Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
23 October 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon.
**Guest
In a short while, I will be joined here by my guest, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). He will be here to brief you on the situation in Haiti, on which he spoke to the Security Council yesterday afternoon.
Then, at 1:15 p.m., there will be a briefing here by Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, following the presentation of her report to the General Assembly's Third Committee.
Last, at 2 p.m., there will be a briefing by Professor Attiya Waris, the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, following the presentation of her report to the General Assembly's Third Committee.
**Secretary-General's Travel
The Secretary-General is on his way to Hanoi, Viet Nam, where he will participate in a high-level event marking the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. You'll recall that the Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in December of last year; this landmark treaty is the first comprehensive global framework to address cybercrime.
While in Viet Nam, the Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings with senior Vietnamese officials.
Before he headed to Hanoi, the Secretary-General met with the group of Francophone ambassadors accredited to Geneva. He gave them an overview of the UN80 process and discussed a variety of other global issues.
And for tomorrow, which is UN Day, the Secretary-General will participate via video link in a Security Council session to commemorate the United Nations' 80th anniversary.
**Security Council
Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on Israel and Palestine this morning, and he said that the ceasefire agreement represents hope for a better future, but the dynamics are extremely fragile.
He told Council members that a return to conflict must be avoided at all costs. The remaining deceased hostages must be released without any further delay. Humanitarian assistance must enter the Gaza Strip at scale to meet the enormous needs of the population wherever they are. All parties must abide by their commitments under the deal and agreements should be reached to implement the next phase.
Mr. Alakbarov said that, as tracked by the UN 2720 Mechanism for Gaza, humanitarian partners have scaled up aid delivery, with a 46 per cent increase in aid tracked by the UN entering the Strip in the first week of the ceasefire. But he added that much more still needs to be done, and he pointed to the need for more crossings and functional relief corridors, safe passage for aid workers and civilians, unrestricted entry of goods, sustained entry of fuel, and operational space for the UN and NGOs, including renewal of NGO (non-governmental organization) registration.
**International Court of Justice
In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary-General welcomed the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed several fundamental obligations of Israel under international law.
The Secretary-General strongly urges Israel to comply with its obligations in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations and other humanitarian actors in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in accordance with the Advisory Opinion. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize that all parties must comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, at all times.
The Secretary-General will promptly transmit the Advisory Opinion to the General Assembly, which had requested the Court's advice. It is for the General Assembly to decide on any further action it may wish to take on this matter.
The full statement is online.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to Gaza,the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells us that the UN and our partners are working to address the needs of displaced people across the Strip, in line with our 60-day response plan. Yesterday, a team carried out needs assessments at two collective centres in Gaza City's Az Zaitoun neighbourhood, hosting more than 200 families who recently returned. This area had beeninaccessible before the ceasefire.
The team noted that hygiene conditions at these sites are extremely poor, with widespread skin diseases linked to the lack of clean water and damaged sanitation systems. At one of the locations, residents reported repeatedly having to walk two kilometres to the nearest water point, due to a shortage of containers.
There is an urgent need to repair latrines and sewage networks to prevent leaks and contamination. Services are almost non-existent, with no medical points, mobile health teams or nutritionscreening available. Displaced families at these sites say they urgently need food, clean water, hygiene items, materials to repair water and sanitation infrastructure, and cash assistance to purchasewinter clothing, shoes, tarpaulins and kitchen sets.
On the health front, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that its team led the medical evacuation of 41 critical patients and 145 companions out of Gaza, the first such evacuation since the ceasefire. WHO noted that there are still about 15,000 patients waiting for approval to receive medical care outside Gaza.
On Monday, the World Food Programme (WFP) started to distribute high-energy biscuits and fortified date bars to school-aged children across 18 temporary learning spaces in Gaza.
On Tuesday, 147 UN and partner trucks were offloaded at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings. About two thirds of the cargo was food aid. Other supplies included diapers, hygiene kits and tarps for emergency shelter assistance. Also on Tuesday, at least 80 UN-coordinated trucks were collected from the crossings for distribution inside Gaza. The trucks were carrying food, including fresh vegetables, rice and wheat flour; water, sanitation and hygiene items, including water tanks, handwashing stations and buckets; stoves for community kitchens; and diesel, among other supplies.
While we do not have the final data on the amount of cargo picked up from the crossings yesterday, we can tell you that UNICEF was able to collect 20 trucks of baby diapers from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem. The World Food Programme also collected food cargo from the two crossings.
With regard to fuel, the UN Office for Project Services, or UNOPS, successfully collected 159,000 litres of diesel from Karem Abu Salem yesterday and distributed more than 118,000 litres of diesel and over 1,200 litres of petrol for critical humanitarian operations.
And we have a correction regarding the number of trucks that the UN and our partners offloaded at the crossings on Monday. According to the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard, 105 trucks from the UN and its partners were offloaded at Kerem Shalom and Kissufim that day, not 263, as we told you yesterday.
**Sudan
For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that escalating violence continues to endanger civilians across multiple regions in Sudan, with drone attacks and clashes spreading beyond Darfur into other states.
The situation in El Fasher, the besieged state capital of North Darfur, remains catastrophic. Heavy clashes and drone attacks were reported on Tuesday and yesterday across the city and in Korma, a town 80 kilometres away, marking one of the most intense escalations in recent days.
Elsewhere in Sudan, the use of aerial weapons in densely populated areas in recent days has heightened concerns for civilian safety and further strained essential services.
Since Tuesday, multiple incidents have been reported across the states of Khartoum, Blue Nile, North Kordofan and Sennar. Today, there were reports of drone attacks on the airport in Khartoum for a third consecutive day, impacting its reopening after more than two years of closure.
Meanwhile, other attacks in the cities of Sennar, Damazine and El Obeid triggered widespread power outages. In South Darfur State, insecurity remains high in the capital, Nyala, where reports of drone attacks continue. We and our partners are closely monitoring the situation.
OCHA reiterates that civilians must be protected, essential infrastructure must never be targeted and safe humanitarian access must be ensured. All parties must immediately halt hostilities and uphold international humanitarian law.
And tomorrow, my guests will be Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations joining us from N'djamena in Chad, along with UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements, who will be connecting from Nairobi, along with WFP's Assistant Executive Director, Valerie Guarnieri, who will joining us from Rome. We hope to have one of our IOM colleagues join us, as well. They will talk about their visit to Sudan, and they have a joint press release on that topic.
**Niger
Turning to Niger, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted by deadly floods across the country. Authorities in Niger report that the flooding during this year's rainy season has affected some 550,000 people, with the regions of Dosso, Tillaberi and Maradi worst impacted.
According to official figures, more than 120 people have been killed, nearly 55,000 houses destroyed and more than 10,000 acres of farmland left under water. We, along with our humanitarian partners, are working to support Government-led relief efforts, but resources remain extremely limited. This year's response plan for Niger is less than a fifth funded, with just $111 million received of the $603 million needed.
**Tropical Storm Melissa
I have an update from the Caribbean, where tropical storm Melissa is expected to bring heavy rainfall and high winds in the coming days to the region. Our colleagues from the World Food Programme are helping people in the path of the storm to proactively prepare, in order to mitigate damages.
In Haiti, working with the Haitian Government, WFP sent out 3.5 million early warning messages yesterday via text message, providing guidance on how to prepare and stay safe. WFP in Haiti is also preparing to deliver anticipatory e-money distributions totalling $900,000 to meet urgent humanitarian needs for about 45,000 people.
These payments are supported by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and will help families prepare to weather the storm and protect livelihoods of the most vulnerable.
In Cuba, our colleagues tell us that WFP and the Government's prepositioned food can cover approximately 275,000 people for 60 days.
Through the WFP Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub, there are currently more than 500 pallets of partner relief supplies, as well as logistics' assets stored in Barbados for air and sea deployment to impacted countries.
WFP is also finalizing a food supply agreement in Jamaica to provide 10,000 food kits, which are designed to feed a family of approximately 3 persons for 10 days, with capacity to provide more as needed.
**Tunisia
I would like to highlight the launch of a new initiative in Tunisia, funded by the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund. With an investment of $2.6 million, the initiative will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Government of Tunisia.
Over the next two years, the project will promote inclusive and participatory local water management in the regions of Gafsa and Kairouan, which are heavily affected by climate change-induced water scarcity, with a special focus on the participation of women and youth.
**International Day
And last, today marks the International Day of the Snow Leopard. Found in the high mountain ranges of Asia, the snow leopard faces serious threats from habitat loss, prey depletion, poaching, illegal trade and climate change.
Protecting this iconic mountain species is essential to preserving the health and balance of fragile high-altitude ecosystems.
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesman: Are there any questions before we get to our guest? Yes, please, Farnoush?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. The mic's not coming closer. But I wanted to ask — the DART, the disaster assistance response team that's part of the US peace plan, said that 784 trucks entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing yesterday. I'm just wondering, given we know the outline of what was agreed to in the plan of 600 trucks entering a day, can you give us a breakdown, given that the numbers that you're giving of UN trucks entering is way less than 600, can you give us a breakdown of what the agreement was? And are the Israelis or is anyone complying with the 600 trucks? Was that meant to be just UN trucks?
Deputy Spokesman: It was not meant to be just UN trucks. That is a combination of trucks by the UN and our partners, trucks involving bilateral humanitarian aid, and then other trucks for commercial distribution. So, the numbers we're giving you is for the ones that we are responsible for. And right now, we have monitors at one of the spots, Kissufim, but we still need to get monitors deployed throughout so that we can also provide more detailed numbers about that.
Question: And then, is the numbers that you're giving us, it seems like it's wavering between 150 and 250 trucks a day. Is that in line with how many you're wanting to get in? Is that way below the number that you want to get in?
Deputy Spokesman: It's below the number we want to get in. It is an improvement. As Ramiz Alakbarov told the Security Council today, we've had a 46 per cent increase in the amount of aid since the ceasefire, which is a good rise, but much more needs to be done. We need to have more crossing points open than just the two, and we need to have more aid go in freely. And also, we do need visas for the UN and for international NGOs, so that we can go about the process of actually getting aid to the people who need it.
Question: And then just lastly, just because I want to clarify, was there a number that was agreed to or outlined in the peace plan for UN trucks a day? I'm just trying to understand if it's aligning.
Deputy Spokesman: It's not specific about UN trucks, but the UN has been involved, including with the US, with the other mediators, with the authorities on the ground and with Israel, trying to get as much aid in as possible under the plan. Yes, please, in the back. Damilola?
Question: Thank you. I want to follow up, if you could give any updates as to what the situation with UN staff in Yemen. What's the latest update on that? And second question is, we've been told over a couple of days that the people in arbitrary detention, there are some who have been there since 2021. I was wondering if you could give like a breakdown of that number. How many have been there since 2021, and why is that? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. There's about 53 of our staff who remain under arbitrary detention, some from as long ago as 2021, some over the summer. We actually gave a breakdown of the numbers, so I would refer you to the past briefings. But the number took a rise over the course of the summer months. We're continuing to deal at all levels, including with the de facto authorities, but also with other parties in the region, to get the release of those personnel as well as, by the way, the release of international non-governmental organization staff, civil society staff and embassy personnel. Those are also non-UN categories of people where there have been significant numbers detained over the last years. Regarding our staff, you saw the information we provided over the last few days, including about the departures of some of our international staff. What I can tell you is that today, as well, there's been some movement of international staff both into and out of the areas controlled by the de facto authorities. Yes, please?
Question: Thank you so much. My name is Prosper Heri Aurora. I'm from Democratic Republic of Congo, and I'm a Dag Hammarskjöld fellow. I have one question. Currently, the UN has 80 years since it was created, following the increased conflict in the world, particularly in the current global geopolitical, fears are mounting about the future of humanity. Some observers fear what they describe as the fragility of the UN and tend to compare it to the former [League of Nations]. What is your viewpoint about these kinds of fears? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the UN has already outlasted the League of Nations by many, many decades. And I believe a lot of the world saw the consequences once the League of Nations was ineffective, because the decade after that was one of almost unimaginable horrors for the world. Regarding the United Nations and our fate, obviously, the United Nations needs to be adapted to keep up with the times. The Secretary-General has been very aware of that, and his UN80 initiative is designed to make sure that we can continue to convince the Member States who pay our bills that we are effective and cost-effective. But the world as a whole needs to understand that this is probably the world's most unique experiment in multilateral diplomacy. And it's been successful over 80 years at acting as a system of guardrails for a world that sometimes has many different cross-cutting problems and many different crises. And without it, the world would be much worse. So, as we celebrate 80 years tomorrow, we should be able to reflect not just on what needs to be done to keep us relevant, but what we've accomplished. Yes, Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I listened to the briefing of Alakbarov. He tried to divide the responsibility of the violation of ceasefire equally among the parties, which is, I think, it's very unfair. I mean, 89 Palestinians were killed, 317 were wounded since the ceasefire took place. And including killing civilians, the family of Abu Shaaban, which I raised before, it consists of seven children, three women, and one man. They were completely obliterated by an Israeli shell. And yet to blame both parties equally, is that fair?
Deputy Spokesman: You're certainly entitled to your opinion and your analysis of the events, but Mr. Alakbarov has the responsibility of making sure that all the parties continue to abide by the ceasefire. So, he tries to give credit for compliance with the ceasefire where he sees it, and he tries to point out problems in compliance with the ceasefire where he sees it, and that is the nature of his job.
Question: My second question is the Knesset voted yesterday, as we raised it before, 24 to 25, to annex the West Bank. I didn't see a special statement from this SG on this important development, which many parties around the world issued a statement, special statement on this.
Deputy Spokesman: I was asked about this at yesterday's noon briefing, and I commented on it then.
Question: I know.
Deputy Spokesman: And I made clear what our concerns are. By the way, we are also aware that this is not a final decision. There's a process in the Knesset that would take several different votes and readings. But you're aware of where we stand. We would oppose any effort to change the territorial status quo of the West Bank.
Question: My next question, can I...?
Deputy Spokesman: Okay. One more and then we go to the others.
Question: I promise.
Deputy Spokesman: Okay.
Question: Okay. The attacks on the olive harvest these days by settlers is going beyond imagination. I mean, if you just open any Palestinian news agency and you see how many places have been attacked at the same time, including beating an old woman of 55 years old unconscious. And they've been beating her while she was [protesting] and it was mentioned at the Security Council, this incident.
Deputy Spokesman: And it was also mentioned here at the noon briefing.
Question: Yes. So, I mean, the escalation of the violence against farmers picking their olive oil is going beyond imagination, beyond control. So, what you can say for this phenomenon that is going out of hand?
Deputy Spokesman: We've already reported regularly about these violations. We continue to monitor, document these and bring this to the attention of the international community. But I would refer you to the work that our humanitarian and human rights colleagues have been doing to make sure that all such violations are recorded and that we follow-up with the authorities to express our concerns. Dezhi and then Gabriel.
Question: Hi, Farhan, a couple of questions. Today, WHO said that to rebuild the health system of Gaza, the cost is at least $7 billion. Wondering where would that money come from?
Deputy Spokesman: We will have to see. Obviously, we put out appeals as needed. But ultimately, there has to be just as much commitment to rebuilding people's lives as there had ever been towards the huge amount of armaments that went in to destroying them.
Question: Should the one who destroyed those places pay the bill?
Deputy Spokesman: That is that is something that the Member States can debate amongst themselves. What's clear is that we want all Member States to be willing to pay what is needed to deal with the level of destruction we've seen.
Question: Okay. Second, any update on the border crossings? Will there be new border crossings open?
Deputy Spokesman: We're working on that, and we certainly hope that. I'd refer you to the briefing by Mr. Alakbarov.
Question: Ambassador [Danny] Danon today, answering my question, he said that the part is not the checkpoint. The part is that you need drivers and routes in order to deliver aid into Gaza. I would say this is like a very moderate criticism against the UN about the drivers and the trucks. Does the UN have the ability to, when more cross-border border crossings open, you have enough manpower to really deliver those aids?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. We do. And we can demonstrate that from what you could see earlier this year, when there was a previous ceasefire in effect. When more crossing points are opened and more roads are clear, we can get the aid to people who need it. Gabriel?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. The ceasefire agreement that was agreed upon by all parties clearly stated in point seven that full aid will be immediately allowed into Gaza at the same levels that it was during the January ceasefire. And during that, is it correct that it was about seven, I'm sorry, about 600 trucks a day?
Deputy Spokesman: Roughly, yes. I mean it varied from day to day, but yes, that was the basic amount.
Question: And in the last two weeks, has there been any day that 600 trucks have gotten into Gaza, by your understanding?
Deputy Spokesman: I can't put a concrete number on that. I've told you what our numbers are for our trucks, but the overall number of trucks, including commercial trucks, could be larger. Again, one of the things that has kept us from being able to give you those numbers is our lack of having monitors at all the crossing points.
Question: So, I'll rephrase it. In any point in the last two weeks, has more than 600 UN trucks gotten in on any given day?
Deputy Spokesman: No. Not UN trucks.
Question: And who would be responsible for that?
Deputy Spokesman: Certainly, we want the Israeli authorities to allow in more trucks at more crossing points. We've made that clear. And, again, I'd refer you to what Ramiz Alakbarov said in the Security Council today. At the same time, we are aware that there are more UN trucks and also more commercial trucks going in, and that is a welcome sign. We want to build on that. Yes. Alex in the back.
Question: Thanks, Farhan. First of all, on the Gaza reconstruction conference in Egypt, who will be there on behalf of the UN?
Deputy Spokesman: We're deciding on our representation at this point. We'll have more to say closer to the time of the conference.
Question: Can I have one more?
Deputy Spokesman: Sure.
Question: On a completely different topic. On US strikes and international waters, has the United States asked you to relocate UN staff in the region because of that?
Deputy Spokesman: No, we've not been requested to move anyone out. Yes, Zainab?
Question: This morning, when I asked the Ambassador Danon about defeating Houthis regarding their continuous attacks there, if they were coordinating with anyone there in the region, he told yes. Are you included as the UN organization?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't describe anything as a coordinated effort against the de facto authorities from our side. We work with them on a number of issues, including of course, the various humanitarian and development programmes on the ground.
Question: Are you aware about any operation that will take place soon against them?
Deputy Spokesman: No, not at all. Right. We're good... Oh, Evelyn, and then we'll get to our guest.
Question: Yes. There are reports filtering out that Hamas is executing people it doesn't like or it thinks it moved against. Is that something your UN is following?
Deputy Spokesman: Our human rights colleagues have been following, and you'll have seen the reports that we've spoken about. We're against any form of extrajudicial execution by any side. Dezhi, we've got to get to our guest.
Question: You won't like the question. Is there any update on the investigation of the escalator? And will there be any result of the investigation?
Deputy Spokesman: As far as I'm aware, any of the relevant information that we had on this was given to the US Mission. Thanks, all.
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