UN News Today 26 August 2025 |

UN rights office calls for justice for journalists killed in Gaza

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, is highlighting the need for investigations into the killing of journalists in Gaza in the wake of an apparent double strike on Monday.

Five journalists were among at least 20 people who lost their lives in Israeli strikes on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern part of the Strip.

Here’s OHCHR Spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan, speaking on Tuesday to journalists in Geneva:

“The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world, not into stunned silence but into action demanding accountability and justice. We can say that the Israeli military reportedly launched multiple air strikes on the Nasser medical complex and there (were) two air strikes in a short period of time. This is a shock and this is unacceptable.”

He said the Israeli army has announced an inquiry. However, the incident and the killing of all civilians, including journalists, must be thoroughly and independently investigated, and justice must follow.

At least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since hostilities began on 7 October 2023, according to OHCHR.

Mr. Al-Kheetan said “these journalists are the eyes and the ears of the whole world, and they must be protected.”

Egypt urged to end “rotation” detention practice against Government critics

In more human rights news:

OHCHR called on Tuesday for Egypt to end the practice known as “rotation” which allows Government critics to be held arbitrarily and for prolonged periods, even after serving their sentences or completing maximum pre-trial detention.

Human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, journalists, peaceful protesters and political opponents are among those who have been targeted.

The latest case concerns poet Galal El-Behairy, who was arbitrarily detained after completing a prison term on 31 July 2021 for writing songs and poetry critical of authorities.

Since then, he has faced similar charges in two different cases under the counter-terrorism law and the penal code. The latest charges were brought on 19 August of this year, extending his detention for at least 15 more days.

Once again here’s UN human rights office Spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan:

“Most of those targeted by ‘rotation’ should not have been detained or jailed in the first place, as the charges brought against them are often related to the exercise of their legitimate rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It has become a tool by which the Egyptian Government represses those perceived to be critical of its policies.”

He said the Egyptian Government must immediately end the practice and release all those who have been subjected to it.

One in four worldwide still lacks access to safe drinking water and sanitation: UN report

Despite progress over the past decade, more than two billion people worldwide – one in four – continue to lack access to essential water, sanitation and hygiene services, including 106 million who drink directly from rivers, lakes and other untreated sources.

The finding comes in a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN child rights agency UNICEF, launched on Tuesday as part of World Water Week 2025.

The report reveals glaring inequalities. For example, people in least developed countries are more than twice as likely to lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Also, rural populations, children, ethnic minorities and indigenous groups are among those facing the greatest disparities.

In many countries, water collection primarily falls on women and girls, with many in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia spending more than half an hour each day walking long distances to fetch water.

Furthermore, some 3.4 billion people still lack access to safely managed sanitation facilities, including 354 million who still practice open defecation – meaning they use the toilet outdoors.

With five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report is sounding the alarm.

UNICEF Specialist Cecilia Scharp warned that “at the current pace, the promise of safe water and sanitation for every child is slipping further from reach” – a reminder that the world “must act faster and more boldly to reach those who need it most.”

Dianne Penn, UN News