UN News

A view of central Khan Younis in Gaza, showing the aftermath of airstrikes in a residential neighborhood. A stream of sewage cuts through the area, the result of destroyed infrastructure, raising fears of disease outbreaks.

Gaza war: UN officials warn of unspeakable conditions as children bear the brunt

Conditions in Gaza have reached an unspeakable level of devastation with children paying the highest price, top UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning of soaring child deaths, starvation and a shattered health system amid continuing bombardment and displacement.

Much of Syria has already been left in ruins following 14 years of civil war.

Syria: UN chief urges de-escalation as Sweida violence escalates, Israel strikes Damascus

From diamonds to dirt: Sierra Leone youth bring land back to life

Afghan returnees face instability in a nation already grappling with severe crises.

Unprecedented Afghan returns are ‘a test of our collective humanity’

Headlines

SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: ‘Aid must go where needs are greatest’ in Gaza, urges UN relief chief

Gaza: More misery as new evacuation orders impact tens of thousands

World News in Brief: Haiti funding cuts bite, civilian suffering intensifies in Myanmar, Belarus deaths in custody alert

Sudan: UNICEF condemns weekend attacks that killed 35 children

More news

Editor's Picks

Salam, six months old, is screened for malnutrition at an UNRWA medical point in Gaza City.

First Person: How many more children must die before the world acts?

Residents of Thunco in Ácora, Peru, harvest their produce.

Seeding gender empowerment: Women farmers in Peru contend with climate change

The AI for Good Global Summit opened in Geneva on 8 July 2025.

UN summit confronts AI’s dawn of wonders and warnings

Marisa Striano, founder of Spirit's Promise animal farm.

World Horse Day: Honoring humanity’s oldest and most loyal companion

Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide

2012: Hurricane Sandy

One Day, I Will: Hopes and Dreams of Children in Crisis

The Sevilla Commitment

Featured

Executive Director of UNFPA Natalia Kanem speaks at the Saupia Health Centre in North Efate, Vanuatu.

She fought for the girl the world left behind: Natalia Kanem’s UN legacy

Women When Natalia Kanem reflects on her eight-year tenure at the helm of the UN reproductive health agency, she doesn’t begin with global statistics, boardroom breakthroughs, or even memories of her visits to refugee camps.

Faith-based financing has supported projects to clean up sanitation and landfill services in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Faith in finance: Indonesia's innovative path to sustainable development

Children plant flowers in a playground in N’Djamena, Chad as part of an education project.

What is financing for development?

The NASAS Lunar Rover Vehicle (file, Dec 1972)

What time is it on the Moon? It’s all relative…

Girls give the thumbs-up at a school in Ghana.

$1 towards a girl’s education = $3 for the global economy: That's how development works

Photo Stories

People living in areas recently liberated by Ukrainian forces receive aid.

Ukraine: Keeping the lights on during the darkest times

The 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has had an indelible effect on the civilian population, displacing millions, straining the economy and inflicting physical and mental trauma. During these dark years, the UN has stayed alongside the Ukrainian people, providing aid, necessities and healthcare, and restoring energy supplies.

UN peacekeeping’s long history of support to DR Congo

UN peacekeepers patrol the eastern DR Congo.

‘Massive response’ needed following Gaza conflict’s ‘horrific toll’ on children

Hot meals are distributed to children in Khan Younis, Gaza.

Also in the News

Amal works at the UNFPA-supported Women’s Affairs Centre in the Bureij refugee camp. A mother of three children, she has been displaced four times and lost ten family members in the war.

Displacement, poverty and insecurity fueling violence against women in Gaza

Peace and Security In Gaza, illness, poverty, mass displacement and depleted services are leading to soaring stress levels and causing an increase in domestic violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, according to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA).

Syria has been wracked by more than a decade of instability.

UN urges de-escalation, protection of civilians as conflict roils Syria

Peace and Security Inter-ethnic violence in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida has been met with government intervention, Israeli airstrikes – and on Tuesday, a reported ceasefire announcement by Syria’s defence minister.

More news