UN News Today 10 December 2025 |

Peace proves relative in Gaza with no let-up in deadly airstrikes

In Gaza, as airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continued to kill and maim Palestinians, UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Wednesday rejected suggestions by the Israeli military that its new “Yellow Line” of concrete blocks inside the enclave represent a new border.

“The Security Council resolution is very clear about not calling anything a border…it is about a territory that needs to be respected in its entirety,” he said.

The High Commissioner was referring to a resolution adopted by the Council on 17 November in support of a comprehensive plan to end the conflict.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, he condemned hundreds of incidents linked to the so-called Yellow Line:

“We have over 350 attacks that we recorded since the ceasefire and they were all in the vicinity of the so-called Yellow Line with at least 121 Palestinians killed, including seven women, 13 children and many other injuries. So, we are continuing to document this and to monitor it very carefully.”

Mr. Türk repeated his call to all parties to respect the ceasefire and to ensure that conditions allowed the next phase of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza to go ahead.

UNICEF warns of deepening global crisis for children

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, issued an urgent warning on Tuesday for youngsters trapped in emergencies; the agency said they face unprecedented dangers as funding shortfalls force lifesaving projects to close.

“Around the world, children caught in conflict, disaster, displacement and economic turmoil continue to face extraordinary challenges,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

She added that intensifying climate shocks and the “widespread collapse” of essential services further threatened children’s wellbeing.

To help address these problems, UNICEF has appealed for more than $7 billion to support 73 million vulnerable children next year.

UNICEF noted that rising attacks on schools and hospitals, coupled with record levels of child displacement, have intensified pressure on frontline teams.

It also warned that more than 200 million children will need humanitarian assistance in 2026, and it urged governments and donors to increase support, bolster national systems and protect aid access before the situation worsens.

On Human Rights Day, credit for journalists risking everything to expose abuses

The 10^th of December is Human Rights Day; it’s a chance to mark the important work of activists everywhere.

They include journalists like Rocío Gallegos who’s just won the prestigious Breach/Valdez award for her joint investigation into the deaths of 40 migrants at an overcrowded detention centre in Mexico, in 2023.

The tragedy happened after the male migrants set fire to their mattresses in protest at their conditions. CCTV footage showed guards walking away from their cells as the fire spread, although women held in a separate cell were evacuated.

Ms. Gallegos told UN News that reporting on migration issues today is as dangerous as covering war zones, because gangs are often involved:

“And that creates serious challenges for the profession. Migration has also become a high-risk area of ​​coverage because organized crime has taken control of migrant flows and is transporting migrants en masse. This has made us targets of threats, abuses, and assaults…These were situations we used to only see in war or drug-related politics coverage. Now we see them in migration coverage

Ms. Gallegos explained that the victims were from Central and South America travelling to the United States. Her report – conducted with fellow journalists Blanca Carmona and Gabriela Minjares – uncovered video footage in which an immigration agent can be heard saying, “We’re not going to open it for them, I already told the [others].”

Cases against some of the accused are ongoing, but four of the 11 defendants are now serving time for their involvement, including two migrants accused of starting the fire.

The Breach/Valdez award is named after Mexican journalists Javier Valdez and Miroslava Breach who were murdered for their campaigning work in their communities.

Daniel Johnson, UN News