In The News

The ceasefire in Gaza is largely holding but recent violence by Israel and Palestinian militants put the truce at risk, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Monday.

The Security Council has passed a US-backed resolution which will establish an international force to restore order in Gaza, protect civilians and open the way for large-scale aid and rebuilding. There were 13 votes for, none against – while Russia and China abstained amid concerns that Russia might veto the text. US ambassador Mike Waltz thanked ambassadors, hailing it as an “historic and constructive resolution” which charts a new course for the Middle East.

The escalating Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm medical professionals there, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone in the north of the war-torn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday

The time has come to free the 48 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza and to stop the bombing, massacres and displacement in the embattled enclave, French President Emmanual Macron told delegates in the UN General Assembly Hall on Monday

Humanitarian aid in Gaza must be protected, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, following the theft of therapeutic food critical for saving thousands of young lives from malnutrition as famine spreads

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza following two deadly Israeli air strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the southern Strip on Monday.

More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday

With Gaza in ruins and the two-State solution in jeopardy, ministers convened at the United Nations this week to jumpstart political momentum toward ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – a crisis Secretary-General António Guterres warned is “at a breaking point.”

United Nations agencies welcomed on Sunday Israel’s pledge to implement daily humanitarian pauses in its military operations in Gaza, aimed at easing the flow of desperately needed aid into and across the devastated enclave.

The Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza’s education and cultural infrastructure amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, a UN investigative body said on Tuesday, as humanitarian agencies warned of continued mass suffering across the Strip

A draft resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza failed to pass in the UN Security Council on Wednesday after the United States cast its veto – blocking the initiative backed by all ten elected members of the Council.

The UN Secretary-General has condemned the reported killing and injury of Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza on Sunday, calling for an investigation into the matter.

More than half the people killed in Gaza over the past week were in shelters and residential buildings, the UN human rights office OHCHR said on Thursday.

UN aid workers said on Wednesday that they are still waiting for permission from Israel to distribute five trucks worth of lifesaving relief that was allowed into Gaza at the start of the week, after an 11-week blockade.

The UN humanitarian affairs chief has welcomed Israel’s decision to allow limited aid to cross into Gaza after 11 weeks of complete blockade – but significantly more is needed.

The UN Secretary-General is alarmed by reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza, a spokesperson for António Guterres said on Monday.

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

In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships being faced