News Links 13 - 19 July 2025

 

July 19 – Key developments today include visa denials by Israel for UN officials, a UN investigation into Western arms exports, and escalating violence in Gaza.

Visas Denied – Israel has refused to renew the visa of Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories. Other UN agency heads (e.g., UNRWA, UN Women) have also faced visa restrictions, a move seen as retaliation against UN criticism of Israel’s Gaza operations and its aid policies (The Washington Post).

Western Arms Scrutiny – A UN committee, the CERD, has launched a formal inquiry into U.S. and Canadian arms exports—bombs, jets and weapons—examining whether supplying Israel could violate international law amid allegations of enabling atrocities in Gaza (JURIST).

Gaza Toll Mounts – Israeli strikes have killed more than 50 Palestinians today, including dozens near food-aid sites in Rafah. The World Food Programme warns that the enclave is on the "verge of catastrophic hunger" with an estimated one in three Gazans going without food for days (aljazeera.com.

Sudan Vaccines – Amid ongoing civil war, routine vaccination rates in Sudan have plunged from over 90% in 2022 to just 48% in 2025, the lowest globally. Around 838,000 children missed all routine jabs, raising the specter of measles and other deadly outbreaks in displacement camps. WHO and UNICEF warn that this crisis risks catastrophic spread of disease, as reported by The Guardian.

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July 18 – UN agencies in Gaza face mounting pressure from Israel, sectarian violence surges in Syria, and aid groups defend ties to BCG despite Gaza aid scandal

• UN Agencies Israel has refused to renew visas for the heads of three UN agencies operating in Gaza—OCHA, OHCHR, and UNRWA. UN officials say the move is in response to their reporting on civilian protection and warn that it is obstructing humanitarian efforts, according to this UN report.

• Commission Resignations Three members of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including chair Navi Pillay, have stepped down, citing personal reasons such as age and health. They dismissed claims their resignations were linked to fears of sanctions, affirming the decision was made jointly and independently, as reported by Middle East Eye.

• Syria Hundreds have been killed and nearly 2,000 families displaced in Sweida province, where sectarian fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin groups has escalated. UN officials report summary executions, looting, and hospital overloads, while Israeli airstrikes have added to the chaos. For background, see News & Views' Analysis of Syria's latest Druze Bedouin conflict.

• Sudan Childhood vaccination rates in Sudan have collapsed to 48 percent, the lowest in over four decades, leaving nearly 880,000 infants at risk of preventable disease. The war has crippled the health system, halted services, and devastated the pharmaceutical industry, though some vaccine deliveries and factory operations are slowly resuming, according to News.Az.

• BCG Scandal Several major aid groups—including UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the World Bank—are defending their continued contracts with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), despite the firm’s central role in the widely criticized Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF). Internal investigations have been launched, but organizations argue that BCG’s past involvement does not justify severing ties, as reported by The New Humanitarian.

• Vaccine Program Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving to overhaul the U.S. Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a pillar of childhood immunization policy. Experts warn that expanding the list of compensable ailments or weakening manufacturer protections could destabilize the vaccine supply, driving producers out of the market as they did in the 1980s. Kennedy has repeated debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and hinted at broader actions that could dismantle legal safeguards, according to this investigation by ProPublica.

July 17 – Gaza’s humanitarian collapse, Sudan’s arms spillover, and India’s adoption crisis dominate today’s reports.

Gaza
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher told the Security Council that conditions in Gaza defy description, with acute child malnutrition, collapsing medical services, and children being killed while waiting for food. UNICEF’s Catherine Russell reported that 28 children are killed daily on average, describing the enclave as a place where “there is no safe space for civilians.” Both officials demanded safe, sustained humanitarian access, restoration of the aid pipeline, and accountability from all parties under international law.

Sudan
The UN warns that the war in Sudan is fueling a flow of looted, advanced arms into South Sudan, in direct violation of the UN arms embargo. The smuggled weapons are linked to military stockpiles seized by rival factions in Sudan, with implications for regional stability.

India
An RTI-based investigation reveals a deepening adoption crisis in India, with 13 prospective families for every child legally cleared for adoption. Families often wait up to five years, amid legal bottlenecks and lack of reforms, while thousands of institutionalized children remain outside the adoption system.

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July 16 – Sudan atrocity, UNICEF funding threats, ICC threats, and rising chaos around Gaza aid distribution.

Sudan
UN officials strongly condemned the killing of at least 35 children during attacks in North Kordofan, Sudan, where over 460 civilians were reportedly killed. UNICEF’s Catherine Russell called the violence “unconscionable” and urged all parties to protect children, according to UN News.

UK Funding
UNICEF UK’s income fell by £25 million last year due to a sharp decline in emergency donations. The drop raises concerns about sustaining future humanitarian operations, according to Third Sector.

US Politics
A new Bulwark report reveals that House Republicans are advancing budget proposals that threaten to slash U.S. funding to UNICEF. Critics warn the move could undermine global child health and education programs.

UN Appointments
Devex profiles Lynda Blanchard, Trump’s pick to lead U.S. relations with UN food agencies. Blanchard, a former real estate investor and ambassador to Slovenia, is expected to take a politicized approach to food security and multilateral aid.

UN Reform
An internal evaluation of the UN’s development system finds the resident coordinator model underperforming and largely symbolic. Devex reports that the system lacks authority and budget control, prompting renewed calls for structural reform as the UN marks its 80th anniversary.

ICC – Netanyahu Case
Al Jazeera reports that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan was allegedly threatened by Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA and Mossad, with personal and institutional destruction if he proceeded with war crimes charges against Israeli leaders. The threats are reportedly detailed in a classified document shared among intelligence officials, according to Al Jazeera.

Gaza – Stampede
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in a stampede at a humanitarian aid distribution site in Khan Younis. Some reports cite crowd panic, while others mention the use of tear gas or pepper spray; the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation blamed agitators in the crowd, according to Proto Thema.

Gaza – GHF Fallout
An NPR report highlights growing controversy around the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The organization’s public face, Israeli restaurateur Shahar Segal, has stepped down amid criticism of the aid effort’s perceived ties to the Israeli military and unsafe conditions at aid points.

Gaza – Talks in Cairo
Egypt is hosting trilateral talks with Qatar and Israel aimed at improving humanitarian access to Gaza and negotiating ceasefire mechanisms. According to Ahram Online, progress was made on medical evacuations and delivery corridors.

July 15 – Global childhood immunization progress remains fragile, with over 14 million infants entirely unvaccinated in 2024 and deepening inequality across regions. Meanwhile, internal discord in Israel and criticism from UN agencies cast further doubt on the controversial “humanitarian city” plan in Gaza.

Global Immunization
In 2024, 14.3 million infants received no routine vaccines at all, up from pre-pandemic levels and far above global targets. According to WHO and UNICEF, nearly 20 million children missed at least one dose of the DTP vaccine, despite 115 million infants starting the schedule and 109 million completing it. A joint statement by the agencies warned that progress is stagnating, especially in fragile and conflict-affected states. Just nine countries—India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Indonesia, Angola, Afghanistan, and the Philippines—accounted for over half of all zero-dose children, reflecting the growing concentration of risk in places grappling with political instability, misinformation, and crumbling health systems (SciDev, Rediff).

European MMR Decline
In Europe, MMR vaccine coverage dropped for the second consecutive year, with second-dose rates falling from 92% to 91%, triggering outbreaks of measles and whooping cough. Romania reported nearly 30,700 measles cases in 2024—double the previous year’s tally and one of the highest in the region, according to UNICEF Romania.

Yemen Polio Campaign
WHO and UNICEF launched a rapid-response polio vaccination campaign in Yemen to address a variant type-2 poliovirus outbreak. The campaign aims to reach 1.3 million children in 120 high-risk districts with the novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2).

Francesca Albanese at Colombia Conference
Speaking at a UN regional gathering in Bogotá, Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese condemned the international community’s failure to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza and defended her report on the “economy of genocide.” She urged governments to pursue accountability, while Colombia’s foreign minister reaffirmed support for Palestinian rights and justice mechanisms (The Guardian).

UN Commission Resignations
Three members of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Israel and Palestine—Navi Pillay (chair), Chris Sidoti, and Miloon Kothari—resigned this month, citing age, health issues, and timing for “re‑constitution.” Their departure—the first group exit since the Human Rights Council’s inception in 2006—follows U.S. sanctions on member Francesca Albanese and exposes internal fractures in the UN’s Gaza investigation mechanism. Resignations were described as procedural by the commissioners, though critics labeled the commission “anti‑Israel” and urged its dismantling. Member states have until late August to propose replacements (AP, Times of Israel, Malay Mail).

Gaza Humanitarian City Dispute
A leaked plan for Israel’s so-called “humanitarian city” in central Gaza has drawn strong criticism from UN agencies, which say it lacks infrastructure, coordination, or any viable aid mechanism. Aid officials fear the plan is a cover for mass displacement rather than relief. Meanwhile, Israeli media report infighting within the Netanyahu cabinet over the concept, with the foreign and defense ministries reportedly at odds on implementation and international image. As Reuters notes, many observers see the effort as more political theater than practical humanitarian solution.

July 14 – Child malnutrition surges in Gaza,  WHO urges rapid adoption of a long-acting HIV prevention injection.

Gaza
UNICEF reports that over 5,800 children in Gaza were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in June, including more than 1,100 with severe acute malnutrition. The agency warns that siege conditions and conflict are driving child health to critical levels.

HIV Prevention & Treatment
The WHO has officially endorsed lenacapavir (LEN), a twice-yearly injectable drug shown to prevent nearly all HIV infections in clinical trials. In a UN statement, WHO described LEN as a breakthrough option for high-risk groups, alongside rapid diagnostic testing and simplified delivery. The agency also warned of declining global funding, especially for PEPFAR, and called for immediate integration of LEN into national HIV prevention programs.

July 13 – Israeli strikes kill dozens, including children, near Gaza aid and water sites

Gaza aid attacks
Israeli forces killed at least 31 Palestinians on Saturday near food and water distribution points in Gaza—one strike in Gaza City hit those queuing for aid, and another in Nuseirat killed at least 10 people, including six children, at a water station (Reuters).

Wider civilian toll
On Sunday, additional Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least 30 more, among them six children collecting water in Nuseirat, bringing the weekend toll to dozens. Gaza’s overall death toll has now surpassed 58,000, with more than half identified as women and children (AP News, The Guardian).