News Links - 29 March - 5 April

 

5 April - Over one month blockade on Gaza continues to harm children, UN defends and extends Albanese’s mandate, UNICEF Canada urges voters to keep children foremost in their minds during elections.

Statement by survivor and videos from the phone of one of the 15 paramedics killed in Gaza disprove Israel's contention that their convoy approached site without flashing lights and headlights.

More than a million children in Gaza have been cut off from lifesaving humanitarian assistance for over a month due to ongoing Israeli restrictions, according to UNICEF. The agency warns that the denial of food, water, and medicine is pushing Gaza’s youngest into a preventable catastrophe. 

Meanwhile, the United Nations reaffirmed its support for Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, rejecting calls for her removal and defending the independence of UN mandates. The UN Human Rights Council not only backed Albanese but also formally extended her term until 2028. 

In Canada, UNICEF Canada issued a public message urging voters and political leaders to keep the rights and needs of children front and center in the upcoming federal elections. The organization highlighted its core policy asks, emphasizing health, education, and protection as national priorities.

4 April - Reverberations from the atrocity in Gaza, Revenge killings in Sudan and cholera in the DRC

Gaza - In an editorial The Guardian calls Israel's killing of 15 aid workers a 'war crime'.  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights demands an independent thorough investigation into the killings. 

In the DRC a fresh outbreak of cholera with 1,450 cases and 27 deaths risks a wider epidemic in the midst of continuing armed clashes between M23 and local groups.  

Sudan - multiple videos and reports of executions in Khartoum following the Army's capture of the city have led to calls on the Army chief to hold the perpetrators to account and restore law and order..

3 April – Kapila calls for a rethink on foreign aid, US airstrikes in Yemen worsen already dire humanitarian situation,  Israeli Court Supports Govt blockade on Gaza, DOGE-UN calls for UN accountability 

Mukesh Kapila says that donor governments need to rethink foreign aid, moving away from short-term, donor-driven agendas toward more sustainable and locally-led development initiatives.

DOGE-UN has written to a US Senate Caucus calling for cost-cutting and accountability at the UN.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel ended the ceasefire, adding to the over 50,000 killed since the war began.  In the past two days alone some 100,000 people  have been displaced from Rafah.

The UN labels as 'ridiculous' Israel's claim that there is plenty of food available in Gaza.  Meanwhile, Israel’s High Court rejected a petition demanding greater humanitarian access to Gaza, ruling that Israel is not obligated to ensure delivery of aid inside the enclave—a decision that departs from international legal interpretations of occupation.  

In Yemen U.S. airstrikes raised fresh concerns over civilian harm and escalation.  

2 April – Aid Suspended, Bodies Found, and US House pushes to block Albanese 
In Gaza, the U.N. closed its final bakeries as supplies ran out, while the body of one Red Cross worker remains missing after 15 were recovered from a mass grave. The U.N. condemned the killings and called for accountability. 

In the DRC, over 600 executions and widespread sexual violence were documented in areas taken by M23 rebels. 

Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers pushed to block the reappointment of Francesca Albanese as U.N. Special Rapporteur, citing alleged antisemitism.

1 April – Gaza and West Bank Toll Grows for children, Rethinking Progress, and Trump’s U.N. Threat

UNICEF says that at least 322 children have been killed in Gaza over the last 10 days as Israeli strikes intensify. The figures come amid intensifying bombardments in Rafah and northern Gaza, with all aid blocked by Israel, hospitals overwhelmed and food supplies critically low. Humanitarian agencies warn of worsening conditions and call again for a ceasefire and full access to aid.

A 17-year-old from the West Bank has died in an Israeli prison after being detained for 6 months without charges. During the period he was jailed his lawyer was denied access to meet him.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is leading efforts to move "beyond GDP", urging countries to measure well-being, equity, and sustainability alongside economic growth—a shift long advocated by development experts.

Meanwhile, a new warning in PassBlue that a second Trump presidency could bring severe disruption to the U.N., with budget cuts, ideological attacks, and efforts to weaken human rights norms from within.

31 March – Reports of Execution-Style Killings in Gaza, UN Warns of Aid Collapse, and Amnesty Urges Access in Myanmar

A forensic doctor in Gaza has provided evidence of execution-style killings of 15 Palestinian aid workers, including medics and a UN employee, allegedly shot at close range by Israeli forces. The UN warned that Gaza’s humanitarian system is collapsing, with fuel, food, and medicine nearly gone and attacks on humanitarian staff rising sharply. In Myanmar, Amnesty International urged the military government to allow immediate aid access for earthquake survivors, warning that longstanding restrictions are putting lives at risk.

29-30 March  – Aid Restrictions in Gaza, Mass Displacement in West Bank, and U.S. Cuts Funding to Syria's White Helmets

Israel has discontinued a system that previously allowed aid workers to operate safely in Gaza, prompting humanitarian agencies to reduce services due to growing security risks. In the West Bank, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the past month amid intensified Israeli military operations—the largest such displacement in decades. Meanwhile, the U.S. administration terminated funding for Syria's White Helmets, a volunteer rescue organization, raising alarms about the future of humanitarian relief in the war-torn country.