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MIDDLE EAST CRISIS: Live updates for 20 June
One week since the Israel-Iran conflict erupted, diplomatic efforts to end the war are ramping up in Geneva today as foreign ministers from France, Germany, the UK and the European Union prepare to meet their Iranian counterpart. In New York, meanwhile, the UN Security Council is also set to discuss this latest worrying escalation, against the backdrop of the ongoing emergency in Gaza. We’ll be covering these developments and more across the UN system today. UN News app users can follow here.
Middle East crisis: live updates for June 20
A week since the Israeli-Iranian conflict broke out, diplomatic efforts to end the war is accelerating today in Geneva as foreign ministers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union are preparing to meet their Iranian counterpart. In New York, on the other hand, the United Nations Security Council should also discuss this last disturbing escalation, in the context of the current emergency in Gaza. We will cover these developments and more in the United Nations system today. UN application users can follow here.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Gaza: As last fuel supplies run out, aid teams warn of catastrophe
Speaking from Gaza City in the north of the occupied territory, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that water pumps had stopped at one site for displaced people there on Wednesday “because there’s no fuel”.
“We are really – unless the situation changes – hours away from a catastrophic decline and a shutdown of more facilities if no fuel enters or more fuel isn’t retrieved immediately,” she told UN News.
In its latest update on the emergency, OCHA said that without the immediate entry of fuel or access to reserves, 80 per cent of Gaza’s critical care units essential for births and medical emergencies will shut down.
More killed seeking aid
The development comes as Gaza’s authorities reported that 15 people had been killed near an aid distribution hub in the centre of the Strip on Thursday.
On Tuesday, unverified videos of another incident circulating on social media showed dead bodies lying in the street near a relief facility in the southern city of Khan Younis, reportedly following artillery fire.
Finding food is a daily challenge for increasingly desperate Gazans who are “simply waiting for food and hoping to find something in order not to watch their children starve in front of their eyes”, Ms. Cherevko explained.
She added: “I spoke with a woman a couple of days ago where she told me that she went with a friend of hers who is nine months pregnant in hopes of finding some food.
Of course, they didn’t manage because they were too afraid to enter areas where there could be incidents like the ones that have been reported over the past few days.”
Search for shelter
Back in Gaza City, OCHA’s Ms. Cherevko said that conditions in shelters in Gaza are now “absolutely horrific” and increasingly crowded – “there are people coming from the north constantly,” the veteran aid worker added, while others are also moving back northwards, likely to be closer to the entry points for aid convoys.
The amount of aid entering Gaza today remains extremely limited and far below the 600 trucks a day that used to reach the enclave before the war began in October 2023. In its latest update, OCHA reported that “starvation and a growing likelihood of famine” are ever-present in the enclave. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women now face miscarriage, stillbirth and undernourished newborns as a result of the food shortages.
Smoke from explosions rises from the Shujaia neighborhood of Gaza City.
Starvation diet
“With the very limited volume of aid that is entering, everyone continues to face starvation and people are constantly risking their lives to try to find something,” Ms. Cherevko continued.
“You eat or [you’re] left with the choice of starving to death.”
After more than 20 months of war, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, 82 per cent of Gaza’s territory is either an Israeli militarized zone or affected by evacuation orders.
Three months since hostilities re-escalated on 18 March, more than 680,000 people have been newly displaced. “With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in every available space, including overcrowded displacement sites, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings, streets and open areas,” OCHA said.
Council calls for targeted efforts to advance gender equality in the AI-driven digital age
Council calls for targeted efforts to advance gender equality in the AI-driven digital age
UN warns of mounting humanitarian toll as Israel-Iran hostilities continue
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday called for “maximum restraint” and reiterated that both Israel and Iran are bound by international humanitarian law.
“The widescale, continuing attacks by Israel across Iran, and the missile and drone strikes launched in response by Iran, are inflicting severe human rights and humanitarian impacts on civilians, and risk setting the whole region ablaze,” he said in a statement.
“The only way out of this spiralling illogic of escalation is maximum restraint, full respect for international law, and return in good faith to the negotiating table,” he stressed.
Appalling collateral damage
The UN rights chief also expressed deep concern over the impact on civilians.
“It is appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities,” he said, adding that threats and inflammatory rhetoric by senior officials on both sides suggest a “worrying intention” to inflict harm on civilians.
The airstrikes, missile and drone attacks – launched by both Israel and Iran since 13 June – have caused heavy damage to civilian infrastructure and claimed hundreds of lives.
According to Iranian authorities, at least 224 people have been killed, while human rights groups report significantly higher figures. In Israel, officials report 24 deaths and more than 840 injuries so far.
Widespread panic
Warnings from both governments have also prompted widespread panic among civilians.
Israel’s call for civilians to evacuate on Tuesday triggered panic across Tehran, resulting in heavy traffic jams on highways. Movement has reportedly been hampered across the country by fuel shortages, leading to hours-long queues at petrol stations.
Concern for refugees
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, adding that it is monitoring reports that people are on the move within Iran and that some are leaving for neighbouring countries.
UNHCR Spokesperson Babar Baloch cautioned that the situation remained fluid and hard to verify.
“Iran has long hosted the largest Afghan refugee population in the world. Now, its own people are experiencing devastation and fear,” Mr. Baloch added.
He also emphasised the principle of non-refoulement, calling on neighbouring countries to grant protection to anyone fleeing violence, and not turn them back.
Iran hosts an estimated 3.5 million refugees and those in refugee-like situations, including some 750,000 registered Afghans and over 2.6 million undocumented individuals.
Regional worries
There is already regional fallout, with missile launches from Yemen towards Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and heightened tensions reportedly involving armed groups in Iraq, according to OCHA.
“This escalation takes place as the region already grapples with mounting humanitarian needs, sharply reduced funding, and constrained operational space for humanitarian action,” the Office said in a flash update issued on Wednesday.
“De-escalation is vital to preventing further suffering of civilians and population displacements,” OCHA underscored.
Press briefing – Foreign Affairs Council of 23 June 2025
Press briefing ahead of the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council will take place on 20 June 2025 at 16.00.
‘We are at a point of no return’: grave violations against children surge for third year
This number represents a 25 per cent increase from 2023, marking the third consecutive year that violations have increased. 22,495 violations were committed against children themselves while the remaining targeted infrastructure such as schools and humanitarian aid intended for and used by children.
“The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball — but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings — should keep all of us awake at night,” said the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba.
The report only details violations which could be independently verified by the United Nations, meaning the actual number of grave violations and children affected are likely much higher.
‘Children should not be a casualty of war’
The report attributed the increase to indiscriminate attacks — especially urban warfare — in addition to disregard for peace agreements and deepening humanitarian crises worldwide.
“Children living amidst hostilities are being stripped of their childhood … When we allow this to happen, we are not just failing to protect children – we are taking away their chance to grow up safe, to go to school, and to live a life with dignity and hope,” Ms. Gamba said.
In addition to the broader increase, the number of children subjected to multiple grave violations increased by 17 per cent.
The highest number of violations, 8,554, occurred in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories – more than double the number in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which followed.
Governments ‘blatantly’ ignore international law
The report noted that while non-State actors played an out-sized role in violations against individual children, government actors were the main forces responsible for killing and maiming children, attacking schools and hospitals, and denying humanitarian access.
“Instead of recognizing the special protection afforded to children, governments and armed groups around the world blatantly ignore international law that defines a child as anyone under 18,” Ms. Gamba said.
The report listed eight countries whose government forces violated international law and committed grave violations against children — the DRC, Israel, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Russia.
‘A wake-up call’
In 2024, 16,482 children formerly associated with armed forces or groups received protection or reintegration support, but numbers of violations against children still remain staggeringly high.
The Secretary-General called on all Member States to adhere to their obligations under international law by upholding the rights and special protections of children while also expanding services to treat children who are victims of conflict.
Ms. Gamba reiterated this call, saying that the increase in grave violations should be a “wake-up call” and reminding the international community that indifference to such violations will not bring peace.
“We face a choice that defines who we are: to care, or to turn away … We all share the duty to act—with urgency, with determination—to bring this suffering to an end. Not tomorrow. Not someday. Today,” she concluded.
Remarks by Paschal Donohoe following the Eurogroup meeting of 19 June 2025
Remarks by Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe after the Eurogroup meeting on Bulgaria’s accession to the euro area, reinforcing security in Europe, removing barriers in the single market, the digital euro and the Eurogroup presidency. Source link
“ We are at a point of no return ”: serious violations against children who are increasing for the third year
This number represents an increase of 25% compared to 2023, marking the third consecutive year that violations increased. 22,495 violations were committed against the children themselves while the remaining targeted infrastructure such as schools and humanitarian aid intended and used by children.
“The Cries of 22.495 Innocent Children who Should be Learning to Read or Play Ball-But Instead Have Forced to Learn How To Survive Gunfire and Bombings-Should Keep All Of Us Awake At Night,” Said the Special Representative of the a secretary-general for Children and armed conflictVirginia Gamba.
The report only details violations which could be verified independently by the United Nations, which means that the actual number of serious violations and affected children are probably much higher.
“Children should not be a victim of war”
The report awarded the increase in blind attacks – in particular urban war – in addition to not taking into account the peace agreements and deepening humanitarian crises in the world.
“Children living in the midst of hostilities are being stripped of their childhood … When we allow this to happen, we are not only protecting children – we remove their chance of growing up in complete safety, going to school and living a life with dignity and hope,” said Gamba.
In addition to the larger increase, the number of children subjected to several serious violations increased by 17%.
The greatest number of violations, 8,554, occurred in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories – more than double the number of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which followed.
Governments “obviously” ignore international law
The report noted that if the non -state actors played a role of dimension in violations against individual children, the actors of the government were the main forces responsible for killing and the mutilation of children, to attack schools and hospitals and to refuse humanitarian access.
“Instead of recognizing the special protection granted to children, governments and armed groups around the world clearly ignore international law that defines a child as anyone under the age of 18,” said Gamba.
The report has listed eight countries whose government forces have violated international law and committed serious violations against children – DRC, Israel, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Russia.
‘An alarm clock’
In 2024, 16,482 children formerly associated with armed forces or groups received protection or support for reintegration, but the number of violations against children is still incredibly high.
The Secretary -General has called on all Member States to comply with their obligations under international law by confirming the rights and special protections of children while expanding services to treat children victims of conflicts.
Ms. Gamba reiterated this appeal, saying that the increase in serious violations should be a “awakening” and remind the international community that indifference to such violations will not bring peace.
“We are confronted with a choice that defines that we are: worrying or diverting ourselves … We all share the duty to act – with urgency, with determination – to put an end to this suffering. Not tomorrow. Not a day. Today, “she concluded.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
