Multiple news outlets have reported that Hamas’s supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had confirmed the militant group’s acceptance of what it stated were Israel’s ceasefire terms in a phone call with Qatar’s Prime Minister and a senior Egyptian minister. The two countries have been leading negotiations between the warring parties. 

However, the Israeli leadership has reportedly indicated that the deal indicated by Hamas falls far short of its demands to end the fighting. Israel said it would send a delegation to continue ceasefire talks and also continue its Rafah operation in the meantime. 

‘Make an agreement’: Guterres 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his pressing call to both sides “to go the extra mile needed to make an agreement come true and stop the present suffering”, his Spokesperson said in a statement. 

The Secretary-General also voiced deep concern over indications that a large-scale military operation in Rafah may be imminent. 

“We are already seeing movements of people – many of these are in desperate humanitarian condition and have been repeatedly displaced,” the statement continued.

The Secretary-General also reminded the parties that the protection of civilians is paramount in international humanitarian law.

Opportunity ‘cannot be missed’

Speaking later in the evening New York time, Mr. Guterres told reporters at a press encounter alongside the President of Italy that he had made “a very strong appeal to the Government of Israel and to the leadership of the Hamas in order to go an extra mile to materialise an agreement that is absolutely vital”.

“This is an opportunity that cannot be missed”, the UN chief stressed.

“A ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences and because of its destabilising impact in the region.”

No UNRWA evacuation

Earlier in the morning following news of the Israeli evacuation order, the UN agency for Palestine refugees UNRWA said in a post on X that “an Israeli offensive in Rafah would mean more civilian suffering and deaths. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people”.

“UNRWA is not evacuating: the agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible and will continue providing lifesaving aid to people.”

Children on ‘edge of survival’

Echoing that alert, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that “a military besiegement and ground incursion in Rafah would pose catastrophic risks to the 600,000 children” sheltering there.

Many “are highly vulnerable and at the edge of survival”, the UN agency said in a statement, highlighting increased violence in Rafah and the fact that potential evacuation corridors were “likely mined or littered with unexploded ordnance”.

Any military move on Rafah will likely result in very high civilian casualties while also destroying “the few remaining basic services and infrastructure” that people need to survive, UNICEF insisted.

“Hundreds of thousands of children who are now cramped into Rafah are injured, sick, malnourished, traumatised or living with disabilities,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Many have been displaced multiple times and have lost homes, parents and loved ones. They need to be protected along with the remaining services that they rely on, including medical facilities and shelter.”

Listen below to our in-depth interview with UNRWA’s Louise Wateridge as fear builds of a fullblown invasion of Rafah:

Full-blown famine call

In a related development, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that northern Gaza is now experiencing “full-blown famine…and it’s moving its way south”.

Cindy McCain’s remarks on Sunday echoed serious and repeated concerns from other senior UN officials and the international community about aid restrictions and delays imposed by Israeli authorities.

“The Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian access to the United Nations,” insisted UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini. “Only in the past two weeks, we have recorded 10 incidents involving shooting at convoys, arrests of UN staff including bullying, stripping them naked, threats with arms and long delays at checkpoints forcing convoys to move during the dark or abort,” he said in a post on X on Sunday.

The UNRWA Commissioner-General also condemned rocket attacks on the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza which reportedly killed three Israeli soldiers, leading to its closure. The crossing is a key humanitarian relief entry point.

‘Al Mawasi is not safe’

According to media reports, leaflet drops by the Israeli military above eastern Rafah advised communities to move to the so-called safe zone of Al Mawasi, to the west of Rafah, by the Mediterranean Sea.

UN humanitarians have previously rejected similar evacuation initiatives by the Israeli military on the grounds that they represent forced displacement.   

“In Al Mawasi, there is a severe lack of sufficient infrastructure, including water available, and it is not feasible to support tens of thousands of displaced people there,” UNRWA spokesperson in Gaza Louise Wateridge told UN News.

More than 400,000 people already shelter in the coastal location, according to the UN agency’s latest assessment, which reported an influx of displaced persons from the nearby city of Khan Younis. To help them, UNRWA has two temporary health centres in Al Mawasi, along with other newly established medical points in the area.

“Unlike claims [to the contrary], it is far from safe because nowhere is safe in Gaza,” insisted UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma.

Since 7 October, when Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel prompted massive Israeli bombardment and a ground offensive, at least 34,680 Palestinians have been killed, including over 14,000 children, and over 78,000 wounded, according to the Gazan health authorities. Some 1,250 people were killed in southern Israeli communities and more than 250 were taken hostage.

‘Inhumane’ order to evacuate: Rights chief

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday warned that civilian deaths, suffering and destruction were set to increase beyond already unbearable levels following the eastern Rafah evacuation order. 

“This is inhumane. It runs contrary to the basic principles of international humanitarian and human rights laws, which have the effective protection of civilians as their overriding concern.

“Forcibly relocating hundreds of thousands from Rafah to areas which have already been flattened and where there is little shelter and virtually no access to humanitarian assistance necessary for their survival is inconceivable. It will only expose them to more danger and misery.” 

“More attacks on what is now the primary humanitarian hub in the Gaza Strip are not the answer,” Mr. Türk added. 

Nine years of war have left over half the population – 18.2 million people, mainly women and children – in need of assistance and protection services.

The humanitarian response in Yemen is among the largest in the world, yet a $2.7 billion plan for the country has received just $435 million to date.

Lifesaving aid at risk 

“Underfunding poses a challenge to the continuity of humanitarian programming, causing delays, reductions and suspensions of lifesaving assistance programmes,” the partners said. 

Some 190 humanitarian organisations issued the statement on the eve of a major conference on Yemen, known as the Sixth Senior Officials Meeting, to be held in Brussels, which they said will be “a critical moment to galvanise support and collective action to address the deteriorating crisis”.

Yemeni Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling Houthi rebels which hold much of the country, since 2014. The war in Gaza has further compounded the situation, as the Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, affecting global maritime trade.

‘At a crossroads’ 

“Today, Yemen is at a crossroads,” the partners said. They noted that humanitarian conditions slightly improved following the UN-brokered truce in April 2022 and its de facto continuation, allowing them to move towards resilience-building programming, promoting sustainable solutions by addressing the drivers of needs.

“However, we cannot ignore the significant humanitarian needs that remain and that cannot be addressed without adequate funding to respond,” they added.

Humanitarian needs continue to be driven by economic decline, deteriorating public services and infrastructure, displacement and climate-related disasters.

Inaction would be ‘catastrophic’ 

Other threats include rising food insecurity, which risks increasing malnutrition rates, particularly among pregnant and lactating women, older people and children, as well as the spread of cholera during the current rainy season. 

“Violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law continue, and the presence of explosive remnants of war results in death, injury and displacement, restricts access to agricultural land and resettlement and hinders post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts,” they added.

The partners underscored their commitment to continue to improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and maximise impact and to expand collaboration and promote more Yemeni leadership in the response. 

“To do so, however, humanitarian partners’ sustained support is required,” they said, warning that “inaction would have catastrophic consequences for the lives of Yemeni women, children and men.” 

The experts detailed the far-reaching impacts of the violence and lawlessness that has led to chaos across the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other areas under gang control this year.

“The outbreak of violence in Haiti has resulted in loss of livelihoods and food insecurity, widespread and multiple displacement, the collapse of education, breakdown of healthcare and other essential services,” they said.

The Human Rights Council-appointed experts also pointed to the near total lack of access to justice due to fear of reprisals and the collapse of the economy.

‘Tactic to instil fear’

Particularly alarming is the use of sexual violence by criminal gangs, which is employed as a tactic to instil fear, control territories, extort money and punish communities. 

“Internally displaced women and girls who live in inadequate and precarious displacement sites are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence,” they said, warning of a sharp rise in trafficking them for purposes of sexual exploitation and sexual slavery.

They also voiced concern over the Haitian authorities’ failure to protect vulnerable populations as well as being “actively complicit” in gang activities. 

“Haiti must return to democratic and constitutional governance based on the principles of respect for human rights, transparency and accountability,” the experts urged.

The experts, who serve in their individual capacity independent of the UN or any national government, called on the criminal gangs to put an immediate end to all forms of gender-based violence.

Deadly rains continue pounding East Africa

Hundreds of thousands of lives have been impacted by recent heavy rainfall and massive floods in parts of Eastern Africa as the UN continues to offer support to governments across the region. 

Reports from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicate that close to 750,000 people are affected by the rains and floods, with 234,000 displaced.

Last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was deeply distressed over the loss of life due to heavy flooding in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and other parts of East Africa.

Cholera risk in Somalia worsens

The rains have affected more than 160,000 civilians in Somalia leaving 37,000 displaced. UN partners estimate that up to 770,000 Somalis could be impacted overall, exacerbating the ongoing cholera epidemic there, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York on Monday.

In Kenya, local authorities warned that over 285,000 lives have been affected so far, with more than 200 reported deaths. In Burundi, more than 180,000 people were impacted. Additionally, dozens of Rwandans have been killed or injured due to the rains and floods.

The UN and its partners continue to support these Eastern African countries through flood response plans, evacuation efforts and healthcare, including psychosocial support.

Namibia: Praise for efforts to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Namibia has become the first country in Africa and the first high-burden country in the world to reach a key milestone in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and hepatitis B, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday.

WHO has awarded the southern African country “silver tier” status for progress on reducing hepatitis B and “bronze tier” for progress on HIV, in line with its triple elimination initiative to protect the health of mothers and children that also includes ending syphilis infections.

‘Landmark achievement’

The UN agency certifies a country with silver tier status when 50 per cent or more of all newborns are given the hepatitis B vaccine. Bronze certification is awarded when mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been reduced to less than five per cent. 

“This is a landmark achievement by Namibia that demonstrates the lifesaving possibilities of committed political leadership and effective implementation of public health priorities,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

WHO’s initiative promotes an end to mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B by encouraging countries to integrate services.

“Namibia has met this milestone by taking a truly integrated approach to the HIV response from early on,” said Etleva Kadilli, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa. 

“The country has not addressed HIV in isolation as a single disease, but as part of a broader health and development agenda, encompassing maternal and child health for all.”