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Amount reaching starving territory dropped 50% in February despite severe shortages of basic necessitiesThe amount of aid reaching Gaza fell by half in February from the month before, the UN has said, as its secretary general, António Guterres, said an Israeli assault on Rafah would be “the nail in the coffin” of deliveries to the starving territory.“February registered a 50% reduction of humanitarian aid...

UNRWA chief says humanitarian work in Gaza compromised after donors froze funds over alleged Hamas linksThe UN agency for Palestinian refugees has been forced to “stretch every dollar” and juggle its finances in order to continue vital work in Gaza after 18 donor countries suspended funding over allegations of links to Hamas.The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East...

Desperation of people searching for food in southern areas is making journeys north unsafe, says UNMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe UN agency in charge of Palestinian affairs said it has been forced to pause aid deliveries to northern Gaza – where it is not “possible to conduct proper humanitarian operations” – amid increasing reports of famine among people in the area.The UN began...

Riyad al-Maliki presents Palestinian case at start of week of hearings called by UN general assembly voteThe Palestinian foreign minister has accused Israel of “colonialism and apartheid” at a world court hearing on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands since 1967.“For over a century, the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination has been denied and violated,” Riyad al-Maliki told a bench of...

Staff say one person killed and eight injured in attack as UN aid chief warns Rafah offensive could cause refugee exodus into EgyptIsraeli forces have raided the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip that is still functioning, amid warnings from the UN aid chief that a threatened ground offensive in Rafah, the area’s last remaining place of relative safety, could trigger an exodus of...

Special rapporteur cites lack of medical supplies, food and clean water, and continued demolition of infrastructureMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael appears to be in breach of the orders issued a fortnight ago by the international court of justice requiring it to take immediate steps to protect Palestinians’ rights and cease all activities that could constitute genocide, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied...

Philippe Lazzarini says summary dismissal of nine employees was ‘reverse due process’ after Israel’s claims they aided Hamas attackMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said he followed “reverse due process” in sacking nine staff members accused by Israel of being involved in Hamas’s 7 October attacks.Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner general, said he did not probe...

Letter sent to UN raises concerns about Alice Wairimu Nderitu’s ability to act with ‘effectiveness and impartiality’Leading Palestinian human rights groups have accused the UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide of failing to fulfil her mandate after she issued only one statement on the war in Gaza – largely supportive of Israel – that has claimed 26,000 Palestinian lives.In a statement issued...

Catherine Colonna will lead inquiry after Israel’s accusation that at least 12 UN agency workers were involved in 7 October assaultA former French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, is to lead an independent review of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after accusations by Israel that at least 12 staff members were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.The review was ordered...

Two ministers said to have suggested move as part of efforts to free hostages and weaken Hamas, which they claim hijacks suppliesMiddle East crisis – live updatesMinisters in Israel’s war cabinet are reportedly considering limiting the amount of aid reaching Gaza, as rightwing protesters disrupt the entry of trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian supplies to the besieged Palestinian territory.Benny Gantz, a retired general who...

Crisis in southern Gaza only set to worsen in coming days as Israeli forces push deeper into Khan YounisMiddle East crisis – live updatesHaneen Harara wakes up each morning in the southern Gazan city of Rafah thinking about the long queues and crowds that stand between her and the survival basics of food, water and medical care.The film-maker and employee at a Dutch charity...

UN court’s ruling is devastating for Israel and awkward for allies such as the UK and US, which belittled South Africa’s caseMiddle East crisis – live updatesIn seeking a provisional order from the international court of justice restraining Israel from committing potentially genocidal acts in Gaza, South Africa put not just Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the dock but also the whole post-second world...

International court of justice stops short of granting South Africa’s request to order immediate ceasefireMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe ​UN’s international court of justice has ordered Israel to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a historic decision.In an interim judgment delivered on Friday, the president of the court, Joan Donoghue, said Israel must “take all...

UK minister to tell meeting that suffering in Gaza is ‘unacceptable and our priority must be to alleviate it’Middle East crisis – live updatesCalls for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and to accept a future Palestinian state as necessary for its own security are expected to dominate a meeting of the UN security council in New York on Tuesday.Before the meeting, the...