Plague of rats and insects provides latest challenge for war-shattered Gazans
One displaced woman told UN News’s correspondent in Gaza: “In all camps, we suffer from biting insects, especially fleas,” adding that “our children suffer from severe pain due to itching and stinging. “We tried to treat it in simple ways,…
Two-State solution nearing point of no return, warns UN chief
Addressing a Security Council debate on Tuesday, António Guterres said the Middle East stands at a critical crossroads. “The promise of a two-State solution is at risk of vanishing altogether,” he said. “Political will to achieve that goal feels more…
MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Guterres tells Security Council two-State solution ‘near point of no return’
The Security Council met on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East, where Secretary-General António Guterres told ambassadors that irreversible action must be taken to finally put a two-State solution in place for Israel and Palestine. The discussions took…
Children in Gaza ‘going to bed starving’ amid blockade
“The siege on Gaza is the silent killer of children, of older people,” said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. “Families – whole families, seven or eight people – are resorting to sharing one can…
Gazans face hunger crisis as aid blockade nears two months
Both the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, and the World Food Programme (WFP) report that food stocks are now exhausted, even as supplies of lifesaving assistance pile up at border crossings waiting to be brought in. Humanitarians continue…
Israel’s restrictions on UN agencies in Gaza highlighted at world court
The ICJ, which sits in The Hague and is the UN’s top court, is expected to hear from 40 States and four international organizations in proceedings slated to last all week. Representing Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Legal Counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld…
Gaza: UN official warns of ‘assault on dignity’ as blockade cripples humanitarian response
Speaking to journalists in Gaza City, Jonathan Whittall, local Head of Office for the UN aid coordination wing, OCHA, painted a dire picture of life under what he called a “total and complete blockade” now approaching its third month. “The…
WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza
On Friday, WFP announced it had delivered its last remaining supplies to kitchens preparing hot meals which are expected to be completely gone within days. The UN agency warned that it may be forced to end critical assistance to families…
Gaza: Aid ban pushes civilians to the brink
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a news briefing at UN Headquarters on Thursday that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly. “Children are going hungry, patients remain untreated, and people are dying,” he said. “It is time to…
Sewage, trash and disease overwhelm displaced communities in Gaza
In the makeshift coastal encampments of Al Mawasi, families have no choice but to live in unsanitary conditions that are rapidly turning deadly, Louise Wateridge, Senior Emergency Officer at Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, told UN News. She described an increasingly…