Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Guest Tomorrow
Quick programming note for you: Thursday, tomorrow, we will be joined in person by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, who will be here to talk to you about the International Day of Peacekeepers.
**International Day of Peacekeepers
As part of that, at 2:45 p.m. tomorrow, the Secretary-General will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 United Nations peacekeepers who have given their lives in the line of duty since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council, during which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 57 military, police and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the flag of the United Nations last year.
At 3 p.m., the Secretary-General will present awards to the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year. That is Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana, and he will also present an award to the UN-Woman Police Officer of the Year, and that is Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone. We congratulate them. Both serve with the peacekeeping mission in Abyei. We shared a full press release with you yesterday.
**Middle East
Sigrid Kaag, our acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council this morning, telling Council members that the two-State solution is on life support and reviving it requires decisive action. She said the upcoming high-level international conference in June, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, must not be another rhetorical exercise and instead must launch a concrete path towards ending the occupation and realizing the two-State solution based on international law, UN resolutions and previous agreements.
Ms. Kaag warned that the entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine. As the Secretary-General has said, families are being starved and denied the very basics. She added that, while Gaza rightly captures the world’s attention, the West Bank is on a dangerous trajectory. Developments are best described as accelerating de facto annexation through settlement-expansion, through land seizures and through settler violence. If not reversed, Ms. Kaag said, these will make the two-State solution physically impossible. Ms. Kaag will also be speaking to you after the Council session has ended. We are advised that there will likely not be closed consultations afterwards and we will let you know when she is there.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation on the ground in Gaza, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) say that, 600 days since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza, ongoing air and ground operations are further dismantling the means of survival for 2.1 million Palestinians. Yesterday, dozens of people were reportedly shot and injured while trying to access supplies administered through a newly developed distribution scheme, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Speaking to the press in Jerusalem a bit earlier today, OCHA’s Head of Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jonathan Whittall, said these events illustrate how the collective punishment of Palestinians continues and the assault on their human dignity is accelerating. Mr. Whittall said the new distribution model is more than just the control of aid. It is engineered scarcity: four distribution hubs located in central and southern Gaza, secured by private US security contractors, where those Palestinians who can reach them will receive rations. He warned that this distribution scheme cannot possibly meet Gaza’s needs, stressing that truly humanitarian action seeks to reach all civilians, wherever they are.
During the ceasefire, we and our partners demonstrated we could deliver aid effectively when restrictions on aid delivery were eased. The existing system needs to be enabled once more to deliver services and supplies to the entire population in the north and south of Gaza. As for the occupying Power, Israel must agree to allow and facilitate the aid that is urgently needed.
Since last week, about 900 truckloads were submitted for Israeli approval, and 800 were approved. But, just over 500 could be offloaded on the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom, and even fewer made it to the Palestinian side, where we and our partners could collect just over 200 of them — limited by insecurity and restricted access. It is also important to note that fewer Palestinian trucks are needed to collect the cargo transferred through Kerem Shalom, so collection is not on a one-to-one ratio with trucks offloaded on the Israeli side.
OCHA reminds us that aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into Gaza. We need unimpeded access to and from these crossings. Israeli authorities also continue to deny our attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza, including one to retrieve fuel from Rafah today. Overall, all six coordinated movements were denied to the United Nations today.
Meanwhile, our partners tell us that people continue to be displaced amid ongoing hostilities and displacement orders issued by Israeli military authorities. Those on the move lack tents, they lack tarpaulins, they lack food, they lack water, and they lack many of the most basic supplies. Our partners working on health report that, as of last week, only half of the hospitals in Gaza are functioning, albeit partially. Eight field hospitals — along with about 200 mobile clinics and health centres — have also suspended their services across Gaza due to hostilities, attacks and displacement orders.
Turning to the West Bank, today, our acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sarah Poole, led a diplomatic field visit to the southern Hebron Hills with representatives of more than 10 Member States. The visit shed light on the current challenges faced by Palestinian communities in the wake of recurrent settler violence and attacks. OCHA tells us that settler violence is on the rise, leading to imminent forced displacement, casualties, demolitions and property damage — including to homes, schools and essential infrastructure.
**UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
We often talk to you about the sacrifice made by our United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) colleagues and the ultimate sacrifice — so many of them have been killed in this conflict in Gaza. I just want to share the story of one individual with you. Philippe Lazzarini, the Head of UNRWA, shared today the details of the death of one UNRWA staff member named Kamal who died on 23 March, as he was wearing his UN vest and driving a clearly marked United Nations vehicle.
Within an hour, UNRWA had lost contact with him and his whereabouts were unknown for a week. On 30 March, Kamal’s body was discovered near a mass grave, alongside the remains of the Palestinian Red Crescent humanitarian workers killed by the Israeli Forces. Kamal was killed through multiple blows to the back of his skull. Mr. Lazzarini said that UNRWA teams are not a target, and that impunity opens the door to even more atrocities. He called for an independent investigation into Kamal’s killing and all other UNRWA staff members.
**Yemen
Turning to yet another wave of escalation between the Houthis and Israel, I can tell you that the ongoing military confrontation between the Houthis and Israel is exacerbating an already very fragile situation in Yemen and the broader region. Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Sana’a airport in Yemen and Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, are unacceptable. Today’s strike on Sana’a airport and the destruction of a Yemenia airlines civilian aircraft deprives many Yemenis of a critical means to leave the country for medical, educational, family or religious regions, especially at a time when thousands of pilgrims are preparing for the Hajj.
We call on all stakeholders, including the Houthis, to de-escalate and exercise restraint, and uphold their obligations under international law and protect civilian infrastructure. We also urge the parties to return to the intra-Yemeni dialogue, with the support of the region, as the only viable path towards lasting peace and security for Yemen, its people and the region.
And just to note that our Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, concluded a visit to Muscat where he met with senior Omani officials, members of Ansar Allah leadership and representatives of the diplomatic community there, including senior Iranian officials, and he addressed regional dynamics with them. In all his engagements, Mr. Grundberg called for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN, and other NGO [non-governmental organization] personnel currently arbitrarily being detained by Ansar Allah authorities.
**Sudan
Moving to Sudan, where conditions are worsening for the communities there, as we warn constantly, but you can imagine the major impact that the hostilities have specifically had on children in these conflict zones. Our colleagues at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) say that, each day, more children in Sudan are exposed to the double threat of cholera and malnutrition.
According to health authorities, in Khartoum State alone, more than 7,700 cholera cases, including 1,000 cases in children under the age of five have been reported since January of this year. Additionally, two out of the seven localities in the State, which are Jebel Aulia and Khartoum, are at risk of famine and account for 33 per cent of the 300,000 acutely malnourished children in the State.
UNICEF warns that more than 1 million children are estimated to live in the affected localities across Khartoum State. And for children already weakened by a lack of nutritious food, cholera or any other causes of severe diarrhoea can be fatal if not treated properly. UNICEF stresses that cholera and malnutrition are preventable, and they are treatable if we can reach children in time. We call again on the warring parties to put their guns aside and instead, put the interest of the people first and foremost, and especially the children.
**Haiti
From Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that cholera remains a major public health emergency, particularly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, as well as in the city of Cap-Haïtien. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the end of December 2024 and as of 17 May 2025, more than 2,100 suspected cases of cholera have been reported in the departments of Ouest, Centre and Artibonite. This includes 55 lab-confirmed cases and 28 associated deaths. The disease continues to spread in densely populated urban areas, including in displacement sites, where access to safe water, sanitation and healthcare remains limited.
The response, led by WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), focuses on surveillance, clinical care, disinfection of high-risk areas, water treatment and community awareness. Between 10 and 17 May, we and our partners have reached over 7,000 displaced people with briefings on cholera prevention and water treatment in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. We’ve also helped to disinfect hundreds of homes and facilities and distributed some 2,000 water purification tablets. More than 30 handwashing stations were also installed across 12 displacement sites.
Despite these efforts, security constraints continue to severely hinder humanitarian access and delay emergency interventions. OCHA warns that low levels of funding are jeopardizing critical cholera response activities, including prevention, case management, lab testing and access to safe water.
And I also wanted to flag that at 3 p.m. this afternoon, there will be Security Council closed consultations on Haiti. The head of our mission there — BINUH — Maria Isabel Salvador, as well as Atul Khare, the head of the Department of Operational Support, are expected to brief the Council.
**Ukraine
From Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues there tell us that, yesterday, we, along with our humanitarian partners, sent a humanitarian convoy to Pokrovsk, one of the towns most impacted by the fighting in the Donetsk region. The supplies included hygiene and medical kits, dignity kits for older people and food parcels. The town, located just 2 kilometres from the front line, has been at the epicentre of hostilities on the eastern front over the past year. Before the war, the city had a population of more than 60,000. The town's current population is around 1,850 — mostly older people and people with disabilities who are unable to leave this hard-to-reach area. With the convoy, aid will reach more than 1,000 people — more than half of those currently remaining in the town.
So far this year, we, along with our humanitarian partners, have delivered critical supplies for nearly 11,000 people in front-line areas of the Donetsk region. Across the country, our partners have delivered 22 convoys this year, reaching more than 30,000 residents in front-line areas.
Meanwhile, authorities reported that, today and yesterday, air strikes and hostilities resulted in civilian casualties — including children — and damaged homes, railway infrastructure and other civilian infrastructure. The regions of Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Sumy and Chernihiv were among the hardest hit. In response to recent air strikes, particularly in the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv, aid workers have provided immediate assistance, including psychological support and construction materials to help families cover damaged homes.
**Global Climate Predictions
I just want to flag two reports. [Neither] of them have good news. The first one by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that global climate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, increasing climate risks and impacts on societies, economies and sustainable development. The WMO report forecasts that the annually averaged global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2025 and 2029 is predicted to be between 1.2°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the years 1850-1900.
According to the report, there is an 80 per cent chance that at least one year between now and 2029 will be warmer than the warmest year on record, which is currently last year, 2024. There is also an 86 per cent chance that at least one year will be more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level. WMO points out that every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice and glaciers, heating of the ocean and rising sea levels.
**Global Employment Growth
The other report, from the International Labour Organization (ILO), has revised its global employment forecast for 2025, projecting the creation of 53 million jobs instead of the previously estimated 60 million jobs. ILO notes that the drop — which is the equivalent of around 7 million fewer additional jobs — reflects a downgraded global economic outlook, as GDP growth is expected at 2.8 per cent, down from a previous projection of 3.2 per cent.
ILO also estimates that close to 84 million jobs across 71 countries are directly or indirectly tied to consumer demand in the United States. ILO warns that these jobs — and the incomes they support — are now increasingly at risk of disruption due to elevated trade tensions. No money today. No quiz so we will go straight to questions. Yes?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. The Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Mr. [Danny] Danon, had a press briefing earlier today, before the Security Council meeting, and he blasted the UN and said that they are withholding… they are not showing up to pick up the aid on the Israeli side of… I'm sorry, on the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom and says that we've opened the crossings, we provided safe routes, but the UN did not show up.
Spokesman: Look. You know, one way to clear up the duelling narratives that you hear would be for international journalists to be allowed into Gaza. So, everyone, you and your organizations could see things with your own eyes. What I can tell you is that our colleagues are not sitting on their hands. Our colleagues in Gaza, our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are living in a time of great despair because they're also wondering where their next meal is going to come from. They're not sitting on their hands. Neither are international colleagues who keep going in and out of Gaza. And I speak to them often, and they are dedicated to going back in. While in Gaza, we are continuing to put… I mean, not we, they are continuing to put their lives at risk, trying to pick up the aid from the one and only crossing that is open. It is not as if trucks were being delivered to, you know, Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, and you just had to go up and pick up your case of oranges. What happens is that we submit goods that we want to bring into Gaza. The Israelis then decide which ones they will approve. The trucks then come in from the Israeli side into Kerem Shalom. The goods have to go on what is referred to as sterile trucks. They go from the Israeli trucks to the Palestinian trucks, right? So that already takes time. Then they have to be loaded on the Palestinian trucks. In order for us to go pick up those goods, we have to get clearance from the Israelis. I just read today that all the missions that we had asked for had been denied by the Israeli authorities. If we can't get goods in, if we can't get goods, if we're not able to pick up those goods, I can tell you one thing, it is not for lack of trying. Dezhi?
Question: So, let me put that question in one simple mode. Does the UN believe that Israel is purposefully hampering the efforts of the UN humanitarian operation?
Spokesman: You have to ask them what their motivation is, but I can tell you, they sure aren’t making it easy for us.
Question: Okay. So, we heard Ambassador Danon as well as COGAT criticizing Mr. [Tom] Fletcher's 10,000 trucks rhetoric, saying that, if it's that many trucks, it would reach the border between Israel and Lebanon. Is that the case — that the UN is lying on this issue?
Spokesman: No one is lying. Mr. Fletcher is a passionate humanitarian, right? He was in Gaza a few weeks ago. He saw with his own eyes. I can tell you from speaking with him, it has had an impact on him, as it has an impact on anyone who's been to Gaza and seen these things with his own eyes. The issue of the trucks, he was referring to all the aid that we have in the pipeline, that is in storage that could fill up 10,000 trucks. I mean, you know, we can focus on the enthusiastic comments of one or two of our colleagues. The situation on the ground remains as catastrophic and as tragic as it is.
Question: And one last thing, I just want to confirm this. You said twice that Israel denied six humanitarian operations today?
Spokesman: That's exactly what I said.
Question: That's 100 per cent. There's no more than six. Are these six operations are carrying the humanitarian aid?
Spokesman: This is about us either trying to pick up fuel or either trying to get to Kerem Shalom. Okay.
Correspondent: So, it's 100 per cent, by the way.
Spokesman: Usually, what I say is what I say. Right.
Correspondent: Six out of six.
Spokesman: That's my understanding. Yvonne Murray, RTE.
Question: On the same subject. So, you're now being accused of not doing your job by Israel. You're failing to pick up the aid. You're failing to distribute it. Isn't this laying the groundwork for you, the United Nations being entirely bypassed? And at some point, are you not going to be forced to work and cooperate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation?
Spokesman: We will not bend on our principles. We will not participate in operations that do not meet our humanitarian principles. It is not about refusing to work with X, Y and Z. Right? Is it about not participating in operations that do not meet the standard principles. You know, our efforts in Gaza have been about getting food to people and not forcing people to walk miles in dangerous situations to get food.
Question: I do understand that. But, if you are not able to distribute food and supplies under your humanitarian principles, surely, at some point, you are not going to have a choice as to whether you cooperate or not. You're going to be forced down that road. This seems to be what this whole thing is being prepared for?
Spokesman: I will leave you and other journalists to analyse and predict what will happen. I can tell you that we do have free will. Edith Lederer, Associated Press, yet again.
Question: Thank you so much, Steph. Going back to the Houthis in Yemen. You talked about the airports, but what's the status of Hudaydah, which we all know is really a lifeline for getting food and commercial goods, and especially humanitarian aid, into Yemen?
Spokesman: I will try to get you an update on Hudaydah.
Question: And on Sudan and the serious cholera outbreak, does the UN have any health officials or health teams in there?
Spokesman: We have health teams, as part of our UN country team. I will try to see if they're able to access the places that need it. We've gone back into Khartoum, but as you know, as the fighting continues, it's extremely difficult to get to people who need our help.
Question: And are they, I mean, Port Sudan was being attacked last week?
Spokesman: Yeah. I mean, we continue to be in Port Sudan. Mr. Schwinghammer?
Question: Thank you. Regarding Gaza again, let me bring up a topic we discussed a while ago. Are you thinking about airdrops?
Spokesman: No. We are not thinking about airdrops. At least, no one that I know is thinking about airdrops, but I don't know everybody. Yes, ma'am?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Back on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the videos that are coming out in the last 24 hours are really shocking. We've seen Gazans being herded between fences and shot warning shots at the… Palestinian health officials said 1 person had died, 48 people had been injured. Can you comment on their methods of distributing aid? Does this comply with international humanitarian law?
Spokesman: I mean, I think I just did. And I would refer you to what our colleague Jonathan Whittall said, which I just talked about and I talked about yesterday, that the images are heartbreaking on a human level. But, they also show that, you know, that humanitarian aid distribution, if not thought through properly, based on humanitarian principles, can go awfully wrong very quickly.
Correspondent: Thanks so much, Steph. On completely different topic, Russia has proposed holding a second round of direct talks with Ukraine on 2 June. Two questions in this regard.
Spokesman: Do speak just a little bit louder.
Question: Yeah, Russia has proposed holding a second round of direct talks with Ukraine on 2 June in Istanbul. Firstly, do you welcome this announcement? And secondly, has Russia requested the participation of United Nations representatives in this meeting?
Spokesman: I'm not aware of any request to the UN, but I will check. I think, you know, we welcome every effort that would see an end to this conflict, in line with international law, in line with the UN Charter, in line with all the relevant UN resolutions, and Ukraine's territorial integrity. Abdelhamid, and then we'll go to Stefano.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On Monday, Israel celebrated what they call the unification of Jerusalem. 2,093 extremists and settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by [Itamar] Ben-Gvir and five Knesset members. They beat the Palestinian guards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and brought 200 guards with them, and they prayed there for a long time and, of course, you can read this message of Ben-Gvir from there. Now two questions regarding this; the UN did not issue any statement and how could Sigrid Kaag overlook this major development?
Spokesman: Look, I don't think… there are a lot of developments every day. We try to cover everything. I can tell you that we strongly condemn the hate speech, the violence that we saw during the Jerusalem Day events in Jerusalem. Anything that is an incitement to violence, an incitement to a racist or discriminatory language is condemnable. As for the actions on the holy sites, we stand firmly against anything that will put at risk the status quo of the holy sites, which must be respected and upheld. Stefano?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. It's about an old case, the death of Mario Paciolla in Colombia in 2020. Following new revelations published in the Italian magazine, L’Espresso, including the testimony of a retired Colombian Colonel now in exile, who claims that Paciolla, then a UN staffer, was killed because he uncovered UN complicity in covering up extrajudicial killings, will the UN consider reopening an independent investigation into his death?
Spokesman: I have not… I'll try to get you an update. I haven't seen. I didn't see those reports, but we'll look into it. Okay. Islam, please?
Question: Thank you. There are reports that between US and Hamas, there's a ceasefire draft being worked on. Does the UN involve in it? Do you have any input in it?
Spokesman: We are not involved in the discussions. The Secretary-General is following them closely. He's in close contact with the Qatari authorities and others on this. We very much hope that they will be returned to a ceasefire, that we'll see the hostages released, who have been — many — been in captivity for 600 days. The free flow of humanitarian aid, as we've just outlined, which is clearly not going, and then just a return to peace. Linda Fasulo?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Regarding Sudan, the US has gathered, delivered half a billion dollars’ worth of humanitarian aid to Sudan a few days ago to Port Sudan. And I mean, foreign aid, an exemption was made for aid to be delivered to Sudan. I was wondering, it's supposed to be enough food for a month for 3 million people. Is the UN in any way coordinating this distribution?
Spokesman: Let me check. Happy to check. Okay. Thank you all. I leave you in peace.