Secretary-General's remarks to the press on Gaza
More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza.
No food. No fuel. No medicine. No commercial supplies.
As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have re-opened.
Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop.
Certain truths are clear since the atrocious October 7 terror attacks by Hamas.
Above all, we know ceasefires work.
The ceasefire allowed for the release of hostages.
The ceasefire ensured the distribution of lifesaving aid.
The ceasefire proved that the humanitarian community can deliver.
For weeks -- guns fell silent, obstacles were removed, looting ended – and we were able to deliver lifesaving supplies to virtually every part of the Gaza Strip.
That all ended with the shattering of the ceasefire.
Hope sank for Palestinian families in Gaza and families of hostages in Israel – and I was reminded yesterday when I met again with hostage families.
That is why I have consistently been pushing for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access.
In times like this, we must be crystal clear …. clear about the situation.
With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled.
And as the heads of UN humanitarian organizations declared in a joint statement yesterday: “assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low”.
We must also be clear about the obligations.
As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
Article 55, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that “the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population”.
Article 56, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that “the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring and maintaining…the medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory”.
It further states that medical personnel of all categories shall be allowed to carry out their duties.
And Article 59, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that “if the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the Occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population, and shall facilitate them by all means at its disposal”.
None of that is happening today.
No humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza.
Meanwhile, at the crossing points, food, medicine and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is stuck.
International Humanitarian Law also includes the obligation to respect humanitarian relief personnel.
I want to say a special word about those humanitarian heroes in Gaza. They are under fire and yet doing all they can to follow the path they chose – to help people.
UN agencies and our partners are ready and determined to deliver.
But the Israeli authorities newly proposed “authorization mechanisms” for aid delivery risk further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.
Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.
Unimpeded humanitarian access must be guaranteed.
And humanitarian personnel must be given the protection that they are accorded under international law.
The inviolability of United Nations premises and assets must be respected.
I call once again for an independent investigation into the killing of humanitarians – including UN personnel.
We must stick to our core principles. Member States of the United Nations must adhere to their obligations under international law. And there must be justice and accountability when they do not.
The world may be running out of words to describe the situation in Gaza, but we will never run away from the truth.
The current path is a dead end – totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history.
And the risk of the occupied West Bank transforming into another Gaza makes it even worse.
It is time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire.
Thank you.
UKRAINE
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on Ukraine. Briefing Council members, Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, noted that Russian Federation airstrikes have continued to kill and maim civilians, including children, and destroy civilian infrastructure. He pointed out that media reports also indicate civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation.
Mr. Fletcher noted that almost 13 million people across Ukraine need humanitarian support, adding that thanks to the generosity of donors, 17 per cent of the $2.6 billion needed for the 2025 Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been secured. But far more is clearly needed, he stressed, warning that critical programmes are now having to be scaled back.
Mr. Fletcher reiterated that under the international humanitarian law that the Security Council is here to defend, parties to conflicts must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and there must be limits to how war is waged. And yet, he said, on his visits from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan to Lebanon to Myanmar – he was seeing the opposite: that not only are we not standing robustly for international law, but in some cases supporting its debasement.
Mr. Fletcher warned that the world is getting more dangerous for civilians. He emphasized that the Security Council can do more to ensure that this era of increasingly belligerent, transactional, self-defeating nationalism is not also remembered as one of callous impunity and brutal indifference, in which the rights of civilians are discarded again and again with a shrug.
U.N. MISSION IN KOSOVO
The Security Council will reconvene at 3:00 pm for a Briefing on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK is expected to brief Council members.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that hostilities continue across the Gaza Strip, with more civilians killed and injured and critical infrastructure damaged. All crossings remain closed for the entry of aid and other supplies essential for people’s survival. Since 2 March, no aid or commercial goods have been allowed into Gaza, marking the longest such closure since 7 October 2023.
Humanitarian partners warn that the nutrition situation is growing more dire by the day due to the depletion of stocks. Although they continue to carry out malnutrition screenings across Gaza, supply shortages and movement restrictions – coupled with active hostilities and other challenges – are hampering their operations. In March, partners were only able to screen about 50,000 children for malnutrition, a decrease of more than a third compared to the previous month.
Partners are also having difficulty accessing remaining stocks of ready-to-use complementary food, which are stored in areas of North Gaza governorate that are difficult to reach due to ongoing hostilities and displacement orders. In March, the distribution of these supplies was half of February’s levels.
Today, more families have fled to Mawasi and areas west of Gaza city, in response to new Israeli displacement orders covering five neighbourhoods in Gaza, Khan Younis and northern Rafah.
Shelters for displaced people are overstretched: Hygiene and sanitation conditions are collapsing, with water lacking and reports of flea and insect infestations
OCHA warns that these displacement orders leave civilians exposed to hostilities and deprive them of access to services essential for their survival.
Once again, OCHA calls for the immediate reopening of the crossings so that urgently needed cargo and humanitarian aid can enter Gaza.
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, delivered a keynote address today at the Plenary of the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Assembly is being attended by the highest parliamentary representatives from over 190 countries. In her address, Dr. Maalla M’jid emphasized the urgent need for parliaments to take decisive action and invest in the rights and well-being of children—highlighting that sustainable development is not possible without placing children at its core.
She underscored the importance of ensuring children’s voices are meaningfully heard and included in shaping both the present and future, especially at this critical crossroads for the world. Parliaments, she noted, have a key leadership role in making this a reality.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that civilians, particularly women and girls, are facing extreme risks and harm amid escalating violence in South Kivu province.
Since yesterday, intensifying clashes in Kalehe Territory have forced large numbers of civilians to flee to safer areas. Exact estimates are not yet available as fighting continues.
On 6 April, armed men abducted and raped two women in Kalehe Territory, according to local humanitarian partners. This follows at least a dozen verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence and abductions targeting women and girls since early March.
Critical protection programmes, including assistance for survivors, are severely limited due to ongoing insecurity in the area. The true toll of sexual violence is almost certainly much higher than what is reported, as many survivors fear retaliation for coming forward.
Elsewhere in South Kivu, clashes also erupted in Walungu Territory on 5 April, forcing more people to flee. A local humanitarian partner estimates more than 7,000 individuals have fled the area since early March amid recurrent clashes.
Displaced families are sheltering in neighbouring areas and face extreme hardship, with critical gaps in food, water, sanitation and healthcare.
Moving to neighbouring Tanganyika Province, heavy rainfall on April 2nd triggered catastrophic flooding in Kalemie Territory, killing two people and injuring many others. The wounded are receiving medical care at local facilities.
OCHA and local authorities estimate that nearly 16,000 people in Kalemie Territory have lost their homes in floods since late March. These families are now residing in overcrowded sites or with host communities and face dire conditions.
UGANDA
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said today that Uganda - Africa’s largest refugee host- is witnessing a sharp increase in the number of Congolese refugees crossing its western border due to increased insecurity in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Since January, over 41,000 Congolese have sought safety in Uganda, bringing the total number of Congolese in Uganda to nearly 600,000, out of the 1.8 million refugees currently hosted in the country. In the past two weeks, an average of 600 people have been crossing into Uganda daily.
New arrivals, mostly women and children, are entering Uganda through three main points: Bunagana in Kisoro district; Butogota in Kanungu; and Sebagoro in Kikuube. Arriving by foot or local transport, many are coming from the Rutshuru, Masisi and Goma areas in the DRC, having witnessed killings, sexual violence and other traumatic experiences during their flight. There are also increasing reports of men traveling separately from their families to avoid being forcibly recruited by armed groups.
Amid ongoing funding cuts, this significant surge in refugee arrivals risks overwhelming the country’s capacity as it also responds to the needs of over 70,000 Sudanese refugees who have arrived in the country, fleeing the two-year-long war in Sudan.
Urgent funding is critical to maintain and expand services to those seeking refuge in Uganda.
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
The World Food Programme today issued a statement saying it is deeply concerned by recent notifications from the US administration indicating that funding for emergency food assistance in 14 countries has been terminated. If implemented, this could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation.
WFP is in contact with the US administration to seek clarification and to urge for continued support for these life-saving programmes.
