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Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York

29 July 2025

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

**IPC Alert on Gaza

Good afternoon, we are going to get started fairly quickly so we can get to our guests.

First off, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned today that Gaza faces the grave risk of famine, as food consumption and nutrition indicators have reached their worst levels since the conflict began. That's according to data shared in the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Alert.

The IPC Alert highlights that two out of the three famine thresholds have now been breached in parts of the territory.

Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergencies, and Jean Martin Bauer, WFP Director of Food Security and Nutrition Assessments, will brief you virtually on the IPC report on Gaza, and that will be right after I am done with my part.

**Secretary-General — IPC

In relation to the IPC report, the Secretary-General said the following:

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Alert confirms what we have feared: Gaza is on the brink of famine.

The facts are in — and they are undeniable.

Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. This is not a warning. It is a reality unfolding before our eyes.

The trickle of aid must become an ocean. Food, water, medicine and fuel must flow in waves and without obstruction.

This nightmare must end.

Ending this worst-case scenario will take the best efforts of all parties — now.

We need an immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; and full, unfettered humanitarian access across Gaza.

This is a test of our shared humanity — a test we cannot afford to fail.

And again, these are the words of the Secretary-General.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that we are making the most of the steps announced by the Israeli authorities to ease the delivery of aid into and across Gaza. We are collecting more supplies at the crossings and bringing more in from outside to restock.

Our colleagues in the ground say the Israeli-declared tactical pauses have reduced the intensity of hostilities, but not significantly enough, in times and areas where these are meant to apply. On Sunday and Monday — the two first days of the pauses — the UN and our partners were able to bring into Gaza more food, mainly wheat flour, alongside ready-to-use infant formula, high-energy biscuits, diapers, vaccines and much needed fuel. But OCHA says the volume of goods coming in is still far from enough.

Our colleagues say that most aid is still being offloaded by crowds before reaching where it's supposed to go. But market monitoring shows prices for basic goods are starting to drop, which could point to better operating conditions if aid flows further increase and supplies saturate the area.

OCHA reminds us that commercial imports need to resume, sooner rather than later. No humanitarian operation can fully support 2.1 million people on its own. And for people to feel reassured that aid is flowing regularly, tactical pauses won't cut it. What's desperately needed is a full, permanent ceasefire.

Meanwhile, throughout most of the Gaza Strip, the UN and our partners are still required to coordinate humanitarian movements with the Israeli authorities. We're seeing fewer outright denials by the Israeli authorities, but teams are still facing impediments on the ground.

Yesterday, all attempts were initially approved, but only half of them were fully facilitated. That's five out of ten. This facilitation allowed our teams to collect cargo from Kerem Shalom and Zikim — the only crossings currently available to us — alongside other critical operations. The remaining five movements faced impediments on the ground; two of them could nevertheless be accomplished and three could not be accomplished fully or at all.

Our colleagues from the World Health Organization say that they remain committed to staying and delivering in Gaza despite the destruction of their main warehouse and damage to staff residences last week.

WHO calls for the release of their detained colleague. And they reiterated their call for protection of healthcare and sustained entry of food, fuel, and health aid at scale through all possible routes.

**Lebanon

You will have seen that Lebanon's Permanent Military Court found guilty six of the individuals charged in the killing of Irish peacekeeper Private Seán Rooney in Al-Aqbieh in December 2022. One individual was acquitted.

I can tell you that we join the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in welcoming the conclusion of this trial process and the Government of Lebanon's commitment to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Since the attack, UNIFIL has extended its full support to both Lebanese and Irish authorities with their respective judicial proceedings.

Once again, we offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Private Rooney and the Government of Ireland.

**Deputy Secretary-General

The Deputy Secretary-General continued her engagements at the Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4), taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Today, she participated in high-level events with public and private stakeholders, focusing on the role of African women and youth entrepreneurs in food systems transformation, as well as the challenge of improving food systems in complex settings.

She also met with Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. They discussed advancing the UN 2030 Agenda and the AU Agenda 2063, as well as accelerating food systems transformation on the continent. They also addressed the interlinkages between climate, peace and security in Africa.

This evening, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Amman, Jordan, to co-chair the Regional Retreat with the UN Resident Coordinators in the Arab States region.

**Security Council

This morning, the Head of our Peace Operations Department, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefed the Security Council in a session on adapting peace operations for the pursuit of political solutions.

He said peacekeeping operations have proven to be critical instruments in advancing peace processes and supporting lasting political solutions. But for these operations to be effective in their efforts to pursue political solutions, Mr. Lacroix highlighted three critical areas where we should optimize collective leverage:

First and foremost, he said, the role of this Council is indispensable, not only by mandating missions, but by ensuring that mission political strategies receive sustained political support on the ground.

Second, Mr. Lacroix said it is vital that UN missions, and leadership, act as constant and unwavering ambassadors for peace. And third, it is equally important for our efforts to be closely coordinated and aligned with regional and subregional actors, whose political leverage and proximity to crises can be decisive in shaping positive political outcomes.

Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, also briefed the Council. She said that in light of the challenges facing peace operations, there is a clear need to reflect on their future, adding that the review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations is a chance for reflection, self-awareness and honesty.

Their remarks were shared with you.

**Guatemala

Turning to Guatemala, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that $4 million has been allocated from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), ahead of the upcoming drought forecasted during the crops season, running from September to November.

This marks the first time funds have been released from the CERF before a disaster in Latin America and the Caribbean region, as part of what we call anticipatory action efforts, so that communities can be prepared ahead of a drought.

Under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, Miguel Barreto, the UN, Government and our partners will use the funds to reach more than 50,000 people with cash, assistance in protecting livestock, water, hygiene and sanitation services, food and medical care.

Our humanitarian colleagues noted that families in the Chiquimula Department in Southern Guatemala are already facing crisis levels of food insecurity due to previous droughts, economic shocks and systemic poverty. OCHA is also closely monitoring the situation across the so-called "Dry Corridor" in Central America, which also includes Honduras and El Salvador, and is susceptible to droughts.

**Cambodia and Thailand

In a statement we issued yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand as a positive step towards ending current hostilities and easing tensions. He urges both countries to respect the agreement fully and to create an environment conducive to addressing long-standing issues and achieving lasting peace. The full statement is online.

**Dr. David Nabarro

And last, I can tell you that the Secretary-General is saddened by the passing of Dr. David Nabarro, who had been the World Health Organization's special envoy dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. Nabarro was a tireless advocate for global health — a leader who brought clarity, compassion and conviction to some of the world's most complex health emergencies, from AIDS and malaria to avian influenza and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He dedicated his life to the conviction that health is a human right — and worked to help make that right a reality for all people, everywhere.

For Dr. Nabarro, a healthier world meant equitable access to vaccines, nutrition, and essential care — especially for the most vulnerable.

The Secretary-General pays tribute to Dr. Nabarro's extraordinary legacy of service and reaffirms his commitment to advancing the principles he championed: solidarity, science and health for all.

**Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman: So, I'll take a few questions before we go to our guests. Yes, Yvonne.

Question: Thank you, Farhan. With regard to the sentences handed down to those convicted of the killing of Private Seán Rooney, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed disappointment over the length of time this process has taken. The fact that the main culprit remains at large, and he's described the other sentences as far too lenient. Does the Secretary-General agree?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, we are not going to second guess the position of national judicial bodies. Obviously, it's appropriate for the judicial bodies to handle the situation. From our standpoint, we will continue to respond to all requests for cooperation with the Irish authorities in connection with proceedings in Ireland in accordance with the established procedures, and we'll continue to follow the procedures in Lebanon. And you'll have seen, at the very least, what we're hopeful for is that all of the relevant judicial bodies continue to pursue accountability in this case.

Question: Okay. And on that, now that the legal process has been completed in Lebanon, will the UN be more willing to cooperate and give out further information to the family of Private Seán Rooney and the Irish Government, which is something that they have said in the past the UN has failed to be forthcoming with?

Deputy Spokesman: We intend to respond to all of the requests for cooperation with the Irish authorities. And, of course, we've also been cooperating with authorities of Lebanon in their investigation, and we'll continue to do so. Serife?

Question: Thank you, Farhan. I want to ask you about Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's denial that there is starvation in Gaza and that children are dying from starvation. He says no such thing exists. Despite all the evidence that is now confirmed by the IPC report, too, despite everything that each of us are seeing on the screens, you know, the photos, the visuals. How do you evaluate Prime Minister Netanyahu's denial that there is starvation in Gaza? Thank you.

Deputy Spokesman: We've provided all the facts that are necessary to draw conclusions. We've been pointing to the massive amount of hunger, and you'll have seen the extremely sobering IPC report. I'll also, of course, let my guests speak at further length about this, but there can be no denial about the fact that immediate action is needed, and it is needed at a large scale to prevent further hunger and further starvation. Yes, Mike.

Question: Following on that same note, the Secretary-General statement today said the latest IPC alert confirms what we have feared. Gaza's on the brink of famine. The facts are in, and they are undeniable. You and I have had exchanges in the briefing room earlier about the IPC reports that had projected famine, were retroactively revised, were well off the mark, and at one point, the IPC review committee pointed out in some IPC reports that the information, the data was completely off the mark, was inaccurate, incomplete to a point where that information needed to be revised as well. Why based on all that and the projections that have been so far off the mark for so long is the Secretary-General so confident that this IPC alert has undeniable facts in it? What gives him that confidence?

Deputy Spokesman: It's confidence based on the fact that not only has the IPC report been cautiously going through the evidence for the last year and a half, and they've been looking at the evidence and revising whenever they've made mistakes, at this stage, the IPC report speaks for itself, that two of the three indicators have already been reached. Now let my guests talk further on this. But in addition to that, those findings are in line with what World Health Organization people on the ground are telling us about malnutrition cases. Those are in line with what we are seeing from our own personnel on the ground facing hunger. This is something that is undeniable and something that we ourselves, including our people on the ground and their families, are facing. It's something that has been growing for some time, and we are confident about the accuracy of this. And I'll let our guests speak to it more. Dezhi and then Evelyn, and then we'll go to our...

Question: Okay. Two questions first. Any response from the Secretary-General on the UK's intent to recognize Palestine as a State?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, these are bilateral decisions. And, of course it's up to Member Governments to take their own decisions. As you know, Palestine is already an Observer State at the UN, and we'll have to see what decisions other Member States take. Beyond that, of course, you'll have heard what the Secretary-General himself said at the start of this conference on a two-State solution, and I'd refer you back to what he said then.

Question: Okay. Second question. Yesterday, Israeli Ambassador [Danny] Danon said that this international conference is a circus. Does the Secretary-General agree, and what does he think of the importance of this international conference, if not a circus?

Deputy Spokesman: I think the value of the conference was spoken to at length by the Secretary-General yesterday. And, again, I'd refer you to what he said then. Evelyn?

Question: Yes. Could you repeat and elaborate the difficulties the UN trucks in Gaza had to deliver the goods they brought in?

Deputy Spokesman: Well, I mean, I've been saying this for some days, but I just refer you to what I said at the start of this briefing. The basic point is that we are getting better ability to bring in more food, formula, high energy biscuits, diapers, vaccines, and others. But at this point, the amount is still not reliable enough that crowds are continuing to try to offload the goods as soon as they get in. And we need to make sure, just as happened earlier, that in addition to humanitarian aid, that commercial traffic gets restored, so that the sense of panic that has been happening for these last weeks can finally be lifted. And with that, let me turn the floor over to our guests, Ross Smith, the World Food Programme Director of Emergencies, and Jean Martin Bauer, the World Food Programme Director of Food Security and Nutrition Assessments who will be here to brief you on the IPC report.