ambulances have stopped operating across Gaza due to the shortage of both fuel and spare parts. 

“Israeli authorities must allow aid to enter through all crossings and via all available corridors so that humanitarians can deliver – at scale, in a safe and dignified manner – to reach the most vulnerable, including women, children and older people,” OCHA said. 

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

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“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 61,158 Palestinians have been killed and more than 151,000 injured since October, amid relentless Israeli bombardment and ground operations.

UNRWA said nearly 350 of its own staff are among the dead since Israel’s military operation in Gaza began following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led terror attacks.

Many civilians have been killed while sheltering in schools or tents, or while queuing for food.

Food insecurity is now acute. UN data show 193 people — including 96 children — have died from malnutrition since the start of August, with July seeing the highest monthly rate of acute malnutrition recorded in children under five.

Soaring prices

Wheat flour prices have soared by up to 15,000 per cent compared to pre-war levels. “Sustained, large-scale deliveries are the only way to stabilise food supplies and prices,” UNRWA stressed.

Health services are close to collapse. More than half of essential medical supplies are already out of stock, and hospitals have been forced to ration fuel for generators. UNRWA teams have nevertheless managed over 1.5 million health consultations since March, but “without resupply, our ability to save lives is dwindling,” the agency warned.

Vast scale of displacement

Displacement is on a vast scale: 1.9 million people — around 90 per cent of Gaza’s population — have been forced from their homes, many repeatedly. Nearly 100,000 are crammed into over 60 UNRWA-run shelters.

In the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank, around 30,000 people from Nur Shams, Tulkarm and Jenin refugee camps remain unable to return home due to Israel’s “Iron Wall” military operation, ongoing since January.

The agency urged immediate, unhindered humanitarian access. “We need the world to act — to open the crossings, to stop the suffering, and to uphold the most basic principles of humanity,” it said.

The UN Security Council is due to meet in New York in emergency session on Sunday morning local time to discuss the Israeli cabinet’s endorsement of a military takeover of Gaza City which is home to around one million Palestinians.

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

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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 the Americas, told ambassadors that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed plan for “defeating Hamas” and the establishment of an alternative civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority, risked “yet another dangerous escalation” that would destabilise the entire region.

However, according to Israeli media reports, the senior political affairs official continued, the Israeli plan foresees the displacement of all civilians from Gaza City by 7 October, affecting some 800,000 people – many previously displaced.

Reports indicate that forces would then surround the city for three months.  This would reportedly then be followed by an additional two months to seize control of central Gaza’s camps and clear the entire area of Palestinian armed groups.

Calamitous plan

“If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction – compounding the unbearable suffering of the population,” said Mr. Jenča, calling for a full, immediate, and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional, immediate release of all hostages and compliance with international humanitarian law by Israel.

He said there was no military solution to end the conflict adding that planning for Gaza’s future “as we address the urgency of developments on the ground today,” is critical.

Mr. Jenča called for establishing political and security frameworks to ease the humanitarian crisis, while beginning recovery and reconstruction efforts that address the legitimate concerns of both Israelis and Palestinians – in line with realising a two-State solution.

United Palestine

“Critically these frameworks must facilitate a legitimate Palestinian Government that can reunify Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, politically, economically and administratively.”

Furthermore, it must be made up of a united leadership representing all of Palestine. He called on the Palestinian Authority to “advance its stated goal of holding elections” to this end.

‘This is starvation’: Rajasingham

Senior humanitarian affairs official Ramesh Rajasingham told ambassadors that hunger-related deaths were already rising, ahead of any new mass-displacement policy for Gaza City.

“Whatever lifelines remain, are collapsing under the weight of sustained hostilities, forced displacement and insufficient levels of life-saving aid.”

He said with local authorities documenting the deaths of 98 children from severe acute malnutrition – 37 since 1 July – “this is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation.”

The head of the humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) in Geneva said he was extremely concerned over the “prolonged conflict and further human toll that is likely to unfold following the Government of Israel’s decision to expand military operations in Gaza.”

“This marks a grave escalation in a conflict that has already inflicted unimaginable suffering.”

‘Grim milestone’

“A grim milestone has also been crossed in the humanitarian community,” he lamented, noting that over 500 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since hostilities escalated, including at least 167 women. Smear campaigns against aid operations continue unabated.  “As we approach World Humanitarian Day, we must insist on the protection of all aid workers,” he added.  

States – all those with any influence – must look within our bruised collective conscience and summon the courage to do what is necessary to end this inhumanity and pain, he said.

Civilians must be protected, and hostages must be released unconditionally.  Arbitrarily detained Palestinians must be freed. Israel must agree to and facilitate humanitarian relief operations, both into and within the Gaza Strip, to reach the population in need.

The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) provisional measures in the case on the application of the Genocide Convention in Gaza remain in place, the top OCHA official added, including the demand that Israel take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.

SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Ambassadors meet in emergency session, amid starvation in the Gaza Strip

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The UN Security Council is meeting in New York following the Israeli cabinet’s decision to again expand its military operation inside the Gaza Strip and take full control of the key population centre of Gaza City. UN chief António Guterres described it as a “dangerous escalation” for the two million civilians trapped in the enclave as well as the remaining Israeli hostages still held captive. Follow our Meetings Coverage Section’s live reporting of the crisis meeting and UN News app users can follow here.

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