The UN Security Council is meeting at UN Headquarters in New York for what was a scheduled quarterly briefing on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, now given greater urgency by the Hamas attacks of 7 October and the deepening humanitarian crisis as the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues. Follow our live coverage here...

On day 17 of the Gaza-Israel crisis, UN humanitarians on Tuesday pleaded for desperately needed fuel deliveries and other relief items to prevent the already dire situation in the enclave from worsening further.

CARACAS, Oct 23 (IPS) - Diego has just enrolled to study journalism at a university in the Venezuelan capital and, with 2,000 dollars that his family members managed to gather, has bought his first car, a small 2007 Ford that can take him to class from his home in the neighboring Caribbean port city of La Guaira.

Recent developments in Kosovo highlight ongoing security challenges and political tensions in the region, highlighting the need for effective dialogue and cooperation, the UN envoy for the country said on Monday.

Tuesday’s annual observance marking the official creation of the United Nations was overshadowed by the rising toll of suffering and sacrifice in Gaza, where 35 staff members with Palestine refugee agency UNRWA have now lost their lives.

With 735 million people going hungry last year and three billion unable to afford a healthy diet, the world is “going backwards on our goal of zero hunger by 2030”, the UN chief told the Committee on World Food Security on Monday.

Femicide, which is the killing of women because of their gender, has reached “pandemic proportions” worldwide as countries fail in their duty to protect women, including trans women.

The security situation continues to deteriorate in Haiti as gang violence grows, and elections are crucial for the sustainable rule of law, the UN Special Representative in the country, María Isabel Salvador, told the Security Council on Monday.

The number of people killed in Gaza has reached 5,087 according to latest reports from de facto authorities there, amid intensifying Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas attacks, while humanitarians repeated urgent calls for a ceasefire and more aid convoys.

NEW YORK, Oct 23 (IPS) - Amnesty International (AI), one of the leading human rights organizations, has accused Israeli forces of continuing “to intensify their cataclysmic assault on the occupied Gaza Strip.”