Noon Briefings

The Secretary-General is in Cairo to support efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza, and the rocket attacks in Israel. He asks all sides to create the space to assist victims and stresses that a ceasefire that returns matters to where they stood before is not enough.

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft in eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing nearly 300 people. He calls for a full and transparent international investigation into the incident and offers the full cooperation of the United Nations.

The World Food Programme took advantage of the humanitarian pause in Gaza to provide emergency assistance to thousands and to move food stocks into position around the enclave. Humanitarian agencies report that up to half the Gazan population is without water, with medical supplies urgently needed for hospitals.

In a message to a conference in Honduras, the Secretary-General called the plight of unaccompanied child migrants from Central America an urgent humanitarian situation, saying the migrant children often rely on unscrupulous human smuggling networks. He urged Governments to urgently protect their human rights.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has condemned today’s deadly attacks in Urgun and in Kabul. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative said that the perpetrators must be held accountable.

The Secretary-General welcomes the adoption of resolution 2165 (2014), which will allow the delivery of aid to people in need in Syria by the most direct routes.

At a meeting with the Afghan President and other officials, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan proposed an additional audit of polling stations to strengthen the credibility of the country’s electoral process, supporting an extensive and thorough investigation of serious and credible allegations of fraud.

The Secretary-General briefed the Security Council this morning on the situation in Israel and Gaza, warning of the risk of an all-out escalation, with the threat of a ground offensive still palpable — and preventable only if Hamas stops firing rockets.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has released a report, noting that the number of civilian casualties in that country had increased by 24 per cent during the first half of 2014 compared to the same period last year. The greatest impact of ground combat has been on children and women. The Mission calls for more efforts to protect civilians from the devastating impact of conflict.

The Secretary-General condemns the recent multiple rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. These indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas must stop. He reiterates his call on all actors to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further civilian casualties and overall destabilization.