It comes as the agency that supports Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported a surge in military activity in recent weeks across the Strip, that’s caused increasing casualties and displacement. 

“By God, we are very afraid and we keep sheltering inside the house,” said Ahmed Talal, who lives in the al-Shaaf area of al-Zeitoun, just 100 metres from the line which marks the area of Israeli control. 

He described “heavy gunfire” from tanks, while “bullets hit the upper part of our house.”

Mr. Talal’s family have been displaced from their neighbourhood 12 times – and the last time they were uprooted, they were homeless for more than six months.

‘Settler terror’ escalating, warn independent human rights experts

UN independent experts on Monday warned of escalating Israeli settler violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. 

The Human Rights Council-appointed group of 13 Special Rapporteurs said the attacks were increasingly driving the displacement of Palestinian communities.

At least 13 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 500 injured in the first five months of the year, they reported. 

They warned that communities in Area C of the West Bank face growing risks of displacement and settlement expansion. The Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills were highlighted as areas under particular pressure.

Communities under increasing pressure

The experts – who are not UN staff and receive no salary for their work – pointed to communities such as Umm al-Kheir in the South Hebron Hills. 

They said residents have faced repeated raids, demolitions and damage to infrastructure. Restrictions on access to land and essential services have also increased pressure on the community.

The rapporteurs urged Israel to halt support for settlements and settler violence and ensure accountability for attacks. They also called for stronger protection of Palestinian communities and the safe return of displaced residents. 

UN chief urges renewed support for UN development reforms

The UN Secretary-General on Monday said reforms to the UN development system have made it more coherent, accountable and closely aligned with national priorities, but warned that shrinking funding could put progress at risk.

Speaking to the agenda-setting Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), he said 94 per cent of governments now view UN development support as effective, while recognition of Resident Coordinators as key custodians in individual countries rose from 62 per cent in 2019 to 90 per cent in 2025.

“The UN Development system delivered in 2025 – 121 million people were reached with food assistance, 191 million children were vaccinated against measles, often in war-like conditions, social protection was extended to 80 million people and over a half a billion more people were covered by central health services since 2018,” said Stéphane Dujarric, UN Spokesperson.

Call for funding

While noting progress, the Secretary-General warned that declining development financing is leaving the UN system increasingly under-resourced.

“But with less than 1,700 days until the 2030 deadline, many countries face growing pressures – slowing growth, rising vulnerabilities and debts, greater exposure to shocks, and shrinking fiscal space,” he warns.

The UN chief urged Member States to provide more stable and flexible funding, including meeting the 30 per cent core funding target under the Funding Compact.

McCain leaves WFP leaner and stronger; Skau steps up at critical moment

Secretary-General António Guterres paid warm tribute to Cindy McCain on Monday as she steps down as head of the World Food Programme (WFP), crediting her with transforming the agency into a more agile and effective force against global hunger.

“Under her leadership, WFP became leaner, faster, and more agile in responding to global crises,” the UN chief said.

During her tenure, WFP sustained life-saving operations reaching nearly 100 million people each year. She also strengthened accountability, advanced humanitarian diplomacy, secured new funding sources, and expanded critical partnerships, while placing staff safety and beneficiary welfare at the heart of the agency’s work.

‘Steadfast commitment’ to aid the hungry

Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Mr. Guterres was “grateful for her steadfast commitment to the fight against global hunger and malnutrition.”

Carl Skau, who has served as WFP’s Deputy Executive Director since May 2023, has been welcomed by the Secretary-General at the helm. 

With deep operational expertise and institutional knowledge, Mr. Skau is well-placed to steer the agency forward WFP as it confronts the immense challenge of acute food insecurity affecting more than 360 million people worldwide

Independent experts condemn legitimisation of child marriage in Afghanistan

A panel of UN independent child rights experts have condemned Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban authorities, following the adoption of a new decree that legitimises child marriage and treats a girl’s “silence” as consent, calling it a grave and systematic violation of international human rights law.

The new policy authorised by top Taliban clerics legitimises the marriage of girls upon reaching puberty, also stating that a girl’s silence may be interpreted as consent to wed.

Loss of autonomy, opportunity

“Any legal framework that normalises or facilitates the marriage of children violates their rights, undermines their inherent dignity and deprives them of their autonomy and future opportunities,” the experts said, describing the provision as wholly incompatible with the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The latest decree is part of a broader pattern of discriminatory measures by the Taliban authorities, including the ban on girls’ secondary and higher education and the erosion of women’s and girls’ rights in all aspects of public life.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve humanity,” said Joyce Msuya, who spent the past four years as the Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

In an exclusive interview with UN News, she highlighted the critical role played by humanitarians in a “collapsing” world and the challenge of advocating before a divided Security Council for safe access to civilians in the Gaza Strip. 

Ms. Msuya, who is from Tanzania, was also inspired by her interactions with young people over the years – even when they asked “uncomfortable” questions about the UN’s response in conflict situations. 

She encouraged them to lend support to the world body and the principle of multilateralism which are so under threat. 

“What has kept me grounded is to always think about the internally displaced people, the persons we are trying to serve,” she said.  “And that is a very noble cause – a gift of service to humanity that I hope especially the young generation will aspire to do.”  

This interview has been edited for clarity and length 

Joyce Msuya: Three things come to my mind as I’ve had a bit of time to reflect. One is the privilege I’ve had to serve humanity in this role. I joined OCHA six days before the Ukraine war started in February 2022 and even then, I thought gosh, the world was collapsing. So, just being in this role and seeing three major wars – Ukraine, Gaza, and then more recently, Iran – has been quite a humbling experience, but also very motivating to see the power and the contribution that the United Nations and the humanitarian community at large, including NGOs, can play.  

The second is being in this role as someone from the Global South.  I didn’t know what that meant as a platform, and that has been incredibly, a gift of service for me personally, and I really hope that has opened doors and will open doors for others.  

Lastly, is just seeing the investments that funding partners are putting in, but also the suffering of people in all the countries where I’ve travelled. I used to take some things for granted and now I have a very deep appreciation of what suffering really means for people.  

UN News: You have visited 30 countries, probably more. Is there a particular story or encounter that has remained in your mind?  

Joyce Msuyua: I remember visiting an internally displaced camp in the northern part of Yemen. I met a woman, a mother of four, who was in her thirties.  

She told me that she had never had a stable life. She’s been moving from one place to another because of the war. But what struck me was how kind and giving she was, despite the incredible pain that I could not imagine as a mother that she went through.  

In talking to her, I realised her own aspirations for her children were very similar to my own aspirations for my own children – peace, education and stability. For me, that was the lesson, that we as human beings have more in common than in difference. And I’ve always carried that and will always carry that message with me as I exit this particular role.  

UN News: You have also briefed the United Nations Security Council more than 40 times, an average of almost once every month. Which briefing was the most difficult for you, and why? 

Joyce Msuya: The Security Council is an absolute central body for the United Nations. When I joined OCHA, it was a Monday, and then the following day I was asked to brief the Security Council on Syria, my first briefing. I remember pinching myself sitting in that chamber thinking, ‘Wow, what a privilege, what an honour.’ 

I would say probably the most difficult part of my briefings to the Security Council were around the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  

We were advocating for operational humanitarian space in the context where there was a global fracture of the big powers. And whenever I was in the chamber to advocate for humanitarian work and to report on the progress, I carried the perspectives of humanitarians who had lost their lives while trying to save others; OCHA staff who were still sacrificing a lot, especially national staff.  

Some of them I knew through the interactions who had lost family members, children separated from their families, and yet they showed up every single day to serve others.  

I think third is the lack of respect for international humanitarian law. Even though we advocated – and the Secretary-General, the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the whole sector were very clear, but really to see the impunity that came with that.  

What gave me hope was the whole multilateral [system] supporting humanitarian work, speaking up even when it was tough to do so. 

UN News: Records also show that you held nearly 20 meetings with students in different countries. What is one message or insight from those students that has stayed with you and that you believe the international community should hear?  

Joyce Msuya: I always strive to engage with students. I find their thinking, their curiosity and their questions very refreshing, very difficult, and very uncomfortable because they are not tainted by some of the organisational stuff that older people have.  

I overprepared when I met with the students because I felt you just don’t know what question they have. 

I remember being in Tokyo at a university and some of the students were saying ‘Why should we believe in the United Nations whilst you said ‘x’ in this war, and you stayed quiet on another?’ For me, it was an opportunity to engage in a very open and candid way with the young generation.  

Second for me was to unpack the journey of being an international civil servant. There were lots of questions, including from girls, about how did I get to where I am and how do I stay grounded, and some very personal questions, for example, on family.  

So, using my platform to inspire the younger generation – to join in with multilateralism – to support the United Nations. 

And the third is I’ve learned that because of technology, young people are more connected than we thought. Whether I’m speaking in Tokyo or in Mozambique or in Kenya, there’s some commonality, common threads, thanks to social media, to news, et cetera, which is good and bad: good because they get a lot of information from social media and the networks, but also bad as sometimes there is misinformation and disinformation.  

Our role is to help them filter what is reality, what is not, using data and evidence.  

UN News: Finally, what is your personal message to the world?  

Joyce Msuya: I would say three personal messages, and one is also inspired by the Secretary-General.  

The United Nations has an important role to play, so please support multilateralism – get engaged, be informed. This is your body as much as it is for us who are serving. 

I always say – including to the critics – think about if the United Nations was not there, what would happen, whether it’s in Gaza, in the humanitarian sector, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, on and on. The power of multilateralism as our collective organization is key.  

Second, let’s not forget what service is, especially in the humanitarian sector. What has kept me grounded is to always think about the internally displaced people, the people we are trying to serve.  And that is a very noble cause – a gift of service to humanity that I hope especially the young generation will aspire to do.  

And lastly, deepest thanks to every person, every government, every community, the whole sector, strangers whom I’ve met who have prayed for me, who have supported me. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve humanity. 

Early detection and community mobilisation remain critical to saving lives, as potential treatments and vaccines are being still being assessed, the UN health agency said on Friday.

Since 15 May, UN agencies have been supporting both the DRC and neighbouring Uganda to contain the outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which spreads through close contact.

“It’s a disease that you get when you care for someone, for your husband or your partner or your child or your mother,” Anaïs Legand, a WHO Technical Officer told reporters in Geneva.

“You get it when you want to help someone with symptoms, and this is terrible,” she said, explaining that families and friends must be instructed not to touch loved ones who are falling sick.

30 to 50 per cent chance of death

Ms. Legand highlighted the critical importance of prevention and early access to care, in the face of this particularly deadly disease. Based on previous outbreaks the lethality “ranges between 30 and 50 per cent,” she said – “it’s huge.” 

While “five out of 10 people are likely to die,” more can be done to promote recovery, according to the WHO expert. 

“We can scale up optimized intensive care,” she said. “We can support the communities to recognize the symptoms early to get early diagnostics, so that they can receive the level of care they need.”

Experience shows that Ebola flare-ups can only be controlled when communities are “fully involved” in the response, Ms. Legrand insisted — highlighting a recent case in the DRC where a patient fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

Detective work

WHO has gathered experts to review potential treatments and vaccines against the virus, with several products now identified for further assessment. 

For confirmed cases, three candidate therapeutics for treatment  have been prioritised for clinical trials, Ms. Legand revealed: the monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimab, and the antiviral remdesivir. 

For prevention, the oral antiviral obeldesivir is being prioritised within a clinical study as a post-exposure measure for those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.

The WHO expert added that two candidate vaccines have been identified for evaluation once doses become available.

The agency is working closely with the governments of DRC and Uganda while at the same time “urgently scaling up care capacities.”

Access issue

“This outbreak is happening in a very complex context,” she stressed, recalling that in the affected Ituri province alone, 1.2 million people require humanitarian assistance, while ongoing conflict and food insecurity are hampering the response.

“The issue that we have in the field is not necessarily an issue of resources,” Ms. Legand insisted. “It’s an issue of access.”

The airport in Ituri province’s capital Bunia has been closed, and while the DRC Government has allowed humanitarian flights to proceed, operational constraints remain. “One day I got a call from my team telling me there is no fuel,” the WHO expert said.

Tedros on the ground

The WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in DRC on Friday, telling reporters in the capital Kinshasa that he was there to show the community is “not alone”.

He appealed to the multiple armed groups who act with impunity in the war-ravaged eastern region to declare a ceasefire so that health workers can reach people in need and halt spread of the disease.

The DRC notified WHO of an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease on 15 May and as of Thursday, 125 confirmed cases have been reported, including 17 deaths across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. 

In addition, 906 suspected cases including over 223 deaths are under investigation and are being reviewed as testing capacity improves.

In Uganda, as of Thursday there were seven confirmed cases, including one death. WHO said that there is no evidence of community transmission in the country at this stage.

No travel restrictions, for now

While indicating that people from the affected areas who may have been exposed to Ebola should not travel, the UN health agency does not recommend any restriction on travel or trade with the DRC or Uganda based on the current information.

“The experiences of the desperate parents I met this past week can illustrate this better than I could,” UNICEF Communication Specialist, Salim Oweis told journalists attending the bi-weekly humanitarian briefing at the UN in Geneva. 

Among them is Hind who hasn’t slept ever since her daughter Masa, 4, was bitten by a rat during the night.

They are sheltering in a building “where sewage water leaks through the ceilings, and rodents crawl through the cracks in the building and climb the exposed pipes.” 

Agony and defeat 

Another mother, Amani, is caring for her daughter Lemar, 7, who has lesions and sores on her head, back and legs from a bacterial infection. 

“Amani tries to clean her wounds each day with the little, hard-to-get, clean water she has, as her daughter screams in agony,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Abdel Aleem and his family have layered sandbags around the outside of their tent to ward off rats who “simply chew through it” as “stopping them is futile.”    

Both he and his eight-month-old son Ahmad, as well his pregnant sister-in-law, were already bitten in recent weeks. 

Parents feel helpless 

“The common thread running through every one of these conversations is the sheer heartbreak of parents who no longer feel able to do the thing most innate to them – protect their children’s health and safety,” said Mr. Olweis. 

The situation is easy to understand just by looking at the conditions in Gaza, he added, which was already among the most densely populated places in the world.   

“Now, people have been crammed into around 40 per cent of the space left to them – sheltering among broken buildings, rubble and mounting solid waste,” he said. 

“Families across Gaza do not have enough clean water, they are forced to choose between drinking, washing and cooking with what little they have.” 

Obstacles and restrictions 

UNICEF is working to reach up to 1.5 million people a month with clean water but continues to face significant obstacles. 

Last month, two UNICEF-contracted truck drivers were killed while trying to collect water at Al Mansoura filling point. The water filling station – which more than a quarter of million people rely on – is now inaccessible.  

At the same time, critical items needed to sustain water systems and repair damaged water infrastructure – such as oil, water treatment chemicals and spare parts – are not being allowed into Gaza at the scale needed. 

Furthermore, solid waste is piling up by the day, alongside rubble, and both need to be cleared away.   

Disease, diarrhea and infections 

“The effects of this are now widely apparent: children with respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhoea, and more than half of all households reporting skin diseases,” said Mr. Olweis. 

“Fleas, lice, and scabies are commonplace. Increasing numbers of children are requiring hospitalization. All without a single fully functioning hospital across Gaza.” 

Moreover, even though humanitarians have managed to reverse famine conditions, “the number of malnourished and vulnerable children remain extremely serious.” 

He warned that “without enough clean water and fuel to cook proper meals, even children who recover with treatment will quickly fall back in a cycle of malnutrition – the effects of which can last a lifetime.”  

An ‘entirely unconscionable’ situation 

Mr. Olweis stressed that “no parent should be in a position where they cannot provide their child with the basic needs to keep them healthy.” 

They also should not have to watch their children suffer pain from lesions or weakness due to preventable diarrhoea. 

“That this is happening should be – to everyone – entirely unconscionable,” he said. “Access to water, adequate nutritious food, and healthcare should not be conditional for any child, anywhere.” 

To break the cycle of suffering in Gaza, UNICEF calls for unfettered access for humanitarian operations, lifting restrictions on items needed to repair and sustain water and sanitation systems, and for international humanitarian law to be upheld.