UN aid push continues across Gaza despite Israeli airstrikes

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that their partners continue their scale-up efforts, despite reported Israeli airstrikes across the Strip,” he said, noting that some strikes hit areas near the so-called ‘Yellow Line’ – a buffer zone marked by the Israeli military inside Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement.

“We stress again that all parties must refrain from any activities that put civilians, including aid workers, at risk.”

Despite the insecurity, UN operations have managed to move significant volumes of relief into the enclave. According to the UN’s so-called 2720 delivery mechanism authorised by the Security Council, more than 24,000 metric tonnes of aid – including food, medicine, nutritional supplements and shelter materials – have been collected from Gaza’s crossings since the truce began several weeks ago.

Looting subsides

Encouragingly, looting and interception of aid have sharply declined. Between 10 and 28 October, only five per cent of supplies were intercepted, compared with around 80 per cent in the months before the ceasefire.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also delivered over 840 pallets of life-saving medical supplies, including insulin, surgical kits and essential medicines, and is supporting nutrition services to treat some 2,500 children.

But Mr. Dujarric warned that Gaza’s health system remains “under immense strain”, with the local Ministry of Health reporting that more than 1,700 health workers have been killed since the start of the war.

On education, agencies are working to restore “minimum teaching and learning conditions” for over 630,000 school-aged children who have missed more than two years of classes.

Over 90 classrooms have been rehabilitated, though Israeli restrictions on educational materials continue to hamper efforts.

“We continue to call for all crossing points to be open and more UN agencies and organizations authorized to bring in aid supplies into Gaza,” Mr. Dujarric said.

Fragile window to resume food production

Despite catastrophic destruction across Gaza’s farmlands, the current ceasefire has created a fragile but vital window to revive food production, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and satellite agency UNOSAT said on Thursday.

New satellite analysis shows nearly 87 per cent of cropland, 80 per cent of greenhouses and almost 87 per cent of irrigation wells have been damaged since the start of the conflict. But the pause in fighting has opened access to 37 per cent of affected farmland – some 600 hectares of which remain undamaged – allowing farmers to begin rehabilitating their land.

“The ceasefire has opened a window of opportunity,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol. “Urgent support is needed to restore agricultural land and infrastructure, enable farmers to resume fresh food production, and rebuild fisheries and livestock so families can feed themselves again.”

FAO stressed that rebuilding food systems now could help stabilise livelihoods and prevent deeper hunger in Gaza.

However, its $75 million appeal to support recovery remains only 10 per cent funded, highlighting the need for swift international backing to seize this brief moment of hope amid widespread devastation.

UN Condemns ‘Deadly Escalation’ of Fight in Gaza City

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

The situation “is having an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation,” he told journalists in New York.

“The United Nations condemns the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive which took place over the weekend across Gaza City, with scores of people reportedly killed or injured,” he said.

“We reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel and full respect for international law.”

70,000 more uprooted

In a post on X on Sunday, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said that 10 of its buildings in Gaza City had been hit in the past four days alone, including seven schools and two clinics which were being used as shelters.

Almost 70,000 displaced people have headed south in the past few days, while UN partners counted 150,000 movements from north to south this past month.

Partners further reported that one third of malnutrition treatment facilities in Gaza City have shut down due to forced displacement orders, while the Ministry of Health today reported 425 deaths overall due to malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, about a third of which were children.

A call for ‘unimpeded humanitarian access’

Over the past few days, UN partners have managed to distribute 40,000 additional meals each day. As of Saturday, 558,000 daily meals were prepared and distributed by 20 UN partners to 116 kitchens.

“However, health services continue to be heavily constrained, since clinics have suspended their services due to insecurity and displacement orders,” warned Mr. Dujarric, adding that in Deir Al-Balah, only a few ambulances remain in order and are able to serve the thousands of people in need.

Additionally, 77 per cent of the road networks in Gaza have been damaged and according to UN aid coordination office OCHA, humanitarian aid continues to be obstructed.

On Sunday, only four of the 17 missions that the UN coordinated with the Israeli authorities were facilitated. Seven missions were denied, one of which was meant to deliver water tanks to the north, while another four were impeded in the field, and two were cancelled by the organisers.

Nevertheless, three humanitarian missions were accomplished, including the collection of fuel and food cargo from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing.

“Our humanitarian colleagues continue to call for unimpeded humanitarian access,” stressed Mr. Dujarric. “Aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into and within Gaza, including the north.”

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Gaza: International community must ‘match words with action’ now

Posted on September 13, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson in Gaza for the UN aid coordination office OCHA, warned that history will not judge the international community “based on the speeches that we made” but rather on actions.

Speaking from Deir Al-Balah, she delivered a blunt message: “When Gaza burned, and children starved, and hospitals collapsed – did you act?”

Gaza City ‘death sentence’

She said this past Tuesday, Gaza City “was handed a death sentence”, with hundreds of thousands of battered civilians ordered to flee to an already overcrowded area where “even small animals have to search for spaces to squeeze between to move around.”

Across the Strip, the situation is dire. A friend texted her on Thursday saying that they tried to find space in the south, but there was none.

“His 8-year-old cousin was killed instantly in an Israeli strike together with several other children last week while waiting for some bread to be baked,” she told journalists at UN Headquarters.

The friend’s daughter, who recently turned two, has known nothing but war, she added.

Death, despair and destruction

“The unmistakable smell of death is everywhere – a grisly reminder that the ruins lining the streets hide the remains of mothers, fathers, children,” Ms. Cherevko continued.

“Humans who used to laugh, cry, dream. Their lives cut short by the war’s killing machines, many to never be found again.”

As humanitarians drove back into Gaza on Thursday, distraught people crowded around their convoy “pleading for this horror to stop,” she said.

“Dignity and hope have been stripped away, with every killing of a loved one, with every strike on a civilian lifeline, with every denial of access.”

She said that “the race against time, against death, against the spread of famine, feels as if we as humanitarians are running through quicksand. Even more so as humanitarian convoys are too often denied, delayed or obstructed by the Israeli authorities.”

Humanity shines through

She noted that even amid hardship “humanity shines”, pointing to “the Palestinian doctors, nurses and paramedics working around the clock, often without pay, medicine or electricity.”

This also includes aid workers from UN agencies, the Red Crescent and other organizations “delivering food, medicine and clean water under fire”, as well as ordinary people who share the little they have with strangers.

“In every act of care – a refusal to let cruelty define the future. Proof that even in the darkest times, the human spirit endures,” she said.

Hope and action

Ms. Cherevko shared that she is often asked if she has any hope left.

“Hope may be all we have left, so we must nurture it,” she said. “But hope alone won’t keep people alive. Urgent decisions are needed that must pave the way to a lasting peace before it’s too late.”

She stressed that “the people of Gaza are not asking for charity. They are asking for their right to live in safety, in dignity, in peace,” adding that “our humanity – yours, mine, all of ours – demands that we act now.”

She concluded her remarks by insisting that “today, and every day, is a new chance for the international community to match words with action. Don’t miss it as it might be the last.”

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Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said people are once again on the move after Israel placed the entire city under displacement orders. Aid partners recorded more than 25,000 displacements between Sunday through Wednesday.

Some critical services have already been suspended while some humanitarian facilities have suffered severe damage, disrupting operations and the delivery of essential services.

Aid partners suspend activities

“Our partners working on health, report that some of them have had to suspend activities at primary healthcare centres, while partners working on nutrition say that 12 out of 49 outpatient therapeutic sites have halted services amid the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza City,” he said,

At least two community kitchens have also suspended operations, and three others have had to relocate within the city.

Furthermore, UN partners working on education are concerned that 95 temporary learning sites in northern Gaza serving about 25,000 children may be at imminent risk of closure due to displacement orders and ongoing insecurity.

Child malnutrition worsens

UN child rights agency UNICEF has also warned that child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen at an alarming rate.

The percentage of children identified as acutely malnourished increased to 13.5 per cent in August, from 8.3 per cent in July – or 12,800 boys and girls.

Mr. Dujarric said UNICEF has been working to scale up the entry of essential nutrition supplies and distribute them, alongside nutrition partners, at about 140 sites across the Gaza Strip.

“While stocks of ready-to-use therapeutic food have recently increased, the current quantities of other critical nutrition supplies for infants and pregnant and breastfeeding women are wholly insufficient,” he said.

Meanwhile, almost half of all functioning hospitals are located in Gaza City, including half of all intensive care unit beds for the entire Gaza Strip, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

With the Israeli offensive already underway, the Gaza Strip cannot afford to lose any of these remaining facilities, the UN agency said.

Impediments to aid delivery continue

These developments are happening as delays and impediments to humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue.

Missions still take long hours to complete, even when they are approved in advance by the Israeli authorities, meaning that teams have no choice but to wait on roads that are often dangerous or congested.

Additionally, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recently observed an increase in denials of the participation of Palestinian staff in missions, including both drivers and personnel.

Mr. Dujarric noted that denials are often communicated at the last minute, resulting in operational delays as alternatives must be quickly identified.

“What we need is full facilitation of the work and movement of humanitarian actors into and throughout the Gaza Strip. This must include unimpeded access to the north and to the south alike,” he said, adding that “every delay can cost lives.”

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

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

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

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gaza: Civilian toll continues to climb

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

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

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

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

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

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

Humanitarian operations remain heavily constrained.

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

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

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

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

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

USG Lacroix on the role of MONUSCO

Dire situation continues

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

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

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

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Window to prevent famine spreading in Gaza is ‘closing fast’, UN warns

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Tom Fletcher’s statement amid what he described as “a massive military offensive” by Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza City, and the failure of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas militants.

By the end of September famine will likely have spread into Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, he said, unless there is a huge influx of humanitarian aid: “Death, destruction, starvation and displacement of Palestinian civilians are the result of choices that defy international law and ignore the international community.”

The horror can be stopped, he continued, if aid is allowed in at scale.

Mr. Fletcher called again for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the release of all hostages held inside Gaza by Hamas and other militants and the release of arbitrarily detained Palestinians.

He also insisted on the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) provisional measures which call for prevention of genocidal acts and the immediate and effective delivery of urgent basic services to Gaza’s civilian population.

No money, nowhere to go

Ahead of a second airstrike on a Gaza City high rise apartment block on Saturday in as many days which Israeli forces claimed was being used by Hamas – which the militant group denied – Israel reportedly dropped leaflets warning residents to relocate to the south.

UN News’s correspondent spoke to families trying to survive in the city amid Israel’s ongoing offensive, who are facing an impossible choice over staying or fleeing.

Abu Amer Al-Sharif, A Palestinian in Gaza City.

Abu Amer al-Sharif said, “we are at a loss,” sitting in front of what remains of his house in the city that used to be home to over one million people.

They had salvaged some belongings – but moving again seemed a daunting task.

“You know the financial burden, including transportation costs and rent for new housing. There are no salaries from the authorities and people have no income. Families are required to pay thousands of dollars for the places they move to, in addition to transportation costs. On top of that, our property is damaged,” Abu Amer said.

‘I live on the rubble’

In the same neighborhood, Hossam Madi stands amid the rubble of his home, breaking up furniture to sell as firewood.

“We don’t have enough money to move to the southern Gaza Strip,” he said bluntly.

Hossam Madi, a resident of Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza City removes some of his belongings from his destroyed home.

“I break wood to sell it to buy a kilo of flour for breakfast or lunch. We have nothing. Look at our house, look what happened to it. I am living on the rubble, and now I will take my things and move to western Gaza.”

Saqr Abu Sultan said he wasn’t sure where they were headed, loading his family’s belongings onto a three-wheeled cart in preparation for leaving the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.

“The situation is chaotic now. We’re trying to evacuate, but we don’t know where to go, despite the constant talk of safe areas,” he said.

Abu Amer Al-Sharif and his family in Gaza City remove their belongings and household items from their home, preparing for yet another displacement..

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

Posted on September 6, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

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

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

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

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

Attacks, famine spread across Gaza

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

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

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

‘Catastrophe Israel could have prevented’: WHO chief

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

Starvation ‘will not make Israel safer’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The ‘unthinkable’ is underway in Gaza City, UNICEF warns

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Tess Ingram, Communication Manager for UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, recently spent nine days there, describing it as “a city of fear, flight and funerals.”

“The last refuge for families in the northern Gaza Strip is fast becoming a place where childhood cannot survive,” she said, speaking from the enclave to journalists in New York.

Children ‘fighting for survival’

Nearly a million people remain in Gaza City, where the collapse of essential services is leaving its youngest and most vulnerable residents “fighting for survival” as famine spreads and aid barely trickles in.

Only 44 out of 92 UNICEF-supported outpatient nutrition treatment centres are still functional, which means thousands of malnourished children lack access to these critical lifelines.

Meanwhile, hospitals “are on their knees”. Only 11 are still partly functioning and only five have neonatal intensive care units, or NICUs.

“The 40 incubators between them are running at up to 200 per cent capacity, meaning there are as many as 80 babies fighting for life in overcrowded machines, utterly dependent on generators and medical supplies that may run dry at any moment,” she said.

‘Small bodies shredded by shrapnel’

In Gaza City, Ms. Ingram met displaced families on the run once again, children who have been separated from their parents, and mothers whose children either died from starvation or who fear their offspring will be next.

“I’ve spoken to kids in hospital beds, their small bodies shredded by shrapnel,” she said. “The unthinkable is not looming. It is already here. The escalation is underway.”

Famine is ‘everywhere’ in Gaza City

Famine was “everywhere I looked in Gaza City”, she said. “Just an hour in a nutrition clinic is enough to erase any questions about whether there is a famine,” she added.

At these clinics, waiting rooms are filled with tearful parents, “children fighting the double punch of disease and malnutrition”, mothers unable to breastfeed, and “babies losing their vision, their hair and their strength to walk.”

Like elsewhere in the enclave, whole families are surviving on one bowl of lentils or rice a day from community kitchens. Parents often go without so that their children can have something to eat.

A sad reunion

Last week, Ms. Ingram visited a stabilisation centre that treats malnourished children and was shocked to find a woman there called Nesma and her daughter, Jana.

UNICEF had evacuated the girl for treatment in southern Gaza more than a year ago and she recovered. Jana and her mother then returned to northern Gaza during the ceasefire earlier this year to reunite with the rest of their family

“Then the blockade on aid, hunger returned, and this time both of Nesma’s children deteriorated.” Her two-year-old daughter Jouri died from malnutrition last month and Jana “is barely hanging on”.

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

‘More children will starve’

Ms. Ingram said children like Jana “are returning to emergency wards or relapsing just weeks after finishing treatment for malnutrition because of the ongoing lack of food, safe water and other essential supplies” in the Gaza Strip.

She affirmed that “without immediate and increased access to food and nutrition treatments, this recurring nightmare will deepen and more children will starve – a fate that is entirely preventable.”

UNICEF continues to respond to the crisis and in the past two weeks provided partners on the ground with enough ready-to-use therapeutic food to support more than 3,000 acutely malnourished children over the six-week course of treatment.

The agency also provided complimentary food to support more than 1,400 infants as well as high energy biscuits for more than 4,600 pregnant and breastfeeding women, among other assistance such as safe drinking water and construction of temporary learning centres.

“Our team is doing everything in their power to help children, but we could do far more, reach every child here, if our operations on the ground were enabled at scale and we were well funded,” she said.

Malnutrition numbers rising

UNICEF is seeking $716 million this year for its response in Gaza, where needs are immense and childhood malnutrition continues to rise. In February, just over 2,000 youngsters were admitted for treatment. In July, the number climbed to 13,000 and by mid-August had already reached 7,200.

The agency continues to call on Israel to review its rules of engagement to ensure that children are protected, and for Hamas and other armed groups to release all remaining hostages, Ms. Ingram said.

She underlined the need for Israel to allow sufficient aid to enter, while humanitarians must be able to safely reach families where they are.

Her final plea was for the international community, especially States and stakeholders with influence, to use their leverage to end the war now: “because the cost of inaction will be measured in the lives of children buried in the rubble, wasted by hunger and silenced before they even had a chance to speak.”

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UN rights office worried over escalation in Gaza City, annexation plans for West Bank

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Ajith Sunghay, Head of OHCHR’s Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), told UN News that the escalation has caused extensive destruction to residential buildings in southern parts of North Gaza governorate and in northeastern areas of Gaza City.

This has led to further civilian casualties and forced displacement. Local health authorities reported that 816 Palestinians were killed between 26 August and 1 September – nearly double the number of fatalities compared to the previous week.

Nowhere to go

Roughly one million Palestinians reportedly remain in northern Gaza, and he said they are being pushed into increasingly smaller areas in the west of the enclave.

“Many are unable to relocate – there are no safe areas and movement is dangerous. Others are still trapped in eastern Gaza City, with humanitarian workers unable to reach them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli military attacks on people seeking aid continued across the Gaza Strip, where humanitarians are still struggling to bring in desperately needed supplies.

OHCHR has recorded over 2,146 deaths in the vicinity of sites run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operations in late May, and along convoy routes.

West Bank warning

Mr. Sunghay also pointed to increasing reports of Israeli Government plans to “extend sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank or effectively annex parts of it.

He recalled that last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “very clearly stated” that Israel has already incorporated large parts of the OPT – particularly East Jerusalem and Area C, where most settlements are located – into its territory, concluding that this amounts to annexation.

Israel “has done so, and continues doing so, with the unabated building of settlements and outposts and related infrastructure and with the forcible transfer of thousands of Palestinians from large swathes of the West Bank now controlled by the Israel forces and settlers,” he said.

“It has done so also by reshaping the West Bank with an extensive network of checkpoints, and gates which ensure freedom of action to settlers while segregating Palestinian towns and villages.”

Further expulsion threat

He warned that “any declaration of extension of sovereignty over the West Bank will have further catastrophic consequences on Palestinians” – not only on their right to self-determination but also on daily life.

It would facilitate a further, massive expansion of settlements and legalization of existing outposts, and allow Israel to take full control of natural resources there without any restrictions.

“Further, Israel’s objectives to formally annex ‘as much as land possible with the least Palestinians in it’ as declared by some of its leaders, would clearly place Palestinians in the annexed areas at imminent risk of expulsion through increased settler violence, deprivation of political rights, expropriation of land and mass home demolitions,” he said. 

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

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

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

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

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

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

A woman in a wheelchair is carried across rubble.

States fail to protect rights of persons with disabilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Horrific’ situation in Gaza City

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

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

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

Chronic aid delivery obstacles

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

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

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

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

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

‘Two per cent of food aid reached warehouses’

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

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

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

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

Famine response

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

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

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

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

New supplies and critical shortages

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

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

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

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

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

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Gaza: With a suitcase for a school bag, classrooms have become shelters

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“We carry a bag of clothes instead of a school bag,” she told UN News.

Diana and other students shared their eagerness to get back in the classroom, speaking from schools that have been converted into shelters for Gaza’s displaced, where most of the 2.3 million Palestinian residents have been forced to move multiple times during the nearly two-year-long war sparked by the Hamas-led terror attacks and Israel’s subsequent offensive.

Nearly 660,000 children remain out of school, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNWRA. In one UNRWA school corridor now transformed into crowded living quarters, Diana explained her ordeal.

“We no longer play or learn,” said Diana, a child displaced with her family from the Shujaiya neighbourhood in Gaza City. “There is no education now. We live inside the school, where we are displaced, eating and sleeping.”

A child from Gaza, who lost her father during the war, said “two years of our lives are gone for nothing.”

Searching for food instead of school supplies

Misk lost her father during the war. She said her tragedy was compounded by the loss of learning.

“Two years of our lives were wasted,” she said. “If it weren’t for the war, I would now be preparing for school, buying pens and school supplies. Now, we search for water and food, running after water and community kitchens.”

She fought back tears as she continued.

“We are children,” she said. “We want to live like other children. My father was killed in the war. What is my fault that I became an orphan at an early age? What is my fault that I was deprived of my family and everything?”

Many displaced people in Gaza have found shelter in UNRWA schools.

‘We were learning and getting diplomas’

Nine-year-old Jana said she wants to go back to studying.

“We live in a school, and we want to go back to studying there,” she said. “We were displaced because of the war and now, there is no food or drink.”

We want to go home and live a normal life. This is not life.

Maya said life before the war “much nicer”.

“Children went to school, learned and received their diplomas,” she said.

Instead of focusing on her homework, Malak searches for plastic and cardboard to use as fire starters for cooking. She hopes the war will end so she can return to school.

“We want the war to end,” she said. “We want to go home. We want to go back to school. We want to do something useful. It’s been so long since we ate healthy food. We want to go home and live a normal life. This is not life.”

Malak hopes the war will end so she can return to school.

Deprivation of education

UNRWA, established in 1949 to serve Palestine refugees, warned that as students have been deprived of education, they are at risk of becoming “a lost generation”.

“The war in Gaza is a war on children and must stop. Children must be protected at all times,” the UN agency said in a statement, noting that “nearly one million children in the Strip are suffering from profound psychological trauma.”

More than 90 per cent of Gaza’s schools have been either destroyed or severely damaged. Repairing and reconstructing them will take significant resources and time, according to a recent UN report.

West Bank: Classes are silent in Jenin camp

Some 46,000 Palestine refugee children are also set to begin a new school year in UNRWA schools across the West Bank.

The schools remain a safe haven for children, providing them with quality education and support amid escalating violence and displacement, said Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA affairs in the West Bank.

“This time last year, I opened the school year with children in Jenin camp,” he said.

“Now, these students have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and UNRWA schools in the camp stand silent.”

Of the more than 30,000 Palestinians displaced in the northern West Bank, more than one third are children from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps.

“In East Jerusalem, for the first time in our history, UNRWA has been prevented from opening its six schools after they were forcibly closed by Israeli authorities in May, affecting some 800 children,” he said.

“Only some of these students have been able to enroll in other schools.”

Violation of children’s right to education

Mr. Friedrich warned that this not only violates the right to education for Palestine refugee children, but also breaches Israel’s obligations as a Member State of the United Nations.

Regardless, UNRWA continues to be the second-largest provider of education in the West Bank after the Palestinian Authority, reaching students through schools, training centres and hybrid learning modalities.

“This back-to-school season, we are proud of our students and teachers who continue to show resilience in the face of hardship,” he said. “We wish all children a school year filled with excitement for learning, friendships and curiosity.”

UNRWA said around 660,000 children in Gaza have been deprived of education for the third consecutive year due to the ongoing war.

Daily malnutrition deaths continue as Israeli forces push further into Gaza City

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“Military activities continue in and around Gaza City, but also in the south, taking a heavy toll on civilians, including deaths, injuries and further displacement,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at the daily press briefing in New York: “Our colleagues report that people continue to flee, mainly towards the coast.”

More than 76,000 people have been newly displaced since mid-August, with most occurring in the north, he said, citing the latest reports from UN agencies on the ground that are monitoring population movements. More than 23,000 people were displaced from northern Gaza.

Coastal areas are also crowded with tents, forcing many people to flee from Gaza City in the north towards central areas, according to the UN humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA.

Famine response: ‘We can do this again’

Daily reports of malnutrition deaths continue, the UN Spokesperson said. Since the start of the nearly two-year-long war, more than 300 people, including many children, have died of malnutrition in the Strip, according to local authorities.

The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that the situation “continues to deteriorate”, the UN Spokesperson added, adding that families without able-bodied members to fetch food are facing the highest risks.

As such, the UN agency resumed last week its distribution system of digital vouchers, reaching 22,000 people, including vulnerable groups, following a five-month pause.

“We and our partners are continuing to transport aid and other medical supplies to and from the crossings [into Gaza], but the current situations on the ground have not yet allowed us to resume community-based distribution,” Mr. Dujarric said. “Only a ceasefire will ensure necessary conditions for a massive response to prevent famine from spreading further.”

During the previous ceasefire from January to March, he said “we reached nearly every single person in the Gaza Strip with lifesaving aid, and we can do this again.”

Obstacles delay urgent aid deliveries

WFP said obstacles include supply shortages and violent unrest around convoys which is making distributions “nearly impossible”.

According to the UN humanitarian agency, the movement of aid teams inside Gaza remains heavily restricted. OCHA also reported that about one in three planned missions were “impeded or outright denied by Israeli authorities” between Friday and Monday, the UN Spokesperson said.

As a result, many missions could not be completed, he said, also noting that strict Israeli inspections continue to significantly delay aid clearance at Ashdod Port.

Visas for top Palestinian officials blocked

News reports indicated that the United States announced last week that it would not issue visas to senior Palestinian leaders ahead of the high-level General Assembly meetings later this month at UN Headquarters in New York.

That includes a conference on 22 September where Heads of State and Government are expected to endorse a political declaration adopted by leaders attending an international conference in late July, endorsing the two-State solution.

Responding to a reporter’s question on the matter, Mr. Dujarric said “the participation of a senior Palestinian delegation to the conference is essential.”

UNRWA chief levels charge of ‘scholasticide’

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, raised alarms at what would have been the start to the school year for more than 600,000 children in Gaza.

“Gaza is in ruins; so is its education system,” he said in a statement on Monday. “Instead of going back to school, like most children around the world, around 660,000 girls and boys in Gaza will be sifting through the rubble, desperate, hungry, traumatised and mostly bereaved.”

The longer they stay out of school with their trauma, the higher the risk they become “a lost generation, sowing the seeds for more hatred and violence”, the UNRWA chief warned.

“Ceasefire is the only way forward to reverse the famine and the ‘scholasticide’ hitting the children of Gaza,” he said.

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The descent into ‘a massive famine’ in Gaza has begun, relief agencies warn

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

Although the private aid platform run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continues to receive its own supplies, “we are on a descent into a massive famine”, insisted Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, on Friday.

Referring to the latest catastrophic assessment of food insecurity in Gaza from the UN-backed IPC group of experts, Mr. Laerke noted that 500,000 people are in the worst possible situation today, with another 160,000 expected to be added to that number in the coming weeks.

Everyone lacks food

“They all need food,” he told journalists in Geneva. “The entire Gaza Strip needs food. There would not have been declared famine had there been sufficient amounts of food.”

In a related development, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the growing risk of communicable diseases in Gaza, with 94 suspected cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome now reported.

The disease can cause paralysis and is treatable in hospital with intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange, according to WHO. “But these two [treatments] are at zero stock, as are anti-inflammatories,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, referencing ongoing Israeli aid restrictions impacting humanitarian relief supplies entering Gaza. “These deliveries must be urgently expedited as much as surveillance and testing capabilities.”

Between 20 and 26 August, out of 89 attempts to coordinate relief missions with Israeli authorities across Gaza, 53 were facilitated, 23 were initially approved but then impeded on the ground, seven were denied and six had to be withdrawn by the organizers, OCHA said in an update.

More to come on this developing story…

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Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City marks ‘new and dangerous phase’: Guterres

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“Israel’s initial steps to militarily take over Gaza City signals a new and dangerous phase,” he told journalists in New York.

“Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have devastating consequences. Hundreds of thousands of civilians – already exhausted and traumatized – would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril. This must stop.”

‘Endless catalogue of horrors’

Mr. Guterres was speaking ahead of a Security Council meeting on the situation in Haiti but stopped to brief reporters on the “unfolding tragedy that is Gaza”, where “yet more unconscionable Israeli strikes” have occurred.

Incidents include the two airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis earlier this week which killed civilians, including medical personnel and journalists, “all with the world watching”.

The Secretary-General said “these attacks are part of an endless catalogue of horrors” and called for accountability.

“Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies, and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law,” he said.

“Hostages taken by Hamas and other groups must be released and the atrocious treatment they have been forced to endure must stop. Civilians must be protected.”

A displaced family sit outside their tent in Gaza.

Unparalleled destruction and famine

Mr. Guterres stressed that “the levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without parallel in recent times”.

He said that “famine is no longer a looming possibility – it is a present-day catastrophe.”

People are dying from hunger, yet Gaza’s food, water and healthcare systems have been systematically dismantled.

Israel’s obligations

“These are the facts on the ground. And they are the result of deliberate decisions that defy basic humanity,” he said. “Israel, as the occupying Power, has clear obligations.”

He said Israel must ensure the provision of food, water, medicine, and other essentials. This is in addition to agreeing to and facilitating far greater humanitarian access to Gaza, and protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Mr. Guterres said the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has given binding provisional measures which must be implemented in full and immediately.

They include the obligation to take all steps to ensure unfettered humanitarian and medical assistance to Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip “without delay and in full cooperation with the United Nations.”

UN staff killed, aid efforts blocked

Meanwhile, the UN and partners are doing all they can, he said. This is often at great personal risk, as tragically 366 UN personnel have been killed.

“Day after day, our efforts are being blocked, delayed, and denied,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”

Settlement expansion in the West Bank

Mr. Guterres also addressed the situation in the West Bank, describing it as “profoundly alarming”.

He said Israeli military operations, settler violence, demolitions, and discriminatory policies are driving displacement and deepening vulnerability.

Furthermore, the relentless expansion of settlements is fracturing communities and cutting off access to vital resources.

The Israeli authorities recently approved of a plan for the construction of thousands of settlements in the E1 area. He said this would effectively separate the northern and southern West Bank, representing “an existential threat to the two-state solution” between Israelis and Palestinians.

“I repeat: the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem have been established – and are being maintained — in violation of international law,” he stressed.

“Israel must cease such actions and comply with its obligations.”

‘No more excuses’

The Secretary-General concluded his remarks by emphasizing that there is no military solution to the conflict.

“I appeal once again for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access across Gaza, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” he said.

“Starvation of the civilian population must never be used as a method of warfare. Civilians must be protected. Humanitarian access must be unimpeded,” he added, ending with a plea for “No more excuses. No more obstacles. No more lies.”

UN calls for decisive steps to end conflict as Gaza and West Bank crises deepen

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“Today the world looks on in horror as the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continues to deteriorate to levels not seen in recent history,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, speaking from Jerusalem.

He began by focusing on Gaza, which is “sinking deeper into disaster, marked by rapidly mounting civilian casualties, mass displacement, and, now, famine”, with no end in sight to the conflict.

Worst fears becoming reality

He said that “unthinkably, Gaza’s population is now facing yet another deadly escalation” following Israel’s announcement of its decision to take over Gaza City, which is ongoing.

“For a population already struggling to survive, Palestinians in Gaza are seeing their worst fears become reality in front of their eyes,” he said.

“Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have catastrophic consequences, including displacing hundreds of thousands.”

Air strikes intensify

Mr. Alakbarov briefed the Council alongside Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and two guests: Inger Ashing, Chief Executive Officer at Save the Children International, and Ilana Gritzewsky, an Israeli hostage who survived Hamas captivity in Gaza.

He reported that Israeli military strikes have intensified throughout the Strip, hitting tents housing displaced people, schools, hospitals, and residential buildings.

Since 23 July, at least 2,553 Palestinians have been killed, according to the health authorities. Of this number, some 271 were reportedly killed attempting to collect aid, including in the vicinity of militarized distribution sites.

Additionally, over 240 journalists have been killed since the war began on 7 October 2023 following deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

Although the UN and partners are working tirelessly to assist the people in Gaza, “the security risks are extremely high, and current mitigation measures are woefully insufficient,” he said.

“On my recent visit to Gaza, I was stunned at the scale of the destruction and suffering. I met humanitarian workers risking their lives to deliver aid, while themselves living in intolerable conditions,” he added.

Meeting with survivors and families of hostages

The UN official also visited affected communities in Israel and met survivors of the 7 October terror attacks and family members of some of the hostages.

“I saw the shattered homes of Nir Oz, where one in four residents was either murdered or abducted on 7 October. I met survivors who carry unbearable loss and trauma,” he said.

Around 50 people, including one woman, are still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, and 28 are believed to be deceased.

Videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Jihad depicting emaciated Israeli hostages were deeply disturbing, he said, stressing that ill-treatment and abuse of hostages constitute a blatant violation of international law.

Children in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank looking at the destroyed shelters following recent military operations. (file)

West Bank violence

Meanwhile, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, “continues to spiral dangerously downward” and “the territory envisioned for a future Palestinian State is shrinking, while a one-State reality of unlawful occupation and perpetual violence is rapidly advancing.”

Israeli security forces have continued operations in northern cities and refugee camps, displacing more than 32,000 people. Furthermore, security forces killed nine Palestinians, four of them children, during the three-month reporting period.

Attacks by Israeli settlers also have continued, resulting in three Palestinians killed, damage to Palestinian property and displacement. At the same time, attacks by Palestinians against Israelis have also continued, with no fatalities reported in the last month.

Settlement expansion

Since the start of the war in Gaza, settler attacks have escalated in frequency and become more violent and deadly. They have increasingly led to forced displacement, with settlers then moving in and establishing outposts. At the same time, Israel is “fast-tracking settlement expansion, including in the most highly strategic areas.”

Mr. Alakbarov recalled that the Israeli High Planning Committee recently approved a plan for the construction of more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area.

“If implemented, the move would effectively sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank. As such, it would further undermine the possibility of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state,” he warned.

Israeli authorities also continued to demolish Palestinian-owned structures, he added, and 175 Palestinians, including 70 children, have been displaced.

Regional tensions

Mr. Alakbarov noted that the developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are taking place amid a volatile regional context, with more exchanges of fire between Houthi rebels in Yemen and Israel forces occurring this week, along with continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon and an incursion in Syria.

Stressing the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, he said “what is needed now is bold action to resolve the conflict, end the occupation and re-establish a political horizon.”

In this regard, he welcomed the High-Level Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, held at UN Headquarters in June.

Uphold the two-State solution

“The message from the international community is clear: the two-State solution remains the only viable path toward a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.

He urged the international community to work collectively to advance practical steps, including through engagements during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in September.

“With Gaza immersed in a situation so horrendous that it defies basic humanity and with the West Bank facing genuine threats to its long-term existence, we can no longer wait,” he said.

Gaza famine ‘a created catastrophe’

Ms. Msuya’s briefing centered around the recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis confirming that famine is occurring in Gaza governorate – phase 5 conditions – and is expected to spread in the coming weeks.

She drew attention to some of the numbers, saying over half a million people currently face starvation, destitution and death, which could exceed 640,000 by the end of September.

Approximately one million Gazans are in emergency phase 4 and over 390,000 face phase 3 crisis conditions, she continued.

At least 132,000 children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition between now and the middle of next year, while the number of those who risk dying has tripled to over 43,000.

Among pregnant and breastfeeding women, the number is predicted to rise from 17,000 to 55,000.

“Let us be clear: This famine is not a product of drought or some form of natural disaster,” she said. “It is a created catastrophe – the result of a conflict that has caused massive civilian death, injury, destruction and forced displacement.”

End this ‘human-made crisis’

Ms. Msuya urged the Council to ensure an immediate and sustained cessation of hostilities to save lives and stop famine from spreading.

She also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for civilians and critical infrastructure to be protected.

Furthermore, safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access through all entry points must occur, and aid – including food, medicine, water, fuel and shelter – has to be delivered to all people in need.

Her final request was for the restoration of commercial flows of essential goods at scale, market systems, essential services and local food production.

“Ending this human-made crisis demands that we act as if it were our mother, our father, our child, our family trying to survive in Gaza today,” she said.

A former hostage’s appeal

Ms. Gritzewsky recalled the moment her life was brutally changed on 7 October 2023.

She was grabbed by the hair, punched in the stomach, thrown against a wall, and “touched everywhere,” all while being filmed by the terrorists. Taken to Gaza, she fainted at the time of her sexual assault.

“Nothing will be the same again,” she said, referring in particular to her broken jaw and pelvis.

Ms. Gritzewsky said she received no medication and did not see a doctor during the 55 days of captivity, even though she had raised concerns about her anaemia and colitis.

She is now fighting for the release of the hostages, particularly her partner, Matan, and made a passionate appeal to the Security Council to act for the release of all those still being held.

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Hunger and disease in Gaza will only worsen from ‘man-made’ famine: WHO

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

In an online alert, the UN agency said that disease and hunger will only increase, unless all Israeli impediments to aid delivery at scale are removed and access is allowed across the Strip.

The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, confirmed on Wednesday that some aid is allowed into the enclave every day, albeit far too little to meet the huge level of needs.

OCHA’s Olga Cherevko returned this week to a UN-supported community kitchen in Gaza City that she last visited in March, which had been struggling to stay open even then during the total blockade.

Community resilience

It had been forced to close – but managed to reopen again 10 days ago: “They’re now feeding 5,000 people a day, making meals hot meals for people in need in the neighbouring communities,” she said.

“Of course, the number of meals being cooked every day remains severely insufficient because the volume of supplies entering remains severely insufficient, and the only way for us to stop famine is by ensuring that more supplies are entering every day.”

The WHO appeal comes two days after at least 20 people were killed in a double strike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza, with four health workers and five journalists among the victims.

Across the Gaza Strip today, WHO said that more than half a million people are trapped in famine, with destruction to food and health services, and to water and sanitation systems.

‘Act without delay’

The UN General Assembly-mandated Palestinian rights committee issued a statement on Wednesday reminding that the famine is projected to spread in the coming days, if Israel fails to allow in more food aid.

“This catastrophic man-made disaster comes on the heels of two years of near total Israeli destruction and blockade of Gaza and relentless military assaults that have decimated civilian infrastructure, including food production capacities and all other means of subsistence,” the committee said.

“This is a grave breach of international law. States must act without delay to fulfill their legal obligations towards bringing a rapid end to this catastrophe and illegal situation.”

More to follow…

Killing of journalists in Gaza hospital attack ‘should shock the world’: UN rights office

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

OHCHR Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said condemnation of the two strikes by Israeli forces on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis now needs to be channelled into a demand for accountability and justice for all those killed.

At least 20 died, including four health workers and five journalists, later named as Ahed Abu Aziz, Hussam al-Masri, Mariam Dagga, Mohammed Salama and Moaz Abu Taha. They worked for outlets including Middle East Eye, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Two strikes

Video taken at the scene shows a second strike apparently targeting rescuers who had arrived at the scene of the initial attack on southern Gaza’s largest medical facility on Monday.

“We know that one of the five journalists appears to have been killed in the first air strike while three others including the women journalist appear to have been killed in the second air strike. This is a shock and this is unacceptable,” said Mr. Al-Kheetan.

“At least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the 7th of October 2023,” he continued.

“These journalists are the eyes and the ears of the whole world and they must be protected…This raises many, many questions about the targeting of journalists and all of these incidents must absolutely be investigated and those responsible must be held accountable.

He added that OHCHR was continuing to corroborate the factual details of Monday’s strikes, adding that targeting journalists as well as hospitals is forbidden under international law.

The head of UN cultural agency, UNESCO – which advocates for press freedom and journalists’ safety – also condemned the killings, reiterating her call to respect UN Security Council resolution 2222, unanimously adopted in 2015 on the protection of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians in situations of conflict.

Audrey Azoulay said UNESCO is providing emergency assistance to journalists in the Gaza Strip, including psychosocial assistance, access to working equipment, and capacity-building

Investigations must ‘yield results’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the killings expressing regret, describing the incident as a “tragic mishap”. He said the Israeli military would carry out “a thorough investigation.”

The OHCHR spokesperson told journalists in Geneva that Israeli authorities had carried out investigations in the past, as the occupying power.

“But these investigations need to yield results. There needs to be justice. We haven’t seen results or accountability measures yet,” he said.

More to follow…

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Gaza: UN calls for probe following deadly strikes on Nasser Hospital

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

At least 20 people were killed, including four health workers and five journalists, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus said in a tweet.

Fifty other people were injured, including critically ill patients who were already receiving care.

Healthcare under attack

“While people in Gaza are being starved, their already limited access to healthcare is being further crippled by repeated attacks,” Tedros remarked.

“We cannot say it loudly enough: STOP attacks on healthcare. Ceasefire now.”

He said the hospital’s main building, which houses the emergency department, inpatient ward, and surgical unit, was hit.

The strikes also damaged the emergency staircase.

Global indifference and inaction

The head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA also took to social media in the wake of the news.

“Silencing the last remaining voices reporting about children dying silently and famine with the world’s indifference and inaction is shocking,” said Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

He called for compassion to prevail, saying “let us undo this manmade famine by opening the gates without restrictions, ⁠protecting journalists and humanitarian and health workers,” stressing the need for political will now.

The UN recently noted that more than 240 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began nearly two years ago following deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

Roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 hostages were taken to the enclave, some of whom remain in captivity.

Guterres calls for investigation

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the deadly airstrikes and called for a prompt and impartial investigation.

“These latest horrific killings highlight the extreme risks that medical personnel and journalists face as they carry out their vital work amid this brutal conflict,” UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that among the reporters killed was female journalist Mariam Abu Dagga who partnered with the agency last year on a photo essay depicting the dire situation in Gaza.

The Secretary-General reiterated that medical personnel and journalists must be able to perform their essential duties without interference, intimidation, or harm, in full accordance with international humanitarian law.

He also renewed his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unfettered humanitarian access across the enclave, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office issued a statement later in the day saying the Government “deeply regrets the tragic mishap” which occurred at the Nasser Hospital.

Famine spreading

The number of deaths in Gaza has surpassed 61,000, according to the local health authorities.

Last week, food security experts confirmed that famine has taken root in Gaza Governorate, projecting that it will spread.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said on Tuesday that 11 people have died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall total to 300.

Displacement deepens

Meanwhile, people across the enclave continue to be displaced while seeking safety and shelter.

Humanitarians said that between 20 and 24 August, some 5,000 people are estimated to have been displaced from northern Gaza to Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis. Roughly 8,000 more have been displaced to the west of Gaza City.

Overall, new displacements have surpassed 800,000 since the end of the ceasefire in mid-March. 

Obstructions to aid delivery

At the same time, aid convoys in Gaza continue to face delays, movement obstructions and other challenges.

On Sunday, only seven out of 15 humanitarian missions that required coordination with Israel were facilitated, including the collection of fuel from the Kerem Shalom border crossing for distribution to areas where it is needed most.

“Four missions had to be either cancelled by the organisers or were denied outright by Israeli authorities,” OCHA said.

“The remaining ones were initially approved but then impeded on the ground and only partially accomplished, including the collection of food and vaccines from the crossings.”

Education on hold

As children around the world start heading back to school, their counterparts in Gaza continue to miss out on education.

Several education facilities that are being used as shelters for displaced people were attacked last week, according to aid partners.

“With local authorities announcing that final exams for over 35,000 high school students are due to be held in two weeks, the UN and its partners reiterate their call for the protection of education facilities in accordance with international law,” OCHA said.

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Driven by hunger in Gaza, amputees are part of the collateral damage

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“I was going to buy falafel,” says Mohammed Hassan. “On the way home, I looked up and saw a rocket heading towards me. I tried to run, but it was too fast. I found myself pinned to the wall, and my foot had been blown off.”

Brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the young boy looks down at his heavily bandaged left leg, and the stump where his foot used to be.

In another area of the hospital, a small child, Maryam Abu Alba, is crying in pain. “The neighbour’s house was bombed, and their home was hit,” says her grandmother. “One of her legs had to be amputated, and metal plates had to be inserted into the other one, which was fractured. She is in severe pain.”

Earlier this year, the UN humanitarian aid coordination agency OCHA estimated that 4,500 new amputees require prosthetics, in addition to the 2,000 existing cases requiring maintenance and follow-up care, while about 24,000 injured people required rehabilitation.

Health facilities are overwhelmed with many patients undergoing multiple surgeries without adequate medical supplies, including anaesthesia.

Palestinian child Mohammad Hassan sitting on a hospital bed in Gaza after his left leg was amputated by a strike.

Desperately seeking food

In May, as supply routes for UN humanitarian convoys were interrupted, the number of distribution points of aid dropped from 400 dotted across the Gaza strip to a handful of hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Given the shortage of humanitarian aid and diminished capacity, thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured since May while seeking food. Among the wounded are children and parents who, despite losing limbs, continue to search for food and water.

This comes as a UN-backed food security report has just concluded that famine is confirmed in Gaza governorate, where half a million people are trapped in conditions of starvation, malnutrition and death.

Ibrahim Abdel Nabi was one of the many Palestinians who headed to the hubs in the hope of finding desperately needed provisions for their families.

In his tent at a displacement site in the coastal Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, Mr. Nabi, surrounded by his wife and children, explains how the journey ended in disaster and life-changing injuries.

“When I arrived at the Al-Alam area, west of Rafah, I was hit by an explosive bullet in my leg. I was bleeding for about an hour and a half, and no one came to help me. They were all trying to find food for their children.”

Eventually, a group of people came to his rescue and took him to the nearby Red Cross hospital.

“I stayed there for about a month and a half, undergoing about 12 operations. I became malnourished and lost a lot of blood. Infection spread, and more of my leg had to be amputated.”

Ibrahim Abdel Nabi, a Palestinian displaced in Gaza, sitting on a chair while his wife helps him wear the handmade prosthetic limb.

‘I made my prosthetic leg’

As Mr. Nabi was trying to recover, he was aware that his family were still in need of food. Despite the pain, he decided to make a simple prosthesis from materials he could find to allow him to get back on his feet and make fresh attempts to find food and water.

“The prosthesis injures my leg,” he said. “It causes inflammation and increases the pain. We don’t have medical care or supplies, but I will use it no matter how much it hurts.”

As he speaks, Mr. Nabi’s wife begins to cry. “God willing, we will live through this experience,” she says.

Mr. Nabi gets up on crutches and heads to a nearby tent, where his wife helps him to put on the crude prosthesis.

“Don’t strain yourself,” she repeats, over and over. “Take your time. Walk slowly.”

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