© UNICEF/V. Tremo A health worker examines a child suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus in Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo. Top news of the day | Thursday: Ukraine, Palestine, Ebola, Cyprus UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: attacks on humanitarian personnel make it difficult to provide assistance to residents of Ukraine, assigning city status to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank is contrary to international law, the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo is spreading at an unprecedented pace, the Secretary General will visit Cyprus.
Strikes on Ukraine
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that over the past night, Ukrainian civilians were killed and injured as a result of the attacks, and residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged. The UN agency warns that the increasing use of drones, as well as ongoing attacks on aid workers and property, are increasingly hampering relief efforts. According to the latest OCHA assessment, nearly half of Ukraine’s frontline and border communities face high or extremely high restrictions on humanitarian access.
West Bank Settlements
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seriously concerned about the Israeli authorities’ decision to grant city status to the West Bank settlement of Givat Ze’ev. The UN press service said that this administrative decision does not change the international legal status of the area as part of the occupied Palestinian territory. The UN reminds that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as the infrastructure associated with them have no legal force and are in flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. (DRC) declared an outbreak of Ebola fever, and since then it has become the third largest on record. This was announced on Thursday by the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Over the past month, the rate of spread has exceeded that of all previous outbreaks, with 2,073 cases and 796 deaths reported. WHO is helping DRC authorities scale up their response. In addition, clinical trials of a number of drugs have been started.
Secretary General’s trip to Cyprus
The UN press service reported today that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Cyprus from July 27 to 29. He will hold meetings with leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, as well as other interested parties. The UN chief will discuss efforts to advance the peace process and maintain stability on the island, including through the activities of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. The UN Security Council is holding a closed meeting on Cyprus today.