Action by UN System and Intergovernmental Organizations Relevant to the Question of Palestine (April 2025 Monthly Bulletin)

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The Bulletin can be found in the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) at https://www.un.org/unispal/data-collection/monthly-bulletin/

Disclaimer: The texts cited in this Monthly Bulletin have been reproduced in their original form. The Division for Palestinian Rights is consequently not responsible for the views, positions or discrepancies contained in these texts.

April 2025

Volume XLVIII, Bulletin No. IV

UN Human Rights Chief condemns the killing of Gaza humanitarian workers by Israeli army
OCHA Official Warns: “Gaza Has Become a Death Trap”
Amid escalating horror, UN experts urge States to take concrete action to end impunity for Israel
UN Human Rights Chief briefs Security Council of increasing risk of atrocity crimes being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Palestinian Filmmakers Return to “Same Reality” of Occupation After Oscar Win
UNICEF warns that more than a million children in Gaza are deprived of lifesaving aid
UN Experts Warn: Innocent Lives Lost Daily Amid Impunity in Occupied Palestinian Territory
World must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza, heads of UN aid agencies
WHO calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on World Health Day
“Time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire” says UN Secretary-General
OCHA: Bombardment of Gaza causes high numbers of civilian casualties
OHCHR: Increasing Israeli “evacuation orders” lead to forcible transfer of Palestinians
UN Secretary-General alarmed by Gaza hospital strike
OCHA warns Gaza’s humanitarian crisis at worst in 18 months amid record supply blockage
UNDP: The situation on the ground in Gaza is catastrophic
UN expert condemns attack on Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza
OCHA: Aid blockade drives hunger, needs across Gaza
WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza as border crossings remain closed
Deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: OHCHR
UNRWA Commissioner-General welcomes the ICJ ongoing hearings
“The Two-State solution is near a point of no return” UN Secretary-General briefs the Security Council
UN Human Rights Chief calls on world to prevent total humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

I. UN Human Rights Chief condemns the killing of Gaza humanitarian workers by Israeli army

On 1 April, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued the following statement.

I condemn the attack by the Israeli army on a medical and emergency convoy on 23 March resulting in the killing of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers in Gaza. The subsequent discovery of their bodies eight days later in Rafah, buried near their clearly marked destroyed vehicles, is deeply disturbing. This raises significant questions with regard to the conduct of the Israeli army during and in the aftermath of the incident.

Medical personnel and humanitarian and emergency workers must be protected by all parties to the conflict, as required by international humanitarian law. Such disappearances and killings raise serious concerns as tens of thousands of Palestinians need help while they are reportedly trapped in Tall Al-Sultan, Rafah, with the entire governorate under a displacement order.

Israel, as the occupying power, has the responsibility of protecting civilians and facilitating their access to basic lifesaving services, including healthcare. My Office has on several occasions raised concerns about the detention and killing of medical and emergency personnel in Gaza, who are working under extremely difficult conditions. Hundreds of them have been killed over the past 18 months.

The fate and whereabouts of the last member of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society who remains missing must be clarified. There must be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the incident and those responsible for any violation of international law must be held to account.

II. OCHA Official Warns: “Gaza Has Become a Death Trap”

On 2 April, the following opening remarks were delivered at a press conference by Jonathan Whittall, OCHA Head of Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

/…

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I could say in this briefing that could adequately convey the magnitude of the situation on the ground here in Gaza. So, I decided not to mince my words.

And I guess this decision was made easier, because I’ve recently, together with my colleagues, coordinated a mission in Rafah that uncovered a mass grave of medics. Sounds shocking to say, I can tell you it was, it was shocking for us to experience. These were medical workers from [Palestine] Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Civil Defense, still in their uniforms, still wearing gloves. They were killed while trying to save lives.

They were being dispatched into Rafah as Israeli forces were advancing into the area, the ambulances were hit one by one as they advanced, as they entered into Rafah. The grave that they were buried in, that we found them in, was marked by the emergency light from one of the ambulances that were crushed by Israeli forces. Around the area that we found this mass grave – the ambulances, the fire truck, a UN vehicle had all been crushed – the bodies of those killed, who were buried in the grave.

I’m starting with this particular case, because I think it’s very emblematic of the point that we’ve reached in Gaza. What is happening here, it defies decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law. It really is a war without limits.

And this case of our colleagues that were killed while trying to save lives is one horror in an endless parade from the past two weeks alone. We’ve had UN premises that have been shelled by tank fire, killing one of our colleagues and seriously injuring others. We’ve had international aid compounds and hospitals that have been hit. We’ve seen municipal workers that have been killed in humanitarian-donated trucks.

People have been bombed in food distribution points, where aid workers have also been killed. Humanitarian warehouses have been damaged in strikes. And since the ceasefire collapsed two weeks ago, forced displacement orders are back. So, in the last two days alone, we’ve had around 100,000 people that have been displaced out of Rafah, many of them fleeing under fire.

But I saw some of them in the same mission that I had described here at the beginning, where we recovered the bodies of our colleagues from the PRCS and Civil Defense. We saw people running towards us under fire and being shot in their backs.

As of today, 64 per cent of Gaza is under active forced displacement orders or falling within the so-called “buffer zone.” That’s 64 per cent of Gaza that is today not accessible to the population. Nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza.

My colleagues tell me that they just want to die with their families. Their worst fear is to survive alone.

Day and night, and I don’t know how much you can hear of my background noise, but day and night we listen to air strikes shaking Gaza. Bombs are falling nonstop. Hospitals are overflowing with mass casualties, the one just a block away from me included. It’s an endless loop of blood, pain, death. And Gaza has become a death trap.

We cannot accept – and as humanitarians, I need to emphasize this – that we cannot accept that Palestinian civilians are dehumanized to the point of being somehow unworthy of survival.

And yet today unfortunately marks one month without any supplies entering into Gaza. That’s one month of no food, no fuel, no aid, nothing. Nothing has entered.

So, 2.1 million people are trapped, bombed, starved – and the consequences are apparent to all of us that are here. It’s mostly apparent to the people that are living through this war.

The humanitarian crisis is quite literally spiraling out of control. Yesterday, all 25 subsidized bakeries supported by the WFP were closed. And people’s survival is dependent on [an] aid system that itself is under attack, as aid workers are killed and our work is obstructed.

And yet we’re told, and I find this very difficult to hear, that Gaza has enough food because supplies have entered during a month-long ceasefire following a year in which supplies were literally drip-fed into the Gaza Strip.

Humanitarians here in Gaza are certainly inspiring, creative – but we’re not magicians. We know how to deliver food. We know how to deliver water, shelter, medicine. We can do our jobs when we’re enabled to do so. And we did exactly that at scale during the ceasefire.

When the ceasefire was holding, we were delivering. We were able to deliver far more than we’ve ever been able to. Now, we’re collecting the dead bodies of first responders.

I want to say that there’s no humanitarian solutions to the problems that Gaza faces … This crisis needs political action, and I believe that this needs to start with accountability.

Aid will not and cannot compensate for the political failures that we’ve seen in Gaza. And I think it’s important for us to acknowledge that what is happening in Gaza is not going to stay in Gaza. We cannot let the rules-based order be replaced by one set of rules for some and another set of rules for others.

But in closing, I do want to acknowledge that there is hope that remains. I’ve heard people in Gaza say that hope dies last in Gaza. So, there is hope that Member States will finally use their political and economic leverage to enforce international law.

There’s hope that a ceasefire comes into effect that stops the slaughter and frees the hostages. And I think there’s hope that Palestinians will finally be seen as humans and that this cruelty will end.

III. Amid escalating horror, UN experts urge States to take concrete action to end impunity for Israel

On 3 April, Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito (Chair-Rapporteur), Ravindran Daniel, Michelle Small, Joana de Deus Pereira, Andrés Macías Tolosa, Working Group on the use of mercenaries; Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Attiya Waris, Independent Expert on foreign debt, other international financial obligations and human rights; Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences; George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Surya Deva, Special Rapporteur on the right to development ;Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; Elisa Morgera, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change; Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, Working group on discrimination against women and girls; and Barbara G. Reynolds, Isabelle Mamadou, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, issued the following press release.

More States must join the Hague Group, a bloc of states that is coordinating efforts to ensure accountability for Israeli breaches of international law and uphold decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), a group of independent human rights experts* said today.

The Hague Group was established on 31 January 2025, creating a historic precedent demonstrating how States can unite to avert the tangible risk of erosion of the international legal system, the rule of law and the protection of all human rights. That system is being endangered by the general inaction of the international community in the face of the most egregious violations of international law perpetrated by the State of Israel.

“At this historical crossroads, protecting the international human rights system requires decisive, principled and concerted action,” the experts said. “If States fail to act, the multilateral system will be set back decades”.

“Since the creation of the State of Israel, violations of international law and lack of accountability have been the norm, rather than the exception,” the experts said.

“Israel’s assault against the Palestinian people, the United Nations and basic tenets of international law, undermines the foundations of the multilateral order.”

In its groundbreaking July 2024 Advisory Opinion, the ICJ has clarified, once and for all, that the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinian people should be realised through total and unconditional withdrawal of Israel’s presence from the occupied territories, not subject to negotiation.

“It is regrettable that eight months after the ICJ Advisory Opinion, most States continue to ignore their obligations – this may render them complicit with internationally wrongful acts as the court concluded,” the experts said.

They welcomed efforts by some States since October 2023 to protect human rights and preserve multilateralism, most notably the case filed by South Africa and Nicaragua at the ICJ with third States joining proceedings. The experts also cited referrals on the Situation of Palestine to the ICC by South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti, Chile and Mexico; the backing of the arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant of November 2024; the revision of diplomatic and economic ties with Israel; reaffirmation of support to UNRWA’s mandate and recognition of Palestinian Statehood by some States: Armenia, Bahamas, Barbados, Ireland, Jamaica, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

“So much more remains to be done by policymakers,” the experts said. “Against the general inaction, the Hague Group represents a new, flagship platform through which States unite to operationalise their commitment to international law and put an end to Israel’s exceptionalism through concrete actions.”

The founding members of the Hague Group were Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa. These states have committed to implementing the ICJ provisional measures in the case of South Africa v. Israel and complying with the ICC arrest warrants of November 2024. They have also pledged to abide by the ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 2024 by particularly preventing the transfer of arms, munitions and related goods to Israel. The Hague Group will also prevent the docking of vessels under their territorial jurisdiction when there is the risk that they would be used to carry fuel or weapons to Israel.

“These commitments are concrete steps to advance the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and remove obstacles to the realisation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,” the experts said. “They align with the non-derogable obligations of all States under international law.”

The experts stressed that violations of international law disproportionately impact persons and groups in vulnerable conditions, particularly women and children. “All States have an obligation to prevent harm to civilians and ensure the protection of all individuals without discrimination,” they said. “Ensuring accountability for violations is essential to safeguarding fundamental human rights and preserving international peace and security.”

“We strongly encourage other States to join The Hague Group or articulate similar initiatives and operationalise these actions, if they no longer want to represent the legal, political and moral shield of Israeli atrocities,” the experts said.

IV. UN Human Rights Chief briefs Security Council of increasing risk of atrocity crimes being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

On 3 April, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk delivered the following remarks at the UN Security Council.

It pains me to brief this Council once again on the catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza. The temporary relief of the ceasefire, which gave Palestinians a moment to breathe, has been shattered.

Since 1 March, Israeli military operations have killed more than 1,200 Palestinians, including at least 320 children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. And bombardments continue, of residential buildings, tents, hospitals and schools, including places where Palestinians have been ordered to move. There was no let-up, even as Palestinian families celebrated Eid.

I am appalled by the recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers, which raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military. There must be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the killings, and those responsible for any violation of international law must be held to account.

The Israeli military continues to strike camps for people who have been displaced numerous times, who have nowhere safe to go.

The Israeli military also continues to force civilians to move. Half of Gaza is now under mandatory evacuation orders or has been declared a no-go zone. These orders fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law.

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continue to launch indiscriminate rockets from Gaza into Israel, in breach of international humanitarian law.

I am also deeply concerned about the fate and wellbeing of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

/…

It has now been a month since Israel imposed a complete blockade on vital aid and supplies, including food, water, electricity, fuel and medicines, harming the entire population of Gaza.

The blockade and siege imposed on Gaza amount to collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of war.

As of 1 April, the World Food Programme shut its 25 bakeries in Gaza, leaving many families without access to bread. Community tensions over food shortages are palpable, alongside reports of excessive use of force by local police. We are witnessing a return to the breakdown of social order that preceded the ceasefire.

I am alarmed by the inflammatory rhetoric by senior Israeli officials around seizing, annexing and dividing territory, and about transferring Palestinians outside Gaza. This raises grave concerns about the commission of international crimes and runs counter to the fundamental principle of international law against the acquisition of territory by force.

In Resolution 2735 passed last June, this Council rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.

/…

The situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is also extremely alarming. Israeli operations in the northern West Bank have killed hundreds of people, destroyed entire refugee camps and makeshift medical sites, and displaced over 40,000 Palestinians. The announcement that residents must not return to their homes for a year raises serious concerns about long-term mass displacement.

Since 7 October 2023, my Office has verified that State and settler violence has killed 909 Palestinians across the West Bank, including 191 children and 5 people with disabilities, some of which may amount to extrajudicial and other unlawful killings.

In the same period, 51 Israelis, including 15 women and 4 children, were killed in Palestinian attacks or armed clashes, 33 in the West Bank and 18 in Israel.

Illegal settlement expansion continues unabated as some Israeli ministers advocate for Israeli sovereignty in the occupied territory. Dozens of Palestinian herding and farming communities have been forced to leave their homes and their ancestral lands, while restrictions on movement have paralyzed the economy and are shredding the social fabric.

While hundreds of Palestinian detainees were released during the ceasefire, hundreds more people have been arrested and detained.

Within Israel, the severe crackdown on civic space, including against organisations defending the human rights of Palestinians, is also alarming.

/…

Nothing can justify the horrific attacks committed against Israeli communities on 7 October 2023. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli military operations since 7 October 2023 have killed more than 50,400 Palestinians in Gaza, and injured more than 114,000.

I urge the immediate restoration of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza.

I warn again that there is a high and increasing risk that atrocity crimes are being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Under the Geneva Conventions, States have an obligation to act when a serious violation of international humanitarian law has been committed.

Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, State parties have the responsibility to act to prevent such a crime, when risk becomes apparent.

I urge all those with influence to ensure the protection of civilians as a matter of absolute priority.

It is essential that there is full accountability for all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. All those arbitrarily detained must also be released. Israel must refrain from any acts amounting to forcible transfer of Gaza’s population.

The last 18 months of violence have made abundantly clear that there is no military path out of this crisis. The only way forward is a political settlement, based on two states living side by side in equal dignity and rights, in line with UN resolutions and international law.

V. Palestinian Filmmakers Return to “Same Reality” of Occupation After Oscar Win

The following is a press release from the 422^nd meeting of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

After winning the Oscar for No Other Land, the film’s Palestinian co-directors returned to occupation and violence, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People heard today in a meeting where several speakers drew attention to the increasing collusion between Israeli settlers and the State apparatus.

Basel Adra, one of the three co-directors of No Other Land, said he grew up seeing bulldozers entering Palestinian communities and destroying homes. But this was so routine that journalists were not interested in covering it. So, as a teenager, he started carrying a camera and filming because he wanted the world to see what it was like to live under brutal occupation.

Five years ago, he started working on the documentary with friends, he said, adding that the movie succeeded beyond expectations. “But even after winning the Oscar, we went back to the same reality,” he observed. He detailed many harrowing stories of violence, destruction and arbitrary detention. Three weeks after the Oscars, settlers attacked a mosque in the village of one of his co-directors, Hamdan Ballal. About 20 settlers started vandalizing the village. Hamdan tried to protect his family by locking the door of his house and standing outside, but two soldiers started beating him, and then abducted him and two other Palestinians to a military base. He spent 20 hours in the base, handcuffed and blindfolded while soldiers mistreated him — when he was brought to interrogation, he was accused of attacking the settler and only after he paid a fine was he able to leave and get medical treatment.

Detailing several such stories of violence, destruction and detention, Mr. Adra said it is Israeli State policy to enable radical right-wing terrorist settlers. The soldiers and police provide not only impunity but also support to settlers attacking communities in the West Bank. He also highlighted an Israeli court decision to designate the area of Masafer Yatta, which contains several Palestinian villages, as a “firing zone” for the Israeli military to do military exercises. The struggle against the occupation is something he inherited from his father and grandfather, he said, hoping that his daughter will be able to live without the weight of occupation.

Events in Masafer Yatta Village in West Bank Part of Larger Policy to Create Settler Regime

What is happening in Masafer Yatta is part of a larger policy of creating a “settler regime”, Netta Amar-Shiff, human rights lawyer, speaking via video, said. The village of Jinba in Masaffer Yatta that was attacked repeatedly last week was long a vital economic and cultural centre, she said. She also detailed a court case in which Palestinians presented the history of Masafer Yatta and requested that its designation as a “firing zone” be overturned. Sharing some of the historical evidence presented to the court, she showed an 1879 Palestine Exploration Fund Map as well as pages from a book about the Hebron Hill cave dwellers. The book details an archaeological study of the region, including the discovery of ancient grain containers called ”suma’a” — the author concludes that their presence is a signal of historic permanent residency. Regardless, the court dismissed all these findings.

Masafer Yatta has been a target of extensive settlement activities since 7 October 2023, she said. But “this is not the same military we know from before 7 October,” she said, adding that while settler violence has long been linked with Israel’s expansion, now armed settlers have been formally incorporated into the regular military forces — they receive drones, vehicles, arms and technology. Human rights lawyers such as her are fast running out of solutions as judicial remedies disappear, she said, adding that an immediate international intervention is crucial. From her Mizrahi Jewish perspective, she said, “it is not just a necessity to end the conflict, it is an honour and a blessing.”

Humanitarian Workers, More Aid Cannot Resolve Conflict; Solution Is Political

The Committee also heard from Younis Khatib, President of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, who recalled how his organization used to have a training centre in Masafer Yatta to train young Palestinians until six years ago when the Israeli army prevented the Red Crescent from reaching that area. Recently, the Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said that the West Bank is the heart of Israel, he said, adding that what is happening right now in Masafer Yatta is part of the larger Israeli plan for the West Bank. Most Palestinian cities in the West Bank are totally controlled by Israel.

“There will be more and more evictions if the international community allows it,” he said, asking how the two-State solution can be implemented if one side does not believe that the other side should be able to exercise their rights as human beings. He also highlighted the dehumanization of Palestinians, noting that pre-fab building materials for temporary housing in Gaza had to be negotiated in the recent ceasefire agreement. Denying Palestinians a dignified life is intentional — from day one, the objective was to push the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip. “This is a continuation of 1948,” he said.

This cannot be solved with more humanitarian aid to the West Bank and Gaza, he said, stressing that the resolution is political. “Don’t expect that humanitarians will do your job,” he stressed. It is the responsibility of the United Nations and the international community to stop the killing of aid workers. Referring to the aid workers — including the eight staff from his organization — who were killed and buried in a mass grave in Rafah, the bodies discovered a few days ago, he said: “We don’t train our paramedics to risk their lives; we train them to save lives.” The war in Gaza has been the conflict with the largest number of killed aid workers. “Khalas, stop counting for God’s sake,” he said, underscoring that these are not numbers, but lives. These are colleagues, friends and sons, he said, adding: “The souls of our colleagues ask for justice.”

No Other Land Brings to Life How Land Is at Heart of Illegal Occupation

James Turpin, Chief of the Prevention and Sustaining Peace Section of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the documentary film, No Other Land, brings to life, in a compelling and accessible way, what the UN has documented in countless reports. Land is at the heart of the occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he said, detailing how Israel’s settlement policy is eroding Palestinian rights. Israel continues to transfer its civilian population to East Jerusalem — there are now around 737,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and almost a third of them are in East Jerusalem alone. Steps are regularly taken to accelerate construction of additional housing units. “This is accompanied by demolition of Palestinian properties and structures — mostly under the pretext of lacking building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain,” he pointed out.

Israel also undertakes the illegal appropriation of occupied land for Israeli settlements through declarations of “State land”, and the establishment of military zones (as seen in No Other Land), nature reserves, and cultural and archaeological sites. Livelihoods centred around olive production are particularly targeted by Israeli State and settler violence, he said, adding that “many Palestinian farmers are unable to harvest their trees due to violence and movement restrictions”. Israel’s provision of services for settlers in settlements and outposts institutionalizes control of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “The line between settler and State violence has blurred to a vanishing point, further enabling violence and impunity,” he said.

But “while there may be obfuscation on the ground”, international law is very clear, he said, stressing that Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory must end, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice.

Return to Ceasefire Key for Implementing Arab Plan for Gaza’s Reconstruction

Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, also briefed the Committee, noting that he just came from a meeting with the Group of Friends of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The group was formed when the Israeli Government started unleashing its campaign against UNRWA. There is tremendous frustration in the international community, from the Arab Group to European countries, that the Israeli authorities broke the ceasefire, he said. Highlighting the Arab plan for reconstruction of Gaza, he said that the first stage of the plan is to build temporary housing in the Gaza Strip. In order to make that happen, “we need this ceasefire to be put back in place,” he underscored.

Early next month, a meeting will take place in Egypt to move the Plan forward, he said, also noting the conference to be held in New York in June, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, towards creating conditions conducive to the implementation of a two-State solution. Ending the illegal Israeli occupation is crucial for that, he said. His delegation will continue its “political offensive” in the General Assembly in order to take actions on the decisions that will be taken in Cairo and New York.

VI. UNICEF warns that more than a million children in Gaza are deprived of lifesaving aid

On 5 April, United Nations Children’s Fund issued the following press release.

The blockade of humanitarian aid is having terrible consequences for one million children in the Gaza Strip.

No aid has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since 2 March 2025 – representing the longest period of aid blockage since the start of the war – leading to shortages of food, safe water, shelter, and medical supplies. Without these essentials, malnutrition, diseases and other preventable conditions will likely surge, leading to an increase in preventable child deaths.

“UNICEF has thousands of pallets of aid waiting to enter the Gaza Strip,” said UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder. “Most of this aid is lifesaving – yet instead of saving lives, it is sitting in storage. It must be allowed in immediately. This is not a choice or charity; it is an obligation under international law.”

Children receiving malnutrition treatment are at serious risk. Twenty-one treatment centres – 15 per cent of total outpatient facilities – have closed since 18 March 2025 due to displacement orders or bombardments. The 350 children relying on these sites now face worsening malnutrition, which can be life-threatening.

Complementary food for infants – crucial for growth when food stocks are low – has run out in central and southern Gaza. Only enough ready-to-use infant formula (RUIF) remains for 400 children for a month. UNICEF estimates nearly 10,000 infants under six months require supplementary feeding, so without the RUIF, families could be forced to use alternatives mixed with unsafe water.

In addition to nutrition services, UNICEF has been forced to scale back mental health and psychosocial support, mine education, and child protection case management due to ongoing hostilities and mass displacement.

During the cease-fire, UNICEF began repairing critical wells and water points to increase the availability of safe drinking water. With the ceasefire collapsed, many remain unrepaired or are at risk of further damage. In the north, families now rely entirely on water trucking. In central and southern areas, power cuts to the southern desalination plant have slashed water production by 85 per cent, and the main water pipeline has been damaged and cannot be accessed for repairs. Drinking water access for 1 million people, including 400,000 children, has plunged from 16 litres per person per day to just six. If fuel runs out in the coming weeks, this could drop below 4 liters, forcing families to use unsafe water and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, particularly among children.

The blockade has also prevented UNICEF from delivering inclusive recreational kits for 1,000 children with disabilities.

“For the sake of more than 1 million children in the Gaza Strip, we urge the Israeli authorities to ensure, at a minimum, people’s basic needs are met, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law,” said Beigbeder. This includes their legal responsibility to ensure that families are supplied with the food, medical and other essential supplies they need to survive.”

Despite an extremely challenging situation, UNICEF and its partners are keeping a critical presence, delivering services like the resumption of neonatal health care services in the north and providing 21 respiratory machines to save the lives of 150 newborns; increased access to drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people; addressing malnutrition, with more than 7,800 children under 2-years-old reached with Ready to Use Complementary Food (RUCF) and more than 33,500 screened for acute malnutrition; prevention of family separation with more than 300 children reunited with their parents after having been separated by displacement orders and intense strikes.

UNICEF continues to call on parties to cease hostilities and reinstate the ceasefire. Humanitarian aid and commercial goods must be allowed to enter and move freely across the Gaza Strip. Sick and injured children must be evacuated for medical care. Civilians, including children and humanitarian workers, and the remaining essential infrastructure must be protected, and the hostages must be released.

UNICEF also urges states with influence to use their leverage over the parties to stop the conflict and ensure their respect for international law, including the special respect and protection due to children affected by armed conflict.

VII. UN Experts Warn: Innocent Lives Lost Daily Amid Impunity in Occupied Palestinian Territory

On 7 April, Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Michael Fakhri; Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; Heba Hagrass, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education; Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito (Chair-Rapporteur), Ravindran Daniel, Michelle Small, Joana de Deus Pereira, Andrés Macías Tolosa, Working Group on the use of mercenaries; Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, issued the following press release.

Israel’s actions in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory are leading to a massacre of Palestinians, a group of independent human rights experts* warned today.

“We are witnessing the destruction of Palestinian life,” the experts said. “If they are not killed by bombs or bullets, they slowly suffocate for lack of basic means of survival. The only difference is the means and speed of death.”

The experts noted that since Israel fully broke the fragile ceasefire on 18 March, the constant bombing and artillery fire has returned more aggressive than ever. Thousands of civilians have already been killed, new evacuation orders continue to be issued, and journalists, as well as health workers and facilities have come under renewed attack.

Since 2 March – when the second phase of the ceasefire was due to begin – Israel has blocked the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza, including fuel, medical equipment and other essential supplies. Electricity has been cut off. UNRWA, the largest and most involved UN entity in Palestine, remains banned from operating in Israel.

The experts noted that the United Nations can no longer guarantee the safety of its teams on the ground. The UN announced the withdrawal of staff from Gaza last week after an Israeli tank attack on a UN compound in Deir el-Balah killed one staff member and seriously injured six others.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has already resulted in an unprecedented number of aid workers being killed, including UN staff the vast majority of whom are Palestinian. In total, at least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, including at least 284 UNRWA staff and 34 Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) staff.

Most recently, on 23 March, eight members of the Palestinian Red Cross Society came under heavy fire while trying to evacuate wounded civilians in Rafah. They were found dead this week. Their four ambulances were discovered destroyed and buried under sand. PRCS declared that Israel deliberately targeted them while they were carrying out their humanitarian duties. A ninth paramedic remains missing and is believed to have been detained.

“This horrific incident comes almost a year after the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried in mass graves at two Gaza hospitals, Nasser and Al Shifa,” the experts said. “Extrajudicial killings and mass graves in the chaotic context of Israel’s operations in Gaza are further evidence of genocidal intent,” the experts said.

“International investigators have still not been allowed into Gaza to access these and other sites of possible atrocities to preserve vital evidence and seek truth and accountability.”

“Israel’s policies are more extreme than anything we have seen since 7 October, having intensified the genocidal assault against all Palestinians, including in the occupied West Bank,” the experts said.

They recalled that States have clear obligations to ensure that Israel complies with international law: including putting an end to Israel’s genocide and other gross violations against Palestinians.

“It must be clear to all States that their continued material and political support for Israel, in particular the continued transfer of arms and fuel, violates their obligation to prevent genocide and risks making them complicit in it.”

“The longer impunity prevails, the more international law and the Geneva Conventions become irrelevant,” the experts said. “Failure to do so will only lead to more lawlessness, instability, aggression and conflict and civilians will pay the ultimate price – with their lives.”

VIII. World must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza, heads of UN aid agencies

On 7 April, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – as well as the heads of UNICEF, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued the following joint statement.

For over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza.

More than 2.1 million people are trapped, bombed and starved again, while, at crossing points, food, medicine, fuel and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is stuck.

Over 1,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured in just the first week after the breakdown of the ceasefire, the highest one-week death toll among children in Gaza in the past year.

Just a few days ago, the 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme during the ceasefire had to close due to flour and cooking gas shortages.

The partially functional health system is overwhelmed. Essential medical and trauma supplies are rapidly running out, threatening to reverse hard-won progress in keeping the health system operational.

The latest ceasefire allowed us to achieve in 60 days what bombs, obstruction and lootings prevented us from doing in 470 days of war: life-saving supplies reaching nearly every part of Gaza.

While this offered a short respite, assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low.

We are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life.

New Israeli displacement orders have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee yet again, with no safe place to go.

No one is safe. At least 408 humanitarian workers, including over 280 from UNRWA, have been killed since October 2023.

With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.

“Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire.”

IX. WHO calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on World Health Day

On 7 April, the World Health Organization issued the following press release.

On World Health Day, with the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures,” the Gaza Strip continues to be one of the most dangerous places to be a child and where pregnancy is clouded by fear due to ongoing violence, displacement and lack of medical access.

Between 18 March and 4 April 2025, since the resumption of hostilities, reportedly more than 500 children and 270 women have been killed. No aid has entered Gaza since 2 March, deepening the hunger and malnutrition crisis, leaving families without clean water, shelter, and adequate health care, and increasing the risk of disease and death.

An estimated 55 000 women are pregnant in Gaza, with one third facing high-risk pregnancies. Around 130 babies are born each day, 27% by caesarean. Approximately 20% of newborns are pre-term, underweight, or born with complications, needing advanced care that is rapidly diminishing.

The fragile health system is overwhelmed by the influx of casualties, including among children. Essential medicines, trauma and medical supplies are rapidly running out, threatening to reverse hard-won progress rehabilitating hospitals and keeping them operational. Evacuation orders and attacks on health further restrict access to health care and risk closure of hospitals and medical facilities.

Due to the aid blockade, WHO’s supplies for maternal and child health, including for cesarean sections, anesthesia for delivery and pain management, intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and surgical sutures, are critically low. Blood units needed for complicated deliveries are in extremely short supply. Partners report that essential equipment and medicines, such as portable incubators, ventilators for neonatal intensive care, ultrasound machines, and oxygen pumps, along with 180 000 doses of routine childhood vaccines – enough to fully protect 60 000 children under the age of two – have not been permitted to enter, leaving ill newborns and young children without the life-saving care they urgently need.

The food shortage is deepening the crisis and threatens to reverse the progress made in food security during the ceasefire. Mothers and children are hit hard. A recent Nutrition Cluster analysis found that between 10 to 20% of 4500 surveyed pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished. The closure of 21 outpatient malnutrition treatment sites, due to insecurity or evacuation orders, has disrupted life-saving care for over 350 acutely malnourished children and has severely limited the ability to detect and treat new cases.

Despite security risks and access restrictions severely hampering WHO’s response, efforts to support health facilities and strengthen maternal and child health services continue amid dwindling supplies. Focus is on the delivery of essential medicines, equipment, and supplies, training of health workers, and deploying emergency medical teams to enable safe deliveries and care for sick children.

WHO urgently calls for the lifting of the aid blockade, the protection of health care, unimpeded humanitarian access across Gaza, the immediate resumption of daily medical evacuations, release of hostages, and a ceasefire that paves the way for lasting peace.

X. “Time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire” says UN Secretary-General

Following are the remarks of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, at a press briefing.

More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. No commercial supplies. As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have re-opened. Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop.

Certain truths are clear since the atrocious October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. Above all, we know ceasefires work. The ceasefire allowed for the release of hostages. The ceasefire ensured the distribution of lifesaving aid. The ceasefire proved that the humanitarian community can deliver.

For weeks, guns fell silent, obstacles were removed, looting ended, and we were able to deliver lifesaving supplies to virtually every part of the Gaza Strip. That all ended with the shattering of the ceasefire. Hope sank for Palestinian families in Gaza and families of hostages in Israel, and I was reminded yesterday when I met again with hostage families. That is why I have consistently been pushing for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access.

In times like this, we must be crystal clear about the situation. With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled.

And as the heads of UN humanitarian organizations declared in a joint statement yesterday: “assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low”.

We must also be clear about the obligations.

As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Article 55, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that “the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population”.

Article 56, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that “the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring and maintaining…the medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory”.

It further states that medical personnel of all categories shall be allowed to carry out their duties.

And Article 59, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that “if the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the Occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population and shall facilitate them by all means at its disposal”.

None of that is happening today. No humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza. Meanwhile, at the crossing points, food, medicine and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is stuck.

International Humanitarian Law also includes the obligation to respect humanitarian relief personnel. I want to say a special word about those humanitarian heroes in Gaza. They are under fire and yet doing all they can to follow the path they chose, to help people.

UN agencies and our partners are ready and determined to deliver. But the Israeli authorities newly proposed “authorization mechanisms” for aid delivery risk further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.

Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.

Unimpeded humanitarian access must be guaranteed. And humanitarian personnel must be given the protection that they are accorded under international law. The inviolability of United Nations premises and assets must be respected. I call once again for an independent investigation into the killing of humanitarians – including UN personnel.

We must stick to our core principles. Member States of the United Nations must adhere to their obligations under international law. And there must be justice and accountability when they do not.

The world may be running out of words to describe the situation in Gaza, but we will never run away from the truth.

The current path is a dead end – totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history. And the risk of the occupied West Bank transforming into another Gaza makes it even worse.

It is time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire.

/…

XI. OCHA: Bombardment of Gaza causes high numbers of civilian casualties

On 10 April, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued the following press release.

OCHA warns that hostilities across the Gaza 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.

Since the intensification of hostilities in Gaza less than a month ago, more than 1,500 people have reportedly been killed, many of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

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.

The World Health Organization (WHO) 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.

The ongoing hostilities and continued blocking of cargo entry into Gaza for almost six weeks now are hampering people’s access to life-saving aid.

As supplies inside the Strip near exhaustion and the situation becomes increasingly dire, there has been an increase in looting over the past few days. Earlier this week, several such incidents were reported in Rafah, 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, humanitarian partners have identified more than a dozen unaccompanied and separated children this week. They are doing everything possible to reunite these children with their families.

XII. OHCHR: Increasing Israeli “evacuation orders” lead to forcible transfer of Palestinians

On 11 April, the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made the following remarks at a press briefing in Geneva.

The increasing issuance by Israeli Forces of “evacuation orders”, which are, in effect, displacement orders – have resulted in the forcible transfer of Palestinians in Gaza into ever shrinking spaces where they have little or no access to life-saving services, including water, food and shelter, and where they continue to be subject to attacks.

Since 18 March, Israel has issued 21 “evacuation orders”. On 31 March, the Israeli military issued an order covering almost all of Rafah, the southern-most governorate, followed by a large-scale ground operation in the area. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were already reportedly trapped in Rafah, including in Tal Al Sultan area, with no way out and no access to humanitarian aid.

While Israel, as an occupying power, can lawfully order the temporary evacuations of civilians in certain areas under strict conditions, the nature and scope of the evacuation orders raise serious concerns that Israel intends permanently to remove the civilian population from these areas in order to create a “buffer zone”. Permanently displacing the civilian population within occupied territory amounts to forcible transfer, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.

Meanwhile, Israeli military strikes continue across Gaza, leaving nowhere safe. Between 18 March and 9 April 2025, there were some 224 incidents of Israeli strikes on residential buildings and tents for internally displaced people (IDPs). In some 36 strikes about which the UN Human Rights Office corroborated information, the fatalities recorded so far were only women and children. Overall, a large percentage of fatalities are children and women, according to information recorded by our Office. A recent strike on the residential building of the Abu Issa family in Deir al Balah on 6 April reportedly killed one girl, four women, and one four-year-old boy. And despite Israeli military orders instructing civilians to relocate to the Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, strikes continued on IDP tents in that area – with at least 23 such incidents recorded by the Office since 18 March.

Compounding this alarming trend is the targeting and killing of the Palestinian journalists. During the night of 6-7 April, an Israeli airstrike hit a tent in front of Nasr Medical Complex in Khan Younis where a number of journalists were known to have been staying. The attack reportedly came without warning, killing one journalist and one press agency assistant, and wounding nine other journalists, including one who later died from his injuries. The Israeli military subsequently claimed that one of those injured was a Hamas member, but it remains unclear whether this individual had been identified and targeted as a member of the armed wing of Hamas, or otherwise. Since October 2023, over 209 journalists have been killed in Gaza, while Israel continues to deny access to international media.

These and other attacks raise serious questions about Israeli Forces’ compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in attack. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities constitutes a war crime.

Further compounding the desperate conditions for Palestinian civilians, Israel’s closure of crossings into the Gaza Strip has entered its sixth week, preventing the entry of food, safe drinking water, medicines and other essential aid or supplies. Israeli officials have made statements suggesting that the entry of humanitarian aid is directly linked to the release of hostages, raising serious concerns about collective punishment and the use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of war, both of which constitute crimes under international law.

In light of the cumulative impact of Israeli Forces’ conduct in Gaza, the Office is seriously concerned that Israel appears to be inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group in Gaza.

Protests by Palestinians against Hamas, in exercise of their rights to peaceful assembly and expression under international law, have also been repressed by force, with harsh retribution exacted against a number of individuals.

The despair of Palestinians, under assault from outside as well as such pressure within, knows no bounds.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has stressed, including before the UN Security Council last week, that the last 18 months of violence have made this abundantly clear: there is no military path out of this crisis. All parties must be entirely focused on achieving a ceasefire, rather than seeking to justify the prolongation of senseless violence. The only way forward is a political settlement, based on two states living side by side in equal dignity and rights, in line with UN resolutions and international law. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. All those arbitrarily detained must also be released.

XIII. UN Secretary-General alarmed by Gaza hospital strike

Below is a statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General on Gaza delivered on 14 April 2025.

The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by Sunday’s strike by Israeli forces on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, incapacitating the hospital in Gaza City and dealing a severe blow to an already devastated healthcare system in the Strip.

The Secretary-General recalls that, under international humanitarian law, wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected. Medical supplies are running low while mass casualties continue to fill hospitals.

Nearly 70 per cent of Gaza is now under Israeli-issued displacement orders or within a “no-go” zone, leaving Palestinians in Gaza with no safe place to go and little to survive on.

The Secretary-General once again voices his strong concern as aid continues to be blocked, with Israel not having allowed any humanitarian aid or other essential supplies in for more than seven weeks.

The humanitarian consequences are devastating, with food stocks running out, water production drastically dropping and shelter materials almost totally depleted.

The Secretary-General recalls that, under international humanitarian law, if the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population and shall facilitate them by all the means at its disposal. This is reflected in a number of Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2730 (2024) and 2417 (2018), which strongly condemn the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival.

The Secretary-General reiterates that the United Nations will not participate in any aid delivery arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.

Civilians must be respected and protected at all times and they must have the basic necessities to survive. All hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.

A ceasefire must be restored and renewed without delay.

XIV. OCHA warns Gaza’s humanitarian crisis at worst in 18 months amid record supply blockage

On 14 April, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued the following press release.

OCHA warns that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities. It has now been a month and a half since any supplies were last allowed through the crossings into Gaza – by far the longest such halt to date.

Partners on the ground report a surge in attacks causing mass civilian casualties and the destruction of some of the remaining infrastructure that’s needed to keep people alive. This includes yesterday’s Israeli strike on Al Ahli hospital.

In a social media post yesterday, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Al Ahli hospital has gone out of service after receiving an evacuation order and being attacked.

He cited an update received from the hospital’s director, saying that a child died due to disruption of care. The emergency room, laboratory, X-ray equipment and pharmacy were destroyed. The hospital was forced to transfer 50 patients to other facilities, while 40 critically ill patients could not be moved.

Dr. Ghebreyesus called for an immediate halt to attacks on health care and reiterated that patients, health workers and hospitals must be protected, in line with international humanitarian law. He urged the lifting of the aid blockade and repeated the call for a ceasefire.

Also yesterday, a UN warehouse in Gaza city and a community food distribution point that we supported in Khan Younis were hit by strikes. Our colleagues have confirmed damages to the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to issue additional displacement orders, further reducing the limited space available for families. Civilians are effectively trapped in increasingly fragmented and unsafe enclaves, where access to essentials for survival is dwindling by the day.

Four new displacement orders were issued over the weekend – two on Friday and another two on Saturday. Some of them followed reports on Palestinian rocket fire. Combined, these latest orders cover more than 33 square kilometres, approximately 9 per cent of the entire Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of people lived in those areas, based on assessments from February. These areas also included medical points and other facilities supporting people’s survival.

Currently, about 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under displacement orders or in “no go” zones, where the Israeli authorities require humanitarian teams to coordinate their movements.

Displacement orders are now undermining access to half of all water wells across the Gaza Strip.

OCHA reports that, due to the closure of the crossings compounded by restrictions within Gaza, dwindling supplies have forced them to ration and reduce deliveries to make the most of the remaining stocks.

Over the weekend, the UN was able to relocate some existing fuel stocks from areas under displacement orders to locations where they are more accessible for humanitarian operations

XV. UNDP: The situation on the ground in Gaza is catastrophic

On 15 April, the United Nations Development Programme issued the following statement.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is gravely concerned by the strike by Israeli forces on 13 April of Al Ahli Hospital, one of Gaza’s few remaining main hospitals. The strike severely damaged this critical healthcare facility, putting it out of service, and jeopardizing the lives of thousands of Palestinians.

UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) has worked hard to significantly enhance Al Ahli Hospital’s operational capacity, through the Emergency Support to Health Facilities project, implemented in cooperation with national and international partners.

This hard work to expand the hospital’s intensive care units and operating rooms, and to recruit and deploy 109 medical personnel to strengthen vital healthcare services, is now in jeopardy. Preliminary assessments conducted by UNDP-PAPP teams indicate extensive destruction to the hospital’s essential facilities, including the emergency room, laboratory, emergency X-ray machines, and pharmacy. This damage has interrupted critical medical services and has left the hospital unable to admit new in-patients until necessary repairs and assessments are conducted.

UNDP strongly emphasizes the importance of protecting healthcare facilities and personnel as mandated under international humanitarian law. We join UN sister agencies calling for the immediate cessation of attacks on healthcare infrastructure and for the protection of patients and medical workers.

The situation on the ground in Gaza is catastrophic.

As the UN Secretary-General has underlined, over the past month and a half “not a drop of aid” has been allowed to enter Gaza, which has left communities with virtually no access to medical care, essential services, and life-saving support.

In these challenging circumstances, UNDP reiterates the UN Secretary-General’s consistent call for the unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access.

We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and affected communities – advancing both emergency response efforts and early recovery and resilience initiatives.

XVI. UN expert condemns attack on Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza

On 17 April, Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, issued the following press release.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Tlaleng Mofokeng, today condemned the Israeli attack on Al-Ahli hospital, the last functioning hospital in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, saying the many months of coruscant violence continues to make the provision of health care services even more impossible in a system that was already brought to its knees.

“I am horrified to learn that the war on hospitals, health care providers and civilians continues, making the provision of health services even more impossible in a system that has already been brought to its knees,” Mofokeng said.

Al-Ahli Hospital was hit by an airstrike on 13 April 2025, destroying the emergency department and causing the death of a child due to lack of access to appropriate care.

“With this latest attack on the health system, the options for health care – especially emergency care – for the people of Gaza are reduced to zero, and Israel continues to operate with impunity,” the expert said. “The health care system has been decimated.”

The Special Rapporteur recalled that health workers, as primary responders in the provision of health services, are exposed to harassment, intimidation and death on a daily basis as they attempt to save the lives of the Palestinian people.

“Health care facilities and health workers must be protected under international law,” she said.

The World Health Organization has reported at least 670 health attacks from 7 October 2023 to 14 March 2025, including 122 health facilities affected and 33 hospitals damaged.

“This is completely unacceptable,” Mofokeng said. She stressed that the people of Gaza deserve dignity and the restoration of health services after more than 18 months of attacks and limited or non-existent access for medical aid and supplies into the enclave since the beginning of the Israeli attacks.

The expert reiterated her call on the international community and world leaders to use all means at their disposal to end the war and save the lives and dignity of the people of Gaza, who have survived through these atrocities for more than a year and a half.

“I appeal to your humanity and any remaining capacity you may have left for action to preserve the population of Gaza,” she said.

XVII. OCHA: Aid blockade drives hunger, needs across Gaza

On 21 April, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued the following press release.

OCHA notes that today marks 50 days since the Israeli authorities imposed a total blockade on incoming supplies of any kind into the Gaza Strip.

Since early March, not a single truck carrying food, fuel, medicine or any other essentials has been allowed in, no matter how critical they are for people’s survival. Commercial imports have been officially banned since last October.

Over these past 50 days, food stocks have been in perilously short supply. Rations have been cut. Critical medicines, vaccines and medical disposables are running low. Ambulances have had to scale back life-saving services because there is almost no petrol. Cooking gas has disappeared from markets. Bakeries have been forced to shut down. The UN and its humanitarian partners have run out of tents to deliver.

Meanwhile, some of the UN’s warehouses inside Gaza have been made inaccessible due to displacement orders.

OCHA warns that the impact of the full blockade is devastating. Children and adults alike are going hungry. Diets are dangerously limited. Access to healthcare is falling apart.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been newly displaced, and attacks on civilians – including emergency teams and aid workers, have surged again.

The UN notes yesterday’s Israeli statement on the findings of their internal investigation into the killing of first responders in Rafah, including the dismissal of a commander based on those conclusions.

Too many civilians, including aid workers, have been killed in Gaza. Their stories have not all made the headlines. A lack of real accountability undermines international law and makes the world a more dangerous place. Without accountability, we risk continuing to watch atrocities unfolding and the norms designed to protect us all eroding.

OCHA calls once again for the protection of civilians, for atrocities to end, for hostages to be released, for Gaza to open up and for a ceasefire to be reinstated.

XVIII. WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza as border crossings remain closed

On 25 April, the UN World Food Programme issued the following press release.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has depleted all its food stocks for families in Gaza.

Today, WFP delivered its last remaining food stocks to hot meals kitchens in the Gaza Strip. These kitchens are expected to fully run out of food in the coming days. For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for people in Gaza. Despite reaching just half the population with only 25 percent of daily food needs, they have provided a critical lifeline.

WFP has also supported bakeries to distribute affordable bread in Gaza. On March 31, all 25 WFP-supported bakeries closed as wheat flour and cooking fuel ran out. The same week, WFP food parcels distributed to families – with two weeks of food rations – were exhausted. WFP is also deeply concerned about the severe lack of safe water and fuel for cooking – forcing people to scavenge for items to burn to cook a meal.

No humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered Gaza for more than seven weeks as all main border crossing points remain closed. This is the longest closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced, exacerbating already fragile markets and food systems. Food prices have skyrocketed up to 1,400 percent compared to during the ceasefire, and essential food commodities are in short supply raising serious nutrition concerns for vulnerable populations, including children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly.

More than 116,000 metric tons of food assistance – enough to feed one million people for up to four months – is positioned at aid corridors and is ready to be brought into Gaza by WFP and food security partners as soon as borders reopen.

The situation inside the Gaza Strip has once again reached a breaking point: people are running out of ways to cope, and the fragile gains made during the short ceasefire have unravelled. Without urgent action to open borders for aid and trade to enter, WFP’s critical assistance may be forced to end.

WFP urges all parties to prioritize the needs of civilians and allow aid to enter Gaza immediately and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.

XIX. Deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: OHCHR

On 25 April, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued the following press release.

For the past 18 months, hostilities in Gaza and severe restrictions on humanitarian assistance, which now include a complete blockade, have devastated the lives of 2.2 million Palestinians, and nearly all essential infrastructure that civilians depend on for survival has been destroyed. Since the collapse of the ceasefire, and during the past week in particular, Israeli attacks on Palestinians have accelerated, claiming the lives of countless civilians and further risking the complete destruction of what little infrastructure remains. The dire conditions for civilians have been further exacerbated by displacement orders and Israel’s renewed complete blockade of the Gaza Strip that has stopped the flow of life saving, critical assistance from reaching increasingly desperate civilians.

In parallel, rampant settler violence and operations conducted by Israeli security forces in the West Bank are continuing to kill or injure Palestinians and are resulting in the forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes or shelters in many areas.

Attacks in Gaza

What little remains of Gaza’s critical life-saving infrastructure is collapsing under the conditions inflicted by Israel. Israel’s complete closure of Gaza, preventing lifesaving assistance from reaching civilians – including food and fuel – has now entered its eighth week. Bakeries have stopped functioning due to the lack of flour and cooking fuel; the prices of basic food items are soaring; and Israeli attacks at sea continue to decimate Gaza’s fishing industry. With food aid halted, remaining stocks in Gaza are rapidly depleting, rendering the strip’s population, especially vulnerable groups and children, at growing risk of starvation.

As the population becomes increasingly desperate due to the scarcity of food and other vital provisions, social unrest is deepening further, with frequent reports of disputes breaking out within the community involving the use of firearms. This takes place in an environment where the law enforcement and justice system has been systematically dismantled by Israeli attacks and the targeting of civilian officials of the local administration.

The Israeli military also continues targeting civilian objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. Between 21 and 22 April, the Israeli military conducted deliberate and coordinated attacks across three governorates in Gaza, resulting in the destruction of 36 heavy machines, including excavators, water trucks, and sewer suction tanks. These were being used by Gaza municipalities for humanitarian relief operations, such as rubble removal, water distribution, and maintenance of vital sanitation systems. The destruction of these vehicles is likely to significantly hinder rescue operations, including retrieval of the injured and killed from under the rubble, clearance of debris to allow the movement of ambulances, as well as delivery of safe drinking water, solid waste collection, and the operation of sewage systems – further risking outbreaks of disease. Intentional attacks on civilian objects, that is, objects that are not used for military action and whose destruction does not offer a definite military advantage at the moment of the attack, are unlawful and constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.

The Israeli military also continues striking the shelters of Palestinians in Gaza. Between 18 March and 22 April, the UN Human Rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory recorded 229 attacks on residential buildings and 91 attacks on tents of internally displaced people (IDP) in Gaza, most resulting in fatalities, including many children and women. For instance, at around midnight on 18 April, the Israeli military is reported to have struck two residential buildings belonging to the Maqdad and the Nasio families in Tal Az-Za’atar, North Gaza, killing 13 Palestinians, including 8 children and a journalist, Tamer Maqdad, and injuring others. On 24 April, at around 0300 hours, the Israeli Air Force reportedly hit a house, in Ash Shaikh Redwan, Gaza City, killing two boys and a girl along with their parents. Among these attacks, 36 strikes on IDP tents were reported to have taken place in Al Mawasi area in southern Gaza in which the Israeli military has repeatedly ordered residents of other areas to relocate.

Persistent Israeli military attacks on civilians and civilian objects have continued throughout Gaza in violation of the core principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack required by international humanitarian law. Extremely high civilian casualties over 18 months do not appear to have prompted any changes in Israeli targeting practices and policies, a pattern indicating at the very least a complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza. Matched with Israel’s policy of deliberately blocking life-saving assistance from entering the Gaza Strip, these policies appear to be aimed at punishing the civilian population of Gaza and inflicting on them conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group in Gaza.

Third States must act according to their clear and unambiguous obligations under international law to ensure that such conduct ceases immediately and to search for and bring to justice perpetrators of crimes under international law.

Renewed wave of settler violence across the West Bank

In the West Bank, high levels of settler violence against Palestinians continue, causing death, injuries and loss of property and undermining Palestinian lives and livelihoods in many areas. On 23 April, Israeli settlers reportedly attacked Palestinians and their property in Khirbet al-Tell area of Sinjil village, Ramallah, resulting in the injury of eight young Palestinian men and the destruction of three agricultural structures. According to information gathered, Israeli security forces prevented emergency crews from reaching the wounded and extinguishing the fire. On 21 April, around 200 settlers burned three houses in the same community and stole sheep belonging to Palestinians, prompting confrontations with residents attempting to defend their properties.

Concerning incidents of settler violence resulting in Palestinian injuries and destruction of property were also recorded in other parts of the West Bank. In Bardala village in northern Jordan Valley, between 23 and 24 April, Israeli settlers reportedly injured seven Palestinians with live ammunition and set fire to residential tents and livestock shelters, while Israeli security forces delayed access of Palestinian ambulances to the area. On 17 April in Al-Rakeez village of Massafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, a 60-year-old Palestinian man had his leg amputated after Israeli settlers shot him following an attempt to move a fence they had constructed around his land. Following the incident, Israeli security forces arrived at the scene and arrested the man’s 16-year-old son, claiming he had assaulted military personnel.

Israeli security forces continued the practice of unlawful killings and large-scale operations in the Northern West Bank

Over the past week, Israeli security forces killed three Palestinians who were throwing stones, including two children. This raised 192 the number of children killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank since 7 October 2023. On 23 April, Israeli security forces opened fire at a group of children and killed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy with a bullet in the back after they threw stones at military armoured vehicles in Yamoun town, Jenin. On 17 April, Israeli security forces killed two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, who were throwing stones at a highway in Osarin village, Nablus.

Lethal force may only be used if it is strictly unavoidable to protect life; if other, less extreme measures could be used to achieve this objective, then the use of such lethal force constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life.

Meanwhile, the large-scale operation in the northern West Bank entered its third month, with Israeli security forces continuing to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes in the refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarm, while carrying out widespread destruction coupled with the creation of pathways and barriers inside the camps and conducting daily raids on Palestinian towns and villages. With every day this operation continues, the prospect that Palestinians in affected camps will be able to return to their homes is diminishing, risking the permanent displacement of Palestinians from key West Bank population centres, amounting to forcible transfer.

XX. UNRWA Commissioner-General welcomes the ICJ ongoing hearings

On 28 April, Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General issued the following statement.

I welcome the ICJ hearing on the presence and activities of the United Nations and other organisations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

UNRWA and other agencies are present in the occupied Palestinian territory to address overwhelming needs.
The Agency’s services must continue unobstructed until there is a just and lasting solution to the plight of Palestine Refugees.

Unlawful restrictions on the work of UNRWA and other organisations hamper the delivery of assistance to people in need.

The laws passed by the Parliament of Israel against UNRWA impact the agency’s ability to fulfill its mandate.

The no contact policy under the Knesset laws bans Israeli officials from coordinating or communicating with UNRWA officials, obstructing the delivery of essential relief services and aid.

Since these restrictions came into effect at the end of January, UNRWA international staff have not received visas to enter Israel.

This is banning them from entering the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip where over 2 million people rely on the Agency services and assistance.

Several UNRWA facilities including schools in occupied East Jerusalem are also threatened by closure orders from the Israeli Authorities. Some 800 children are likely to miss out on finishing the school year if their schools are forced closed.

As an occupying power, the State of Israel must provide services or facilitate their delivery- including through UNRWA- to the population it is occupying.

This is a clear direction from the international community, through the UN General Assembly.

All parties to the conflict, including the State of Israel, must comply with all their obligations under international law at all times.

They must respect and protect United Nations personnel at all times.

XXI. “The Two-State solution is near a point of no return” UN Secretary-General briefs the Security Council

On 29 April, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered the following remarks at the Security Council.

/…

Today, the promise of a two-State solution is at risk of dwindling to the point of disappearance. The political commitment to this long-standing goal is farther than it has ever been. As a result, the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to live and peace and security have been undermined – and the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinians have been denied – while they endure Israel’s continued presence that the International Court of Justice has found unlawful.

And since the horrific 7 October terror attacks by Hamas, it has gotten worse on every front.

First, the unrelenting conflict and devastation in Gaza, including the utterly inhumane conditions of life imposed on its people who are repeatedly coming under attack, confined to smaller and smaller spaces, and deprived of lifesaving relief.

In line with international law, the Security Council has rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce its territory. Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state.

Second, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli military operations and the use of heavy weaponry in residential areas, forcible displacement, demolitions, movement restrictions, and settlement expansion are dramatically altering demographic and geographic realities.

Palestinians are being contained and coerced. Contained in areas that are subject to increasing military operations and where the Palestinian Authority is under growing pressure – and coerced out of areas where settlements are expanding.

Third, settler violence continues at alarmingly high levels in a climate of impunity, with entire Palestinian communities facing repeated assaults and destruction, sometimes abetted by Israeli soldiers.

Palestinian attacks against Israelis in both Israel and the occupied West Bank also continue.

/…

The world cannot afford to watch the two-State solution disappear. Political leaders face clear choices — the choice to be silent, the choice to acquiesce, or the choice to act.

/…

In Gaza, there is no end in sight to the killing and misery. The ceasefire had brought a glimmer of hope – the long-sought release of hostages and delivery of lifesaving humanitarian relief. But those embers of opportunity were cruelly extinguished with the shattering of the ceasefire on 18 March. Since then, almost 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes and military operations – including women, children, journalists, and humanitarians.

Hamas also continues to fire rockets towards Israel indiscriminately – while the hostages continue to be held in appalling conditions.

The humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip has gone from bad to worse, to beyond imagination. For nearly two full months, Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and commercial supplies, depriving more than two million people of lifesaving relief. All while the world watches.

I am alarmed by statements by Israeli government officials about the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for military pressure. Aid is non-negotiable. Israel must protect civilians and must agree to relief schemes and facilitate them.

I salute the women and men of the United Nations and all other humanitarian workers – especially our Palestinian colleagues –who continue to work under fire and in incomprehensibly difficult conditions. And I mourn all of the women and men of the United Nations who were killed – including some with their families.

The entry of assistance must be restored immediately — the safety of UN personnel and humanitarian partners must be guaranteed – and UN agencies must be allowed to work in full respect of humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

There must be no hindrance in humanitarian aid – including through the vital work of UNRWA. We need the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. And we need a permanent ceasefire.

It’s time to stop the repeated displacement of the Gaza population – along with any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza. And the trampling of international law must end. I call on Member States to use their leverage to ensure that international law is respected and impunity does not prevail.

This includes for the 19 March incident for which Israel has now acknowledged responsibility in firing on a UN guesthouse, killing one colleague and injuring six others, the 23 March killing of paramedics and other rescue workers in Rafah, as well as many other cases. There must be accountability across the board.

/…

Advisory proceedings are ongoing at the International Court of Justice on the obligations of Israel, as an occupying Power and a Member of the United Nations, in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

In February, the United Nations Legal Counsel submitted a written statement to the Court – and yesterday, she made an oral statement before the Court – both of which on my behalf.

The statement to the Court includes points that I have made on a number of occasions.

Specifically, that all parties to conflict must comply with all their obligations under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law. That Israel, as an occupying Power, is under an obligation to ensure food and medical supplies of the population. That Israel has an obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. That humanitarian, medical and United Nations personnel must be respected and protected. And I emphasize the obligation under international law to respect the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, including the absolute inviolability of United Nations premises, property and assets – and the immunity from legal process of the United Nations. Such immunity applies to all UN entities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – including UNRWA – a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly. I call on Member States to fully support all of these efforts.

/…

In this period of turmoil and transition for the region, Member States must spell out how they will realize the commitment and promise of a two-State solution.

This is not a time for ritualistically expressing support, ticking a box, and moving on. We are past the stage of ticking boxes – the clock is ticking. The two-State solution is near a point of no return. The international community has a responsibility to prevent perpetual occupation and violence. My call to Member States is clear and urgent: Take irreversible action towards implementing a two-State solution. Do not let extremists on any side undermine what remains of the peace process.

The High-Level Conference in June, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is an important opportunity to revitalize international support.

I encourage Member States to go beyond affirmations, and to think creatively about the concrete steps they will take to support a viable two-State solution before it is too late.

At the same time, the Palestinian Authority needs stepped-up and sustained support – politically and financially. This is crucial to ensure the continued viability of Palestinian institutions, consolidate ongoing reforms, and enable the PA to resume its full responsibilities in Gaza.

/…

At this hinge point of history for the people of the Middle East – and on this issue on which so much hinges – leaders must stand and deliver.

Show the political courage and exercise the political will to make good on this central question for peace for Palestinians, Israelis, the region and humanity.

XXII. UN Human Rights Chief calls on world to prevent total humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

On 29 April, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued the following statement.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today urged the world to act to prevent the total collapse of critical life-saving support in Gaza, where Israeli strikes continue to kill civilians, including in shelters and health facilities.

“As the complete blockade of assistance essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be concerted international efforts to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level,” Türk said.

Since 2 March, Israel has prevented the entry of food, fuel and other life-saving assistance to Gaza. Bakeries have now stopped working as flour and fuel have run out, and the remaining stocks of food are being rapidly depleted. “Any use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of war constitutes a war crime, and so do all forms of collective punishment,” the High Commissioner warned.

A reported Israeli plan to declare Rafah governorate as a new “humanitarian zone” would require Palestinians to move there to receive food and humanitarian aid. “Such a plan will almost certainly mean large parts of Gaza and those who cannot easily move, including people with disabilities, those who are sick or injured, and women supporting entire families, will be forced to go without food,” Türk said.

Israel continues to strike locations in Gaza where Palestinian civilians are sheltering. Between 18 March and 27 April, the UN Human Rights Office recorded 259 attacks on residential buildings and 99 on tents of internally displaced people (IDP).

Most of the attacks resulted in fatalities, including of women and children. Among the strikes on IDP tents, 40 reportedly took place in Al-Mawasi area, where the Israeli army repeatedly directed civilians to seek refuge. “These incidents reflect the pattern we have seen during this escalation, of attacks that raise grave concerns of violations of the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions. Each of these incidents must be fully investigated. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities would constitute a war crime,” Türk stressed.

There are also serious concerns of additional violations as the Israeli army continues to attack health facilities. On 22 and 24 April, the army reportedly struck the Martyr Mohammad Al Durrah Children’s Hospital, putting it completely out of service.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have continued to target civilian objects indispensable to the survival of the population. On 21 and 22 April, they conducted apparently coordinated attacks in three governorates, destroying 36 heavy machines, including excavators, water trucks and sewer suction tanks. These were used for relief operations, such as removing debris, distributing water and repairing sanitation systems.

“Such destruction significantly hinders access to water, degrades public health, and obstructs both the delivery of humanitarian aid and conduct of rescue operations, including retrieving the injured and the dead from under the rubble and clearing debris to allow the ambulances to get to the victims,” the High Commissioner said.

Türk reiterated that the cumulative impact of Israeli forces’ conduct in Gaza raises serious concerns that Israel appears to be inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group in Gaza.

“Third States have clear obligations under international law to ensure that such conduct stops immediately, and they must act accordingly,” Türk said. “They also must search for and bring to justice all perpetrators of crimes under international law, by whomever committed.”

_________________

Action by UN System and Intergovernmental Organizations Relevant to the Question of Palestine (April 2025 Monthly Bulletin)

Contents

I. UN Human Rights Chief condemns the killing of Gaza humanitarian workers by Israeli army

II. OCHA Official Warns: “Gaza Has Become a Death Trap”

III. Amid escalating horror, UN experts urge States to take concrete action to end impunity for Israel

IV. UN Human Rights Chief briefs Security Council of increasing risk of atrocity crimes being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

V. Palestinian Filmmakers Return to “Same Reality” of Occupation After Oscar Win

VI. UNICEF warns that more than a million children in Gaza are deprived of lifesaving aid

VII. UN Experts Warn: Innocent Lives Lost Daily Amid Impunity in Occupied Palestinian Territory

VIII. World must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza, heads of UN aid agencies

IX. WHO calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on World Health Day

X. “Time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire” says UN Secretary-General

XI. OCHA: Bombardment of Gaza causes high numbers of civilian casualties

XII. OHCHR: Increasing Israeli “evacuation orders” lead to forcible transfer of Palestinians

XIII. UN Secretary-General alarmed by Gaza hospital strike

XIV. OCHA warns Gaza’s humanitarian crisis at worst in 18 months amid record supply blockage

XV. UNDP: The situation on the ground in Gaza is catastrophic

XVI. UN expert condemns attack on Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza

XVII. OCHA: Aid blockade drives hunger, needs across Gaza

XVIII. WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza as border crossings remain closed

XIX. Deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: OHCHR

XX. UNRWA Commissioner-General welcomes the ICJ ongoing hearings

XXI. “The Two-State solution is near a point of no return” UN Secretary-General briefs the Security Council

XXII. UN Human Rights Chief calls on world to prevent total humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

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Action by UN System and Intergovernmental Organizations Relevant to the Question of Palestine (April 2025 Monthly Bulletin)

Contents

I. UN Human Rights Chief condemns the killing of Gaza humanitarian workers by Israeli army

II. OCHA Official Warns: “Gaza Has Become a Death Trap”

III. Amid escalating horror, UN experts urge States to take concrete action to end impunity for Israel

IV. UN Human Rights Chief briefs Security Council of increasing risk of atrocity crimes being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

V. Palestinian Filmmakers Return to “Same Reality” of Occupation After Oscar Win

VI. UNICEF warns that more than a million children in Gaza are deprived of lifesaving aid

VII. UN Experts Warn: Innocent Lives Lost Daily Amid Impunity in Occupied Palestinian Territory

VIII. World must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza, heads of UN aid agencies

IX. WHO calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on World Health Day

X. “Time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire” says UN Secretary-General

XI. OCHA: Bombardment of Gaza causes high numbers of civilian casualties

XII. OHCHR: Increasing Israeli “evacuation orders” lead to forcible transfer of Palestinians

XIII. UN Secretary-General alarmed by Gaza hospital strike

XIV. OCHA warns Gaza’s humanitarian crisis at worst in 18 months amid record supply blockage

XV. UNDP: The situation on the ground in Gaza is catastrophic

XVI. UN expert condemns attack on Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza

XVII. OCHA: Aid blockade drives hunger, needs across Gaza

XVIII. WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza as border crossings remain closed

XIX. Deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: OHCHR

XX. UNRWA Commissioner-General welcomes the ICJ ongoing hearings

XXI. “The Two-State solution is near a point of no return” UN Secretary-General briefs the Security Council

XXII. UN Human Rights Chief calls on world to prevent total humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

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