Kuwait

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Kuwait:

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02 September 2026

Food aid cutback in the occupied West Bank as health fears grow in Gaza

even though needs have more than doubled over the past two years.“We’re running out of funding, and that means that from today, some 200,000 people will lose access to critical assistance,” Shaun Hughes, WFP country director for Palestine, told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.He said intensified settler violence and escalating Israeli military operations alongside severe movement restrictions, demolitions and widespread displacement “have eroded Palestinian livelihoods and contributed to increased food insecurity”.Pushed to the brinkAt the same time, a crippling economic crisis “is pushing people to breaking point”, with unemployment more than doubling and over a third of the population struggling to meet their basic needs.“Food may be available in the markets, but people simply cannot afford it,” he said, speaking from London.Today, nearly a million people across the West Bank – over a quarter of the population – are now food insecure, he said, adding that “two years ago, that figure was 11 per cent.”Families ‘in a chokehold’During recent visits to the territory, Mr. Hughes saw families that used to earn a living from the land “now forced from their homes, their livelihoods destroyed” and facing incredible injustice and hardship.“They now find themselves in a chokehold, unable to move freely to access land or jobs and so unable to afford food for their families,” he said.In response to journalists’ questions, he said that the West Bank was not traditionally considered to be experiencing a food crisis, but that increasing pressures were exacerbating food insecurity. He added that the very small cash transfers that WFP provided – about 50 shekels per person per month (less than $20) – had become a “real lifeline” for many people and would now be cut off due to the funding shortfall.Gaza: Don’t look awayTurning to the Gaza Strip, Mr. Hughes said that WFP was also forced to reduce its cash assistance to 75,000 families in July. He stressed that the recent slight improvements in food security indicators reported last month “should not create a false sense of security” as two thirds of the population still face critical and emergency levels of hunger. He warned that if humanitarian food aid does not continue, “up to 90 per cent of the population will face high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of this year.”WFP requires $386 million to avoid any further reductions in assistance provided in Gaza and the West Bank over the next six months, he said, urging continued international support and solidarity.“As global crises multiply and domestic fiscal interests take over, there is a real danger that the world’s attention moves on from Palestine, but the needs of Palestinians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have not moved on,” he said.“Now is not the time to look away.”Looming health crisisFrom inside the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Occupied Palestinian Territory voiced concern about the security situation as airstrikes continued despite the ceasefire last October. Dr. Renee van de Werdt was in Gaza City on Monday, where a nearby strike killed several people. This was her sixth visit to the Strip, and she painted a grim picture of “endless piles of rubble” and “overcrowded” and flimsy tents.‘Unacceptable’ water situationShe highlighted the catastrophic water situation in the enclave, noting that trucking is usually used in the immediate aftermath of disasters and crises.“It is really unacceptable to see in Gaza, almost three years in, that these trucks are still the lifeline most Gazans depend on,” she said.Contamination concernsDr. van de Werdt expressed grave concern over both the quantity and quality of water reaching the population. She said microbiological contamination has “almost tripled” since January due to the extremely limited testing capacity in the Strip. “The laboratory capacities in Gaza remain very, very, very limited,” she said.“We can only detect and track essential microbiological contaminants. We do not have the ability to detect and track other contaminants that are likely to be present in the water and in the environment."Dr. Van de Weert said that the number of acute watery diarrhoea cases has nearly doubled from about 30,000 in March to more than 58,000 in August.The water and sanitation situation is likely to worsen during the winter months, with sewage water flowing and emitting odours throughout densely populated areas.Medical progress and challengesIn positive developments, WHO has noted a marked improvement in medical and clinical care in Gaza but this progress “has not been fast enough and also not equal”.She estimated that more than 6,600 people require long-term care after having their limbs amputated, yet no prosthetic or artificial limbs “that would allow people, including many children, to walk and live in some dignity, have entered Gaza since May 2024.” She said that as of July, only 12 per cent of people who have lost limbs since October 2023 had received prosthetics.Dr. Van de Weert stressed the need to protect fragile health gains and prevent disease outbreaks “at all costs”. “Unfortunately, we know what’s coming, but we still have time to prevent a public health disaster within this disaster,” she said.

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01 September 2026

Four children killed as separate attacks in Gaza destroy aid supplies

Israeli attacks killed four children and destroyed humanitarian aid supplies in what turned out to be a deadly week in war-ravaged Gaza, the UN emergency relief agency, OCHA, said.Key pointsUN agencies concerned about deadly attacks in civilian areasIsraeli strikes destroyed over $770,000 in nutrition supplies and damaged critical water infrastructure serving thousands, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reportedThe World Health Organization (WHO) evacuated 106 patients and 132 companions from Gaza in the past week, but thousands more await medical evacuationAccording to UNICEF, the four children – aged two to 16 – were reportedly killed in separate strikes, including one who died of wounds sustained last week.On Tuesday, five children – aged eight to 17 – were reported hit by live fire or shrapnel following strikes and suffered life-changing injuries.OCHA raised concerns about the impact of ongoing air strikes and other attacks across the Gaza Strip amid reports of civilian casualties and damage, despite the October 2025 ceasefire that ended the two-year-long Hamas-Israel war.Aid supplies destroyedThe recent attacks also destroyed humanitarian supplies and damaging critical water infrastructure, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.A UN partner’s warehouse was heavily damaged by a nearby strike last week. UNICEF says the incident destroyed more than $770,000 worth of its nutrition supplies, which were intended to support more than 45,000 children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.In addition, a UNICEF-supported water well and desalination facility serving more than 4,000 people in Deir al Balah was severely damaged by a nearby strike on Monday. Partners are now providing water from other sources by truck.UN convoyAn explosive munition detonated about 30 metres from a UN convoy returning with fuel from the Kerem Shalom crossing as it crossed the so-called “Yellow Line” in Rafah on Thursday, OCHA reported.Fortunately, there were no casualties, with the explosion causing a minor mechanical issue involving one of the vehicles in the convoy, the agency said.Civilians and civilian objects, including humanitarian facilities and infrastructure, must always be protected, OCHA said.Tackling unexploded ordnanceThe UN and its partners are working across Gaza to address the risks posed by explosive ordnance.They are assessing and marking hazards, educating people on safety measures and referring those affected for support, OCHA said.However, the authorisation needed to bring in equipment and remove explosive ordnance still has not been granted.Medical evacuationsThe UN World Health Organization (WHO) supported the evacuation of 106 patients, including 19 children, along with 132 companions from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings over the last week, the agency chief said on Friday.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that since October 2023, over 13,000 patients and more than 16,000 companions have been evacuated.Still, thousands are awaiting medical evacuations, he said, adding that to ensure timely treatment for patients, medical evacuations require sustained access through multiple crossing routes.

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27 August 2026

Alakbarov: More than 10 months into the ceasefire, this situation is unacceptable

Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov, updated Council members on recent developments in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where settlement expansion and settler violence have continued at historically high levels.“As talks continue on the implementation of resolution 2803 (2025) and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, the ceasefire remains fragile,” said Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov.He said Israeli strikes on Gaza are ongoing and situation in the West Bank "continues to rapidly deteriorate".Full implementation of the 15-point Roadmap would advance the Plan’s transitional arrangements. They include disarming Hamas and all other armed groups, the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from Gaza, deployment of the International Stabilization Force and the transfer of transitional governance responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. “I urge all parties to build on this momentum, fulfil their commitments and advance the Roadmap in accordance with international law,” he said.Also paramount is addressing the dire plight of the people in Gaza. “They are losing hope,” he said.Israeli air strikes in Gaza resumed on 12 August after a week-long lull, while military activity including shelling, drone attacks and ground operations never stopped. During the reporting period, over 100 Palestinians were killed and over 400 injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Around two thirds of Gaza remain inaccessible or subject to severe access restrictions, and the 2026 Flash Appeal for humanitarian aid is only 40 per cent funded. “More than 10 months into the ceasefire, this situation is unacceptable,” he said. Key bottlenecks must be addressed and “human dignity must be at the centre of all efforts”.In the West Bank, large-scale settler attacks continue “with virtually no accountability for these crimes”.On 18 August, the Israeli authorities opened bidding for over 1,200 illegal housing units in the E1 area east of Jerusalem. “If implemented, the E1 plan will effectively sever the northern and southern parts of the West Bank and its connection to East Jerusalem, eroding prospects for a viable Palestinian State,” he said.On Tuesday, the Israeli authorities forcibly entered and unlawfully seized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Kalandia Training Centre in East Jerusalem. “I reiterate my call on Israel to act in accordance with its obligations under international law. All efforts to seize, control or expropriate UNRWA facilities must cease,” he said. Fully implement 15-point Roadmap, Board of Peace urges“Indeed, it is a historic breakthrough. For the first time, Hamas and the armed factions in Gaza have agreed to hand over their weapons and to transfer full governing authority, civilian and security to a transitional administration recognized by the United Nations,” said Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov.“We now have the opportunity to dramatically improve life in a sustainable way for Palestinians in Gaza; to provide durable security for Israelis; and to move from a conflict that has destabilized the region to an environment that offers peace, prosperity and economic opportunity for the entire Middle East,” he said. The Roadmap does not replace or contradict the Comprehensive Plan or Council resolution 2803 (2025). “There is no grey zone and no category left out,” he said, and it contains three things that did not exist at any point in the past 20 years. “The first is acceptance,” he said, by Hamas requiring its complete demilitarization and hand-over of governance in Gaza.The second is agreement on a key principle: "One Authority, One Law, One Weapon"; and the third is “Progress is performance-based, not calendar-based”, with one phase opening only when the previous one has been certified as completed. “What has been agreed on paper will matter only if it is translated into verified action,” he said.Addressing skepticism of the Roadmap, he said: “I have yet to hear an alternative plan. Yet, I see only two choices.”The first is Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, with one party governing 2 million people at a massive human, economic and reputational cost. The second is to allow the status quo that produced 7 October 2023, and everything that has followed it, to quietly reassemble itself: a Gaza in which Hamas is neither disarmed nor removed from governance, but managed — contained by periodic force. "What remains is a choice. A Gaza disarmed, rebuilt and reconnected to the world. Or a Gaza rearmed, divided and in rubble, with a radicalized generation raised inside it and the next war already on the horizon," he said. “The responsible choice is clear,” he said.'Improvements' in Gaza not cause for celebration, civil society says “Yes, the latest IPC figures show we have clawed our way back from an engineered famine in Gaza, but it is a disturbing marker of 'progress' to celebrate that a child that may no longer be at imminent risk of starving to death may still be killed at any moment from shelling, air strikes or gunfire, or may survive only to carry the consequences of hunger, devastation and deprivation for the rest of their life,” said Athena Rayburn, Executive Director of the Association of International Development Agencies.Aid getting into Gaza does not negate that “we have normalized a situation in which 2 million people are trapped and dependent on humanitarian assistance that is controlled and restricted by the State that has designed this scarcity”. What is needed is sustained humanitarian access, delivery of basic services, recovery and “the creation of conditions in which people in Gaza can begin to live rather than just survive the next 24 hours”. Success must be measured by whether the Board of Peace, international stabilization force and National Committee for the Administration of Gaza provide immediate protection for civilians; and in the long term, whether they move Gaza towards the required legal endpoint: The end of Israel’s unlawful presence and realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.“By these basic measure, the Board of Peace is failing,” she said.It has further entrenched Israel's unlawful presence and has allowed Israeli authorities to “deregister over 30 international organizations renowned for their capacity to deliver assistance worldwide in some of the most complex crises on earth".“Are you able to satisfy yourselves that you are clear about the facts on the ground? The trajectory of the situation in Gaza? Are you clear on the reasons why we are almost one year into the so-called ‘ceasefire’ and still advocating on the necessity of engine oil and fresh produce?”, she asked.“Are you clear on the intentions for the ‘planned communities’ being constructed in the south of Gaza under your mandate, and their compatibility with your obligations to ensure the protection of Palestinians' fundamental rights? She encouraged the Council to undertake an urgent mission to Gaza. “Let the reality on the ground, the facts, our colleagues and Palestinians speak to you themselves. We are here and we are ready to receive you,” she stressed.

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25 August 2026

Gaza: Children still at risk despite drop in acute hunger

By another, however, many of them may never fully recover, according to a new study by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released on Monday.Key pointsFamine was reported in August 2025 following two years of the Hamas-Israel war that saw Israel severely restrict entry of food into the Occupied Palestinian Territory and launch attacks that destroyed 87 per cent of croplandAfter the October 2025 ceasefire, Israel has allowed more humanitarian aid into Gaza, which in turn experienced increased food securityFurther improvements were seen between 31 May and 15 June 2026, with only around one per cent of children now showing signs of acute malnutrition, or severe wasting, but long-term effects of acute hunger remainHunger damage may be permanentAccording to the new UNICEF survey, 12.2 per cent – one in eight children – were chronically malnourished, or stunted, reflecting the cumulative toll of more than two years of war even as humanitarian aid had scaled up since the October 2025 ceasefire.For the latter group, the damage may be permanent: stunting can affect a child’s brain development, learning ability and future health for the rest of their lives.“Acute malnutrition can improve within weeks,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. “The wider damage does not.” Mass starvation avertedIn August 2025, a UN-backed measure of food insecurity, IPC, confirmed famine in Gaza.At the time, humanitarian access had been severely restricted since the war began in 2023, and 17,000 children were admitted for acute malnutrition treatment that month at hospitals in Gaza.Since the October ceasefire, Israel eased restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, which has helped prevent mass starvation. The same figure dropped to 3,000 by March 2026, but it hasn’t been enough to protect children’s long-term growth and development.Low birth weight babiesNearly one in 10 women of reproductive age were themselves malnourished, according to the survey. These mothers are at risk of having low birth weight babies and unwittingly passing on their nutrient deprivation to their children.Additionally, the survey found that rates of breastfeeding remained high, but only between 20 and 30 per cent of toddlers ate a sufficiently diverse diet, according to multiple measures.“Behind these numbers are children who are not getting the diverse, nutritious food they need to grow and stay healthy,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday.Calls for sustained aid accessChildren who become ill in Gaza often cannot access treatment, especially for diarrhoea, the survey found, and vaccination rates fall short of the crucial herd immunity threshold.UNICEF’s survey measured nearly 1,335 children and interviewed more than 2,000 households, making it representative of the Gazan population living in accessible areas.“We continue to call for sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, including for fuel, continued funding for nutrition, health, water and sanitation services and open commercial markets, so that children and families can get the food and essential services they need to prevent further deterioration,” Mr. Dujarric said.Underlying conditions remainUNICEF warned that the situation remains fragile as sustained humanitarian access is pivotal.The findings illustrate what UN agencies have warned for years: humanitarian aid works in the short term to address crises, but any disruption to aid, new displacement or disease outbreak could push acute malnutrition rates back up very quickly.Despite gains, the underlying drivers of long-term health, including poor diet diversity, sick mothers, recurring childhood illness, incomplete vaccination and deworming, remain.“Children need safe water, health care, and diverse and nutritious food, not only enough calories to survive,” Mr. Beigbeder said.A report released by UNICEF alongside the survey results recommended:Keeping malnutrition treatment running in the near termShifting from crisis response toward prevention in the medium termRebuilding primary healthcare and food systems in the longer termLearn more about UN efforts in the Occupied Palestinian Territory here.

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21 April 2026

Gaza: Human development set back 77 years as recovery costs rise to $71 billion

with $71.4 billion needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction.That’s according to the final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), jointly conducted with the UN-partnered World Bank.The assessment says $26.3 billion will be needed in the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure and support economic recovery.Since full-scale war erupted in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023, the physical damage in the Strip is estimated at $35.2 billion, with a further $22.7 billion in economic and social losses.Entire sectors have been devastated, including housing, health, education, commerce, and agriculture. Over 371,888 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, more than 50 per cent of hospitals are non-functional, and nearly all schools have been destroyed or damaged. The economy has contracted by 84 per cent.Devastating human toll The impact on the lives of Gazans is just as devastating: more than 60 per cent of the population having lost their homes and 1.9 million people displaced, often multiple times. Women, children, persons with disabilities, and those with pre-existing vulnerabilities bear the greatest burden.Over two years of conflict has resulted in more than 71,000 Palestinian fatalities and over 171,000 injured, according to local authorities, with many still missing under the rubble. Framework for reconstructionThe report provides the foundation for early recovery planning and reconstruction, stressing it must must run in parallel with humanitarian action to ensure an effective transition from emergency relief toward reconstruction at scale in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.The assessment is framed in line with Security Council adopted resolution 2803 (2025) of the US-backed Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, which welcomed establishment of the Board of Peace led by President Trump as a transitional administration to set the framework for redevelopment and authorised the mechanism to set up a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF). The EU and UN emphasise that recovery and reconstruction should be Palestinian-led and should support the transition of governance to the Palestinian Authority, while advancing a durable political settlement based on the two-State solution.Planning and implementation should be inclusive, transparent, and accountable, with particular attention to the needs of women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities.Conditions neededThe assessment recognises that a set of enabling conditions are essential for recovery, reconstruction, and implementation of the broader political framework:A sustained ceasefire and adequate securityUnimpeded humanitarian access and immediate restoration of essential servicesFree movement of people, goods, and reconstruction materials, within and between Gaza and the West Bank, and a functional, transparent financial systemClear, accountable governance, including defined mandates and establishment of conditions for the transitional administrative bodies in coordination with the Palestinian Authority (PA)A credible pathway for the PA’s future governance across the entire Occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is essentialDebris clearance, explosive ordnance management, and resolution of housing, land, and property rights are prerequisites for reconstruction.The international community must mobilise resources in a targeted, sequenced, coordinated mannerAll obstacles to the deployment of expertise and equipment must be removed rapidly

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20 August 2026

Raising alarm over new illegal Israeli outposts, UN condemns attacks, incitement against Palestinians

While the UN rights office called on Israel to condemn its national security minister’s words that incite “violence amounting to atrocity crimes” against Palestinians.Key pointsIsraeli operation traps around 40,000 Palestinians in West BankIsraeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s comments “encourage further unlawful mass killings of Palestinians”UN chief António Guterres calls on Israel to halt settlement plans, in line with International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion“The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the reports of new illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including new tenders, including for the E1 area,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday.The controversial E1 settlement plan approved last year includes a tender for more than 1,200 new housing units issued by the Israeli Government this week. It would effectively sever the connection between occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank and bisect north and south, triggering severe consequences for the territorial integrity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and present an existential threat to the two-State solution.The Secretary-General called on Israel to refrain from taking any further steps in this regard and to act in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and in line with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 which said Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank including East Jerusalem “is unlawful”.West Bank siegeRoughly 40,000 people, including children, are currently under curfew and not permitted to leave their homes in Dahiriya in Hebron after Israeli forces launched an operation on Wednesday.Israeli forces imposed a curfew, deployed snipers on rooftop, blocked roads with earth mounds, made arrests and used at least seven Palestinian homes as interrogation centres, according to UN humanitarian partners that are providing support to residents.“This is having an immediate humanitarian impact because people cannot replenish supplies, access essential services or just get to their workplaces,” the UN Spokesperson said. “Homes and families must be protected, and any security operation must be conducted in a manner that respects international law, including the protection and dignity of civilians.”Israel continues Gaza attacksNear daily deadly Israeli attacks, gunfire, missile launches and airstrikes continue despite the October 2025 provisional ceasefire plan that ended the two-year Israel-Hamas war. UN partners leading on security and safety reported Israeli military activities on areas located to the west of the so-called “Yellow Line”, a series of painted cement blocks Israel installed following the ceasefire.According to initial local reports, an Israeli airstrike killed at least seven people and injured others in a Gaza seaport on Tuesday, with fresh attacks reported on Wednesday.“Such incidents put civilians at risk and will restrict their ability to seek safety, medical care and humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Dujarric said.‘Beyond bounds of humanity’On the heels of comments on Palestinians by Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, that incite “violence amounting to atrocity crimes”, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued a terse statement on Wednesday.“The latest comments by Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, advocating and inciting violence amounting to atrocity crimes, are yet another example of the utter contempt for international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the basic tenets of humanity displayed by senior Israeli Government officials,” OHCHR said.“It is beyond the bounds of humanity.”These “dehumanising remarks” follow the devastating human toll of 73,400 Palestinians killed and 174,312 injured in Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, alongside 1,123 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank,” OHCHR said.Israel must condemn incitementThe UN rights office pointed out that in January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) handed down binding provisional measures requiring Israel to “take all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide in relation to members of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip” following South Africa’s case against Israel.“Today, in the wake of the utter destruction of Gaza and unrelenting Israeli settler attacks and forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, statements from senior Israeli officials to justify and encourage further unlawful mass killings of Palestinians continue unabated,” OHCHR said.OHCHR called on the Israeli Government to unequivocally condemn and investigate instances of incitement against Palestinians.

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19 August 2026

Gaza: Only three per cent of cropland available to grow food

Amid ongoing deadly hostilities in Gaza, the enclave’s farmers face the increasingly difficult challenge of finding safe land to grow their crops.Satellite images published on Tuesday in news analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNOSAT, the UN Satellite Centre, indicate that just three per cent (448 hectares) of the shattered enclave’s farmland remains usable. In October 2025, only 601 hectares were accessible and undamaged.“This latest assessment paints a stark picture of the continued deterioration of Gaza’s agriculture sector,” said Rein Paulsen, Director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience. “Without urgent action to restore safe access and provide farmers with the support they need, opportunities to restore local food production will continue to diminish.”Bombed outFor cucumber and tomato grower Taysir Dahdouh, the war between Hamas fighters and Israel sparked by Hamas’s deadly attacks in October 2023 has been marked by overwhelming loss.“I had a good income before the war,” he said. “Suddenly, we were left with nothing…Even the steel frames of the greenhouses disappeared, along with our homes, belongings, and irrigation pipes. Nothing was left.”After returning from displacement, Mr. Dahdouh tried to restore the land using basic tools, working with his family. “We managed to rehabilitate about one dunum (about one-tenth of a hectare) of our land to bring it back to life,” he explained.Another Gaza farmer, Wajiha Dahdouh, highlighted other equally serious problems: “We came back to support ourselves and return to farming so we could survive. Unfortunately, there is not enough water, there are no fertilizers, no seeds, and none of the basic necessities that would allow people to continue their lives.”Squeezed outThe reduced growing space for Gaza’s farmers today is mainly the result of a lack of access, rather than additional damage from the war, which was already massive.In June 2026, just over 4,000 hectares of cropland in Gaza – or 27 per cent – could be reached, but approximately 3,600 hectares of this was unfit for planting.Farmers in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis have seen the largest reductions in available land, FAO said. This is primarily because of the “westward expansion” of the so-called ‘Yellow Line’ that separates the ceasefire zone from the Israel Defense Forces’ military-controlled area.Rafah in the far south of Gaza has the highest levels of inaccessible cropland and greenhouse growing areas, at 97.2 per cent and 98.4 per cent respectively.“The most extensive physical damage remains concentrated in North Gaza and Gaza governorates,” the agency noted. Most damage is in North Gaza and Gaza, satellite images show.The situation for Gazans remains dire. Just this weekend, UN partners reported multiple air strikes and incidents of shelling, gunfire and naval fire, primarily west of the Yellow Line, where most of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are now confined to an area less than half the size of the enclave.

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18 August 2026

Aid reaches trapped Palestinian families in northern West Bank

The UN said on Monday, as officials warned that the standoff must not become "the new normal."UN teams on the ground reached the families after they were confined to their homes following the establishment of an Israeli settlement outpost nearby and the imposition of tighter access restrictions, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at the daily noon briefing.Some reliefA UNICEF team delivered water, food, medicines, hygiene items and recreational kits for children. As of Monday, however, the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) reported that three Palestinian families in the village remained surrounded by a heavy presence of Israeli forces and settlers.Separately, municipal workers managed to repair water and electricity connections that had been damaged over the past week, though only after facing serious impediments – Israeli settlers attacked the workers, and Israeli forces detained some of them, Mr. Dujarric said. Israeli forces also reportedly ordered a nearby Palestinian factory to suspend operations, affecting local livelihoods.Elsewhere in the West Bank, multiple people were injured over the weekend, including by live ammunition, in two separate incidents in Hebron governorate involving Israeli forces, settlers and Palestinians.Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov, who is also the humanitarian coordinator, said recent developments in the West Bank underscore the urgent need to protect civilians, safeguard homes and property, and ensure access to essential services.The update follows an appeal from the UN rights office (OHCHR) last Thursday, after three Palestinian families – around 15 people, including at least two children – were left confined to their homes "in a state of terror" in Qusra's Ras al Ein area, with settlers accused of cutting off their power and water. The attacks are part of a pattern of escalating settler violence in Qusra since a nearby outpost was established in November 2025, OHCHR said.Gaza: Strikes and shelter shortagesIn Gaza, humanitarian partners remain concerned about the impact of continued Israeli strikes on civilians, Mr. Dujarric told correspondents in New York. Over the weekend, UN partners reported multiple air strikes and incidents of shelling, gunfire and naval fire, primarily west of the so-called Yellow Line, where most of Gaza's 2.1 million people are now confined to an area covering less than half of the enclave’s former land mass. Civilians were reported among the casualties.Humanitarian partners also warned that preparations for the coming rainy season are facing funding shortfalls and other constraints, even as the need for them becomes more urgent. Tents barred from entryAhead of winter, the UN and its partners have managed to purchase fewer than 30,000 tents – most of which remain stuck outside Gaza – against an estimated need of between 80,000 and 130,000, depending on whether more durable shelter materials are allowed in. Such materials still cannot be brought into the Gaza Strip.Less than 40 per cent of the $4 billion required for humanitarian support across Gaza and the West Bank has been secured so far this year.

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17 August 2026

900 obstacles and counting: West Bank families trapped as aid access shrinks

Humanitarians continue to provide life-saving assistance to people across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the United Nations said. In the West Bank, aid partners warn that their work “is being delayed and limited by a network of over 900 physical obstacles – including checkpoints, gates, roadblocks and other restrictions,” UN Associate Spokesperson Daniela Gross told journalists in New York. On Friday, humanitarian and municipal workers were struggling to secure access to three Palestinian families in Qusra village near Nablus who have been trapped since Tuesday following the establishment of a settlement next to their homes and the tightening of access restrictions in the area. Serve and protect The UN human rights office, OHCHR, previously warned that “time is running out” before the families are forcibly displaced. Ms. Gross said UN partners and municipal workers had been trying to deliver food, water, milk formula, medicines and hygiene items to them, without success. “Our colleagues warn that efforts to protect Palestinians have been ineffective, with settlers reportedly reinstalling a tent that Israeli forces had dismantled yesterday,” she said. Dire situation in the north She added that the humanitarian situation in the northern West Bank “remains particularly severe”. Since January, UN partners have provided psychosocial support, case management, and services for children with disabilities, and other vital assistance.Nearly 30,000 children and 15,000 adults have been served during this period. Support in Gaza Meanwhile, humanitarians in the Gaza Strip continue to provide vital aid to the population despite persistent insecurity and restrictions.  Last week, the UN and partners mobilized rapid support for people who had lost their shelters or were displaced again due to attacks, domestic fires and other incidents. More than a dozen reported incidents linked to attacks affected nearly 290 households, while two households were affected by domestic fires — a recurring danger in overcrowded shelters where families lack proper energy sources to cook their meals.Another five households were affected by the placement of new yellow cement blocks, which often signal expanded areas where access is restricted and can trigger further displacement. Most of the appeals for help last week came from northern Gaza and Deir al Balah, with teams tailoring response to meet families’ specific needs. Summer school In other developments, as of last week more than 300,000 children in Gaza continued to participate in summer learning programmes supported by UN partners.These organizations have also installed shade structures in 10 temporary learning spaces to address the extreme heat in the Strip.

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12 August 2026

Alakbarov: The West Bank is at the breaking point, and settler violence has reached unprecedented levels

“The West Bank is at the breaking point,” Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov warned.As of 10 August, he said, 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in 2026, as had three Israelis - including one civilian and two Israeli security force members.In 2026 alone, 3,800 Palestinians - nearly half of them children - have been displaced due to settler violence, demolitions and evictions. “Settler violence has reached unprecedented levels,” he stressed, noting that the UN has documented more than 1,430 incidents this year, affecting some 260 Palestinian communities.“The pattern is clear”, he said: Palestinians are being forcibly displaced across the West Bank before settlers seize the vacated land.Settler attacks, previously concentrated in Area C, are increasingly reported in Area B and even Area A.Resolution 2803 (2025)“The situation in the West Bank must be treated as an emergency requiring urgent action,” Mr. Alakbarov implored.The interconnected steps being taken are reshaping the West Bank, weakening Palestinian governance and advancing de facto annexation.If the situation continues to unravel, it will undermine implementation of resolution 2803 (2025) and erode the prospects for realizing a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian peace based on the two-State solution.He called for implementing resolution 2803 (2025) "immediately and in full", together with the New York Declaration.After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in October 2025, the Security Council adopted resolution 2803 (2025), which endorses a peace plan for Gaza put forward by United States President Donald Trump and a temporary international force in the enclave following two years of war.By a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with permanent members China and the Russian Federation abstaining, the text endorses the Comprehensive Plan announced by the United States President on 29 September.The first phase of the 20-point plan led to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel days later.Child killed every week in West BankUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Executive Director Hannan Sulieman told the story of a grandmother in the West Bank who was afraid to leave her home after a grenade was thrown into her kitchen while her grandchildren were inside."The fundamental spaces of childhood – the home, the classroom, the street, the community – are becoming increasingly unsafe," she warned.Between January 2024 and July 2026, 174 Palestinian children were verified killed by the UN in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem - “more than one child every week”, she said, offering context.More than 1,500 children were injured – nearly half of them by live ammunition. Over the same period, 3 Israeli children were killed and 15 injured.As well, she voiced that 355 Palestinian children from the West Bank are being held in Israeli military detention – “the highest number in eight years”.She pressed the Council to protect children, end the forced displacement of Palestinian families, protect access to education and healthcare and safeguard humanitarian operations.“Children in the West Bank have the same rights as children everywhere,” she said: To live, to learn, to be protected and to imagine a future beyond violence and fear.UN: West Bank settler violence hits ‘all-time high’Violence in the occupied West Bank is worsening as the Israeli Government continues to approve new settlements while settlers and Israeli security forces have “often” acted together to attack local Palestinian communities, the UN’s human rights office, OHCHR, warned.There were about 190 settler attacks per month in the first four months of 2026, putting the West Bank on a trajectory to reach more than 2,000 attacks by the end of the year.Alongside security forces, Israeli settlers in the West Bank, with financial incentives from the Government, frequently attack families, burn mosques and destroy and confiscate property, OHCHR reported.Movement restrictions preventing Palestinians from accessing essential services are now tighter than ever, the office added.

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Press Release

04 September 2026

Israeli forces expelled Palestinian refugees from three West Bank camps, in violation of international law – UN report

The report, titled Destruction of Palestinian refugee camps in northern West Bank, says Israeli military, police and other forces deployed as part of the ongoing Operation Iron Wall killed civilians, destroyed hundreds of homes, damaged roads and other infrastructure, cut off water and electricity and barred humanitarian access into the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps, and went door to door forcing residents to leave. Some 52 per cent of structures in the Jenin refugee camp, 48 per cent in Nur Shams refugee camp and 36 per cent in Tulkarm refugee camp had been destroyed or damaged in the Israeli operation by October 2025.The three camps are among a total of 19 in the West Bank that were established to shelter Palestinian refugees after the mass forced expulsion during the Nakba in 1948 and have been administered by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).“A few days into Operation Iron Wall, Israeli security forces consolidated their control over the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps and forcibly displaced their population in their entirety,” says the report, which is based on independent monitoring and documentation by the UN Human Rights Office.The Office was informed by some of the Palestinians displaced that they were told by Israeli officers there would be no more refugee camps and that they should “all go to Jordan.”The report emphasises that large-scale, long-term and systematic displacement of over 33,000 Palestinians from refugee camps during Israel’s Operation Iron Wall raises serious concerns of the crime against humanity of forcible transfer. The use of airstrikes, armored bulldozers and controlled detonations, to render entire camps uninhabitable, to force the displacement of their residents and to prevent their return, in the absence of imperative military necessity, are not permissible under international law, appear to amount to collective punishment and raise concerns of ethnic cleansing.“The way Operation Iron Wall has been conducted suggests its aim was to expel as many Palestinians as possible and to make way for more illegal Israeli settlements, in further violation of international law,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.“Israel must end its 59-year occupation of Palestinian territory and halt any efforts to forcibly displace more Palestinians and to further break the contiguity of a future Palestinian state. It must take steps to comply with its obligations under international law, as clarified by the International Court of Justice’s explicit conclusion – already more than two years ago – that it must end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible.”Some 102 Palestinians, including 21 children were killed by Israeli forces during the operation in the period covered by the report, representing 46 percent of all killings by Israeli forces in the West Bank during that period.They carried out airstrikes, used combat drones and shoulder-launched explosive projectiles – all of them weapons designed for war and not for law enforcement operations – and killed and injured many unarmed people who posed no apparent threat to them. Sondos Shalabi, who was eight months pregnant, was shot dead as she tried to drive away from Nur Shams camp; Saddam Hussein Rajab, aged 10, was shot in the stomach in Tulkarm while waiting for his father so that they could go to the mosque together; and 43-year-old Ahmad Nimer Al-Shayeb was shot as he was attempting to leave Jenin by car. In another incident in Jenin, a two-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces while having dinner with her mother and aunt.The Israeli occupying authorities claim those killed in the operation were terrorists. However, an Israeli internal investigation into the killing of eight-months pregnant Shalabi, for instance, found that she was shot because she was looking suspiciously at the ground. This after the Israeli military had reportedly loosened its rules of engagement in the occupied West Bank to permit soldiers to use live ammunition against people “messing with the ground” – on the suspicion of planting explosives.On 23 February 2025, Israel’s Defence Minister ordered the Israeli military to remain in the three camps and said Palestinians who were displaced from them would not be allowed to return. As of July this year, about 33,362 displaced Palestine refugees from these camps remained forcibly displaced, according to UNRWA.

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Press Release

24 August 2026

Gaza: Civilians Continue to Pay the Price as Deadly Attacks Persist

These incidents are a stark reminder that, despite occasional drops in the number of reported attacks, civilians throughout Gaza remain exposed to persistent, unpredictable, lethal harm.Between 13 and 19 August, at least 22 Palestinians were reportedly killed in Israeli military attacks across Gaza. Under international humanitarian law, attacks directed at civilians, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, are prohibited. Such attacks may amount to war crimes and other atrocity crimes. The continuing pattern of attacks against police personnel and facilities in Gaza is alarming. UN Human Rights recorded an attack on 19 August on the Municipal Police headquarters in Gaza City, killing at least nine Palestinians, including a 13-year-old girl and eight police officers. Among the officers killed was the Director of the Women's Police in Gaza Governorate, Fatena Al-Sahar. The strike occurred in a densely populated area hosting large numbers of internally displaced people, injuring other civilians, including women and children.Between January and August 2026, UN Human Rights has recorded at least 18 Israeli attacks against police personnel in Gaza, resulting in the killing of at least 77 Palestinians, including 57 police personnel, six children and four women. Six of these attacks were carried out since June.Under international humanitarian law, police personnel are civilians protected against attacks. Targeting them is a war crime. They may lose this protection only if and for such time as they directly participate in hostilities. As the occupying Power, Israel has the obligation to ensure public order and safety. Such attacks further dismantle civilian law enforcement structures in Gaza and undermine protection to communities already subjected to wide-ranging human rights violations. The concentration of casualties in these attacks, in densely populated civilian areas, including a café, a tent sheltering internally displaced people, a civilian vehicle, and police headquarters surrounded by displaced families, is part of a wider pattern of indiscriminate and disproportionate Israeli attacks against Palestinians documented by UN Human Rights since October 2023."It is hard to see any ‘military necessity’ of Israel’s ongoing attacks across a decimated landscape, which continue to kill and maim civilians, including children and police personnel,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of UN Human Rights’ office in Palestine. “The right to life is the foundational right for all. But it seems in Gaza, there is no respect left for human rights as death, injury and destruction continue day after day.”

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Press Release

13 August 2026

Settler encroachments and attacks on Palestinian homes are beyond a boiling point

Since the establishment of an Israeli settler outpost near Qusra, a Palestinian town located in Nablus Governorate in Area B of the occupied West Bank in November 2025, Israeli settlers have reportedly taken control of the area west of the town, located in Area B. During this time, Palestinians living in Qusra have endured increasingly frequent attacks by settlers, including home invasions, physical assaults, acts of vandalism, theft and arson, including against a local mosque.In an emblematic case of settler violence, in July, Israeli settlers from an outpost located in the Ras al Ein area of Qusra cut the water and electricity supply to three Palestinian homes located nearby. Then, on 9 August, the settlers closed all the gates and entrances leading to these Palestinian homes and set up a tent between the houses, refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave the area. This has resulted in three Palestinian households, comprising some 15 people including at least two children, being trapped inside their homes in a state of terror, unable to attend to their basic needs and without access to water or electricity.The families reported that they requested Israeli security forces present at the site to intervene, but to no avail. Instead, Israeli security forces seem to have blocked medics, solidarity activists and journalists from reaching the families. In a sign that could indicate collusion between the ISF and settlers, video footage shows soldiers praying together with settlers at the location. On 12 August, soldiers eventually dismantled the settlers’ tent without removing the settlers who, as of 13 August, are still surrounding the homes. These criminal actions by the settlers, supported or acquiesced to by Israel, the Occupying Power, are making life unbearable for these Palestinian families, and are clearly aimed at forcing them to leave their homes and land. Time is running out for these three families before they are forcibly displaced.The International Court of Justice is clear that all Israeli settlements are illegal and that Israel is obligated to cease all settlement activities, evacuate all settlers, including those terrorizing Qusra and Jalud, and bring to an end its unlawful presence in the West Bank. In the meantime, Israel must comply with its obligations under the laws of occupation to ensure the security of the local Palestinian population, which includes preventing attacks by Israeli settlers unlawfully present in the occupied West Bank, investigating such attacks and ensuring accountability of those found responsible for conducting, supporting or tolerating these attacks, including through the imposition of sentences commensurate to the abuses and violations.

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Press Release

13 August 2026

UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) concerned over Israel’s ill-treatment, violence and confiscation of belongings from Gaza returnees

Between 7 July and 4 August 2026, hundreds of returnees described prolonged and exhausting journeys. In just one day, in July, 54 of 92 returnees reported that some or all of their personal belongings had been confiscated, including medicines and assistive devices.In early August, an older man reported that, after objecting to money being missing from his belongings, Israel soldiers beat and handcuffed him, dragged him along the ground, detained him in a small room, and then transferred him to a bus.In another instance, there were reports of unnecessary intrusive searches and degrading treatment. Two women returning together reported that they were taken separately into closed areas and subjected to an intrusive body search by a female Israeli soldier, being required to remove their clothes while being filmed by a surveillance camera, after a metal necklace worn by one of them had triggered a security alarm.These reports are consistent with concerns documented during earlier crossings, where returnees described verbal abuse, intimidation, interrogations, violent handling and theft from their luggage.Children face additional vulnerabilities. A four-year-old girl arrived in Gaza alone after her father was prevented from returning to Gaza. Upon her arrival, humanitarian partners had to initiate family tracing to help reunite her with her mother and uncle.“These violations we are seeing against Palestinians returning to Gaza are part of a broader pattern of violations and dehumanization, and are discouraging people from returning,” said Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “These are vulnerable people returning to their occupied land that has been devastated by years of Israeli bombardment and starved of life’s basic essentials. And now they are having to endure this on their return? It is simply abhorrent.”

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