Starving people must not be forced to risk their lives to access food by OHCHR, OCHA, UNICEF, agencies   June 2025   Starving people must not be forced to risk their lives to access food - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. (OHCHR)   Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza, are unconscionable. For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF). This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured.   There must be a prompt and impartial investigation into each of these attacks, and those responsible held to account. Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime.   Palestinians have been presented the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism. This militarized system endangers lives and violates international standards on aid distribution, as the United Nations has repeatedly warned.   The wilful impediment of access to food and other life-sustaining relief supplies for civilians may constitute a war crime. The threat of starvation, together with 20 months of killing of civilians and destruction on a massive scale, repeated forced displacements, intolerable, dehumanizing rhetoric and threats by Israel’s leadership to empty the Strip of its population, also constitute elements of the most serious crimes under international law.   In 2024, the International Court of Justice found that there was a real and imminent risk of irreparable prejudice to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.   The Court issued binding orders on Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza.   There is no justification for failing to comply with these obligations.   17 June 2025   United Nations chief Antonio Guterres calls for accountability after the latest GHF site killings.   On Monday, more than 200 patients arrived at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Al Mawasi - the highest number received by the facility in a single mass casualty incident. Of that number, 28 patients were reportedly declared dead, WHO spokesperson Dr Peeperkorn said. Just one day earlier, on 15 June, the same hospital received at least 170 patients, who reportedly had been trying to access a food distribution site.   Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General said: “The Secretary-General condemns the loss of lives and injuries of civilians in Gaza, where once again they have been shot at while seeking food". "It is unacceptable”.. “As of yesterday 16 June, 338 people have been killed and more than 2,800 injured while trying to access food near distribution sites.”   Dr Thanos Gargavanis, WHO trauma surgeon and emergency officer, told UN News: “The recent food distribution initiatives by non-UN actors every time result in mass casualty incidents”.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2025/06/gaza-palestinians-seeking-food-continue-be-killed-israeli-military http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164846   * Mass casualties reported in Gaza as hostilities continue. (OCHA)   The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen by the day.   Hostilities across Gaza have reportedly caused mass casualties. In the last two days, partners reported scores of people killed and injured, apparently while gathering to receive supplies near militarized distribution centers in Rafah and Deir al Balah. Attacks against health facilities have also continued. As hostilities continue, people have once again been forced to flee. Since 18 March, OCHA and humanitarian partners estimate that more than 640,000 people – nearly a third of Gaza’s entire population – have been displaced again across the Strip.   The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to call for the full lifting of the restrictions on aid and other essentials to ensure the needs of civilians in Gaza are met.   * In an interview with the BBC at the International Committee of the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva, the organisation's president Mirjana Spoljaric said "humanity is failing" as it watched the horrors of the Gaza war.   Ms Spoljaric said "We cannot continue to watch what is happening. It's surpassing any acceptable, legal, moral, and humane standard. The level of destruction, the level of suffering.. More importantly, the fact that we are watching a people entirely stripped of its human dignity. It should really shock our collective conscience."   "There's no excuse for hostage-taking. There is no excuse to depriving children from their access to food, health, and security. There are rules in the conduct of hostilities that every party to every conflict has to respect."   The ICRC is considered the custodian of the Geneva conventions. The fourth, agreed after the Second World War, is designed to protect civilians in wars.   "There's no justification for the disrespect or hollowing out of the Geneva Conventions. Neither party is allowed to break the rules, no matter what, and this is important because the same rules apply to every human being under the Geneva Convention. A child in Gaza has exactly the same protections under the Geneva Conventions as a child in Israel."   Ms Spoljaric said the ICRC was deeply concerned about talk of victory at all costs, total war and dehumanisation.   "We are seeing things happening that will make the world an unhappier place far beyond the region, far beyond the Israelis and the Palestinians, because we are hollowing out the very rules that protect the fundamental rights of every human being."   She added that states must do more to end the war, end the suffering of Palestinians and release Israeli hostages."Every state is under the obligation to use their means, their peaceful means, to help reverse what is happening in Gaza today," she said.   http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgq0gy82wjo http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-no-one-should-have-risk-their-life-feed-their-children-gaza http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/opt-attacks-around-aid-distribution-site-gaza http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164471 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1163966 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1163926 http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/israel-and-occupied-territories-red-cross-field-hospital-unprecedented-influx-war-wounded-gaza http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/israel-and-occupied-territories-icrc-urges-protection-of-civilians-unhindered-humanitarian-assistance http://www.savethechildren.net/news/news-quote-let-us-do-our-jobs-and-deliver-aid-safely-gazas-starving-population http://www.savethechildren.net/news/news-quote-gaza-aid-must-not-be-turned-tool-control-rather-relief   May 2025   Gaza Strip: IPC Acute Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition Special Snapshot | April - September 2025   Nineteen months into the conflict, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of Famine. Over 60 days have passed since all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies were blocked from entering the territory. Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation.   From 11 May to the end of September 2025, the whole territory is classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), with the entire population expected to face Crisis or worse acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above).   This includes 470,000 people (22 percent of the population) in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), over a million people (54 percent) in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and the remaining half million (24 percent) in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).   This marks a significant deterioration compared to the previous IPC analysis (released in October 2024) and the already dire conditions detected between 1 April - 10 May 2025. During this time, 1.95 million people (93 percent) were classified in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above), including 244,000 people (12 percent) in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) and 925,000 (44 percent) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency).   Between 1 April and 10 May, acute malnutrition (AMN) was at Alert and Serious levels (IPC AMN Phase 2 and 3). However, experience has shown that acute malnutrition can worsen rapidly, and latest data indicate a deteriorating trend that is expected to persist. Consequently, acute malnutrition in North Gaza, Gaza and Rafah governorates will likely reach Critical levels (IPC AMN Phase 4) between 11 May and end of September.   Between mid-January and mid-March 2025, the ceasefire allowed a temporary alleviation of acute food insecurity and malnutrition conditions in parts of the Gaza Strip. However, the ongoing blockade imposed in early March reversed the situation. Since 18 March, the escalating conflict has displaced over 430,000 people, further disrupted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, health, water and sanitation services, and caused additional damage to remaining essential infrastructure.   All 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) closed at the beginning of April due to lack of supplies, and food stocks for most of the 177 hot meal kitchens are reportedly exhausted.   All preventive nutrition supplies have run out in UNICEF and WFP warehouses. Food prices are soaring daily, with wheat flour ranging from USD $235 per 25 kg in Deir al-Balah to USD $520 in Gaza and Khan Younis - a 3,000 percent increase since February 2025. Latest data show many households resorting to extreme coping strategies. A third reported collecting garbage to sell for food, while a quarter indicated that no valuable garbage remains. Observations reveal that social order is breaking down.   The plan announced on 5 May by Israeli authorities for delivering food and non-food items across the governorates is estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population’s essential needs for food, water, shelter and medicine.   Moreover, the proposed distribution mechanisms are likely to create significant access barriers for large segments of the population. In light of the announced large-scale military operation across the Gaza Strip and the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to deliver essential goods and services, there is a high risk that Famine (IPC Phase 5) will occur in the projection period (11 May – 30 September). The latest announcements suggest that this worst-case scenario is becoming more likely.   Immediate action is essential to prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into Famine. This entails ending hostilities, ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access, restoring essential services and commercial flows, and providing sufficient lifesaving assistance to all in need.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-124/en/ http://www.wfp.org/news/risk-famine-across-all-gaza-new-report-says http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164076 http://tinyurl.com/2s3kkd63 http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-calls-security-council-act-decisively-prevent-genocide-gaza http://www.who.int/news/item/12-05-2025-people-in-gaza-starving--sick-and-dying-as-aid-blockade-continues http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unimaginable-horrors-more-50000-children-reportedly-killed-or-injured-gaza-strip http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2025/05/un-women-estimates-over-28000-women-and-girls-killed-in-gaza-since-october-2023   http://www.unocha.org/news/briefing-note-un-coordinated-plan-resume-humanitarian-aid-deliveries-gaza http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-situation-children-gaza-strip http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/gaza-un-child-rights-committee-condemns-mass-starvation-children-amid-aid http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/half-of-gazas-children-now-malnourished-as-humanitarian-aid-remains-blocked/ http://www.mercycorps.org/blog/gaza-is-starving http://www.careinternational.org.uk/news-stories/blockade-in-gaza-we-hope-this-hell-were-living-in-will-end-soon/ http://plan-international.org/news/2025/06/02/israeli-aid-blockade-hits-three-month-mark/ http://plan-international.org/blog/2025/03/24/the-true-cost-of-war-gaza-ceasefire-fail/   3 June 2025   WFP/UNICEF humanitarian aid convoy carrying life-saving supplies attacked in Sudan’s North Darfur.   "The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF condemn an attack on a joint humanitarian convoy near Al Koma, North Darfur, last night. Five members of the convoy were killed, and several more people were injured. Multiple trucks were burned, and critical humanitarian supplies were damaged.   "The convoy, made up of 15 trucks, was attempting to reach children and families in famine-affected Al Fasher with life-saving food and nutrition supplies. Following months of escalating violence, hundreds of thousands of people in Al Fasher - many of them children - are at high risk of malnutrition and starvation if supplies do not urgently reach them.   "As is standard with our humanitarian convoys, the route was shared in advance, and parties on the ground were notified and aware of the location of the trucks. Under international humanitarian law, aid convoys must be protected, and parties have the obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.   "Both agencies demand an immediate end to attacks on humanitarian personnel, their facilities and vehicles - a violation under international humanitarian law.   "We call for an urgent investigation and for the perpetrators to be held to account.   "We extend our condolences to the families of those killed and our heartfelt sympathy and support to all those injured. It is devastating that the supplies have not reached the vulnerable children and families they were intended to. The convoy had travelled over 1,800km from Port Sudan, and we were negotiating access to complete the journey to El Fasher when it was attacked.   "This latest incident follows a series of attacks on humanitarian operations over the past two years, including last week’s bombardment of WFP’s premises in Al Fasher which damaged a workshop, office building and clinic.   "Attacks on humanitarian staff, aid, operations, as well as civilians and civilian infrastructure in Sudan have continued for far too long with impunity. WFP and UNICEF colleagues remain on the ground despite the insecurity, but call for safe, secure operating conditions and for international humanitarian law to be respected by all parties. The lives of millions in Sudan, including in locations like El Fasher in Darfur, depend on it."   UN Relief Chief issues call to action for protection and accountability for the people of Sudan:   "Again and again, the international community has said that we will protect the people of Sudan. The people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise. For their country has become a grim example of twin themes of this moment: indifference and impunity.   We sound again the alarm. This is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. 30 million people need lifesaving aid – half the population. A war that should be ended rages without mercy. From Kordofan to Darfur, it has left civilians trapped, starving, without the basics they need for their survival. Indiscriminate shelling, drone attacks and other air strikes kill, injure and displace people in staggering numbers.   The health system has been smashed to pieces, with cholera, measles and other diseases spreading. And now the lean season is arriving. Our appeals are pitifully supported. Where is the funding?   Meanwhile, hospitals and displacement camps have been attacked, critical infrastructure destroyed, and aid trucks hit, preventing them from getting food and essential supplies to those in such desperate need.   Last week’s deadly attack on a UN humanitarian convoy in North Darfur again demonstrated the vanishing protection for civilians – including aid workers. The human cost of this war – including horrific sexual violence – has been repeatedly reported and condemned, but talk has not translated into real protection for civilians or safe, unimpeded and sustained access for humanitarians.   Where is the accountability? We call on all with influence to step up. Protect civilians. Guarantee safe access for humanitarians. Fund their work. Insist on agreements to humanitarian pauses and other arrangements that can allow us to safely reach the areas and people worst hit. Work harder to secure a lasting, inclusive and just peace.   Despite cuts and danger, the humanitarian movement will not stop working to reach those in need. Let this time not be defined by indifference and impunity, but by a revival in human solidarity for those in greatest need, and determination to hold to account those responsible for it."   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/wfpunicef-humanitarian-aid-convoy-carrying-life-saving-supplies-attacked-sudans http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-issues-call-action-protection-and-accountability-people-sudan http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/sudan-war-intensifying-devastating-consequences-civilians-un-fact-finding http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/attacks-civilians-and-civilian-infrastructure-sudan-must-stop-statement-united-nations-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-ai-sudan-kristine-hambrouck http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/sudan-faces-worsening-humanitarian-catastrophe-famine-and-conflict-escalate http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/port-sudan-drone-attacks-call-protect-civilian-infrastructure-statement-united-nations-resident-and-humanitarian-coordinator-sudan-clementine-nkweta-salami   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/sudan-un-expert-calls-end-attacks-critical-civilian-infrastructure-amidst http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/civilians-trapped-children-risk-amid-escalating-violence-darfur http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/april/sudans-darkest-hour http://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/sudan-crisis-two-years-on http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-two-years-war-starvation-global-failure-world-must-act-now http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/news-comment-two-years-sudan-catastrophe-world-cannot-afford-ignore http://dataviz.unhcr.org/product-gallery/2025/04/sudan-crisis-deepens-but-attention-wanes-after-two-years-of-war/ http://www.msf.org/conflict-sudan
	Under international humanitarian law parties to conflicts must protect civilians by OCHA, International Committee of the Red Cross   Apr. 2025   UN Security Council: "World getting more dangerous for civilians on your watch"   Briefing to the United Nations Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. (Extract)   "My two asks today of the Security Council and, indeed, the wider international community go beyond Ukraine alone.   Firstly, I must reiterate that under the international humanitarian law that this Council is here to defend, parties to conflicts must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Indiscriminate attacks on them are strictly prohibited:   There must be limits to how war is waged. At its best, this Council, and the Member States here, have upheld that idea – even wars have rules. Is that not why we are here?   And yet, on my visits from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan to Lebanon to Myanmar – from where I returned yesterday – I am seeing the opposite: that not only are we not standing robustly for international law, but in some cases we are supporting its debasement.   That's the common thread that links these conflicts. And if your principles apply only to your opponents, they are not humanitarian principles.   The world is getting more dangerous for civilians, on our watch. Please, you can do more to ensure that this era of increasingly belligerent, transactional, self-defeating nationalism is not also remembered as one of callous impunity and brutal indifference, in which the rights of civilians are discarded again and again with a shrug.   If we do not make our stand on this point, consistently and unequivocally, then what do we stand for anymore? And how can we expect anyone to listen to us, or hope that others will make better choices in the future?   My second ask, is the funding to save lives in an increasingly dangerous environment, and this era of savage cuts. If you cannot stop the attacks on civilians – in Ukraine and elsewhere – please, at least give us the security and resources to save as many survivors as we can".   Unprotected: What happens when the laws of war are ignored, by Joyce Msuya - UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:   “There are more than 120 armed conflicts across the globe, their number steadily rising since the ‘90s. In conflicts around the world, civilians are killed, injured, traumatized and separated from their loved ones.   The vital services they rely on – hospitals, clean water, markets, electricity, schools – are damaged or destroyed; their livelihoods lost. They suffer hunger, disease and homelessness. And these horrors are becoming normalized, with worrying global trends.   Last year alone, at least 36,000 civilian deaths were recorded by the UN in 14 armed conflicts – the actual number likely to be far higher. Not even aid workers are spared – killed and injured in record numbers, impeded in their movements, targeted by disinformation, and impaired by the adverse effects of sanctions and counterterrorism measures.   International humanitarian law is designed to minimize suffering in war. It imposes rules of conduct on all parties to conflict – whether State armed forces or non-state armed groups: They must treat all persons humanely, and they are limited in the tactics and weapons they can use. In other words, international humanitarian law is designed to protect civilians. We cannot allow it to unravel.   Parties and all States with influence must take concrete steps to protect civilians now, without delays or excuses. The international community has committed to limiting human suffering in armed conflict through international humanitarian law – an imperative for all parties to conflict. It will take strict adherence to international law and the adoption of good-faith policies and practices to do that.   Fighting impunity is essential, as impunity only breeds more impunity. We must also acknowledge that not all civilian harm stems from violations of the law. Even when parties comply, the scale of civilian harm can still be devastating. Only a more comprehensive and people-centred approach to the protection of civilians can reduce the overwhelming scale of civilian harm”.   http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-warns-security-council-protection-civilians-unraveling-amid-global-inaction http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/statements-iasc-principals   NGO Statement Ahead of the Open Debate on Protection of Civilians:   One year after the UN Secretary-General outlined the “resoundingly grim” state of civilian protection, the situation continues to deteriorate. 21 NGOs call for urgent action by the UN Security Council and UN Member States to strengthen accountability and ensure robust implementation of protection mandates.   Civilians living in conflict zones today are in more danger than ever before. The UN recorded a 72% increase in civilian deaths in armed conflict between 2022 and 2023, with the proportion of women and children killed doubling and tripling respectively. Over 473 million children — more than 1 in 6 globally — now live in areas affected by conflict. In 2023, UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence, the majority against women and girls, increased by 50 per cent compared with 2022.   Intersecting and multidimensional vulnerabilities are also compounded for marginalised groups. Those who survive are often injured, displaced, and frequently cut off from their communities and support networks. As a result they can become reliant on humanitarian aid for services such as healthcare, water, electricity, and education for years or even decades.   The use of explosive weapons in populated areas continues to have a devastating effect on civilians, causing both immediate harm and long-lasting cumulative and reverberating impacts. These attacks are often fuelled by third party arms transfers. The resultant patterns of harm not only deepen humanitarian need, but also undermine the foundations for sustainable peace.   When civilian infrastructure and the natural environment are destroyed and social cohesion fractured, the road to recovery is steeper and longer, impeding justice and increasing the risk of renewed violence.   Parties to conflict are, in many cases, intentionally undermining the international norms and standards designed to protect civilians from the conduct of war and are deliberately violating International Humanitarian Law (IHL), eroding even the bare minimum of protections owed to civilians.   Of particular concern is the speed with which States are backsliding on their commitments to protect — and ensure the protection of — civilians. Consequently, the deliberate targeting of civilians is becoming a tool of warfare, further fuelling a culture of impunity.   The humanitarian consequences are staggering. 305.1 million people are in humanitarian need, a number that has quadrupled in the past decade, primarily driven by conflict. 123 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, double the figure from 2015, and 281.6 million people are experiencing crisis or worse of food insecurity (IPC 3+).   While these statistics are unfathomably high, each number represents an individual — a farmer who has lost access to their livelihood and is struggling to feed their family, an elderly person displaced multiple times and living in a camp, a child not able to go to school.   Across the world, humanitarian actors and civil society are working relentlessly to respond to the escalating needs of conflict-affected populations, while facing growing risk of harm and operational constraints. Local actors, including women-led organisations, face the greatest risk.   Across the board, resources are being slashed or politicized, further intensifying the level of risk borne by local actors. Amid this dire reality, civilians themselves are seeking to hold their communities together under immense strain and standing firm in their calls for peace and justice. They need the international community to not just bear witness, but to act.   The 2025 UNSC Open Debate must confront this truth: there is no shortage of tools to protect civilians, but there is a shortage of political will to use them equally and follow through with practical implementation and accountability.   From legal instruments and policies, early warning mechanisms, civilian harm tracking, and civilian-military dialogues to sanctions, independent investigations, and accountability and remedy mechanisms — these tools are too often sidelined and ignored rather than being leveraged, supported, prioritised, and fully integrated.   Diplomacy is failing. At the United Nations Security Council the most powerful countries in the world are making ineffective the body charged with ensuring international peace and security. In the past 10 years, the permanent members used their powers to veto resolutions at least 36 times. 2024 saw the fewest UNSC resolutions adopted since 1991 and the highest number of draft resolutions failed due to veto since 1986.   The UN turns 80 this year. Instead of retreat there must be renewed urgency in support of — and commitment to — multilateralism, the UN Charter, and the international rules-based order, with the protection of civilians at its core.   Impunity feeds on itself. In the absence of real accountability for harm caused and the just and equitable application of international law and standards at all times and in all places, this dangerous cycle characterized by compounding harms and prolonged suffering will continue.   http://www.unocha.org/news/world-getting-more-dangerous-civilians-your-watch-un-relief-chief-tells-security-council http://reliefweb.int/report/world/2025-ngo-statement-ahead-open-debate-protection-civilians http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2025/05/speech-there-is-no-pathway-to-peace-that-does-not-begin-with-the-protection-of-women-and-girls http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-deputy-executive-director-ted-chaibans-remarks-united-nations-security http://www.unicef.org/topics/armed-conflict http://www.unicef.org/children-under-attack http://data.stopwaronchildren.org   http://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/UN-Human-Rights-Monitors-Deplore-Deadly-New-Wave-of-Russian-Attacks-Across-Ukraine http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/un-human-rights-office-opt-more-fifty-cent-people-killed-gaza-week-were-shelters-and-residential-buildings http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2025/04/hundreds-killed-rsf-attacks-sudans-north-darfur http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162196 http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-440/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-435/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/comment-un-human-rights-office-spokesperson-ravina-shamdasani-continued   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/tools-protection-upholding-object-and-purpose-international-humanitarian-law-protecting-civilian-infrastructure-and-hospitals-side-event-during-poc-week-2025-friday-23-may-830-1000 http://reliefweb.int/report/world/epidemic-violence-violence-against-health-care-conflict-2024 http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/south-sudan/un-deplores-air-strike-hospital-south-sudan http://www.msf.org/msf-condemns-bombing-our-hospital-south-sudan http://www.msf.org/attacks-medical-care http://www.who.int/activities/stopping-attacks-on-health-care http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/open-letter-member-states-un-general-assembly-behalf-iasc-principals http://www.hhrjournal.org/2024/06/07/drone-attacks-on-health-in-2023-international-humanitarian-law-and-the-right-to-health/ http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01115-7/fulltext   http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-05/protection-of-civilians-8.php http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/protection-of-civilians/ http://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/civic-launches-first-protection-of-civilians-trends-report-and-civilian-protection-index/ http://www.civilianprotectiontrends.org/index.html http://civiliansinconflict.org/blog/there-is-no-safe-place-for-civilians-in-conflict-qa-with-hichem-khadhraoui/ http://civiliansinconflict.org/remarks/civic-executive-director-addresses-unsc-open-debate-on-protection-of-civilians-in-armed-conflict http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/14/un-security-council-should-commit-people-disabilities http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/ocha-message-international-humanitarian-law http://www.unocha.org/humanitarian-access http://www.unocha.org/protection-civilians   * Protection of civilians in armed conflict - Report of the Secretary-General (May 2025): http://docs.un.org/en/S/2025/271   * New report finds alarming levels of civilian harm from the use of explosive weapons in 2024 - International Network on Explosive Weapons   Civilians continued to bear the brunt of bombing and shelling in towns and cities across the globe in 2024. Worldwide, civilians and civilian infrastructure were harmed by explosive weapons used by state and non-state actors in 74 countries and territories, a new report by the Explosive Weapons Monitor has revealed.   According to the Explosive Weapons Monitor 2024, continued heavy bombardment in Gaza, as well as extensive use of explosive weapons in Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere, has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and the reverberating, long-term effects of people losing safe access to healthcare, education, aid and food security.   “Civilians are paying the ultimate price when explosive weapons are used in populated towns and cities. We see a worrying pattern of harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in ongoing conflicts that extends well beyond the area of attack,ˮ said Katherine Young, Research and Monitoring Manager of the Explosive Weapons Monitor.   “Not only do explosive weapons kill and injure civilians, they also cause damage to schools, health facilities, power lines, water supplies and other essential infrastructure which can last long after conflicts have ended. This inflicts further, long-term suffering on populations whose lives have been made unbearable while under bombardment,ˮ she said.   The report also shares that attacks with explosive weapons on civilian infrastructure and essential services rose sharply in 2024. The use of explosive weapons in attacks on healthcare increased by 64 percent from the previous year, damaging and destroying health facilities and ambulances and killing health workers.   Likewise, the use of explosive weapons in attacks on education more than doubled, and attacks on humanitarian aid occurred nearly five times more frequently in 2024.   Given the scale of harm to civilians in 2024, the report shows that it is critically important for states to reduce harm to civilians and the infrastructure they depend on. To do so, states should endorse and implement the 2022 Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences of the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.   This international agreement to protect civilians from the devastating effects of explosive weapons in urban areas has been endorsed by 88 countries so far.   “States must refuse to normalise the devastating toll of explosive weapons on civilians. By signing the political declaration, states are sending a clear message that harm to civilians, and destruction of the infrastructure they need to survive, will not be tolerated,ˮ said Alma Taslidzan, Disarmament and Protection of Civilians Advocacy Manager at Humanity & Inclusion.   http://explosiveweaponsmonitor.org/reports/5/explosive-weapons-monitor-2024/ http://reliefweb.int/report/world/explosive-weapons-monitor-2024   Mar. 2025   Speech given by Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. (Extract)   "Today violations that were once considered abhorrent have, disturbingly, become normalized in conflicts around the world.   I stand before you to remind us of an undeniable truth: Every patient killed in a hospital bed, Every family buried under the rubble of their home, Every hostage stolen from their loved ones, Every prisoner tortured and deprived of basic dignity, Every city levelled, and every village destroyed – These are not unfortunate realities of war. They are a betrayal.   We must not become numb to that fact, or we risk sleepwalking into a world where the barriers that once restrained brutality in war are removed. The scale of the suffering we witness is not inevitable. It is the direct result of dismissive interpretations of international humanitarian law.   People have the power to change course, but it will require courage and leadership to move past divisions and recommit to the fundamental belief that human life must transcend political divides – both in war and in peacetime.   Together, international humanitarian law and international human rights law share a common goal: to protect human life, health, and dignity, no matter what country you were born in or what side of the front line you live on.   These bodies of law are mutually reinforcing. They need one another. The erosion of respect for one contributes to the erosion of the other.   In war, how can the right to health be fulfilled if hospitals are bombed? How can the right to food prevent hunger if crops are destroyed? How can children see their right to education come true if schools are attacked?   There is no right to life when civilians, and the infrastructure they rely on for survival, are systematically targeted. International humanitarian law exists to protect them in times of war.   The way wars are fought today will inform the way they are fought tomorrow. Where basic humanitarian rules are violated, rebuilding costs skyrocket, and new security threats fester.   We can choose a different path, one that promotes life, stability, and prosperity. This starts with committing to international humanitarian law and making it a political priority."   International humanitarian law (IHL) is a set of rules that seeks, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons (civilians) who are not participating in hostilities, and imposes limits on the means and methods of warfare.   IHL is also known as “the law of armed conflict”. IHL is part of public international law, which is made up primarily of treaties, customary international law and general principles of law. The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 (GC I, II, III and IV), which have been universally acceded to or ratified, constitute the core treaties of IHL.   IHL applies equally to all sides, regardless of who started the fighting and regardless of motives.   Persons (civilians) protected by IHL are entitled to respect for their lives, their dignity, and their physical and mental integrity. They are also afforded various legal guarantees. They must be treated humanely in all circumstances, with no adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion, faith, sex, birth, wealth, or any other similar criteria.   It is forbidden to murder them, or to subject them to torture. The wounded and the sick must be collected and cared for. In order to ensure the performance of these medical activities, medical personnel, units and transports must be respected and protected.   Access to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population affected by the conflict must be allowed and facilitated. Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is specifically prohibited under IHL.   Under IHL, humanitarian personnel and objects must be respected and protected. Prioritized measures must be afforded to certain groups of people, including children, women or persons with disabilities, this means they must be afforded specific respect and protection.   Restrictions on the means of warfare and the methods of warfare.   The right of parties to a conflict to choose means or methods of warfare is not unlimited. Restrictions apply to the type of weapons used, the way they are used and the general conduct of all those engaged in the armed conflict. In addition, IHL prohibits the use of means and methods of warfare that are of a nature to cause injury or unnecessary suffering.   IHL regulates the conduct of hostilities on the basis of three core principles: distinction, proportionality and precaution.   The principle of distinction requires that the parties to an armed conflict distinguish at all times between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and combatants and military objectives on the other, and that attacks may only be directed against combatants and military objectives.   The purpose of this is to protect civilians, civilian property and the civilian population as a whole. Direct attacks against civilians or civilian objects and indiscriminate attacks – that is, attacks that strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction – are prohibited.   The principle of proportionality, a corollary to the principle of distinction, dictates that, when attacking a military objective, loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, must not be excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated. This principle requires parties to anticipate the harm that might be caused directly by an attack and the indirect (i.e. reverberating) effects.   The principle of precaution requires parties to an armed conflict to take constant care to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of all military operations. The principle also requires parties to a conflict to take a range of precautions in attack and a range of precautions against the effects of attacks to protect civilians and civilian objects.   With respect to precautions in attack, all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid or at least minimize civilian harm. Among others, this includes measures to verify that targets are military objectives and to give the civilian population an effective warning before the attack.   It can also entail restrictions on the location of an attack, as well as the weapons or tactics employed. At the same time, parties to an armed conflict must, to the maximum extent feasible, take necessary precautions to protect the civilian population and civilian objects against the effects of attacks. For example, it may include evacuating civilians from, or at least allowing them to leave, a besieged area where hostilities are taking place.   The rules on the conduct of hostilities also grant specific protection to objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population (including agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops or drinking water installations), and works and installations containing dangerous forces (dams, nuclear electrical generating stations..). The use of means and methods of warfare that are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment are also prohibited.   The implementation of IHL is primarily the responsibility of states. They must respect and ensure respect for these rules in all circumstances (Article 1 common to the four Geneva Conventions). States must adopt legislation and regulations aimed at ensuring full compliance with IHL.   They must enact laws to provide effective penal sanctions for the most serious violations of the Geneva Conventions – the so-called “grave breaches” – violations that amount to war crimes.   The 1998 Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) established the Court’s jurisdiction to prosecute the most serious crimes of international concern, including war crimes (Article 8). By virtue of the principle of complementarity, its jurisdiction is intended to come into play only when a state is genuinely unable or unwilling to prosecute alleged war criminals over which that state has jurisdiction.   http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-un-security-council-protection-civilians-armed-conflict http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-58th-session-human-rights-council http://www.icrc.org/en/rulesofwar http://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/respect-ihl http://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2025/02/06/a-call-to-make-international-humanitarian-law-a-political-priority/ http://www.icrc.org/en/global-initiative-international-humanitarian-law http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12ajz5mw5 http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/populations-at-risk-march-2025/ Visit the related web page
	View more stories