UN News Today 09 October 2025 |

Gaza: Aid supplies are on standby, we are ready to deliver, says UN chief

As details continued to emerge on Thursday of the agreement between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages, UN Secretary-General António Guterres insisted that the UN is ready to flood Gaza with lifesaving supplies.

Mr. Guterres also commended the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye for their efforts in brokering what he called a “desperately needed breakthrough”:

“We and our partners are prepared to move – now. We have the expertise, the distribution networks, and community relationships in place to act. Supplies are in place, and our teams are on standby. We can scale up food, water, medical and shelter assistance at once. But to turn this ceasefire into real progress, we need more than the silencing of the guns.”

The UN chief said that the deal offered “a glimmer of hope” for Israelis and Palestinians alike, after more than two years of war, amid continuing fighting reported in the enclave.

Mr. Guterres also insisted that now was the time to establish a “credible” political path forward, “towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and achieving a two-state solution”.

UN decries deadly Myanmar airstrike, amid mounting military attacks on civilians

To Myanmar, where an airstrike has killed dozens of civilians, including children, which the UN has condemned as part of a “disturbing pattern” of indiscriminate attacks by the country’s military.

At least 24 people were killed and more than 45 wounded on Monday when bombs exploded in a crowd at a religious festival in the Sagaing region.

Witnesses said that a “motorized paraglider” had been used in the attack.

Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said that the indiscriminate use of airborne munitions was unacceptable in comments to journalists on Wednesday.

He urged all parties to the Myanmar conflict to respect the laws of war which prohibit targeting civilians.

Sagaing has been one of the regions hardest hit by ongoing conflict that erupted after the February 2021 military coup, that saw the elected government ousted and key politicians arrested.

The region also suffered heavy damage in an earthquake earlier this year.

Despite Sudan war, UN teams lead vaccination drive

To Sudan, where heavy fighting and floods have hampered – but not halted – the vital work of UN humanitarians who’ve managed to get millions of lifesaving vaccine doses into the country to stop children falling sick.

UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, has warned that years of insecurity and now war have left thousands of under-fives in the west of the country unprotected against polio, measles and diphtheria.

But now, despite a lack of vaccines and supply routes that are either unsafe or blocked, the UN agency says that it has created a new delivery route from Chad to four aid hubs including one in Geneina.

More than 3.4 million vaccine doses reached their destination on refrigerated trucks on a journey across rivers, rough terrain and amid ongoing fighting.

“Every kilometre counted as the truck raced against time to ensure no (vaccines were) lost,” said UNICEF health officer Abdulaziz Adam.

Daniel Johnson, UN News