The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know

What you need to know about the United Nations response to the conflict in the Middle East.

21 January

  • UNRWA Commissioner-General: Israel’s Claims Over Sheikh Jarrah Compound Are False, Illegal, and a Violation of International Law (UNRWA)

20 January

  • UNRWA Commissioner-General: Unprecedented Violation of UN Premises and International Law in East Jerusalem (UNRWA)
  • SG Statement on the demolition of the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound (OSSG)

19 January

  • WFP scales up operations in Gaza as ceasefire passes 100 days (WFP)
  • UNRWA Commissioner-General on Gaza: Protecting Gaza’s Children Amid War, Disease Risks, and Harsh Winter Conditions (UNRWA)

15 January

  • SG Statement on Gaza (OSSG)

14 January

  • The UN footprint in occupied East Jerusalem is shrinking fast (UNRWA)
  • UNRWA Commissioner-General: Israeli Actions Undermine International Law and Threaten Refugee Services (UNRWA)
  • Letter from the President of the General Assembly on the Letter from the Secretary-General regarding the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UN PGA)

13 January

  • During Gaza’s Ceasefire, Children Keep Being Killed (UNICEF)

12 January

  • For over seven decades, UNRWA has stood with Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)
  • UNRWA Commissioner-General: Briefing the Pope on the urgent need for global support to protect education and vital services for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)

8 January

  • Hands that rebuild: Working on the frontlines of Gaza’s recovery (UNDP)

7 January

  • UN report chronicles intensification of decades of severe racial discrimination by Israel in occupied West Bank (OHCHR)

5 January

  • For the first time since 2023, humanitarian assistance will provide Gazans with enough food to fulfil minimum nutritional needs. (UN News)

2 January

Gaza aid lifelines under strain as winter worsens

© WFP/Jaber Badwan A mother in Gaza cares for her children in a temporary shelter.
© WFP/Jaber Badwan A mother in Gaza cares for her children in a temporary shelter.

Humanitarian partners in the Gaza Strip are struggling to reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people as winter storms batter damaged homes and temporary shelters. (UN News)

  • Drop draft proposals on death penalty for Palestinians, UN rights chief urges Israel (UN News)
  • UNRWA Commissioner-General: Israeli Restrictions Intensify the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza and Deepen Obstacles Facing Aid Organisations (UNRWA)
  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the occupied Palestinian territory (OSSG)

1 January

New year dawns amid rubble and resolve in Gaza

UN News | A young Palestinian girl wearing a Santa Claus outfit, stands in front of tents belonging to displaced families in northern Gaza City.
UN News | A young Palestinian girl wearing a Santa Claus outfit, stands in front of tents belonging to displaced families in northern Gaza City.

As 2026 begins, residents of the Gaza Strip are confronting life in displacement camps and among the ruins of destroyed neighbourhoods – facing deep uncertainty after months of war and devastation. (UN News)

  • Revoke planned international NGO ban, humanitarian leaders urge Israeli authorities (IASC)
  • GAZA / NEW YEAR LIVING CONDITIONS (UNifeed)

The UN Charter remains humanity’s best hope for peace.

Amid geopolitical divisions, member countries must uphold it & ensure that the UN lives up to what it was meant to be:

A forum for solutions.

A guardian of international law.

And a force for peace and security.

António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations (27 May 2026)

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