Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
D.C. Statement
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon/Israel
Chagos Islands
Sudan
CERF
Security Council
Senior Personnel Appointment
Biological Diversity
Financial Contribution
D.C. statement
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the appalling killing on Wednesday night of two Israeli Embassy officials in Washington, D.C. Nothing can justify such a horrific act.
The Secretary-General reiterates his consistent condemnation of attacks against diplomatic officials.
The Secretary-General calls for the perpetrator to be brought to justice and extends his sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the Government of Israel.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that yesterday, about 90 loaded trucks left Kerem Shalom to multiple destinations inside Gaza. They carried nutrition supplies, flour, medicines and other critical stocks that were allowed in.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher commended humanitarians for their courage, noting they continue to face huge challenges getting goods out of the crossing to where they are needed.
This shipment is limited in quantity and nowhere near sufficient to meet the scale and scope of the needs of Gaza’s 2.1 million people. OCHA tells us that other supplies as basic as fresh food, hygiene items, water purification agents, and fuel to power hospitals have not been let in for over 80 days.
What the UN is currently allowed to bring in includes nutrition products, some food ingredients, and medical supplies.
Of yesterday’s supplies, over 500 pallets with nutrition supplies were safely offloaded in UNICEF’s warehouse in Deir al Balah. This is nearly 20 truckloads. They include ready-to-use therapeutic food and lipid-based nutritional supplements. These life-saving supplies are now being unpacked and repackaged so that smaller loads can reach people in need via dozens of distribution points.
A handful of bakeries in south and central Gaza, supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), have resumed bread production. These bakeries are now operational distributing bread via hot meal kitchens. However, after nearly 80 days of a total blockade of humanitarian assistance, families still face a high risk of famine, and far more aid is needed across all of Gaza.
The shipments of flour we received recently – over 50 truckloads – have helped bakeries in Deir al Balah resume operations.
As a reminder, the latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification concluded that people across Gaza are at risk of famine, with nearly half a million people teetering on the edge of starvation. OCHA underscores that it is critical for Israeli authorities to facilitate the movement of humanitarian convoys, including from southern Gaza to the north, so that all supplies can reach people in need wherever they are across the Gaza Strip.
Also, just a note on access to and from Kerem Shalom: Reaching the crossing on the Palestinian side requires humanitarians to travel through an Israeli-militarized area.
This means that our teams need to wait, often for hours, for military activities to pause – for their safety – and for a green light to be given by the Israeli authorities to proceed. We also need to ensure the use of secure routes from Kerem Shalom onward into Gaza, as we did last night and hope to do again today.
Meanwhile, military operations continue across the Gaza Strip, with reports of strikes, shelling and fresh ground incursions. In recent days, our colleagues on the ground report that attacks have struck tents and buildings where people are sheltering, causing scores of casualties.
Today, Al Awda hospital of North Gaza caught fire, reportedly after being attacked. Through coordination with Israeli authorities, OCHA facilitated the access of the Palestinian Civil Defense to the area, where they spent hours working to extinguish the fire. According to initial reports, the medicine warehouse was heavily damaged.
Meanwhile, water wells in some areas of Gaza are shutting down as they remain out of reach or lack fuel. OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny attempts to retrieve fuel from areas where coordination is required.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=22%20May%202025