The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know (Jan-Jun 2025)

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

22 January

  • Syria: Near verbatim transcript of press conference by United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Mr. Geir O. Pedersen (OSES)
  • Gaza: Millions of litres of fuel reach Gaza for critical humanitarian needs (UNOPS)
  • Lebanon: Food insecurity deepens in Lebanon following conflict, new report shows (WFP)

Official Statements on the Gaza Ceasefire

21 January

  • Gaza/West Bank: Ceasefire in Gaza brings hope, but West Bank faces escalating violence (UN News)
  • Gaza: UNRWA ‘committed to staying and delivering’ despite ban due to come into effect (UN News)

20 January

  • Gaza: The people of Gaza hear the sound of playing children instead of bombardments and airstrikes (UNRWA)
  • Gaza: UN Delegation in Al-Arish and Rafah to Follow Up on Post-Ceasefire Aid Preparations for Gaza (OCHA)
  • oPt: Violence and restrictions in the Occupied West Bank coinciding with ceasefire implementation (OHCHR)
  • Middle East: Over 600,000 Palestine Refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in need of humanitarian assistance (UNRWA)
  • Middle East: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council – on the Middle East (OSSG)

19 January

Hunger in Gaza: First aid trucks roll in as ceasefire takes effect (WFP)

WFP trucks rheading for Gaza
WFP trucks started crossing into Gaza via Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings. The first trucks carried life-saving wheat flour and ready-to-eat food parcels for people in desperate need.WFP aims to deliver food daily along humanitarian corridors that include Egypt, Jordan and Israel crossing points.This ceasefire is critical for the humanitarian response. Safety, and access must be ensured. WFP/Photolibrary
  • Gaza: First WFP trucks cross into Gaza as ceasefire opens window of hope for hungry families (WFP)

18 January

  • Gaza: Harnessing the ceasefire to bolster aid delivery in Gaza – Statement by Muhannad Hadi, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA)
  • Gaza: Secretary-General’s Press Conference in Beirut, Lebanon (OSSG)

17 January

  • Gaza: UN experts urge all parties to accept Gaza ceasefire and deliver on justice, humanitarian aid and Palestinian self-determination (UN HRC)
  • Middle East: Ms. Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands – United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) ad interim (OSSG)

16 January

  • Gaza: ‘Enough death and destruction’: Gazans hope for ceasefire and a better future (UN News)
  • Yemen: As the crisis in Yemen deepens, aid agencies appeal for $2.5 billion for the humanitarian response in 2025 (OCHA)

15 January

  • Gaza: Guterres hails Gaza ceasefire deal as ‘critical first step’ (UN News)
  • Gaza: Statement by UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, on a Deal to Secure a Ceasefire and Hostage Release in Gaza (UN RC/HC oPt, UNSCO)
  • Gaza: Remarks by Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General at the Third Meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution (UNRWA)
  • Gaza: UN Human Rights Office in OPT condemns recent spate of killings of civilians across West Bank and Gaza (OHCHR)
  • Gaza ceasefire: WFP calls for sustained opening of humanitarian corridors (WFP)
  • Syria: UN rights chief in historic meeting in Syria’s with caretaker authority in Damascus (UN News)
  • Yemen: A decade of conflict: ‘Almost 40 million Yemenis have waited far too long’ (UN News)

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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