A small-scale farming initiative, launched in May 2025 by FAO and funded through the OPT Humanitarian Fund, has provided urgently needed cash assistance to farmers in Gaza to restart vegetable production. One beneficiary, 60-year-old Susan Allaham, returned to cultivation on her land in Khan Younis after the war halted her farming for years. Respite extreme challenges — lack of inputs (fertilizer, seeds, pesticides), damaged land, high prices, and a broader food-security collapse after two years of conflict — about 200 farmers are now growing vegetables again, offering a small “seed of hope.” Vegetables are seen as vital sources of vitamins and nourishment, especially for children and pregnant women. However, as of mid-October 2025, only about 4 % of Gaza’s agricultural land remained accessible and intact, underscoring how limited this recovery is. For farmers like Susan, this cultivation is their only means of livelihood, and if conditions — including the ceasefire — hold, they plan to expand production farther, reclaiming their land and supporting their families.

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November), established by the UN in 1977 to mark the 1947 partition resolution, continues to highlight the urgent need for peace in the Middle East. In 2025, amid a fragile Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian crisis, the UN held special meeting on 25 November at its New York headquarters, joined by Member States, organizations, and civil society, with commemorations concluding on 4 December through a screening and discussion of The Voice of Hind Rajab by filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania.

Deliveries of fresh flatbread in Gaza reach the population, offering a sense of normality as the ceasefire takes hold. The bakeries offer a tangible sign that a precarious normality is returning. The loaves rolling out of their fiery ovens are part of a massive and rapid scale-up of WFP food assistance for people facing severe and even catastrophic hunger - with the aim of feeding up to 1.6 million in the first three months. Trucks of WFP food assistance now entering the Strip are supporting bakeries, nutrition programmes and general food distributions. Those distributions will expand as conditions allow more food to enter the Strip and bakeries to reopen. Tens of thousands of metric tonnes of our food are ready for dispatch or heading to the Strip. “The smell of bread gives people hope that things are going to get back to normal,” says Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa & Eastern Europe. As more food reaches hungry people, he adds, “anxiety levels go down, so they can trust that more food is going to come in the next days.”

“I took this picture at the border, on my first day in Rafah, after having fled Khan-Younis. I saw children swinging on electrical wires. They seemed happy, and it shocked me. The electricity wires themselves had been rendered dead like so many things; at least it provided this happiness.” - Ismael Abu Dayyah 

In 2024, OCHA worked with 16 photojournalists in Gaza on an exhibition to each share a photo through their lens of a moment they wanted the world to never forget. On 24 August 2025, one of these photojournalists, Mariam Abu Dagga, was killed in a strike on Nasser hospital.  We are republishing this photo gallery in her honor, and in solidarity with all those – journalists, humanitarians, other civilians – caught in Gaza’s nightmare and risking their lives to show the world what is happening.

"We share these images with the outside world, hoping to convey the reality of our experiences. Yet, we understand that those who view our work may never fully comprehend the depth of our pain, the constant threat to our safety, and the psychological toll of living amidst conflict and uncertainty."- Mohammed Zaanoun

The United Nations observes the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (November 29), commemorating the adoption of the Partition Resolution. Amidst a devastating war in Gaza that has claimed over 43,000 lives, the call for a ceasefire, an end to the occupation, and progress toward a two-state solution is more pressing than ever. This day serves as a reminder that the Question of Palestine remains unsolved, with the Palestinian people still striving for their inalienable rights to self-determination, national independence, sovereignty, and the right of refugees to return.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is holding a special meeting today to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November). During the event, Member States and global leaders will gather at the ECOSOC Chamber to express solidarity through messages emphasizing the unresolved question of Palestine. Watch the meeting live on UN WebTV (10 a.m. - 1 p.m. New York time). Additionally, the exhibition "Gaza, Palestine: A Crisis of Our Humanity" will be on display in the General Assembly Visitors' Lobby until 5 January 2025.

Gaza after one year

One year after the war in Gaza, violence persists, and the humanitarian crisis continues. Over the past year, UN officials have condemned Hamas's attacks, called for the immediate release of all hostages, and urged for ceasefires. Gaza remains sealed off, leaving no safe areas for civilians. The UN is fully committed to staying and delivering aid to the people of Gaza.

UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a comprehensive report detailing the profound economic destruction that has gripped the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the aftermath of the Israeli military operation in Gaza.

“I think if there is hell on Earth, it's Gaza.”

Muhannad Hadi knew that humanitarian work was his calling from an early age. Now UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he is devoting himself to helping to alleviate the unimaginable suffering in Gaza. 

“They told me that agony, 24/7. They told me what they go through from the morning until they drop asleep, out of exhaustion. And I promised that I will tell the story.”

The UN estimates that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has displaced up to 1.9 million people – 90% of the population - many of whom have fled multiple times. In this episode of Awake at Night, Muhannad Hadi reflects on the horrendous conditions in Gaza, the importance of having a supportive family, and how his time volunteering in Jordan led to a lifelong humanitarian career.

As the war in Gaza reaches a 200-day mark, the Security Council is set to receive a briefing today from Sigrid Kaag, the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. Ms. Kaag will provide a firsthand account of the current humanitarian situation and challenges to aid and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Since assuming her role, she has been working with UN agencies, NGOs, and member states to improve aid delivery in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has led to nearly 34,000 deaths, including 10,000 women and nearly 14,000 children, and has brought the population to the brink of famine.

The Gaza conflict has been going on for over six months with devastating consequences. Thousands of Palestinian women have been killed, leaving children orphaned. Over a million women and girls face dire living conditions with limited access to necessities like food and medical care. Destruction of infrastructure has exacerbated the crisis, leaving many injured individuals without treatment. Urgent calls for humanitarian aid and a ceasefire are needed to prevent further suffering. Escalating violence in the West Bank and a potential regional conflict between Israel and Iran are also of concern.

The Security Council is hearing a briefing today from the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. With almost 30,000 killed in Gaza, intense Israeli bombardment is causing further civilian casualties and displacement. Amid already widespread hunger, WFP has announced that it is pausing deliveries of food aid to northern Gaza, because of the deteriorating security situation. The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for the unconditional release of all hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire, and called the Security Council failure to implement such measures a 'global deadlock’. 

This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at the impact of the Israel-Gaza crisis on the Palestinian economy with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) economist Rami Alazzeh. Since the deadly assault by Hamas militants on October 7, Israel's military response has destroyed more than 37,000 buildings and displaced most of the 2.3 million people in the tiny enclave. With so much destruction, UNCTAD says in a new report that rebuilding Gaza will be all the more difficult given the already dire state of the economy from Israel’s decades-long blockade.

The current Israeli military operation in Gaza will take tens of billions of dollars and many decades to reverse, according to a new report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). According to the report, the Israeli offensive greatly accelerated the contraction of Gaza's economy, resulting in a 24% contraction of GDP and a 26.1% drop in GDP per capita for the entire year. In addition, has displaced 85% of Gaza's population, halting economic activities and further worsening poverty and unemployment. The recovery of Gaza's economy from the current military operation will demand a financial commitment several times more than the $3.9 billion that resulted from the 2014 military operation in Gaza and will require a concerted international effort to restore pre-conflict socioeconomic conditions.

Amidst the escalating crisis in Gaza, the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is holding a critical meeting to elect new members, with the UN Secretary-General presiding. The meeting will also adopt the 2024 Programme of Work and hear from high-profile dignitaries. Following the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and Israel's intensive military response in Gaza, the Committee's role in advocating for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is more urgent than ever in its quest to promote the two-State solution and a path toward a just peace and stability in the region.