HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 23 JULY 2025

 

SECURITY COUNCIL 
Earlier today, Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Gaza, saying that it is long past time for the fighting to end, for adequate humanitarian aid to enter the Strip, and for the recovery and reconstruction to begin in the context of a return to a political path towards a two-State solution. He said that today, the situation inside the Strip, especially for women and children, is more dire than at any other time during this crisis.  
Mr. Khiari also talked about the situation in the occupied West Bank, which he said remains deeply concerning, with high levels of violence driven by ongoing Israeli military operations, many involving civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, attacks by settlers against Palestinians, and attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.  
He added that the upcoming ministerial meeting to support a two-State solution, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, is key to highlight international consensus around these goals, and reaffirm the principles of sustaining a two-State solution.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that humanitarian operations in Gaza are currently under severe strain: aid workers face serious security risks, crossings remain unreliable, and critical supplies are routinely delayed or blocked.  
The UN stands ready to seize the opportunity of a ceasefire to significantly scale up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip, as it did during the previous ceasefire. UN plans are ready, and they are finalized.   
But to make a real difference, Israel must enable safe and unimpeded aid delivery, allow the entry of critical equipment and fuel, must open all crossings and restore movement along key supply routes. Humanitarian staff must be able to operate safely, people must be allowed to move freely, and supplies –  including from the private sector – must reach all parts of Gaza.   
If these conditions are met, the UN will urgently prioritize providing food, water, shelter, medical care, and protection to the civilians of Gaza who have faced unimaginable hardship for far too long.  
Today, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, visited the Gaza Strip, where he met with UN agencies and humanitarian partners in Deir al Balah. During his visit, he expressed strong support for the tireless efforts of humanitarian workers who are continuing to deliver under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous conditions, including working in active combat zones and amid persistent fear.  
Meanwhile, the Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs warns that the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip has never been so dire.  Today, 109 aid organizations warned that mass starvation is spreading across the Gaza Strip, with colleagues and those they serve wasting away. 
The UN and its partners report that aid workers are fainting from hunger and exhaustion. Deadly malnutrition among children is reaching catastrophic levels. UNICEF reminds us that a severely malnourished child is over 10 times more likely to die than a well-nourished child.    
Despite catastrophic conditions, aid workers continue to deliver life-saving assistance, wherever and whenever they can. However, OCHA stresses that to sustain these operations – including nutrition programmes – the Israeli authorities must facilitate the delivery of much more aid into and across all areas of the Gaza without any delay.   
As of Sunday, our partners deliver 158,000 cooked meals through 64 community kitchens. This figure reflects a decrease of more than 70,000 daily meals compared to the previous day.  
On the health front, hospitals are overwhelmed and cannot cope with the influx of patients – including those injured by hostilities – due to lack of supplies and fuel.  
Earlier today, local health authorities said that, in the past few days, several of their health facilities have been shut down due to the lack of fuel. More hospitals, including Al Shifa, are at imminent risk of shutting down within the next few days.   
Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund warns that severe food deprivation, a shattered healthcare system, and immense psychological stress are leading to catastrophic birth outcomes for pregnant women and for newborns. From January to June of this year, births sharply declined, and 220 mothers died – more than 20 times the total number of maternal deaths recorded in 2022. At least 20 newborns died within 24 hours of birth, and a third of babies were born prematurely, underweight or required admission to neonatal intensive care, when those facilities were available.
Today, partners reported that people with disabilities have no food, no assistive devices and no healthcare.  
Meanwhile, measures must be taken to protect civilians – including the tens of thousands of people in the Strip who are older or are living with disabilities – who need assistance that preserves their dignity and survival.  
Currently, the Israeli authorities are the sole decision makers on who, how and how much aid enters the Gaza Strip, and the type of supplies that are allowed in. Logistical challenges are immense: To collect supplies that have reached any of the Israeli crossings around Gaza – all of which are fenced off and heavily guarded – drivers need multiple access approvals, as well as a pause in the bombing and for the iron gates to slide open.  
All too often, civilians approaching our trucks are shot at. To collect supplies safely, we must get reliable assurances that troops would not engage or be present along the routes of our convoys.   
The amount of aid that has been entering Gaza is only a trickle compared to the immense needs. Above all, we need a ceasefire to put an end to this devastating situation.   
And one important note on punitive measures announced by Israel authorities against our colleagues from OCHA. The UN has full confidence in OCHA’s professionalism and impartial work. Any punitive measures will only add to the obstacles preventing us from reaching people facing hunger, displacement, and deprivation.

SYRIA
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that a second convoy from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent reached Sweida today, carrying critical aid that included food, water, wheat flour, fuel, medicines and health supplies. OCHA coordinated with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to prepare the convoy that also included supplies from UN agencies. 
OCHA continues to engage with authorities and partners to facilitate an interagency UN mission to Sweida as soon as security conditions allow, and further assistance is being mobilized by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.  
Meanwhile, humanitarian needs in Sweida remain high. Electricity, water, fuel supply, and telecommunications have been significantly disrupted.  
Bakeries have ceased operations due to shortages of flour and fuel, and local markets face significant shortfalls of food items. Critical shortages of clean water, hygiene kits, sanitary pads, and baby supplies have also been reported. Many displaced families lack basic items such as mattresses and blankets. 
OCHA notes that more than 145,000 people have now been displaced due to the hostilities in Sweida Governorate. This includes people who have fled within Sweida and to neighbouring Dar’a and Rural Damascus governorates. 
The UN is working with partners to deliver a range of assistance to people displaced to Dar’a and Rural Damascus, including health and protection services, in addition to food and water.   
Mobile medical teams have provided more than 3,500 consultations, including trauma care, maternal health and psychosocial support. Nearly 38,000 people have received food aid. Over 1,000 kits containing non-food items were distributed in Dar’a and Rural Damascus, and that helped more than 5,000 Syrians. 
UN interagency missions to assess needs and provide assistance to both Dar’a and Rural Damascus areas are planned for the coming days.

SUDAN 
The UN continues to be gravely concerned about the worsening humanitarian catastrophe and tightening access constraints across Sudan, particularly in the Kordofan region, where hostilities continue to escalate. 
In South Kordofan State, citing local sources, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that clashes erupted yesterday in the besieged city of Kadugli, which is the state capital. Armed individuals reportedly attempted to seize food from the main market. As Sudan’s hunger crisis deepens, the city remains cut off from humanitarian assistance, with the last supply route from neighbouring North Kordofan now blocked. 
Meanwhile, in West Darfur State, heavy rains and flooding threaten to further disrupt in the delivery of aid.  
Roads connecting the state capital Geneina, which is as you well know located next to the crucial Adre border crossing with Chad, the road from Geneina to Mornei and to Zalingei, in Central Darfur State, are now impassable. Both of these towns are hosting large numbers of displaced people. UN humanitarian partners warn that continued rains may further cut off access into Central and South Darfur states, making it even more difficult to reach people who need help so desperately.  
In North Darfur State, displaced communities and host families in the town of Tawila have come together to establish community kitchens which are now feeding thousands of people who fled violence in El Fasher. These kitchens have become a vital lifeline for those without any other access to food. However, they face chronic and severe funding shortfalls.  
Many of these are struggling to stay open, and some risk shutting down altogether due to lack of resources. As the Spokesman for the Secretary-General mentioned yesterday, the UN and its partners are planning a major scale up of support for people in Tawila, which requires $120 million over the next three months. 
Humanitarian access is further complicated by checkpoint taxes, by roadblocks, and bureaucratic hurdles imposed by local authorities, including requirements for multiple levels of approval to establish the most basic services for the population.  
Once again, the UN appeals for unimpeded humanitarian access across Sudan, more international funding to scale up the response, the protection of civilians and aid workers, and of course, an immediate cessation of hostilities.

PEACEBUILDING 
A $7 million cross-border project investing in water management, climate security and peacebuilding in the border areas of Mali, Mauritania and Senegal was approved today for funding by the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund. This project, jointly developed by the governments of the three countries, is one of the Peacebuilding Fund’s largest and will be implemented with the support of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) over the next two years.

HAITI  
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today warned that escalating violence and displacement continue to drive severe humanitarian needs across the country. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners have screened more than 217,000 children for acute malnutrition since the beginning of the year, and more than 21,500 children have been admitted for treatment of severe acute malnutrition. This represents about 17 percent of the nearly 129,000 children who are projected to need life-saving treatment this year.
OCHA also warns that insecurity continues to constrain the humanitarian response, leading to access challenges, supply shortages and the closure of health facilities.  
According to the latest analysis from the IPC, some 5.7 million people were estimated to face high levels of acute food insecurity between March and June this year. This represents more than half of Haiti’s population.
Beyond the nutrition crisis, Haiti's children also face an education emergency. As of mid-July, more than 1,600 schools remained closed in Haiti, which is an increase of over two thirds compared to the start of the year. Our humanitarian colleagues warn that without access to education,children, of course, are more vulnerable to exploitation and recruitment by gangs. UNICEF has provided learning opportunities to more than 16,000 children, including displaced children in temporary learning spaces. The agency has also reached over 100,000 children with mental health and psychosocial support.    
However, this is just a fraction of what is needed in Haiti. OCHA also reiterate that a lack of funding is significantly limiting our capacity to address the crisis. Haiti remains, as the Spokesman for the Secretary-General has said many times, the least funded of the UN’s underfunded country appeals globally. More than halfway through the year, we’ve received less than 9 per cent of the $908 million required for the response in this country. 

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY  
This morning, the Secretary-General sent a message to the High-level Segment and Commemorative Ceremony marking the thirtieth anniversary of the International Seabed Authority. That took place in Kingston, in Jamaica.  
In his message, the Secretary-General noted that the international seabed area is not the domain of any nation, it is the common heritage of humankind. He said that the deep ocean remains one of our last frontiers, adding that it holds great promise but also requires great caution.  
The Secretary-General pointed out that today, the International Seabed Authority is navigating complex challenges with care and clarity. He commends its commitment to finding balanced and effective solutions. 
 
 ***The guests at the Noon Briefing was Margot van der Velden, the World Food Programme’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. She briefed journalists about the humanitarian situation in Nigeria.