Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Ukraine
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Lebanon
– Jordan
– Security Council
– Somalia
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– World Food Programme/El Niño
UKRAINE
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, today condemned a new wave of large-scale attacks by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and called for the protection of civilians. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that following the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, August began with two consecutive nights of large-scale attacks that killed and injured civilians in the capital Kyiv and surrounding region, while intensified hostilities also impacted other parts of the country.
According to the authorities, attacks between yesterday and this morning killed at least 20 civilians and injured more than 120 others, including children. The Kyiv region was the hardest hit, with overnight attacks killing at least 14 people and injuring 22 others. Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing. The attacks also damaged warehouses, a logistics enterprise and railway infrastructure. Elsewhere, attacks killed and injured civilians across the regions of Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.
OCHA is also concerned about the ongoing impact of the hostilities on humanitarian operations. Attacks damaged a mobile health vehicle in the Zaporizhzhia region on Monday and a warehouse holding essential supplies for children yesterday. No aid workers were injured in either incident.
UN humanitarian partners quickly mobilized in response to the attacks in Kyiv City and the Kyiv region. National NGOs, supported by UN agencies, deployed mobile response teams to provide emergency shelter materials, psychological first aid, social support for affected families and humanitarian cash assistance.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
In a social media post, the Deputy Special Coordinator, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, who also serves as the Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator, yesterday expressed concern over the recent Israeli strikes in Gaza, which reportedly resulted in civilian casualties and damage to critical medical supplies and civilian infrastructure. Dr. Alakbarov reiterated that civilian and humanitarian facilities must be protected, humanitarian operations facilitated, and all parties must implement their commitments in full, in good faith, and in accordance with international law.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that ongoing military operations near the so-called “Yellow Line” – coupled with strikes reported in other parts of the Strip – are disrupting civilian life, damaging shelters, driving renewed displacement, and restricting access to life-saving services.
Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are responding wherever and whenever they can. On the shelter front, just last week, humanitarians improved nearly 3,000 makeshift shelters in Gaza City and distributed emergency shelter and essential items to 9,000 households, including kitchen sets, tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, solar lights and clothes.
However, to scale up assistance and carry out further upgrades of makeshift shelters, it is critical that timber, ropes, more solar lights and tools are allowed to enter Gaza in a timely manner.
On the education front, UN partners continue to provide support. More than a quarter million pre-school and school-aged children are participating in summer learning activities, helping to provide a sense of routine and stability, while helping students recover some of the learning lost during the hostilities.
Yesterday, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) brought into Gaza more than 600 pallets of recreational kits, school bags and soap. These supplies will be distributed ahead of the new school year, expected to begin in about two weeks.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-08-05