Gaza
Ceasefire Collapse & Aid Blockade: Ceasefire negotiations in Doha have collapsed, with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former U.S. President Trump withdrawing amid accusations of Hamas intransigence. Trump publicly urged Israel to “finish the job”. Meanwhile, Israeli offensives intensify, aid convoys are heavily restricted, and UN News reports rising deaths at distribution points and deepening hunger across Gaza. The Washington Post details how the blockade is fueling mass civilian suffering.
UN Accusations & Response: Israel has accused UN humanitarian staff of ties to Hamas and declared OCHA “no longer neutral.” UN aid chief Tom Fletcher demanded evidence, warning that unverified allegations threaten life‑saving operations. Israeli military officials told The New York Times they have no proof of systematic Hamas theft of UN aid.
UN Staff Perspective
UNICEF’s Sonia Silva Speaks: Sonia Silva, UNICEF Head of Office in Gaza, describes the devastation in Deir al‑Balah as almost apocalyptic. In a first-person account, she recounts sleepless, harrowing nights under bombardment and highlights the spirit of Palestinian colleagues who, despite exhaustion and loss, continue delivering vital services and comforting traumatized children in a place she calls “abandoned by humanity.”
Sudan
Return of Displaced: The UN reports that over 1.3 million internally displaced Sudanese have returned to their homes in recent months. Additionally, around 320,000 refugees who fled abroad—mainly to Egypt and South Sudan—have re-entered the country. Returns have occurred in areas deemed relatively safer, such as Khartoum, Sennar, and Al Jazirah, though humanitarian needs remain critical. The UN agencies are calling for urgent support to help returnees rebuild their lives and recover from the conflict.
July 25 – Humanitarian collapse worsens in Gaza and Darfur, while global recognition of Palestine expands and WASH and HIV efforts gain ground.
Gaza
Collapse and Catastrophe: Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues to spiral following the collapse of ceasefire talks in Doha, with U.S. and Israeli envoys accusing Hamas of intransigence and walking away from negotiations. As Israeli forces press into Deir al-Balah—until now one of Gaza’s few remaining shelters—tens of thousands have been told to evacuate, and UN and WHO compounds have been struck. Severe aid restrictions have pushed the population toward famine, and mass casualties at food distribution points have prompted global outrage. Meanwhile, Israeli officials are blaming the UN for contributing to the crisis by allegedly cooperating with groups that “place Gazans at risk” (The Conversation, DropSite News, AP, Washington Post).
Sudan
Massacre and Outbreak: The UN condemned a deadly assault in West Kordofan’s Brima Rashid area, where fighters opened fire on civilians in homes and markets, killing at least 30 and injuring more than 40. Meanwhile, in North Darfur’s Tawila locality, a growing cholera outbreak threatens hundreds of thousands of displaced people amid collapsing latrines and scarce clean water. In Northern State, a UNICEF-led nutrition campaign offered a rare success, reaching thousands of children and pregnant women and identifying cases of acute malnutrition for urgent intervention (Sudan Tribune).
Palestinian Diplomacy
Global Recognition: Nearly three-quarters of UN member states now recognize Palestinian statehood, a major diplomatic shift further underscored by France’s decision to join the bloc of countries extending formal recognition—marking a break with previous EU hesitations and significantly boosting Palestine’s international legitimacy (The Sun).
WASH Progress
Global Tracker: WHO and UNICEF’s updated WASH tracker now covers 107 countries, documenting improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene in health-care facilities. The data support implementation of a 2023 UN General Assembly resolution and reflect growing commitment to maternal and child health systems worldwide (NextBillion).
Public Health – Fiji
HIV Response Funded: Fiji has received $5.4 million in emergency support from New Zealand to combat a growing HIV outbreak. The funds will enhance testing, expand treatment access, and support community-based prevention efforts across vulnerable populations (FBC News).
July 24 – Second convoy to Sweida, WFP stops aid to NE Nigeria, Israel limits UN visas to one month, UN rejects GHF partnership, UN AI conference 'virtue signaling', US 'left' Human Rights Conference but still there .
Syria – Aid to Sweida
A second humanitarian convoy has reached Syria’s Sweida governorate, where sectarian violence has displaced over 145,000 people. Coordinated by OCHA and SARC, the convoy included food, flour, fuel, medicine, and health supplies from UN agencies. Mobile medical teams have already delivered over 3,500 consultations, while nearly 38,000 people have received food aid and more than 5,000 have been assisted with non-food items in Dar’a and Rural Damascus. Additional UN inter-agency missions are planned in the coming days as conditions allow (UN News).
Syria – Children at Risk
UNICEF warns that escalating hostilities in Syria’s coastal regions and Aleppo are taking a devastating toll on children’s health, safety, and education. Regional Director Édouard Beigbeder reports that “children and their families…fled their homes in fear,” and urges all parties to cease attacks and protect the young from physical and psychological harm (UNICEF).
Nigeria – WFP Suspends Aid
The UN World Food Program will suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria due to severe funding shortfalls. This comes amid record hunger levels—31 million people now face acute food insecurity—and escalating violence from extremist groups. WFP warns that over 300,000 children under two will lose access to lifesaving nutrition treatment if $130 million in funding is not secured, and that desperation may drive some to migrate or fall into the hands of insurgents (UN News).
Gaza – UN Rejects GHF
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has offered to deliver 2,500 tons of UN food stuck at Kerem Shalom, but the UN rejected the offer, citing concerns over civilian safety and the foundation’s military-linked contractors. The UN has recorded more than 1,050 Palestinians killed while trying to get food since the GHF began operating on May 27 (Times of Israel).
Israel – One-Month UN Visas
Israel announced it will now only grant one-month visas to UN humanitarian staff. Ambassador Danny Danon told the UN Security Council that OCHA and other agencies are no longer neutral, escalating tensions between Israel and the UN over humanitarian operations in Gaza (Al Arabiya).
Corporate Accountability – BCG and Gaza
Boston Consulting Group issued a statement expressing “deep regret” for its role in designing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The foundation has come under scrutiny for its ties to military contractors and its involvement in deadly aid distributions (Reuters via TradingView).
Technology – UN and AI Ethics
Coda Story critiques the UN’s use of AI to combat disinformation as a superficial gesture that lacks accountability and may reinforce performative virtue-signaling. The article questions the utility of these tools in addressing the root causes of digital harm without broader systemic change (Coda Story).
Satire – Trump at the UNHRC
PassBlue publishes a satirical piece imagining former President Trump’s love-hate relationship with the UN Human Rights Council. Despite withdrawing the U.S. from the body during his presidency, the piece humorously suggests he still seeks its attention (PassBlue).
July 23– UN sites come under attack in Gaza, GHF steps up its role, and Syria faces surging conflict deaths.
Gaza The United Nations reports that two of its guesthouses in Deir al‑Balah—including one for World Health Organization staff—were struck and raided by Israeli troops. A drone later exploded inside the WHO facility, and staff were interrogated and evacuated under duress (Washington Post).
GHF The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has requested a formal meeting with U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to discuss collaboration on aid delivery. In a separate initiative, GHF offered to secure U.N. aid convoys from looting by Hamas, citing stalled deliveries and food stockpiles left untouched for over 90 days (PassBlue, JNS).
Climate The U.N.’s top court declared that states failing to take meaningful action against climate change could be violating international law, elevating environmental responsibility into the legal domain of human rights and state obligations (AJC).
Syria Fighting between Druze and Bedouin groups in Syria’s Sweida province has left an estimated 1,200 dead and displaced at least 93,000 people, according to Human Rights Watch and U.N. agencies. The violence has crippled electricity and water supplies and overwhelmed humanitarian services (Irish Times).
July 22, 2025 – U.S. quits UNESCO again; UN agencies sound alarm on Gaza famine, children used to test drones in Russia, IOM hires at top, fires at bottom.
UNESCO: The United States will once again withdraw from UNESCO—its second pullout under President Trump—citing “woke, divisive cultural and social causes” and deeming the agency not in the national interest. According to Reuters, U.S. contributions previously made up about 8 % of the agency’s budget.
Pakistan – ID crisis: In Punjab, Pakistan, UNICEF has launched door-to-door campaigns warning that 58 % of children under five lack birth certificates, exposing them to increased risks of child labour and forced marriage. One 19-year-old, for example, remains unable to study or work due to lack of ID.
Russia – child drone developers: An investigation by The Guardian has found that Russian military-linked groups are using children as young as 14 to help design and test military drones, a practice legal experts say may amount to a war crime.
IOM staffing crisis: Despite laying off over 6,000 staff worldwide—including 3,000 linked to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program—IOM has hired a senior American widely seen as a close ally of Director General Amy Pope. The appointment reportedly violates age restrictions and has fueled staff anger over perceived favoritism amid mass layoffs.
Gaza – aid deaths and collapse: The UN reports that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites, with many more facing famine-like conditions. UNRWA and WHO staff are fainting from hunger, while attacks on aid warehouses, visa denials, and lack of humanitarian access have crippled relief efforts. UN officials have condemned the aid scheme as a “sadistic death-trap” and called for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access.
Multilateralism under strain: An op-ed from Foreign Policy in Focus warns that rising nationalist regimes—from Washington to Moscow—are actively undermining global institutions like the UN, raising doubts about their ability to survive the current political tide.
July 21
Israel cancels visa for OCHA chief – Israel has refused to renew the visa of Jonathan Whittall, the UN’s top humanitarian official for Gaza and the West Bank, citing “hostile conduct.” Whittall had condemned Israeli-backed aid efforts as “weaponized hunger” and highlighted mass casualties near distribution sites. His ouster comes amid a worsening crisis: over 57,000 Gazans have died, and one-third are reportedly going days without food.
West Bank – A UN report released by OCHA confirms that 69 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have been displaced since 2023 due to rising settler violence and land restrictions. Nearly 2,900 people have been forced from their homes, with 45% from Ramallah alone. The first half of 2025 saw over 2,100 settler assaults, including village raids, arson, shootings, and new outposts, resulting in multiple deaths and widespread destruction.
Certainly. Here is the unified Suwayda summary in a single paragraph, with all three source links embedded:
Suwayda – Fierce sectarian clashes in Syria’s Suwayda province have left over 1,000 dead and displaced at least 128,000 people, as longstanding tensions between Druze factions and Bedouin tribal militias erupted into open conflict. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi argues that Western media have distorted the situation by portraying it as a unified “Hijri-led militia” facing tribal forces, when in fact diverse Druze groups—some critical of Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri—are defending their communities from escalating violations by pro-government militias. The Syrian Network for Human Rights has documented at least 558 deaths and more than 783 injuries since July 13, including children, medical personnel, and civilians, amid reports of extrajudicial killings and indiscriminate shelling by Syrian and Israeli forces. A third report outlines the role of up to 50,000 Bedouin fighters from across Syria, driven by tribal loyalty and sectarian grievance. Although a fragile ceasefire now holds, the crisis has laid bare the failure of the Syrian state to ensure security, the growing appeal of international protection among Druze leaders, and the resurgence of deeply entrenched fault lines.
South Sudan – A new UN Panel of Experts report on South Sudan confirms extensive misuse of oil revenues and entrenched budget secrecy. Analyst Boboya James Edimond backed the findings, warning of deepening corruption and economic fragility ahead of the 2026 elections.
July 20 – Gaza killings dominate a day of mounting humanitarian crises and international paralysis.
Gaza – Israeli forces killed 73 Palestinians and wounded over 290 others as they fired on a crowd waiting for food aid in Gaza City, according to AP. The Israeli military claimed it targeted Hamas gunmen in the crowd, while Gaza’s Health Ministry and eyewitnesses said most of the victims were starving civilians gathered at the Nabulsi roundabout.
Trump cuts – In a Common Dreams opinion piece, UN independent expert on poverty Olivier De Schutter condemns Trump’s January 2025 executive order freezing all foreign aid and dismantling USAID. He warns that the move has already led to 350,000 deaths—mostly children—and gutted support for UN agencies serving millions, including UNFPA and UNHCR.
Syria – After nearly 1,000 deaths in recent clashes in Sweida, calm has reportedly returned to southern Syria, according to Daily Sabah. However, the ICRC warns of ongoing catastrophe: hospitals remain overwhelmed, morgues are full, and people lack food, water, power, and medicine (ICRC). Local leaders are calling for emergency international aid as the humanitarian situation remains dire.
UN impotence – In a long-form interview with The Canary, former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber asserts the UN "has been wholly incapable of launching an effective response to a genocide" in Gaza, blaming structural paralysis due to Security Council vetoes by powerful states (The Canary).
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