HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2025
SECURITY COUNCIL
Ramiz Alkbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council this morning on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334.
He told Council members that the Secretary-General is appalled by the escalation of Israeli military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, which continues to bring death at unprecedented rate and destruction to Palestinians. He condemns the killing of civilians in Gaza, including women and children, and says that the situation in Gaza is morally, politically, and legally intolerable.
The Secretary-General said that Israeli settlement expansion continues to accelerate, alongside the proliferation of outposts and steps in the Israeli Knesset promoting the annexation of the West Bank. Israeli settlements have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions. They are systematically shrinking the territory of the Palestinian State and further entrenching Israel’s unlawful occupation.
Mr. Alakbarov said that the Secretary-General once more calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; and unfettered humanitarian access across Gaza. He welcomes the continued efforts of the mediators to reach a deal and urges all sides to end these devastating hostilities immediately.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that Israeli operations, including shelling and air strikes, have continued across the Strip. High-rise buildings were reportedly hit in Ar Rimal, Beach camp, Tal al Hawa and other areas around Gaza City.
Meanwhile, UN teams are working to bring in aid to support bakeries and community kitchens. Across Gaza yesterday, 658,000 meals were prepared and delivered by 18 partners through 137 kitchens.
But humanitarians’ access to northern Gaza is especially complicated. In the north, daily meals were reduced from 170,000 in mid-September to about 50,000 yesterday, as our partners relocated and scaled up their operations in central and south Gaza.
UN partners say that this week, about 50 communal ovens in Gaza City are operational, helping some 2,700 families bake their dough for free.
OCHA reminds us that the UN and its partners have not been allowed to bring any food aid from Zikim crossing into northern Gaza for more than two weeks.
Amid the ongoing hostilities and destruction, while many people remain in Gaza City and the north, many others continue to flee southward. Yesterday, UN partners recorded nearly 6,900 displacements from north to south through four monitoring points. Overall, between mid-August and yesterday, almost 453,000 displacements were recorded across the Gaza Strip, with the majority originating from Gaza City.
People are having to seek shelter in areas that are overcrowded and lacking in basic services. Only 18 per cent of the Gaza Strip is not currently subject to displacement orders or located within militarized zones.
Across Gaza, our teams continue to face denials and impediments in delivering assistance. Yesterday, more than 40 per cent of the humanitarian missions that require coordination with the Israeli military were denied. While our teams were able to collect some fuel from Kerem Shalom and distribute medical supplies in Deir al Balah, water trucking continues to be denied.
UN partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene assess that almost 80 per cent of the population in the Gaza, the Middle area and Khan Younis governorates collect water from trucks.
The UN calls upon Israeli authorities to fully facilitate humanitarian operations, including sustained and unimpeded movement into and across the Gaza Strip. It also reminds Israel, Hamas and any armed group that aid workersand their vehicles must not be attacked or denied critical access on the ground.
YEMEN
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Secretary-General condemned the continuing military escalation between Israel and the Houthis.
On 24 September, the Houthis struck Eilat with a drone, reportedly resulting in 20 people injured, and, on 25 September, Israel conducted airstrikes on Sana’a, which reportedly killed at least nine people, including children, and injured over a hundred and fifty others.
Mr. Guterres reminds all parties of their obligations to ensure that civilians are respected and protected at all times, in accordance with international law.
The Secretary-General remains deeply troubled about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint.
UNITED STATES
The Secretary-General was shocked by the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, in which people were killed and injured. He strongly condemns the attack and offers condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and the people of Grand Blanc Township.
In a statement, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Angel Moratinos, said that houses of worship are sacred sanctuaries where people find peace. He reiterates that such acts of hatred and violence are utterly rejected and are unjustifiable under any circumstances. He stressed the urgent need to protect all religious sites and communities, regardless of faith or denomination.
SUDAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, grows more dire by the day as the siege on the city tightens.
Satellite images show that berms surrounding the city have now extended more than 68 kilometres, narrowing the remaining gap to as little as three to four kilometres, further constraining options for movement into or out of the area.
The images also show large groups of people attempting to flee on foot from within the berm-enclosed area. Local sources report that civilians trying to leave the city have faced violence, harassment and looting along insecure routes.
OCHA once again calls for the protection of civilians in El Fasher as required by international humanitarian law, and safe passage for those who wish to leave.
Meanwhile, an association of Sudanese doctors reports that more than 20 people in El Fasher – including children and pregnant women – have died of malnutrition this month alone. These tragic deaths highlight the urgent need for humanitarian access to reach the besieged population with life-saving assistance.
The humanitarian situation in the Kordofan region also remains dire. Ongoing conflict has restricted access to food, essential supplies, banking services and humanitarian aid, while damaging critical infrastructure.
More than 1 million people have been displaced in the region since the conflict started two-and-a-half years ago, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The limited assistance that aid organizations are able to provide – given active hostilities, access constraints and underfunding – cannot keep pace with the immense pressure on host communities, who are themselves running out of resources.
Elsewhere in Sudan, seasonal flooding continues to increase humanitarian needs. In Al-Jazirah State, local sources report that floodwaters have already destroyed farms in Janub Al-Jazirah locality, affecting 15,000 people. Residents urgently require shelter, food and essential medicines.
OCHA stresses that stepped-up international support is urgently needed to sustain and scale up life-saving operations across Sudan.
SOUTH SUDAN
Following the appointment of a high court judge and a first-grade judge to Bentiu, Unity state, by the Judiciary of South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is supporting the deployment of a mobile court there. These judges have been appointed after a 12-year absence of permanent judges in the state.
The Bentiu mobile court, which begins today, is expected to handle a combination of criminal and civil matters. So far, more than 100 criminal cases have already been reported prior to the arrival of the court, including 21 sexual and gender-based violence-related claims.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that last night, the Mission sheltered approximately 3,500 civilians at the Gina Temporary Operating Base, in Ituri. This followed clashes between armed members of an armed group, the CRP and the Congolese armed forces.
Earlier that same day, peacekeepers evacuated three injured civilians by helicopter to Bunia, including a 13-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
The violence began on 27 September, when the CRP armed group attacked a Congolese armed forces post in Matate, northeast of Bunia, before clashing with CODECO, another armed group, in Toba. These events triggered new displacements towards Gina.
In a separate incident on 27 September, UN peacekeepers responded to clashes between Congolese armed forces and CRP near Katoto, also northeast of Bunia. They fired warning shots to deter armed elements and escorted displaced civilians to safety. No civilian casualties were reported, and the situation stabilized following the withdrawal of the armed group.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that over the weekend, several parts of the country came under massive attacks, resulting in multiple civilian casualties and widespread destruction. Several children were among the casualties. This is according to local authorities.
The capital Kyiv, along with Zaporizhzhia City and the Kyiv region, were among the most severely impacted. The World Health Organization reported that a strike yesterday on a cardiology facility in Kyiv killed a health worker and a patient. In front-line areas, the regions of Donetsk and Kherson continue to be heavily affected, and strikes on energy infrastructure in the regions of Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia and Vinnytsia disrupted the electricity supply as temperatures are dropping.
Following the attacks, more than a dozen national and international Non-Governmental Organizations, with the support of UN agencies, delivered emergency assistance. They provided first medical and psychological aid, hot meals and shelter materials to cover the damage, among other support.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that cholera cases continue to climb in the country. Health authorities have reported a significant increase in suspected cholera cases across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, with Pétion-Ville emerging as a main hotspot.
Between September 21st and 25th alone, 40 suspected cases and three deaths were reported in Pétion-Ville, a major economic hub with a with a large number of schools. This surge is particularly concerning with the new school year set to begin in just two days.
In total, 66 suspected cases were recorded in the capital and surrounding communes in recent days – an alarming rise compared to previous weeks. Young adults, who are highly mobile due to work and daily activities, account for most of the cases, fueling concerns of spread across the communes of Pétion-Ville, Delmas, Tabarre and Carrefour.
So far this year, more than 3,100 suspected cholera cases have been reported nationwide.
Local health teams are conducting investigations, collecting samples, distributing water purification tablets, and launching awareness campaigns in neighbourhoods such as in Brisetoux and Bobin.
OCHA, together with authorities and its partners, is working to ensure there is rigorous case monitoring and that health workers are rapidly mobilized to reduce the risk of the further spread of cholera.
FOOD LOSS AND WASTE REDUCTION
Today is the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. In a world where one in eleven people goes hungry while tons of food are lost or wasted every day, it is time to end this troubling paradox.
Just to note that the second Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation is currently being held in Rome until 1 October. It convenes members from the Food and Agriculture Organization, policymakers, farmers, private companies, researchers and others to share experiences and showcase actionable solutions for the sustainable transformation of the livestock sector.
UNGA/BILATERAL MEETINGS
So far, the Secretary-General has completed 143 bilateral meetings. There are still approximately 5 further bilateral meetings on the schedule.
