“WHO is appalled by the recent attack on South Hospital, the only facility with surgical capacity in El Fasher, Darfur,” the UN agency said in a post on X. “The hospital’s closure following the attack has stretched the two other hospitals there beyond capacity, further limiting access to lifesaving services.”

According to reports, the hospital had to close after Rapid Support Forces (RSF) soldiers entered the building and opened fire. The NGO which helps to run the hospital, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said on X that the armed fighters stole equipment and an ambulance.

Wad Al-Nura fallout 

In a related social media post, the WHO condemned “another attack” on a health facility in Wad Al-Nura in Al-Jazirah state south of Khartoum, that caused the death of a nurse who was on duty and caring for patients at the time.

“WHO strongly condemns attacks on healthcare. Health workers and patients should not have to risk their lives to provide and access health services,” the UN agency said, days after an attack on the village reportedly by RSF paramilitaries involving heavy artillery left more than 100 dead.

Rights chief’s warning

UN human rights chief Volker Türk added his voice on Friday to widespread international condemnation of that attack in which he cited evidence gathered by his Office which “indicates that the RSF used weapons with wide-area effects, including artillery shells, during the attack”.

Previously, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke out against the “deeply devastating impact” on civilians of the clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces and the RSF in El Fasher in the far west of the vast country.

In addition to personal appeals in separate phone calls to the generals of the rival militaries, Mr. Türk warned that more than 1.8 million residents and internally displaced people were besieged in the city “and at imminent risk of famine”.

Any further escalation “would have a catastrophic impact on civilians and would deepen intercommunal conflict with disastrous humanitarian consequences”, the High Commissioner insisted.

Hunger crisis

The humanitarian emergency caused by heavy fighting which erupted across Sudan last April is now close to becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis.

According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), 18 million people in Sudan are acutely food insecure including nearly five million who are now in the grip of emergency levels of hunger.

“This is the highest number ever recorded during the harvest season… Around 90 per cent of those in emergency are in areas where access is extremely limited due to heavy fighting and restriction,” WFP said, in an appeal for urgent funding. 

The United States-drafted text calls for Hamas to accept a ceasefire proposal announced on 31 May by President Joe Biden that has already been accepted by Israel.

Adopted by a large majority with 14 votes in favour and Russia abstaining – choosing not to exercise its veto power – the resolution also urges both parties to fully implement the terms of the proposal “without delay and without condition.”

Russia’s Permanent Representative told the Council after the vote there was a lack of clarity over what exactly Israel had signed up to in the resolution, leaving too many questions unanswered for Moscow to offer its support.

‘Durable end’ to the war in sight 

President Biden described the deal as “not just a ceasefire that would inevitably be fragile and temporary” but one that would provide a “durable end to the war”.

He added that the terms of the deal had been transmitted by Qatar to the leadership of Hamas.

Signaling a hopeful shift in diplomacy, the US-led initiative brought both Israel and the Palestinian mission on board, avoiding the vetoes from permanent members – including the US itself – which have stalled action on several of the resolutions which have failed to pass since the 7 October terror attacks and kidnappings began the cycle of violence.

Three-phase approach

The motion envisages a three phase approach to ensure a lasting and comprehensive end to the fighting.

Phase one includes an “immediate, full, and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners”.

It calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from “populated areas” of Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their homes and neighbourhoods throughout the enclave, including in the north, as well as the safe and effective distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale. 

Permanent end to hostilities

Phase two would see a permanent end to hostilities “in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza”.

In phase three, “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza” would begin and the remains of any deceased hostages still in the Strip would be returned to Israel.  

The Council also underlined the proposal’s provision that if negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue.

No territorial change

In the resolution, the Security Council rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of the enclave. 

The text also reiterates the Council’s “unwavering commitment” to the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

“In this regard stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,” the resolution added.

Hamas must accept deal: US

The fighting could stop today if Hamas agrees to the deal now endorsed by the Security Council, said US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Hamas should now see clearly that the international community is united, “united behind a deal that will save lives and help Palestinian civilians in Gaza start to rebuild and heal. United behind a deal that will reunite hostages with their families after eight months in captivity.”

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said there was now an opportunity to chart a new course and the US will help ensure that Israel lives up to its obligations, “assuming that Hamas accepts the deal.”

Today is the fourth Security Council resolution making clear that the only way to end the cycle of violence “is through a political settlement”, she added.

Algeria: ‘Palestinian lives matter’

Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama said that his compatriots “deeply feel” the suffering of Palestinians and with their own history of struggle against colonial occupation, “fully understand and support” the Palestinian people’s legitimate and just demands.

“As a free and dignified people, the Palestinians will never accept living under occupation. They will never abdicate their fight for liberation,” he said.

Stressing that Algeria’s sole guiding principle has been to save Palestinian lives, he said that his country cannot remain silent in the face of collective punishment against Palestinian people.

“Palestinian lives matter,” he stressed.

He said Algeria voted in favour of the draft because it represents a step towards an immediate and lasting ceasefire. “This text is not perfect, but it offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians as the alternative is continued killing and suffering…We voted for this text to give diplomacy a chance”, he added.

“It is time to halt the killing.”

Permanent ceasefire is key: China

China’s Ambassador Fu Cong said they have voted in favour of the resolution but there needs to be a permanent ceasefire which has been at the core of the international community’s concerns.

Ending the bombardment and offensive is also the most pressing need for civilians under fire in Gaza.

He stressed that all Security Council resolutions are binding, and today’s must be no different.

All resolutions have to be implemented in an efficient and constructive way, he added.

Russia: No clarity to ‘so-called deal’

Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia said his country had abstained due to several outstanding concerns.

“From the very outset of the military escalation, we have consistently and unwaveringly advocated for the imperative for a permanent ceasefire regime, including in order to release the hostages and remedy the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“We have a whole of host of questions about the American draft resolution, whereby the Council welcomes some deal – the ultimate outlines of which are not known to anyone perhaps except the mediators,” he said.

Although the resolution calls on Hamas to accept the “so called deal” there is no clarity on the official agreement of Israel “as it is written in the resolution.”

Noting the public statements of Israeli leaders indicating that the war would continue until Hamas is completely defeated, he asked “what specifically has Israel agreed to?”

The parameters of this “deal” are “vague” and the Council should not be signing up to it, he added.

Israel: War aims unchanged

The Representative of Israel Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly said her country’s goals have been “very clear” since the first few days following 7 October: “To bring all our hostages back home and to dismantle Hamas’ capabilities…and ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future”.

“As we have echoed several times in this very chamber, once these goals are met, the war will end,” she added, noting that 120 hostages remain in captivity and that Hamas continues firing rockets at Israeli towns and cities.

She called for more pressure on Hamas, stating that although three resolutions have been adopted by the Security Council calling for hostages to be released, none have been freed as a result. 

“The pressure on the terrorists should have begun long ago but it is still not too late, it must begin now,” she added.

“We will continue until all of the hostages are returned and until Hamas’ military and governing capabilities are dismantled,” she said.

“Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations which can be exploited by Hamas as a means to stall for time,” she added.

The agency surveyed over 3500 young people in early June, the majority of whom believe their rights are rarely or never respected.

“When I ask children if their rights in Haiti are being respected, the answer is often a resounding: “no”,” said Samarre Tercier Marcellin, Youth Advocate for UNICEF Haiti. 

“Children are abused, die of diseases and malnutrition that could be cured or prevented, and lack access to quality learning. This needs to change,” he added. 

Despite this stark reality, a shocking majority of youth respondents to the UNICEF survey still believe the future of children is brighter than it is in the present. 

Haiti continues to suffer a series of political, socio-economic and security crises. Rival gangs are battling for control of territory across the capital Port-au-Prince forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. This has further exacerbated poverty and severe hunger across the nation. 

Worsening crisis

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) added Haiti to the list of countries of “greatest concern due to the escalation of violence by armed groups,” in their most recent outlook report for the months of June to October 2024. 

FAO and WFP have also identified Haiti as a “famine or risk of famine hotspot,” with over five million people now experiencing acute food insecurity, the highest numbers seen since the 2010 earthquake.

The number of displaced people in Haiti has also greatly increased in recent months, from 362,000 in March to 580,000 currently, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

More than 100,000 left Port-au-Prince alone due to the deteriorating security situation. 

This situation has had grave consequences on the children of Haiti. Of the 2,500 people killed or injured from January to March, many of them were children, said UNICEF.

“Each day, children are being injured or killed,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council in April. “Some are being recruited, or they are joining armed groups out of sheer desperation.”

Around 600,000 of the 1.6 million people facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity are children and many schools have shut down due to attacks, leaving thousands of children stripped of their right to education. 

Still optimistic

Despite the devastating conditions, many youth remain hopeful. According to the UNICEF survey, 24 per cent are very hopeful and 41 per cent are at least a little. Fourteen per cent said they are not very hopeful, and just 10 per cent reported no hope at all. 

When asked about what would allow the country to change the most, 40 per cent cited better access to education, 24 per cent the economic development and poverty reduction, 19 per cent security around the country and seven per cent improved health services. 

Haitian youth cited education as a key factor to make lasting change in their country.

Increased humanitarian action 

Humanitarian efforts have been intensified as a result of the worsening conditions. WFP has delivered 43,600 hot meals to nearly 13,500 displaced people in Port-au-Prince since 1 June. It has also allocated $1 million as part of its social protection and resilience activities to approximately 65,000 people across the country. 

There have also been joint efforts on behalf of the Haitian authorities and national and international organizations to prepare Haitian civilians for the hurricane season that began on 1 June.