“It’s important to achieve instantly a ceasefire in Gaza,” the Secretary-Basic advised reporters on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), “and the unconditional launch of all hostages and to keep away from the large demise and destruction {that a} army operation towards Gaza Metropolis would inevitably trigger.”
Round a million individuals 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 struggle on 7 October 2023.
The UN chief additionally condemned the Israeli Authorities’s resolution to approve a long-shelved settlement enlargement mission within the occupied West Financial institution.
“The choice by the Israeli authorities to increase unlawful settlement development, which might divide the West Financial institution, have to be reversed. All settlement development is a violation of worldwide legislation,” he insisted.
The settlement is believed to have permission for properly over 3,000 homes, faculties and a clinic, chopping off East Jerusalem from the occupied West Financial institution, which Israel captured in the course of the 1967 Six-Day struggle after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
City destruction
In an replace on Gaza, UN rights workplace, OHCHR, famous that the Israeli army introduced on 20 August that the “preliminary section” 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 army 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 have 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 army additionally reportedly continued to broadcast orders utilizing quadcopters in addition to telephone requires residents to evacuate giant components of Jabalya, in keeping 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 army manoeuvres proceed.
Latest assaults have been notably devastating within the Az Zaytoun and As Sabra neighbourhoods. As well as, reported airstrikes hit residential buildings or tents sheltering displaced individuals in Ash Sheikh Radwan, Ash Shujaiyeh and Ash Shati Camp, leading to a number of fatalities, the OHCHR head within the occupied territories advised 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 reviews that the intensive 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 out there.
Israeli army assaults on tents sheltering individuals in Al Mawasi, western Khan Younis, are additionally being reported, OHCHR famous.
Acute malnutrition hovering
In the meantime, UN assist groups highlighted the catastrophic influence of the accelerating Israeli army operation, with acute malnourishment hovering amongst kids in Gaza Metropolis to twenty-eight.5 per cent, or multiple in 4 kids.
“Kids 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 have been allowed into Gaza in far larger portions than right this moment, malnutrition charges have been six instances decrease in Gaza Metropolis, at 4.5 per cent, in keeping with the UN company for Palestinians, UNRWA.
Throughout Gaza, acute malnutrition rose to just about 16 per cent in mid-August, greater than 3 times greater than the 5.2 per cent stage recorded by the UN company in March, it mentioned.
Important companies in peril
At the moment, companies supplied by UNRWA in Gaza Metropolis are at “extreme danger”, the company warned, pointing to the tens of 1000’s 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 Discipline 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 assist and aid provision throughout Gaza, it famous that last month alone, it supplied greater than 100,000 medical consultations and screened 3,500 kids for malnutrition in Gaza Metropolis.
UNRWA additionally delivered ingesting water to 220,000 individuals, home water to 250,000 and cleared a whole lot of tons of waste.
Training and safety specialists from the UN company reached 1000’s extra in short-term 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 army operations intensify,” UNRWA mentioned.
