This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Gaza: Israeli strike on NGO aid team condemned amid renewed access calls  

Senior UN humanitarians on Tuesday led condemnation of the killing of seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen following an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, before repeating calls for safe aid access.

"This is not an isolated incident…there is no safe space left in Gaza," said Jamie McGoldrick, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

Mr. McGoldrick said that at least 196 humanitarians have been killed in the Territory since conflict erupted last October, as he appealed to "all parties to the conflict, including the Government of Israel", to respect international humanitarian law, which prohibits the targeting of humanitarian personnel. 

His comments came after World Central Kitchen reported that an Israeli airstrike was responsible for killing workers in Deir Al-Balah. The alert was accompanied by images of one of the NGO’s vehicles showing a large hole in its roof.

From the UN World Health Organization, spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris echoed concerns over humanitarians’ safety:

“This was an agreed mission with this team, it was deconflicted; deconflicted means both sides know they are coming, both sides have agreed. The car was well marked, it was very clear it was World Central Kitchen.”

Ukrainians suffer Russia-imposed ‘violence, intimidation, and coercion’

More than two years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians continue to suffer “violence, intimidation, and coercion”.

That’s according to the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, who said on Tuesday that “harrowing stories of human suffering” unfold in the country every day.

More than 10,500 civilians have been killed in the conflict and over 20,000 injured, Mr. Türk told the Human Rights Council, as he described two years of “immense suffering, bloodshed, loss and grief” for the people of Ukraine. 

Russia’s rights violations actually began 10 years ago with its occupation of Crimea, the UN rights chief noted. 

He also reiterated evidence that Russian armed forces had committed widespread violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention.

This included the targeting of individuals deemed “pro-Ukrainian”, the closure of Ukrainian internet, mobile networks, TV and radio, with traffic rerouted through Russian networks, ensuring the censorship of pro-Ukrainian voices, the UN official said. 

Malawi drought threatens millions as WFP appeals for funding to save lives

To Malawi, where aid teams are appealing for an additional $70 million to help millions of people affected by drought that’s hit 23 out of 28 districts nationwide.

Four in 10 people face going hungry in the southern African country where President Lazarus Chakwera has declared a state of disaster.

Paul Turnbull from the UN World Food Programme, WFP, said that nearly two million farming households have been hit, along with 749,000 hectares of land - which represents just under half of all land available for cultivation.

“The prices of maize in 2023 have doubled the prices of the previous year and will triple those of the five-year average. With over 80 per cent of the population relying on agriculture to cover their basic needs, the steep decline in staple crops will be devastating for millions of people.”   

The dangers of drought are not restricted to Malawi and have already affected farmers in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola. WFP’s Mr. Turnbull urged donors to provide funding “to avert a hunger catastrophe for the hardest-hit families” and to save lives.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.