UN News Today 13 February 2025 |

Aid surge into Gaza continues, UN teams prioritize immediate needs

Lifesaving aid continued to reach Gaza on Thursday while UN humanitarians warned that needs remain enormous.

Amid reports that Hamas had potentially avoided a return to full-scale war by agreeing to stick to the hostage release timetable at the weekend, UN aid teams said that they were “seizing every opportunity” to deliver as much relief as possible to Gazans in dire need.

Since Israeli forces withdrew from parts of the Netzarim Corridor which divides Gaza, nearly 600,000 people have crossed to the north, while at least 56,000 have moved south.

Despite the aid boost, it is still not enough to provide the immediate relief that more than two million Gazans require. This will only happen when commercial goods begin to flow in, said Tess Ingam from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF):

“We’re focused on making sure that water flows again, particularly in the areas where water has been really badly damaged, pipes have been damaged, wells have been damaged in the north and in Rafah, so we’re trying to bring water back by doing repairs and also starting water trucking, so families have immediate access to water.”

Speaking to UN News, Ms. Ingam said that the agency’s three priorities were providing water, boosting healthcare and nutrition and helping people withstand the cold.

In northern Gaza, René Nijenhuis from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that families’ main concern was that the ceasefire holds.

UNICEF sounds alarm over child crisis in eastern DR Congo

Escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to threaten civilians, leaving hundreds killed and tens of thousands displaced, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Thursday.

The alert from UNICEF chief Catherine Russell comes as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters carry out further attacks of towns and villages, which they now control.

“In North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” Ms. Russell said.

The crisis is spreading beyond the Kivus; in Ituri province, at least 28 children were among 52 people killed in an attack in Djugu territory on Monday, according to humanitarians.

The attackers reportedly used machetes, guns, and set fires, targeting families, including many women and children. Homes were burned to the ground with people trapped inside, adding to the staggering toll on civilians.

Even before the latest escalation, child recruitment by armed groups was a major concern. A UN report last year documented at least 4,000 cases of children recruited or used by armed groups.

Young artists sing for social justice at UN Geneva

To the UN’s Geneva headquarters now, where talented young performing artists have been calling for greater equality, ahead of World Social Justice Day on 20 February.

The performers put on a show to deliver urgent personal messages inspired by solidarity.

Brazil-based artist Brisa Flow combines rap, ancestral chants, jazz, electronica and neo-soul as part of her mission to defend contemporary indigenous music and culture:

“My message is we need more empathy, and to listen more to indigenous peoples in order to better understand how to take care of our territories; territories that need care, not just with water, food and land, but in terms of our children and elders.”

This week’s special event – which is called Stand Up for Social Justice – was co-organized by the independent UN research institute for development, and Geneva’s Antigel festival.

The concept of social justice can be applied locally and globally but at its core is “simply the right to equal opportunities” said Ocevne (OCEVNE is correctà, a 28-year-old R&B artist from Geneva.  

“No matter your background, where you come from, who you are, your gender – everything. We all have the right to that opportunity,” she told us.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved.