MIDDLE EAST
The Secretary-General, in remarks to the Security Council’s open meeting, said that the situation in the Middle East is growing more dire by the hour. The war in Gaza is raging and risks spiraling throughout the region, he warned.  
He said that we must demand that all parties uphold and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law; take constant care in the conduct of military operations to spare civilians; and respect and protect hospitals and respect the inviolability of UN facilities, which today are sheltering more than 600,000 Palestinians.  
Mr. Guterres said that the relentless bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, the level of civilian casualties, and the wholesale destruction of neighbourhoods continue to mount and are deeply alarming.
No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law, he said. 
Thankfully, he added, some humanitarian relief is finally getting into Gaza.  But it is a drop of aid in an ocean of need. He added that UN fuel supplies in Gaza will run out in a matter of days, which would be another disaster.  
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that more than 1,400 Israelis and more than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October.  He echoed the Secretary-General’s call for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Mr. Wennesland warned that the risk of a significant further deterioration of the situation in the occupied West Bank or spillover of the conflict in the region remains significant.  
Meanwhile, he said, across the Blue Line, and amid heightened rhetoric from actors on the ground, there have been daily intermittent but intense exchanges of fire since 8 October.
Speaking on behalf of Martin Griffiths, Lynn Hastings, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, welcomed the release of two hostages on Saturday and another two yesterday.  However, she said, the more than 200 hostages still being held must be released without condition, or any further delay.
She said that the scale of destruction in Gaza calls into question the ability of people to return to their neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, she added, Gaza remains under a full electricity blackout.  
Hospitals are on the brink of collapse due to shortages of electricity, medicine, equipment, specialized personnel and damage and destruction. 
This past weekend, Ms. Hastings said, 34 trucks entered Gaza with life-saving supplies, and another 20 trucks crossed Rafah into Gaza yesterday.  We hope more supplies will move tomorrow.

SYRIA
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is alarmed by the devastating impact that escalating hostilities are having on children in the north-west of the country. 
In a shattering development today, two toddlers were killed, and three other children injured after airstrikes struck a displacement camp in Jisr Al-Shugur in Idleb. Yesterday, shelling in Tawama in western Aleppo damaged three schools.
This comes days after six children – all under the age of 10 – were killed in artillery shelling on the Qarqour community on Sunday. The incident also damaged a primary health centre in the town of Ariha that serves 4,500 people each month. 
Since October 5th, at least 64 people have been killed by shelling and airstrikes – more than one-third of them children. Three aid workers have also lost their lives, and more than 320 people have been injured. More than two dozen health facilities have been impacted by shelling and airstrikes, causing disruption to health services.
We and our partners are providing food, tents, hygiene kits, protection services and other assistance to those who have fled – with more than 120,000 people newly displaced.  
Since October 5th, more than 100 trucks have brought UN aid into north-west Syria from Türkiye – and the UN has completed nearly a dozen cross-border missions.

UKRAINE
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, so far this year, we and our partners have provided vital aid to 9 million people. This included health services and medicine for more than 7 million people, while some 4.4 million people have been able to access clean water and sanitation services. 
Our humanitarian colleagues say that food and livelihood support has been provided to 4 million people, mainly in Ukraine’s front-line regions. Emergency repair materials and critical household items have been delivered to nearly 2 million people who either had their homes damaged or had to flee areas where the war made life extremely difficult.  
Some 3.5 million people have received multi-purpose cash assistance, and over 1.7 million have been supported with protection services, including counselling. Education services have reached 1.7 million people. 
We, along with our partners, are now focusing on supporting the most vulnerable people of Ukraine during the winter period.

KOSOVO
Yesterday afternoon, Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative and Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo briefed Security Council members. 
She emphasized the urgent need for concerted action and compromise to address the deteriorating security environment and to ensure peace and stability in Kosovo.
Ms. Ziadeh reiterated UNMIK’s support for the EU-facilitated dialogue and stressed the imperative for inclusive and sustainable dialogue to achieve lasting peace and stability in Kosovo.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
This evening, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Brussels, Belgium, to take part in the opening of the EU Global Gateway Forum and engage with European Union officials and other senior government officials joining the Forum. 
The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York on Thursday.   

AFGHANISTAN
The World Food Programme today said that it urgently needs $23 million to support 118,000 people in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes.  
Within hours of the initial earthquake families within the quake zone were receiving WFP food and as of 18 October, WFP had reached more than 81,000 people with emergency food assistance to boost the nutrition condition and prevent malnutrition in children.
WFP warns that this latest disaster comes at a time when hunger has reached record levels and humanitarian funding is at a low point. Already, 10 million Afghans have been cut from WFP’s programme as insufficient funding stopped the UN agency operating in 150 districts.
WFP says that life-threatening malnutrition has spiked, placing hundreds of thousands of children at risk.  And now the earthquake has further aggravated the situation.

PEACE BEGINS WITH HER
Tomorrow at the UN Visitors Entrance on 46th St & 1st Avenue, there will be an interactive photographic exhibition featuring portraits of women peacebuilders and peacekeepers. 
The event, organized by the Department of Peace Operations, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, UN Women and the Elsie Initiative Fund, takes place on the day the Security Council meets to assess women’s participation in peace processes at the annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security.
This month also marks 23 years since the adoption of the Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which for the first time recognized the importance of women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace efforts. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS
78 years ago today, the United Nations entered into force, becoming an aspiration of the world we know it can be. 
In his message for today, the Secretary-General calls on all to commit to building “the better world of our aspirations.”
Today, we also mark World Development Information Day, which draws the attention of the world to the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve development problems.
In addition, Global Media and Information Literacy Week and Disarmament Week start today, to promote awareness and better understanding of these important issues.