Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
28 July 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Briefings
All right, good afternoon.
I am going to try to get through it very quickly because first, once I am done here, at 12:30 p.m. in this room, you will hear from the Foreign Ministers of France and of Saudi Arabia, and that will concern the international conference on the implementation of the two-State solution. So that will be right after I am done here.
And then, at 1 p.m., you will hear about food insecurity from Máximo Torero, the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He will brief you via videoconference. So those are happening right after I'm done.
And let me get through the news of the day first.
**Secretary-General — Palestine
First off, the Secretary-General will speak this afternoon at the opening session of the international conference on the implementation of the two-State solution.
He will say that the only realistic, just and sustainable solution for Israelis and Palestinians is two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both.
But he will warn that time is running out, with trust slipping every passing day while institutions are weakened and hopes are dashed.
At an earlier meeting this morning, he said that the wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable and must stop and that unilateral actions that would forever undermine the two-State solution are unacceptable.
The Secretary-General said that today's conference is a rare and indispensable opportunity. We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric, Mr. [António] Guterres added. It can and must serve as a decisive turning point — one that catalyses irreversible progress towards ending the occupation and realizing our shared aspiration for a viable two-State solution.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, yesterday welcomed Israel's decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys. Some movement restrictions appear to have been eased on Sunday, he said, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected.
This is progress, Mr. Fletcher said, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis. He said that we need sustained action and fast, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza; multiple trips per day to the crossings so we and our partners can pick up the cargo; safe routes that avoid crowded areas; and no more attacks on people gathering for food.
UN agencies and our partners have welcomed these measures. Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that it has enough food in the region or on the way there to feed the starving population for about three months. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) says that some 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt are waiting for the green light to enter.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) tells us that July was the worst month of deaths linked to malnutrition, with more than 85 per cent of malnutrition related deaths recorded in 2025. Nearly one in five children under 5 in Gaza City is now acutely malnourished.
Our partners tell us that in July, more than 5,000 children under 5 have already been admitted for outpatient treatment of malnutrition. The only four specialized treatment centres in Gaza are overwhelmed, pushing an already fragile health system closer to collapse.
The UN and our partners stress the need for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid through all crossings and corridors to allow large-scale delivery of aid to the starving and exhausted population.
Yesterday, the Israeli authorities announced simplified movement procedures both from the crossings and within Gaza. Out of 17 missions requiring coordination with the Israeli authorities, eight were facilitated, including the collection of fuel and supplies from Kerem Shalom, while three have been denied, and two cancelled. Four missions, including the uplift of food cargo, were impeded but accomplished.
The long-standing restrictions on the entry of aid have created an unpredictable environment with a lack of confidence by communities that aid will reach them. This has resulted in many of our convoys being offloaded directly by starving, desperate people. Yesterday, hungry people offloaded food supplies before they could reach their intended destination.
As we have said before, the only way to mitigate for this situation is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time. This was evident during the ceasefire, when such incidents did not occur.
Meanwhile, airdrops have resumed in Gaza yesterday. While we welcome all efforts to provide aid to the people who desperately need it, UN agencies and partners remind us airdrops are the last resort measure and carry risks for people on the ground. Injuries were reported yesterday when packages fell on tents.
Meanwhile, OCHA reports that modest quantities of fuel have entered Gaza last week. Fuel must be allowed in, consistently and at the volume needed to keep aid operations running, including operating the trucks to collect and distribute cargo.
**Food Systems Summit
This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks, via a pre-recorded video message, to the Food Systems summit in Addis Ababa.
He said we have seen progress since the first Summit four years ago, but progress is not fast or fair enough.
Global hunger is rising, he said. One third of the world's people cannot afford a healthy diet, while one third of the world's food is lost or wasted.
The Secretary-General highlighted three urgent priorities:
First, he said, we need integrated policies and a global framework that connects agriculture to people: their health, climate, trade and finance.
Second, we must address power imbalances, govern food systems fairly, tackle inequality and deliver on the right to food for all.
And finally, Mr. Guterres said we must unlock and connect finance at scale.
But above all, he concluded, we need peace, so that investments can take root and farmers can look to the future with confidence.
**Deputy Secretary-General's Travel
And the Deputy Secretary-General is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, attending the Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4) on behalf of the Secretary-General.
At the opening press conference, Ms. [Amina] Mohammed highlighted the importance of the Summit in sharing progress on food systems transformation, strengthening multistakeholder collaboration, unlocking financing and investment and building momentum toward 2030 and beyond.
In the margins of the Summit, the Deputy Secretary-General met with senior government officials, civil society representatives, youth and other key stakeholders to discuss priority actions to advance food systems transformation and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
**Security Council — Syria
This morning, Security Council members held an open meeting on Syria. Geir Pedersen, our Special Envoy for Syria, briefed via videoconference from Geneva. Among other issues, he spoke about the violence that we witnessed in Sweida this past month. He underscored that a sovereign Syria must ultimately hold the monopoly on the legitimate use of force and operate under the rule of law.
For her part, OCHA's Director for Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, highlighted three key asks for the Council's attention: First, protection of civilians; second is continued investment in the humanitarian operations in Syria; and lastly, mobilizing resources for Syria's reconstruction and development.
**Syria — Humanitarian
Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs say that a third convoy made its way to Sweida Governorate today. This assistance, including from the UN, continues to be provided through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society. But sustained access for more assistance is needed.
Meanwhile, over the past three days, OCHA led two inter-agency missions to assess the situation of families displaced by recent violence in Rural Damascus and Dar'a Governorates. In the town of Sayyeda Zeinab in Rural Damascus, some 3,000 people are sheltering in hotels. Displaced families reported trauma, injuries during fighting and loss of homes and documentation. Health access is limited, with only one public hospital functioning and the nearest health centre 6 kilometres away. In Dar'a, the mission assessed the Tal Shihab reception centre in Izra' District as a potential site to accommodate displaced families.
The World Health Organization has confirmed five attacks on healthcare in Sweida Governorate during the recent escalation of violence, including the killing of two doctors, obstruction and targeting of ambulances. WHO-supported mobile medical teams have been deployed to areas of displacement, providing urgent outpatient consultations, maternal and child health services, mental health support and essential medicines.
We and our humanitarian partners have scaled up support across Dar'a and Rural Damascus Governorates. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners provided more than 1,800 kits of household items, reaching over 9,000 people. UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and its partners continue to deliver psychosocial services and distribute dignity kits to displaced women and girls.
Our partners have also delivered 90,000 bottles of water; provided 12,000 litres of fuel to operate essential water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; and supplied dozens of plastic water tanks to displaced families in Dar'a and Sweida Governorates. Additional water tanks are being dispatched to reception centres across the affected areas to enhance access to safe water.
**Lebanon and Israel
Peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) report continued Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) presence and military activities in the mission's area of operations, including an air attack by a drone on Saturday in Sector West.
Yesterday, the peacekeepers found two unauthorized ammunition and weapons caches in Sector East, containing mortar and rocket shells, rocket launchers and unexploded ordnance. These were referred to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, incidents of unfriendly behaviour and obstructions to UNIFIL's movement continue. On Saturday, a UNIFIL patrol was blocked by local individuals from accessing a public location in Sector West. The patrol was able to continue its movement following an intervention by the Lebanese Armed Forces. Separately, on Friday, a quadcopter drone hovered above a UNIFIL patrol for several minutes in Sector West, before returning south of the Blue Line.
We reiterate the critical importance of the mission's unhindered freedom of movement. Any intimidation and obstruction of UNIFIL's work must stop.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that attacks over the weekend continued to damage hospitals, homes and critical infrastructure across the country. According to authorities, at least 20 people were killed, and more than 120 others were injured across the country from Friday to the early hours of today.
The most severe impact occurred in the north-east, in the Sumy region, where attacks hit a civilian bus and disrupted electricity services across the region. In the neighbouring Kharkiv region, a hospital was struck last Friday, according to the World Health Organization.
Attacks and hostilities also caused civilian casualties and damaged residential buildings, schools and shops in the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia. Meanwhile, aid workers continue to coordinate with local organizations to support the most vulnerable people in the Sumy Region.
Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, visited several border communities with Andrea De Domenico, the Head of OCHA's office in the country, and Richard Ragan, Country Director for the World Food Programme, to assess the most urgent needs of people affected by intense hostilities.
Following the strikes in the regions of Kharkiv and Dnipro, aid workers delivered shelter materials and other supplies, assisted with repairs and provided psychosocial assistance to impacted families. So far in 2025, more than 30 convoys have reached nearly 40,000 people in front-lines areas.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our peacekeeping mission there condemns the attack that took place over the weekend in the Ituri province.
According to official reports, at least 49 civilians were killed by members of the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) armed group. Most of them were reportedly killed inside a place of worship. Several people were abducted. Homes and shops were also set on fire, worsening an already extremely concerning humanitarian situation in the province.
The Mission expresses its deep outrage at these heinous acts of violence, which constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and infringements on human rights.
In coordination with local authorities, our peacekeeping colleagues have provided support for the response, including the organization of burials and the provision of medical care for the wounded. At the same time, MONUSCO (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) has intensified its security efforts, in and around the site of the attack, by increasing the frequency of patrols in the area.
The mission remains fully committed to working alongside the Congolese authorities and local communities to help prevent future attacks, protect civilians, reduce tensions and contribute to the stabilization of areas affected by armed violence.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is alarmed by escalating health and food crises across the country.
In the locality of Tawila, in North Darfur State, cholera cases continue to rise, with more than 1,500 suspected and confirmed infections reported since June. Over 500 people are currently receiving treatment. Local authorities have introduced emergency measures, including market closures and a ban on public gatherings.
As we mentioned here last week, humanitarian organizations urgently require $120 million to scale up life-saving support in Tawila over the next three months. This funding is essential to contain the outbreak and sustain critical services.
Meanwhile, food insecurity continues to worsen across Sudan. In North Darfur State, low cereal supply, poor harvests and a prolonged food deficit have severely affected food availability. In Abu Shouk camp, displaced families are facing acute shortages of food and medicine, with local sources reporting four hunger-related deaths last week.
Food prices continue to rise to alarming levels in El Fasher, the state capital. In May, the average cost of the local food basket there was more than six times the national average. The city recorded the highest prices for nearly all essential items among assessed localities. Some of the most staggering price hikes included sugar, which rose by some 960 per cent, and sorghum by 160 per cent. Even liquid dish soap increased by 150 per cent in just one month.
As you'll recall, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, has identified famine conditions in multiple areas in North Darfur and the eastern Nuba Mountains, with more locations at risk. An IPC alert earlier this month noted that the food security and nutrition situation will further deteriorate over the lean season from July to October, particularly in areas of active conflict with limited access and experiencing high levels of displacement.
Despite these challenges, we and our partners continue to provide assistance. Last week, the UN and our partners distributed shelter material, blankets, cooking sets and hygiene items to 2,000 newly displaced families in North Darfur State. However, nearly 60 per cent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter support.
**World Hepatitis Day
And last, today is World Hepatitis Day. It is observed to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver that causes severe liver disease and liver cancer. And this year's theme is "Let's Break it Down."
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesman: Are there any questions for me before you go to the people who you really want to talk to? Yes. Yes, Edie?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Just a couple of clarifications. Have the Israelis opened any other borders except for Kerem Shalom? I know that the Egyptians are getting some things in from the South.
Deputy Spokesman: I believe besides Kerem Shalom, they've been also using the Zikim Crossing. So, we've had those. We're trying to see whether other crossings that have been used in the past like Rafah will be used now.
Question: And follow-up to that, is it correct that every truck that went into Gaza yesterday from the UN was basically unloaded by desperately hungry Palestinians?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. I believe that the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said that, as far as we know, the vast majority of our supplies were basically removed by desperate people yesterday. And you know and he's been saying and what we've been saying for some time is that we expect that to continue until there's enough traffic and enough regular traffic that people don't feel desperate and don't think that the next amount of food will be their last. Yes?
Question: Thank you. Can you just give us some clarity, because what the Israelis have been saying more recently is after they partially lifted the complete blockade of food after the three-month period from early March into May, what they've been more recently been sort of implying is that there was open access to the United Nations, but it was the UN's issue that it wasn't moving anything within Gaza. Can you just help us understand what the restrictions were being placed on the UN during that period, in terms of access to Gaza?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. I said this for this audience many times, but I'll repeat it in capsule form for you — that there's a fairly lengthy process where we basically have to inform the Israeli authorities before we get to the checkpoints of the goods that are being distributed. We get to a checkpoint area. They examined the goods there. It goes into Gaza. At that point, it's offloaded and then reloaded onto other trucks, is inspected again, and then we have to get clearances to move forward out into the areas where they can be distributed. If those procedures are time-consuming, sometimes that puts the aid at risk because the window for the safe delivery of aid — you know, aid that that we can imagine can actually get to the areas without being looted — starts to close. Yes, Pam?
Question: Could you tell us how the airdrops are working? Jordan had some, UAE (United Arab Emirates) had some, and a few other NGOs (non-governmental organizations), they dropped. And is there any distribution after the drop, or is it just dropped?
Deputy Spokesman: We are not participating in the airdrops that have been happening. Obviously, we welcome any efforts to provide more aid, including airdrops. But it is a last resort measure. You can't possibly get more aid in through airdrops than you can through road convoys. And, yesterday, we were aware that injuries reported when some of the packages fell on tents. Dezhi?
Question: Couple of follow-ups. First, on Edie's question, when you're saying that starving civilians, they've removed those humanitarian aid, do you mean looting?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. I mean, you can... I don't tell you what words you can use for your coverage. Some people would call this looting. My comrade Stéphane Dujarric, as you know, has referred to this as self-distribution. A lot of this is basically what we see it is as a desperation measure. So that, basically, we characterize it as the offloading of food by hungry people.
Question: You know, the Israeli authority always accusing UN and UN's humanitarian aid has been, you know, taken by Hamas. If that is the case, you will have another good chance that those humanitarian aid delivery has been ended up in Hamas.
Deputy Spokesman: We are visibly able to see that people who are taking the food. We have to use open trucks by Israeli regulations, and we see the people who are coming. And they are very clearly desperate and hungry people. Regarding the allegations, we've been very clear that we have safeguards in place to prevent looting from Hamas. I think you've seen on recent days, a number of news agencies themselves have looked into this and found the evidence scant, to say the least.
Question: So, you just mentioned that Israeli authority simplified procedures of passing through the border crossing and inside Gaza. Can you elaborate a little bit, what has been simplified?
Deputy Spokesman: They have been basically allowing the trucks for the clearances to come through a little bit more quickly. And so, we've been able to get some more trucks in. It's still not what we want in terms of the large number of trucks we believe is necessary. You know, 100 trucks, while good in a day, is about a fifth of what we want to see happening in our regular scale.
Question: Do you have any numbers of those humanitarian aids that's still waiting for picking up in the border crossings?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. At the start of the briefing, what I said is that our UNRWA colleagues say that there's some 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt, that are still waiting for the green light. [cross talk]
Question: No. I mean, inside Kerem Shalom, how many humanitarian aids?
Deputy Spokesman: That's a very fluid system. I mean, there are trucks in Kerem Shalom; then they are on the Israeli side, then they go into the Gaza side, then they wait there, and then they have another set of trucks bring them in. So, it's hard to get the numbers for all that. But like I said, we've had roughly 100 trucks go through yesterday, and we want to increase that number. Linda?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I'm just following up on Dezhi's question about, you know, possible looting of some of the food, which, you know, the UN, as you've mentioned, carefully watches who's taking it. But I was wondering, does the UN have a sense of where Hamas gets its food deliveries from?
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not aware. You're as aware as I am of the reports of Hamas tunnels and activities like that. Those are not things for which, you know, we have any sort of investigative mandate. But we are certain that we've put in safeguards in place for the distribution of our aid and our aid deliveries are reliable. Yes, Yvonne?
Question: Sorry, Farhan. Just asking for clarification. You may have said this at the beginning. So how, if you compare it to last week's situation, how much more aid is being let in through UN mechanisms this week after the opening of some of the crossings?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we've only had one day of this so far, so we'll have to see whether this improves. But there was a small uptick from what we've been having, which was a few dozen trucks going in for these days. As it is, and I think I've said this earlier during this briefing, we need a substantial amount of aid. At this stage, it's still not so much that the population themselves do not feel desperate. But we have the ability to get enough aid in so that there will be no efforts to offload trucks right away. Yesterday, WFP made very clear that there's enough food that's already in the region or on its way in that could feed people, the entire population, for the next three months. Now we just need to be able to get it in, and we'll rely on our cooperation and see what we can do about that.
Question: So, you're talking about a very small uptick, you said. So, doesn't sound like much has changed today.
Deputy Spokesman: We're hopeful that things will change. I mean, we've only really been under this new system for about a day or so, and we're going to expedite this, but we are trusting that we'll get the sufficient cooperation, and we want this to continue for as long as we possibly can. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Just a follow-up. You said that the WFP issued a statement that there is enough food for 90 days. May I ask, how did they got this amount of food come in? Did it just come in a single day?
Deputy Spokesman: No. We've been bringing it in to neighbouring countries for some time and positioning it. So, there's a lot of food that's what we call pre-positioned for distribution. But it needs to get in and it needs to get to who need it.
Question: So most likely, it is on Egypt side or Jordan or it's Cyprus or the three hubs?
Deputy Spokesman: It's different areas. Yes.
Question: Okay. Thank you. So, the food is not in, actually?
Deputy Spokesman: It's not in. I mean, that, as we've been saying for months, has been the trick, is getting it actually in, not just getting it into Gaza, but getting it into distribution sites where people can get to it safely. Yes, please?
Question: Hi, Etan Hart. Over the weekend, there was reports that IDF admitted to destroying, burying contents of over a thousand aid trucks because a lot of the aid was expired. Do you have any estimates about how much food and aid was expired over these two months, from just food waiting around or aid waiting around?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't have any precise figure about this. We've been trying to get food in before it expires. So hopefully, there hasn't been that much spoilage, but we'll check and see what we can determine about the expiration of food. Yes, please?
Question: Thanks so much, Farhan. I'm wondering if you have any comments on Thailand-Cambodia Peace Agreement.
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. We actually expect a statement on this. It's not ready yet, but we certainly welcome the ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand. And we see it as a positive step towards ending current hostilities and easing tensions. And we would like this agreement that's been reported today to be fully respected and for the long-standing issues to be addressed. [A statement was later issued.]
Yes. Mike?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sent a letter to Tom Fletcher, I think, sometime in the last 24-48 hours, trying to open up a dialogue with OCHA, with the UN at large. Obviously, the US backs the GHF. The US can exert some pressure on Israel to open up humanitarian corridors and the like. Is there any impetus here for Under-Secretary-General Fletcher or the UN as a whole to be in contact with the GHF, even to open up some sort of dialogue? Even if they disagree with the methods being implemented by the GHF? Is there any communication between the two entities at this point?
Deputy Spokesman: I think Mr. Fletcher has indicated our willingness to talk to anyone who is trying to help provide aid to Gaza, and that includes the GHF. Obviously, we have the standards that we have outlined in terms of our principles for aid delivery. But within that context, we'll see whether we can get improved distribution of aid. And we're willing to talk this over with anyone on this.
Question: So, if you say that the UN is willing to talk it over with any entity that's able to help, but there's been no conversation, is the inference there that the GHF can help?
Deputy Spokesman: I actually don't think it's the case that there have been no conversations. I believe that we've spoken at some level with GHF people under the aegis of seeing what can be done. But I don't think that there's any sort of agreements between us and them, given the nature of their operations and our particular standards for humanitarian aid delivery. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Quite different subject. President [Donald] Trump said today he's very disappointed in [Vladimir] Putin and set a new deadline of 10 or 12 days for Russia to stop the war, not 50. He's ready to impose strong sanctions on Russia and bias of its exports unless progress is made. What about the Secretary-General? Would he like to hear clear support for these concrete peace efforts?
Deputy Spokesman: We welcome all efforts to achieve a peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation that is in line with the UN Charter, with international law, and the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council.
And with that, I wish you a good afternoon.
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