Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York
30 July 2025
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Good afternoon, everybody. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that, four days since the start of tactical pauses in Gaza declared by the Israeli authorities, we are still seeing casualties among those seeking aid and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition.
Parents continue to struggle to save their starving children. In a social media post, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) said that this is a condition that we can prevent and called for increased humanitarian access.
Aid workers in Gaza have not been spared. Our partners report high workloads, burnout and exhaustion — due mainly to the lack of food — among frontline workers, as well as among caseworkers in mental health and psychosocial support facilities.
While the UN and our partners are taking advantage of any opportunity to support people in need during the unilateral tactical pauses, the conditions for the delivery of aid and supplies are far from sufficient. As an example of the delivery of aid challenges, you'll recall that the Kerem Shalom crossing is a fenced-off area. For our drivers to access it, Israeli authorities must approve the mission, provide a safe route through which to travel, provide multiple "green lights" on movement, as well as a pause in bombing, and, ultimately, open the iron gates to allow us to enter.
On the issue of fuel, last week, the UN brought in limited quantities of fuel through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, almost half of which were transferred to the north to support vital health, emergency, water and telecommunications needs.
OCHA reiterates that current fuel entries are insufficient to meet life-saving critical needs and represent a drop in the ocean of needs.
OCHA again stresses that a permanent ceasefire is needed more than ever. Unilateral tactical pauses alone do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense needs levels in Gaza.
Meanwhile, desperate, hungry people continue to offload the small amounts of aid from the trucks that are able exit the crossings.
The UN and our partners continue to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza with the Israeli authorities. Yesterday, three facilitated missions allowed our staff to collect cargo containing food from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and allowed for fuel to be transferred within Gaza. However, the others faced impediments, particularly delays in receiving the green light to move by the Israeli authorities, and one had to be cancelled.
OCHA reiterates that in order to scale-up the delivery of aid in a manner that begins to meet people's tremendous needs, it is critical that all crossings must open, a broad range of supplies — both humanitarian and commercial — be allowed to enter, aid movements inside Gaza be safeguarded and facilitated in a timely manner, and that humanitarians be allowed to do their jobs.
**Sudan
Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs say it's alarmed by the rising toll of hunger, disease and displacement in various parts of the country.
In East Darfur State, local sources report that the Lagawa displacement site, hosting over 7,000 people, is facing severe food shortages. Doctors there warn that the ongoing conflict continues to block aid delivery, leaving vulnerable families without access to food or healthcare.
In the besieged city of El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, local sources report that people are dying from hunger and malnutrition. Community-run kitchens have shut down due to lack of food stocks, and some residents have reportedly resorted to consuming animal feed.
In the locality of Tawila in North Darfur, our humanitarian partners have scaled up their response to cholera. Our partners have expanded treatment centre capacities, but needs remain acute. Medical supplies are running low, and it is critical that clean water supplies, the construction of latrines and awareness campaigns be urgently ramped up.
Meanwhile, our partners report that in North Kordofan State, heavy rains displaced around 550 people and damaged or destroyed over 170 homes in the locality of Rahad on Monday.
In the eastern Sudan state of Kassala, torrential rains have devastated the Gharb Almatar site for displaced families, affecting more than 6,000 people. Many tents were flooded, leaving children exposed to cold, hunger and unsanitary conditions.
The displaced families urgently need cash assistance, shelter and protection, especially women and children who face heightened risks while collecting firewood.
In Port Sudan, extreme heat continues to impact people there. At least three people have reportedly died this week and over 50 others have suffered sunstroke due to extreme heat and a prolonged power outage. With temperatures reaching 47 °C and hospitals overwhelmed, health workers are calling for urgent support, including cooling equipment, medical supplies and personnel.
These cascading crises demand increased international support. The 2025 response plan seeking $4.2 billion to assist 21 million of the most vulnerable people across Sudan is currently 23 per cent funded, with $952 million received to date. OCHA once again calls on donors to scale up funding for the response.
**Somalia
Turning to Somalia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that ongoing armed violence has displaced more than 100,000 people in the regions of Hiraan in Hirshabelle State and Gedo in Jubaland State in the past two months.
On 26 July, clashes intensified in the town of Mahas in Hiraan, forcing the entire population of over 28,000 people to flee their homes. Between 23 and 26 July, 38,000 people were displaced in the Gedo region, with some people crossing into Kenya.
Our humanitarian colleagues note that due to security concerns, seven health facilities in the Hiraan region have suspended operations, cutting off essential healthcare and emergency services for thousands of people. The violence has also restricted humanitarian access, particularly in already hard-to-reach areas.
Due to insecurity and funding constraints, only a limited number of our partners are able to operate in these locations. Communities impacted by the violence urgently need shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection. This new wave of displacement comes as aid agencies grapple with severe funding cuts. Since the beginning of the year, many operations have stalled, and assistance has dwindled.
Due to reduced funding, 2 million Somalis are projected to face increased vulnerability in the months ahead. Aid agencies in Somalia have reprioritized activities to align with the new funding reality, but resources remain critically low.
The $1.4 billion Somalia Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is about 16 per cent funded, with $229 million received so far. Our partners warn that without urgent and sustained funding, the humanitarian crisis will deepen, resulting in preventable suffering and loss of lives.
**Pacific Tsunami Warnings
As I'm sure you saw, yesterday evening, a massive earthquake off the eastern coast of Russia — one of the strongest in the region in decades — has triggered tsunami alerts and evacuation orders across the Pacific region, including parts of Asia, North America and South America.
Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continue to monitor the situation in multiple countries, noting that initial reports indicate no major damage.
We stand ready to support any response efforts, should assistance be required.
**Haiti
Turning to Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that cholera continues to impact the fragile state of the country's public health system — particularly in displacement sites, where there is limited access to safe water and sanitation.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 13 and 19 July, 34 new suspected cholera cases were reported across six of the country's departments.
Most of the cases were linked to displacement sites. Five active transmission hotspots have been identified, including in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the northern regions.
Since December 2024, over 2,800 suspected cholera cases have been recorded nationwide, with 91 laboratory-confirmed cases and 36 fatalities. Cases are being managed by national health authorities, with the support of the World Health Organization.
Despite funding shortfalls, our humanitarian partners continue to carry out key cholera prevention and response activities.
In the department of Artibonite, families received water purification tablets and oral rehydration salt, while in central Haiti, our partners have installed handwashing stations and scaled up community outreach.
In the north, efforts are being made to contain the spread of cholera, with latrines and homes being disinfected and preventive treatments being distributed.
Despite these efforts, the response remains under severe strain due to limited resources, insecurity and the deteriorating conditions in displacement sites. Additional support is urgently needed to strengthen the public health response and prevent further outbreaks among the country's most vulnerable.
The $908 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is currently just under 9 per cent funded with $79 million received so far.
**Cholera
And in a related note on cholera: UNICEF said today that an estimated 80,000 children are at high risk of cholera, as the rainy season begins across West and Central Africa.
Active outbreaks — which we have been updating you about — in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria raise the threat of cross-border transmission to neighbouring countries, UNICEF says.
Chad, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo are also grappling with ongoing epidemics.
Niger, Liberia, Benin, the Central Africa Republic and Cameroon remain under close surveillance due to their vulnerability.
Since the start of the outbreaks, UNICEF has been delivering health and water, hygiene and sanitation supplies for treatment facilities and communities, supporting cholera vaccination in the affected areas and encouraging families to seek timely treatment and improve hygiene practices.
But, our colleagues say, urgent and scaled-up efforts are needed to prevent further spread and contain the disease across the region.
To scale up the emergency cholera response across the region over the next three months, UNICEF West and Central Africa urgently requires $20 million to provide support in health, water and sanitation, risk communication and community engagement.
**Tax Cooperation
The Secretary-General has appointed 25 experts to the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters for the 2025—2029 term. The experts will help countries design tax policies that advance their social, environmental and economic development objectives and successfully implement them.
The Committee supports countries in navigating complex policy trade-offs, and its work provides countries with practical options and tools based on real-world experiences from tax systems around the world.
The Secretary-General made his selection from the largest number of nominations the Committee has received since its inception, representing diverse geographical regions and tax systems. The majority of the appointees are women, reflecting the UN's commitment to strengthening inclusivity in tax leadership. We have a press release with more details.
**International Days
Today is the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. In his message, the Secretary-General says that human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing forms of organized crime.
He added that we must strive to ensure justice for survivors, support the displaced and tackle root causes — from poverty and inequality to conflict and climate disruption.
And just to note that today is also the International Day of Friendship.
And in the spirit of friendship, we will turn to questions.
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, Edie?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I know you were talking about the difficulties of getting aid going through Kerem Shalom. Where else is aid still entering today? Any other crossing points, including Rafah for the Egyptians? And are airdrops still taking place as far as the UN knows?
Deputy Spokesman: On the question of transfer points, there are two transfer points we've been using, and those are Kerem Shalom and Zikim. We hope that more crossing points will become opened over time, but Rafah has not been used in recent days. Regarding airdrops, that is something that a number of other countries are being involved in. Of course, we appreciate any way of getting aid in, but the amount of quantity of goods that can be provided by airdrops is limited, and there are certain risks associated, as well.
Question: Has the UN received any reason of why Rafah is not operating at the moment?
Deputy Spokesman: I think you'd have to go to the Israelis for explanations on why they're keeping it closed. We want as many crossing points opened, and we believe that the time has come to make sure that all of the crossing points into Gaza can be used. Yes, Gabriel?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I just wanted to follow-up on the airdrops. I know you've been asked about it before, and you just mentioned it briefly, but I just want to follow up. France, Spain, Britain and Belgium have all announced a multi-country effort to do airdrops to Gaza. Just to be clear, the UN is against that?
Deputy Spokesman: No, we're not against anything that brings more aid in. Let's be clear. Even if it's a limited quantity of aid and even with some of the problems involved in ensuring that the food from airdrops is distributed to people in need, it still adds to the overall amount of aid coming in, and we appreciate any such effort. But there are some risks. Some of the aid drops that took place earlier this week landed on tents. There's always the difficulty in ensuring that aid can be dropped into a place where it's easy and safe for people to get to it. But having said that, we want to make sure that as many countries, as many parties are involved getting aid in. It's the need for aid, period, is very crucial.
Question: Okay. I understand. It's just that the risks of airdrops are extreme in Gaza. We've seen people even killed via airdrops. So, the situation in Gaza is, you want any aid getting in, but the situation is so bad that even the risks involved with airdrops are potentially worth it. Is that a right way to put it or not quite?
Deputy Spokesman: We are not going to turn our back at any effort to get aid safely to people who need it. At the same time, between the risks associated with airdrops and the small quantity of goods that can be dropped by air, we believe it's completely insufficient to rely on that as a mechanism for getting aid to the people of Gaza. We insist on the need to have more access by road and to the sort of food distribution sites that we've been operating — and operating successfully — earlier in the conflict. Yes, please, in the back.
Question: All right. Yeah. So, this is Sarai from Homeland News. My question is about tsunami disaster today. So, following in Russia and following by international warning in many countries, some of them are developing countries, so are there any new plan to improve international cooperation on this? And, also, this incident brings back to the front the issue of acceleration in climate change.
Deputy Spokesman: Certainly, the latter aspect is something for governments to consider in terms of the intensity of natural disasters — although, of course, natural disasters have occurred many times not linked to climate change, as well. What I can tell you from our standpoint is, as I mentioned earlier in the briefing, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is monitoring the situation in the various countries that seem to have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami. So far, the initial reports are that there's been no major damage, but we do stand ready to support any response efforts that are needed. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I asked this before. Let me try again. The Secretary-General often welcomes specific peace efforts. Will it also support [United States] President [Donald] Trump's latest intentions to end the Russian war? And will that support be expressed at tomorrow's Security Council meeting, which Russia, as usual, convinced to justify its aggression? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I'm not going to prejudge what's going to happen at tomorrow's meeting. What I can tell you is that the Secretary-General supports all efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine in line with the UN Charter, international law and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council. Dezhi?
Question: Yes. I was just reading some news stories about Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and listened to your description of what the UN's humanitarian operation is doing. My question here, the GHF, they announced the aid almost delivered over 98 million meals within the last two months. How many meals, do you have any numbers of how many meals that the UN's own operation has successfully delivered or been taken, if you have the... you know, like, a number?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I don't have the number by meals. What I can tell you is that the amount of food, fuel, and other assets that we've been trying to get in has not been as much as we ourselves would want. In the early part of the year, we were able to feed the entire population of Gaza and have enough stores that it lasted for several weeks past the end of the ceasefire. We have that capacity to do that, if the conditions on the ground return to the way that they were at the start of the year.
Question: I have two follow-ups. First, the GHF three weeks ago, they announced a local, what they call, community delivery operation. I'm just wondering whether any UN staff encountered such operations in Gaza, because we haven't really heard that much about the new method from GHF.
Deputy Spokesman: I think you'd have to get information directly from the GHF. Our operations are separate from theirs.
Question: One last question. Yesterday, the IPC (Integrated Phase Classification) reports suggest that two out of three essential thresholds has already been reached for famine in Gaza. Right? So, which means that would also include GHF's delivery, which means GHF is still not enough and way less than enough. Is that correct?
Deputy Spokesman: It's correct that the amount that's going in has not, to date, been sufficient to prevent the sort of concerns that we've seen. As they made very clear, the amount of meals people are eating each day in Gaza has been reduced dramatically. The circumference of the upper arms of children has been reduced, which is a key indicator in determining whether malnutrition is on the rise.
Question: So even GHF has to increase their delivery?
Deputy Spokesman: The point is the overall amount of food delivery into Gaza has to increase. Pam?
Question: Sorry to ask the same question as Dezhi and Gabe, but what is your view of how much can be delivered on that aid, that's needed by airdrops. Is it feasible that the airdrops could meet that need? [cross talk]
Deputy Spokesman: No. The answer is no. The amount that can be dropped from one plane is nowhere near the amount that can be dropped, that can be delivered through a convoy of trucks.
Question: And today, what is your sense about, during these brief pauses, is there more availability to get the aid in?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. There is, but it's insufficient. What I said at the start of the briefing, and I'll repeat it now, is to say that unilateral tactical pauses alone do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense needs levels in Gaza.
Correspondent: Okay. Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. In the back.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I have a different question about the high-level international conference on the implementation of the two-State solution. We know that this is the third day and the last day of the three-day conference. And UK announced its intention to recognize Palestine in September; Singapore also made announcement yesterday. So, do you have any idea any other countries will announce their recognition of Palestine at the conference or/and after the conference?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, those are decisions to be made by individual Governments. We are not the repository of information about recognitions that Governments make about other Governments or other States. What I can tell you is, of course, the Secretary-General made clear at the start of this conference that he wanted Member States to take as much action as they could to ensure that a two-State solution remains viable. And the hope is that these days have helped encourage nations to reenergize the efforts towards a Two-State Solution. Noureen?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. So early yesterday, Donald Trump had made comments on the hunger crisis in Gaza, and he acknowledged that the situation was getting quite severe and that we needed, they needed to feed the people there. And he'd even made announcements that the United States would sort of establish these food centres to deliver food supplies. The White House has said that they've not come forward with the details yet, but that it would be forthcoming. What I would like to ask is, has the United Nations made any contact with the White House to help facilitate this food centre, is that something that they would be open to?
Deputy Spokesman: We are open to any efforts to get aid in that meets our basic standards, which is what we've been saying for some months now. We have our own proven distribution networks that have been effective in the past, and we believe that can be the way forward and are encouraging all States to support the effort to go back to having unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid. Yeah. Gabriel?
Question: I promise this will be the last one on airdrops. I just wanted to make sure that the UN is or is not coordinating with any nations doing airdrops.
Deputy Spokesman: We're not part of this process. I believe that this is a series of bilateral arrangements. Thank you.
Have a good afternoon, everyone.
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