This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Gazans ‘living in fear’ of Israeli assault on Rafah, warns top UN aid official

International efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza continued on Tuesday as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned that those trapped in the enclave remain deeply traumatised by the war and afraid of a full-scale assault on Rafah in the south.

Four months of fighting and intense Israeli bombardment sparked by Hamas-led attacks in Israel have left more than 100,000 reported killed, injured or missing under the rubble.

Philippe Lazzarini is head of UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinians. He rejected calls by Israel for the agency to be dismantled.

“We have half a million girls and boys deeply traumatised that we urgently need to bring back into an education system…and if we want to give a chance to any future transition to succeed, we need also to make sure that the international community has the tools, and one of these tools is UNRWA.”

After a briefing with Member States in Geneva Mr. Lazzarini said that there was nowhere for Gazans to go if an Israeli assault on Rafah happens.

“There is absolutely no safe place in Rafah anymore and the fear is that the number of people killed and injured might again significantly increase,” he said.

Turning to the issue of the serious allegations that some UNRWA staff collaborated with Hamas, the agency chief noted that he had immediately sacked those involved and initiated an investigation. Mr. Lazzarini also called on the Israeli authorities to cooperate with the inquiry.

Senegal: UN rights office concern over suspended election

To Senegal, where the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has expressed its profound concern at the situation there following the last-minute suspension of the presidential election scheduled later this month.

OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell said that there had been “unnecessary and disproportionate” use of force against protesters whose request to hold a silent march on Tuesday in Dakar was rejected:

“At least three young men were killed during protests and at least 266 people have reportedly been arrested across the country, including journalists.” 

Ms. Throssell said that investigations into the killings must be prompt, thorough, and independent, and those found responsible must be held to account. 

Further protests are planned and it is essential that the authorities order the security forces to respect people’s human rights, the OHCHR spokesperson said.

Her comments came as Senegalese authorities banned a march against President Macky Sall by the Aar Sunu Election movement which is made up of dozens of trade unions, civil society bodies and religious groups, on the grounds that it could hamper the flow of traffic.

The election is now planned for December.

People of Sudan facing ‘life or death’ situation: WHO 

Conflict in Sudan has left the country’s people facing a “life or death situation” ahead of the upcoming lean season.
That’s the warning from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) which expects “catastrophic levels of hunger” in some areas of Sudan.

Ten months of fighting between rival militias have obstructed aid relief across the country and created a humanitarian disaster. 

In Darfur alone, 200,000 children are projected to suffer from life-threatening hunger this year, said Peter Graaff, Acting WHO Representative to Sudan.

He explained that hunger weakens the body’s defences, leading to disease and mortality.

“If the predictions are correct that with the lean season the level of hunger is going up, we will end up with a very large number of children and mothers who are malnourished and who are not protected from disease and who do not have access to basic services.”

Mr. Graaff said that people displaced by violence are forced to walk for days, and that most of them are women and children. When they find shelter, there is usually a lack of water, sanitation, food and access to the most basic health services.

To help, the UN health agency has scaled up its emergency assistance in Sudan via cross-border operations. But much more relief supplies are needed in the country and they should be allowed to go across front lines by the warring parties, the WHO insisted.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.