UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

14 October 2025

Situation in Gaza

Jaco Cilliers, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Special Representative of the Administrator for the Palestinian people, speaking from Jerusalem, said that he had visited Gaza twice in the past two months, and he would be going there again the following day. Gaza today was one of the most destroyed places on earth, said Mr. Cilliers, and yet one of the most determined to recover. For that to happen, all parties had to respect the ceasefire.

The destruction in Gaza was almost beyond comprehension: the debris alone could fill Central Park up to 12 meters high. Since January 2025, UNDP had safely assessed, removed, and recycled over 81,000 tons of debris, equivalent to 3,100 truckloads. UNDP had also reused 13,200 tons of materials. All operations had been conducted in line with international environmental and safety standards, ensuring that what was cleared today became the groundwork for Gaza’s recovery the day after. Mr. Cilliers explained that the next phase of Gaza’s recovery would begin with clearing the ground. Without debris removal, aid could not reach people, reconstruction could not begin, and dignified return was impossible. Mr. Cilliers stressed the need for unhindered access, entry of heavy equipment and fuel, and additional funding to scale up operations. The most recent Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, led by the United Nations, World Bank, and European Union, estimated that USD 70 billion was needed for recovery and reconstruction, with USD 20 billion required in the first three years. Mr. Cilliers reminded that UNDP teams had remained operational throughout the war, side by side with UN and national partners, delivering lifesaving and recovery-enabling interventions in multiple sectors.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), reminded that the previous day, UNIS had sent out three statements by the Secretary-General and his Spokesperson.

Christian Cardon, for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said that many families in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories had been reunited the previous day. He explained that the ICRC had not been involved in negotiations prior to the hostage and detainee release, but it had been called by the parties to act as a neutral intermediary in transporting those released. Twenty Israeli hostages and 1,809 Palestinian detainees had been handed to the ICRC. Since October 2023, he reminded, the total of 172 Israeli hostages had been released with the involvement of the ICRC, as well as 3,473 Palestinian detainees. Unfortunately, since October 2023, the ICRC had not been given access to either Israeli hostages or Palestinian detainees. Numerous ICRC staff, including detention, medical and weapons contamination experts, had all been involved in the release operations. Compared to previous release operations, these releases had been much more discrete, which was something the ICRC had insisted on.

In the coming hours, days and weeks, searching for human remains would continue, and it would be a massive challenge on both sides. Remains of four deceased Israeli hostages had been handed over. ICRC called for dignified management of bodily remains, for which forensic expertise, body bags, and refrigerated vehicles were all needed. Weapon contamination in Gaza remained a massive challenge which would be central to any further reconstruction and search for human remains still under rubble. Mr. Cardon stressed that the top priority now was to ensure that aid should be coming to the people and not the other way round. That was an important shift which had to happen. The elderly and people with disabilities, among others, had to have access to aid. ICRC had just reopened its presence in Gaza City, informed Mr. Cardon.

Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), stressed that delivery of medical supplies had to increase as the pressure on hospitals would not stop overnight. Since the ceasefire, WHO teams had been scaling up our operations. So far, WHO had deployed an emergency medical team within 24 hours to boost surgical and emergency care at Al-Ahli Hospital, with more deployments planned in Gaza City as people begin to return. WHO had also brought eight trucks of medical supplies into Gaza, including insulin, lab supplies, and essential medicines. Finally, WHO had reached the European Gaza Hospital to retrieve cancer and other life-saving medications and intensive care unit equipment, including incubators, mechanical ventilators, and patient monitors. Equipment and medicines were transferred to Nasser Hospital. Missions were ongoing to pick up more trucks from Kerem Shalom and to resupply hospitals.

15,600 people, including 3,800 children, needed medical evacuations. Since October 2023, WHO had supported the medevac of 7,841 patients include 5,405 children. Medevac needed to be expedited and for this more countries were needed to accept patients, while West Bank medical referral pathway, including to East Jerusalem, had to be restored. Before the war, as many as 100 patients had been evacuated from Gaza every day, reminded Mr. Jašarević. Mental health needs had mor than doubled, with over one million people now believed to need mental health support. Nearly 42,000 people in Gaza had life-changing injuries, of whom 5,000 had undergone amputations, and they needed rehabilitation services. Only four nutrition stabilization centres were currently operational, which needed to increase rapidly. Infectious diseases were also a major challenge. What was needed now was a permanent ceasefire and unhindered access for humanitarians.

Replying to questions from the media, Jaco Cilliers, for UNDP, said that the most recent assessment was that USD 70 billion was needed for recovery and reconstruction. The timeline for reconstruction was to be determined by the availability of funding, among other factors, but this was likely to take at least a decade. Some 55 million tons of rubble was estimated to be currently present in the Gaza Strip, enough to fill up 13 Great pyramids of Giza. It was encouraging to see donors stepping up to support both humanitarian and early recovery efforts in Gaza. Mr. Cilliers spoke of bodies being found in the process of rubble removal at a site of a destroyed mosque. Civil defense units were then called to the spot, along with the ICRC and the WHO, to ensure proper and dignified handling of bodily remains.

On the funding situation, Mr. Cilliers emphasized that the recovery would be a long process, but there were encouraging signs from several donors. It was hoped that the private sector could generate up to 50 percent of funding in the long run. Some 84 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip were believed to have been destroyed or damaged, and in some parts, such as Gaza City, those figures went up to 92 percent. Water and sanitation were among the most pressing challenges in Gaza. Unexploded ordnance represented another major challenge. When it came to revitalizing private sector in Gaza, UN agencies were working on different aspects, including providing microcredits, supporting young entrepreneurs, creating opportunities, purchasing assets for new businesses, etc. Strict due diligence process was in place, to ensure that all private companies applying for support were vetted.

Answering further questions from the media, Mr. Cardon, for the ICRC, said that more bodies of deceased Israeli hostages would be handed over today, but could not provide further information. The first part – release of living Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees – had been completed in one day, as planned, but finding and identifying human remains of all hostages might take longer, warned Mr. Cardon. There was a risk that this process would take quite a long time, both regarding the remains of Israeli hostages and Palestinians killed in Gaza. The question of the missing people, including searching for human remains, was critical, which was something the ICRC had emphasized to both parties. While the ICRC was not involved in the search on the ground, it remained in contact with Hamas, part of a confidential process which needed to remain such until all bodies were handed over.

Mr. Cardon stated that mass influx of aid had not happened yet, as there were still insufficient numbers of trucks coming in, while there was a need of 600 trucks per day for six weeks to alleviate the most pressing needs. Not all entry points were open right now, he said, and that was what had to open urgently. Mr. Jašarević, for the WHO, emphasized the need for more countries to come forward and accept patients evacuated from Gaza. The well-established corridors to East Jerusalem, West Bank, and Jordan also ought to reopen without delay. Ricardo Peres, for UNICEF, reiterated how devastating the past two years had been for children across the Gaza Strip. There were some 3,800 children in need of medical evacuation; 25 percent of all children injured in Gaza had life debilitating injuries; even wheelchairs and crutches had not been allowed to get in. This process of reconstruction and rehabilitation would take years.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Cardon said that as of several days earlier, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had still been operating. ICRC continued to maintain communication with Hamas and all other armed actors within the Gaza Strip. Israel, as the occupying power, had the obligation to ensure that the population under its occupation had access to water, food, medicine, and other necessities. On another question, Mr. Cardon said that no incidents had occurred during the release and handover of hostages and detainees the previous day. Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that humanitarians were now able to move on the ground more easily, as there were fewer restrictions on movement inside the Gaza Strip. It was a very fluid situation, however: over the weekend, over 310,000 individual movements of people had been recorded from the south to the north. Regarding the entry of aid, Mr. Laerke said that this was a part of the 20-point plan, but this had not happened yet. When exactly this was going to happen was out of the UN’s hands, but the UN remained both determined and patient to do what needed to be done. In the meantime, OCHA continued to advocate with everyone to have all crossing points open. UN was ready to roll once the permission and conditions were there. Mr. Pires, for UNICEF, added that the enthusiasm felt in the international community had not yet been reflected on the ground as enough aid was still not getting in. The level of destruction was huge, and at least 600 trucks a day were now needed, day after day. Aid was still not getting in sufficiently, he reiterated. Since 10 October, UNICEF had brought in 41 trucks of aid, including winter supplies for children and families. Ms. Vellucci, for UNIS, stressed what was needed now was for the ceasefire to be implemented fully and for all parties to respect their obligations. UNRWA remained the backbone of UN operations in Gaza, said Ms. Vellucci.

Plight of Rohingya children in Cox’s Bazar worsened by global funding cuts

Carla Haddad, Director of the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that the funding crisis in Cox’s Bazaar was threatening to undo the progress made there over the years. UNICEF was doing everything possible to stretch every dollar, but it was running out of options, and various activities and services were being interrupted, including child protection, water, sanitation, and education. Over 600 cases of child recruitment by armed groups had been recorded this year alone. Projections suggested that future contributions for the Rohingya children in Cox’s Bazaar would be very serious and no cost-cutting would manage to offset the lack of funding. Even more efficient response could not replace the resources needed to ensure continuity of life-saving services.

Ms. Haddad spoke of meeting a schoolgirl in Cox’s Bazaar who was pleased to be able to attend school and follow her country’s curriculum. It was now questionable whether existing education programmes could be maintained. For children who had already lost their homes, losing access to education would be devastating. Mothers in nutrition centres spoke of reduced access to food, soap and water, which had also led to increases in child malnutrition and contagious diseases. This was a test of the collective will of the donor community; predictable, safe funding was needed to ensure UNICEF could continue its meaningful work for the children of Cox’s Bazaar.

Answering questions from the media, Ms. Haddad gave examples of a family whose two sons had been abducted by armed groups. While awareness-raising campaigns on forced recruitment were ongoing, the danger remained real, and it was a major source of stress for many families. If girls were out of school, the first copying strategy was frequently early marriage. On another question, she stressed that global funding cuts were coming from the public sector, including the US, but several other countries as well. As a result, UNICEF was now seeing a 20 percent reduction across the organization. The private sector, on the other hand, was seeing a momentum, getting more engaged and helping create a safety net while the situation stabilized globally. Private funding included individual donors, of whom there were currently over 11 million. So-called “highest-value channels” included millionaires and billionaires. Companies were other donors, who were subject to proper due diligence. Finally, foundations, faith-based and membership organizations also supported UNICEF’s work. Ms. Haddad emphasized the importance of non-earmarked contributions.

Global status report on neurology

Dr. Neerja Chowdhary, Technical Officer at the Neurological, Sensory and Oral Conditions Unit, at the World Health Organization (WHO), said that headaches, migraines, strokes, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and dementia were all neurological disorders, conditions that affected the brain, spine, and nerves. Over three billion people were affected by neurological disorders. These diseases were the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, but they were often misunderstood, underfunded, and overlooked. What made neurological disorders different was that they often needed lifelong care. They affected not just the person, but their family and carers, and they were expensive, not just in money, but in time, energy, and emotional toll.

In many countries, especially low- and middle-income ones, people could not get the help they needed, as there were not enough neurologists, medicines were too expensive, services were provided only in big cities, and many people faced stigma. In 2022, countries around the world had come together to change this situation by adopting a global plan called IGAP: the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders, a roadmap to make brain health a priority. New WHO’s Global Status Report on Neurology showed that only half of countries reported data, while only one in three countries had a national policy for neurological disorders. Only 25 percent included these disorders in universal health coverage benefit packages, and only 20 percent of countries reported functioning intersectoral promotion/prevention programmes.

Dr. Chowdhary stressed that the Global Status Report on Neurology was a wake-up call, and that countries needed to make brain health a national priority; ensure everyone could access care without financial strain; carers ought to be supported who are often forgotten; and data systems needed to be improved. Most importantly, people with lived experience had to be listened to as they knew what was needed. WHO was leading the way by working with governments, experts, and partners, helping countries build better systems, train health workers, update their treatment guidelines and essential medicine lists and develop policies that work for people with neurological conditions and their families. No one should be left behind, stressed Dr. Chowdhary.

Announcements

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed that on 16 October at 10 am, WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin would be presented by Ko Barrett, WMO Deputy Secretary-General, and Oksana Tarasova, WMO Senior Scientific Officer. An embargoed report would be sent out later today.

On 20 October, the WMO would open its extraordinary Congress to mark the 75^th anniversary of the Organization as a UN specialized agency, and to inject more urgency and accelerate the “Early Warnings for All” initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2022. Several high-level speakers would address the opening session on 20 October, including the President of Mozambique. UN Secretary-General would address the congress on 22 October, ahead of his speech at the UNCTAD16 conference.

Finally, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), stated that the United Nations Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law was holding today the second and last day of its fifth session. The theme of this session was “Democracy and climate change: focusing on solutions”.

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