World News in Brief: Food crisis in South Sudan, UN investigation into staff member's murder in Gaza, arson at UNRWA's East Jerusalem office

The UN agency for Palestine refugees' offices in occupied Jerusalem was the target of a new arson attempt late on Monday, marking the organization's second such incident in five days, according to the agency's chairman.

The Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini claimed in a social media post on Tuesday that this instance was a "arson attempt by Israeli children and young people on UNRWA."p

This must end," he said.

According to Mr. Lazzarini, last Thursday night, when employees of several UN organizations were on the premises, Israeli citizens had twice set fire to the UNRWA headquarters' perimeter.

At the time, he said, "While there were no casualties among our staff, the fire caused extensive damage to the outdoor areas." He also mentioned that the UNRWA headquarters had a fuel and diesel station for the organization's fleet of automobiles on its premises.

The head of UNRWA reported that during the incident last week, a group of people "accompanied by armed men were witnessed outside the compound chanting "burn apart the United Nations"," and that while Israeli authorities "took a while ahead of time turned up," the office director and other staff had assisted in putting out the fire.

"Dangerous new standard"

Upon their return to UNRWA schools on Monday, evacuated families discovered that classrooms had been set on fire, walls had been blasted out, and debris lay everywhere, as reported by the UN organization.

As for the UNRWA head, he said that Israeli radicals, prompted by an elected Jerusalem council member, have been holding rallies outside the UNRWA facility in East Jerusalem for the last two months. When protesters hurled stones at UN employees and the compound's buildings last week, the gathering descended into violence.

He said that the facility has been severely damaged and vandalized, that UN employees have often been the targets of harassment and intimidation, and that "Israeli extremists threatened staff with guns."

After last week's arson attempt, he said on social media, "It is an obligation on the State of Israel as an occupying power for making sure that United Nations employees and properties are protected at all times."

"Those responsible for these attacks must be held accountable and the perpetrators must be looked into." Anything less than that will become the new, risky norm.

UN looks into the death of an Indian staff member in Gaza

As Israeli military assaults continue throughout the seven-month war, the UN has opened an inquiry into the tragic death of an Indian staff member in Rafah, southern Gaza, the Organization's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Tuesday.

On Monday, when the UN car was heading to the European Hospital in Rafah, gunfire broke out, killing one member of the foreign staff and wounding another. "Regular work is being done in terms of bringing people to different sites, and this was part of that," said Mr. Haq.

"We are in communication with Israel to ascertain the specifics of this incident and its nature," Mr. Haq said. "At this point, I don't believe there is any debate about the circumstances around the bullets as much as where they originated from. We think it originated from a nearby tank.

"First overseas casualty" reported by the UN in Gaza

According to what we now know, a weapon seems to have struck the rear of a white UN vehicle that was transporting two UN employees, killing one and wounding the other.

Mr. Haq expressed the condolences of the UN Secretary-General and added that the dead staff member was identified as Waibhav Anil Kale, a former military officer from India, and the wounded staff member was a Jordanian lady who is getting medical treatment.

The deputy spokesman said that Mr. Kale "is the first international casualty" in Gaza, adding that 71 international UN employees are now inside the beleaguered region.

He said, "Details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defense Forces, that it's very early in the investigation."

Seven million people in South Sudan might experience severe food insecurity.

Based on recent estimates from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that over seven million people in South Sudan might face severe food shortages in July.

Based on reports, around 79,000 individuals, mostly in places impacted by war, economic crises, and climate-related shocks, may experience catastrophic levels of hunger.

UN Tambura patrols three times a day.

According to Mr. Haq, villagers displaced by intercommunal warfare in Tambura County, western Equatoria, are receiving help from UN humanitarian partners. Approximately 26,000 people have left the county, leaving numerous Tambura residential neighborhoods empty.

Mr. Haq said, "Our partners in peacekeeping are keeping a close eye on the situation in Tambura." "The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had rapidly deployed additional peacekeepers to reinforce the site in an effort to deter further violence."

He said that the UN Mission indicated that the number of daily patrols had quadrupled.

Refugees and those returning home

He went on to say that the amount of refugees and returnees from the Sudanese war is straining already scarce resources. Since the start of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023, more over 670,000 additional individuals have been registered in South Sudan, with 80% of them being returnees.

Additionally, he said that response operations will be hampered by the humanitarian appeal's lack of financing, with just 11% of the $1.8 billion needed being collected.

The President of the General Assembly calls for further advancements in global objectives

Dennis Francis, the president of the UN General Assembly, said on Tuesday that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are moving closer to reality.

In order to assist each nation in implementing the 2030 Agenda, the UN Development System (UNDS) "keeps going to provide evidence-based and integrated policy advice," Mr. Francis said at the annual Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting on operational actions for development.

According to him, 78% of governments view the UN as a partner that advances their domestic agendas, and 98% of governments in the host nation agree that UN country teams "have effectively strengthened capacity to help build resilience to crises, disasters, and extreme climate events."

Maintaining the course of the aims

The president of the General Assembly did point out that just 15% of the objectives were met at last year's September SDG Summit, highlighting the need to address the goals' sluggish development.

"As the September Summit of the Future draws near, we must capitalize on this momentum to significantly increase commitments to realizing the 2030 Agenda," he stated, urging Member States to reaffirm their commitment to cooperating and working with a renewed sense of purpose to create a more sustainable, just, and prosperous world for all.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his continued serious concern over UN development funds in a video message addressed to the gathering.

His top goal for the system this year, he said, is "securing sustainable and predictable funding."