“It’s critical to achieve instantly a ceasefire in Gaza,” the Secretary-Normal informed reporters on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo Worldwide Convention on African Growth (TICAD9), “and the unconditional launch of all hostages and to keep away from the large loss of life and destruction {that a} navy operation towards Gaza Metropolis would inevitably trigger.”
Round a million folks nonetheless reside within the metropolis – Gaza’s largest – within the north of the war-torn enclave. The Israeli military has reportedly described it as a stronghold of Hamas, the phobia group whose lethal assaults in Israel and hostage-taking sparked the warfare on 7 October 2023.
The UN chief additionally condemned the Israeli Authorities’s choice to approve a long-shelved settlement growth challenge within the occupied West Financial institution.
“The choice by the Israeli authorities to broaden unlawful settlement development, which might divide the West Financial institution, have to be reversed. All settlement development is a violation of worldwide regulation,” he insisted.
The settlement is believed to have permission for effectively over 3,000 homes, colleges and a clinic, reducing off East Jerusalem from the occupied West Financial institution, which Israel captured through the 1967 Six-Day warfare after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
City destruction
In an replace on Gaza, UN rights workplace, OHCHR, famous that the Israeli navy introduced on 20 August that the “preliminary part” of the offensive towards Gaza Metropolis had begun, specializing in Jabalya in north Gaza and Az Zaytoun in Gaza Metropolis.
OHCHR reported intense and persevering with Israeli navy assaults specializing in Jabalya Al Balad and Jabalya Al Nazla and, individually, additional assaults on aid-seekers within the Zikim space.
“Steady airstrikes, shelling and UAV [drone] bombing had been reported, together with towards residential buildings,” the UN rights workplace mentioned, with reported demolitions of properties in Jabalya utilizing explosives.
Quadcopter alerts
The Israeli navy additionally reportedly continued to broadcast orders utilizing quadcopters in addition to cellphone requires residents to evacuate giant components of Jabalya, in accordance with OHCHR.
In the meantime in Gaza Metropolis, entire city areas are being “completely destroyed”, the UN understands, with additional destruction now underway within the south and southeast, as navy manoeuvres proceed.
Latest assaults have been significantly devastating within the Az Zaytoun and As Sabra neighbourhoods. As well as, reported airstrikes hit residential buildings or tents sheltering displaced folks in Ash Sheikh Radwan, Ash Shujaiyeh and Ash Shati Camp, leading to a number of fatalities, the OHCHR head within the occupied territories informed UN Information.
Highlighting greater than 50 assaults on residential buildings and full blocks in Gaza Metropolis since 8 August, OHCHR warned on Wednesday that town’s “systematic destruction” had begun.
“Some households are reported to be trapped because of the steady bombardment,” OHCHR mentioned, citing experiences that the in depth demolition of buildings was persevering with in northern and jap Gaza Metropolis.
As well as, mass inhabitants displacement was reported from North Gaza and from Gaza Metropolis in the direction of western components of Gaza Metropolis, though no figures are but accessible.
Israeli navy assaults on tents sheltering folks in Al Mawasi, western Khan Younis, are additionally being reported, OHCHR famous.
Acute malnutrition hovering
In the meantime, UN help groups highlighted the catastrophic affect of the accelerating Israeli navy operation, with acute malnourishment hovering amongst kids in Gaza Metropolis to twenty-eight.5 per cent, or multiple in 4 kids.
“Youngsters proceed to die from man-made hunger,” UNRWA mentioned in a press release, noting that it has screened greater than 95,000 kids aged six months to 5 years for malnutrition throughout the Gaza Strip since March 2025, after the ceasefire collapsed.
Whereas the ceasefire nonetheless held in early March and aid provides had been allowed into Gaza in far higher portions than at present, malnutrition charges had been six occasions decrease in Gaza Metropolis, at 4.5 per cent, in accordance with the UN company for Palestinians, UNRWA.
Throughout Gaza, acute malnutrition rose to almost 16 per cent in mid-August, greater than thrice increased than the 5.2 per cent degree recorded by the UN company in March, it mentioned.
Very important companies in peril
In the present day, companies offered by UNRWA in Gaza Metropolis are at “extreme danger”, the company warned, pointing to the tens of hundreds of people that nonetheless reside in its shelters and the “many extra” who stay in surrounding areas.
There may be explicit concern for UNRWA’s Gaza Area Workplace compound – its largest logistics hub in northern Gaza – because the UN company’s operations within the south have been “crippled” by displacement orders and bombardment.
As a sign of UNRWA’s key function in help and aid provision throughout Gaza, it famous that last month alone, it offered greater than 100,000 medical consultations and screened 3,500 kids for malnutrition in Gaza Metropolis.
UNRWA additionally delivered consuming water to 220,000 folks, home water to 250,000 and cleared tons of of tons of waste.
Schooling and safety specialists from the UN company reached hundreds extra in non permanent studying areas or by providing counselling, leisure actions and danger consciousness coaching concerning the risks of deadly unexploded weapons.
“Whereas our colleagues, like the remainder of the UN, are decided to remain and ship, all of those companies are actually in danger because the navy operations intensify,” UNRWA mentioned.
