HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 10 APRIL 2025

SYRIA 
Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council this morning that there have been hundreds of reported Israeli airstrikes across Syria since 8 December of last year. He added that at dawn on 3 April, there were reports that Israel carried out multiple airstrikes across Syria, including in Damascus, the Hama Military Airport, and the T4 military airport in Homs. 
Mr. Khiari recalled the Security Council’s 14 March presidential statement on Syria and said that Syria’s opportunity to stabilize after 14 years of conflict must be supported and protected, for Syrians and for Israelis. 
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix also briefed the Security Council, telling them that the Israel Defence Force (IDF) currently occupies 12 positions that they established on the Bravo side – 10 in the area of separation and two in the area of limitation in the vicinity of the Bravo line. They also continue to construct counter-mobility obstacles along the ceasefire line, and have flown, on several occasions, aircraft across the ceasefire line and helicopters into the area of separation, he said. 
Mr. Lacroix emphasized that it remains critical that all parties uphold their obligations under the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, including by ending all unauthorized presence in the areas of separation and limitation, as well as refraining from any action that would undermine the ceasefire and stability on the Syrian Golan. 
 
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 
In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that hostilities across the Strip are taking a horrifying toll on civilians – depriving people of safety and the means for their survival. There have been daily reports of Israeli strikes killing and injuring many Palestinian civilians. 
Just yesterday in Gaza City, there were reports of dozens of people killed – including at least eight children – after an Israeli strike hit a residential building. Many are still missing under the rubble. OCHA stresses that civilians must be protected under international law and should never be a target. 
For its part, the World Health Organization has been able to support some medical evacuations from Gaza. Yesterday, 18 patients and nearly 30 companions were allowed to exit to seek specialized treatment abroad. However, with some 12,500 patients in Gaza still in need of medical evacuation outside the Strip, WHO calls for them to be able to do so through all available border crossings and corridors. 
As supplies inside the Strip near exhaustion and the situation becomes increasingly dire, we have seen an increase in looting over the past few days. Earlier this week, several such incidents were reported in Rafah, and Deir al Balah, and Al Zawaida. 
Once again, OCHA reiterates the urgency of reopening the crossings to allow critical supplies to enter. 
More than 60,000 children are reportedly suffering from malnutrition, at a time when community kitchens are rapidly running out of fuel and supplies.   
Across Gaza, partners are also warning of acute water shortages in shelters hosting displaced people. The loss of water – together with the lack of cleaning supplies and cohabitation with livestock – are having a dire public health impact. In March, more than one third of households in Gaza experienced lice infestations.      
Meanwhile, our humanitarian partners in Gaza have identified more than a dozen unaccompanied and separated children this week. They are doing everything possible to reunite these children with their families.   

LEBANON 
Concerning Lebanon, today the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said that it has observed and detected firings from south of the Blue Line towards Lebanon. The UN interim force, UNIFIL remains very concerned that such actions can jeopardize the cessation of hostilities. The mission reiterates its call to all parties to avoid unilateral actions that put the recent hard-won stability at risk.  
The UN also remains committed to supporting Lebanon and Israel in maintaining the cessation of hostilities and taking steps towards full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006). UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in position and continue to monitor and report on the situation on the ground. 
The UN Mission Maritime Task Force (MTF) also recently resumed training activities with the Lebanese Armed Forces in the past month. Training exercises with the Lebanese Armed Navy and Air Force had been suspended since 26 September 2024 due to the hostilities at the time. 
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that continuing violence in South Kivu and Ituri provinces continues to drive mass displacement, with civilians bearing the brunt of the insecurity. 
In South Kivu, heavy fighting between armed groups persists in parts of Kalehe territory. Yesterday, clashes erupted in the town of Lumbishi, injuring at least three civilians. Local civil society groups estimate that up to 30,000 people have fled the area. 
Since April 6th, violence across the Kalehe territory has displaced thousands of people, although – as we mentioned yesterday - exact figures remain unverified. People urgently need health care, food security support, water, sanitation and hygiene services. 
Our humanitarian partners continue to deliver critical assistance in Kalehe territory where security permits. Yesterday, a health partner began a four-day mobile clinic visit to the Minova area, providing essential medical care for people in this area. 
In Ituri province, local sources report that on April 8th, armed groups attacked the Luchay and Bendele localities in Djugu territory, setting homes on fire, looting property and destroying infrastructure. Large numbers of people fled the area following the attacks, although exact figures remain unconfirmed.  

SUDAN/CHAD  
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi is at the moment in Chad, a country that has received a large number of Sudanese refugees fleeing the ongoing war in the country. According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 770,000 refugees have arrived in the country in the past two years, the vast majority women and children.  
Because of aid cuts, UNHCR teams are now making impossible choices and have been forced to reduce food, shelter, water, and medical support. Mr. Grandi is appealing to donors to not reduce support to the victims of the Sudan war.  
The UN Refugee Agency points out that the Sudan emergency has become one of the largest displacement crises globally, yet it remains among the least reported and funded. Nearly 13 million people have been forcibly displaced, and humanitarian needs are more urgent than ever.  

And today, UN Women warned that Sudanese women and girls are bearing the brunt of a crisis that is entering its third year on April 15. UN Women noted that cases of conflict-related sexual violence remain hugely under-reported, but evidence points to its systematic use as a weapon of war. The agency added that amid the escalating conflict, women and girls are facing acute levels of food insecurity and a worsening hunger crisis in most impacted areas, given their limited access to food, essential goods, and services.  
Over the past two years, UN Women has partnered with more than 60 women-led organizations to reach more than 15,000 women in some of Sudan’s most affected areas—providing household essentials, critical services and skills training.   

MYANMAR 
The UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, is in Myanmar today, where she is meeting stakeholders in Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon as part of a four-day visit (8-11 April). She has also visited areas devastated by the earthquake and met with impacted communities.  
In her engagements, the Special Envoy reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire to enable humanitarian response and recovery. She underscored the need to keep Myanmar on the global agenda and provide sustained support toward a Myanmar-led sustainable, inclusive and peaceful solution to the protracted crisis. 
 
AFGHANISTAN  
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today released a report on the impact, implementation and enforcement of the “law on the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice” by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. The report covers a six-month period since the law’s promulgation on 21 August 2024 and is mainly based on impartial daily monitoring and observations of the UN Mission across the country. 
The UN Mission observed a determination by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to ensure their vision of a pure Islamic system is implemented nationwide. UNAMA observed far-reaching socio-economic impacts on Afghan men and women, including increased restrictions on Afghans’ personal and private spaces and on women and girls’ access to public spaces and healthcare, dress code, and travel. The report also documents impacts on the business, health and education sectors, and the media. The full report is available online.   
 
AMARA ESSY 
In a statement issued last night expressing the Secretary-General’s sadness at the passing of Amara Essy, former Interim Chairperson of the African Union Commission, former President of the 49th Session of the General Assembly and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire. He expressed his condolences on Mr. Essy’s passing.   
Among his other accomplishments, as President of the 49th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Essy was known for his effective leadership and for being a consensus builder. In the same vein, as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo, Mr. Essy contributed to the facilitation of the resolution of the political crisis in the region. We have a statement online with more. 

**Guest 
Shaun Hughes, the World Food Programme’s Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Crisis, briefed reporters from Nairobi on the situation in Sudan.