HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2025
SECURITY COUNCIL/MIDDLE EAST
This morning, the Security Council held its monthly meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. Briefing the Council members via videoconference were Ramiz Alakbarov, our Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and Joyce Msuya, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.
They both expressed their ongoing deep concern about the situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mr. Alakbarov described the situation in Gaza as one that is sinking deeper into disaster, with mass displacement, high human casualties and now famine. Hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continue to languish in appalling conditions, Mr. Alakbarov reminded Council members.
He urged all sides to put an end to this brutal war immediately.
Ms. Msuya, for her part, called for safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access through all entry points into Gaza and to all people in need across the Gaza Strip.
She said that in order to meet the needs of 2.1 million hungry and starving people, we need to bring in, and deliver, greater volumes of life-saving assistance. We need the restrictions on essential items to be lifted. And we need to halt the delays and the denials that impede and hamper our work on the ground every single day.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that ongoing strikes have intensified especially in and around Gaza city, killing and injuring people, causing destruction, and forcing displacement.
While some medicines and medical supplies have reached Gaza, medical equipment and spare parts, which are items subject to Israeli restrictions, are urgently needed. As mentioned yesterday, hospitals are reporting shortages of blood, placing more lives at risk as hospitals continue to receive mass casualties.
Colleagues working on water, sanitation, and hygiene warn that access to water remains extremely limited.
With the majority of infrastructure destroyed over the course of the war, the entry of spare parts, generators and equipment must be facilitated so it is to rehabilitate critical water facilities. Partners have also noted that ongoing operations in northern Gaza and the recent displacement orders mean that people could be forced away from areas where facilities indispensable for their survival are actually accessible. The facilities themselves could also be damaged or destroyed.
Meanwhile, multiple organizations’ attempts to bring shelter items into the Gaza Strip are being rejected by the Israeli authorities. As we repeatedly said here, many tents and tarpaulins that are being used by civilians who are being forced to move and been displaced multiple times, those items have worn out and must urgently be replaced. In addition, high tides overnight have submerged tents on the beach, which impacted about 200 families, according to what our colleagues are telling us.
Tents and other shelter equipment must be allowed into all parts of Gaza, including directly to northern Gaza and into Gaza city, where they are desperately needed.
And just to mention an occasion that is supposed to be a happy one in the lives of children and their families: the new school year, is approaching. Gazan children for the third consecutive year will miss this occasion. Education is a fundamental right, and no child should be denied this right. Access to education must be protected, it must be restored, as the current crisis threatens the future of an entire generation of children in Gaza.
UN mine action partners also tell said that the expansion of military operations in Gaza will put more people at risk of harm due to explosive ordnance. Explosive ordnance risk education is an important part of ensuring people’s safety, and partners continue to offer these sessions to communities and carry out explosive hazard assessments to reduce the risks to all aid workers.
Finally, the UN reiterates once again that a permanent ceasefire and an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages being held in Gaza and those arbitrarily detained remains paramount.
LEBANON/ISRAEL
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that they observed this week continued Israel Defense Forces military activities in their areas of operations, including shelling and mortar fire from south of the Blue Line, and that impacted various parts of their area of operations. Yesterday, peacekeepers observed 58 IDF vehicles in the Kfar Kila area of Sector East.
Peacekeepers continue to also encounter aggressive behavior, which is hampering their mandate implementation. On Monday, IDF soldiers aimed a machine gun at a UNIFIL patrol in Sector East. Separately, a group of individuals in Sector West pelted stones at UNIFIL vehicles. The UN reiterates that any intimidation and interference with UNIFIL’s work must stop.
Also, on Monday, UNIFIL peacekeepers made a significant discovery of weapon caches in Sector East, finding dozens of rockets and rocket launchers, their fuses, as well as warheads. Mortar fuses and two mortar firing positions were also found in Sector West. Since the cessation of hostilities in November 2024, peacekeepers have discovered and reported approximately 320 unauthorized weapon caches and infrastructure to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL peacekeepers have assisted in rehabilitating roads damaged in the recent hostilities. Last week, they cleared the roads between Kfar Kila and Adeisseh in Sector East, improving mobility for the Lebanese Army, for local residents, and of course, for the peacekeepers themselves.
SUDAN
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the already dire situation in North Darfur continues to worsen at an alarming rate. OCHA said that after more than 500 days under siege, the state capital El Fasher has become the epicentre of suffering for children, with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warning that malnutrition, disease and violence are claiming young lives every single day. The agency says that an estimated 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain trapped inside the city in dire conditions, having been cut off from humanitarian assistance for over 16 months.
Meanwhile, acute malnutrition is spreading fast. UNICEF says that more than 10,000 children in El Fasher have been treated for acute severe malnutrition since January. That’s nearly double the figures for last year. But the depletion of supplies has now forced the suspension of services. Recent reports indicate that at least 63 people, mostly women and children, died of malnutrition in a single week.
This comes as cholera continues to spread in North Darfur, with our partners reporting more than 7,000 cases there as of Monday. The outbreak is expanding across the Darfur region and also in the south-eastern state of Blue Nile, where more than 3,000 cases of cholera have been recorded. We and our partners have scaled up support for the cholera response, including medical supplies and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, which has helped contain the outbreak.
However, new cases are emerging in remote communities where access to healthcare is limited.
Meanwhile, heavy rains are making roads between South and East Darfur impassable and disrupting the delivery of medical supplies to affected areas.
The UN and its partners remain committed to delivering assistance wherever it is accessible. However, insecurity, bureaucratic and logistical impediments, and severe underfunding continue to hinder our humanitarian operations.
The UN reiterates its urgent call to all parties to uphold international humanitarian law, guarantee safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers, and prioritize the protection of civilians.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council convened for a briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security. Briefing Council members, Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, noted that nearly three years have passed since the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022.
Mr. Jenča pointed out that as we stated in previous briefings on this topic, any intentional damage to critical civilian infrastructure is of serious concern, and such incidents should be condemned and investigated. He stressed that the protection of civilian infrastructure and security of international waters is critical for regional commerce, security, and stability.
WORLD LAKE DAY
Today it is World Lake Day. There are over 117 million lakes on this planet, ranging in size from tiny ponds to massive inland seas.
Lakes support a wide range of plant and animal species and millions of people rely on lakes as a primary source of clean water. But unfortunately, they are affected by a combination of overuse, pollution and climate change.
GUEST TOMORROW
Tomorrow, the noon briefing guest will be Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at OCHA, who will brief journalists on her recent travels to Sudan.
Also, tomorrow, the Secretary-General will brief the Security Council in person on the appalling humanitarian situation in Haiti. Prior to his briefing at the Security Council, the Secretary-General is expected to speak with journalists at the Security Council stakeout at around 9:45 a.m.
