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UN Inquiry on Israeli Violence Hampered by Funding Shortfall, Document Shows

Israeli soldiers sit on top of tanks at the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli soldiers sit on top of tanks at the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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UN Inquiry on Israeli Violence Hampered by Funding Shortfall, Document Shows

Israeli soldiers sit on top of tanks at the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli soldiers sit on top of tanks at the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

A team of UN investigators tasked with researching cases of violence by Israeli settlers and the transfer of arms to Israel for use in the Gaza war cannot complete their work because of financial constraints, a document showed. The incident shows how dire funding shortages in the UN system, caused by donor fatigue and belt-tightening, are harming global accountability efforts for abuses after a Congo probe was stalled earlier this year, Reuters reported.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory - established in May 2021 by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council - can provide evidence of international crimes used in pre-trial investigations by tribunals like the International Criminal Court.

Last year the council approved a request from Pakistan to research additional evidence on arms transfers to Israel in the context of the Gaza war and Israeli settler violence.

But Navi Pillay who heads the inquiry told the council's president in an August 6 letter that a lack of funds meant it was unable to hire staff. "The Commission has started informing the sponsors of the two resolutions that it will be unable to produce these mandated reports and present them to the Council in March 2026," said Pillay, who has served as a judge at the ICC and is a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Israel has regularly criticized the commission, which has condemned actions by the Israeli military since it launched its Gaza offensive after the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. A backlog of UN mandatory fees, including from top donor the United States which owes around $1.5 billion, has worsened a long-running UN liquidity crisis. In response, the global body plans to cut its budget by 20%.

Overall, 12 of the current 47 voting members on the council - set to meet in September to discuss crises in Sudan and Afghanistan - have outstanding fees, according to a tally by the International Service for Human Rights.

Nada Al Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said investigations were now running at around 50% staffing levels.

"Without the timely availability of funds, implementation has become and will continue to be increasingly constrained and in some cases it will simply not be possible," she said.

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Arab World

Yemeni Govt Forces Expand Operations as Houthis Face Fighting on Multiple Fronts

Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)
Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)
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Yemeni Govt Forces Expand Operations as Houthis Face Fighting on Multiple Fronts

Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)
Government forces press ahead with Operation Dawn of Yemen against the Houthis on multiple fronts. (Military media)

Yemeni government forces launched 874 strikes against Houthi positions across several governorates under Operation Dawn of Yemen, as ground fighting continued and troops repelled attacks and attempted advances by the militia.

The operations targeted Houthi positions, troop concentrations and reinforcements in Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz, Hajjah and Dhale, the military said.

Armed forces spokesperson Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili said the strikes included 29 airstrikes, 39 drone strikes, 62 rocket launcher strikes and 744 artillery strikes.

Preliminary battlefield reports showed about 190 Houthi commanders and fighters killed or wounded and roughly 130 military vehicles and pieces of equipment destroyed or damaged, he revealed.

In Al-Jawf, warplanes struck a Houthi tank. Other airstrikes hit Houthi positions and military vehicles near Jabal Han, west of Taiz, and Dar Al-Saynah in the south. The army released footage showing strikes on Houthi fighters and equipment in both provinces.

In Marib, artillery pounded Houthi positions, concentrations and vehicles on the southern front. Drones struck reinforcements and vehicles on the northern front, while other strikes targeted newly established positions and fortifications in the south.

Fighting also continued on northern fronts and southeast of Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf, where government forces repelled Houthi movements and attacks while striking firing positions, troop concentrations and military vehicles.

In Hajjah, drones targeted Houthi sniper positions and fighters in the Hiran sector as part of wider operations against the militia's positions and fortifications.

Fierce fighting displaces families in Lahj

Heavy fighting and intensified military movements gripped the Al-Mudaribah and Ras Al-Arah in western Lahj. The Southern Giants Brigades and National Shield Forces said they had repelled major Houthi attacks on the Al-Bukrah and Al-Ruwais fronts.

Military sources reported the destruction of Houthi military vehicles. The Giants Brigades released footage showing strikes on Houthi fighters and vehicles in Lahj.

In Al-Maqatirah district, northwest of Lahj, Houthi-affiliated media reported a series of airstrikes on areas under the group's control on Wednesday. Government forces said they had destroyed Houthi military vehicles on the same front as fighting spread across areas bordering southwestern Taiz.

The clashes have worsened humanitarian conditions and driven more families from their homes as fighting nears populated areas in Al-Mudaribah, Al-Maqatirah and around Tur Al-Baha.

Families from other frontline areas have begun fleeing toward Aden and safer locations, raising fears of further displacement if fighting spreads to more residential areas.

Clashes persist in Taiz and Dhale

Government forces and the Popular Resistance continued battling the Houthis across several fronts in Taiz, particularly Al-Shaqab and Al-Aqroud, with fighting entering its 61st consecutive day, military sources said.

Airstrikes hit Houthi positions near Jabal Han, west of Taiz, and Dar Al-Saynah as troops continued repelling attacks in the province's western countryside.

Colonel Muwaffaq Al-Sabai, of the Fifth Presidential Guard Brigade in Taiz, said the Houthis had failed to break through government defenses despite massing fighters and launching attacks over more than a month.

He attributed the failure to government forces and the Popular Resistance taking the offensive initiative and improving coordination.

In Dhale, government troops repelled a Houthi attack on the Hajar front in the province's northwest. Clashes at the foot of Jabal Al-Hasha forced the attackers to retreat after suffering casualties and equipment losses, a military source said.

Meanwhile, the Giants Brigades, National Shield Forces and National Resistance continued operations on the southern and southwestern fronts.

The military spokesperson reported the recapture of positions in some sectors, while fighting continued and troops confronted Houthi movements elsewhere.

Arab World

Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Lose Foreign Commanders as Military Setbacks Mount

Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)
Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)
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Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Lose Foreign Commanders as Military Setbacks Mount

Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)
Yemeni army fighters in the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz. (AFP)

The Houthis have lost numerous foreign commanders involved in directing military operations and developing offensive capabilities, a senior Yemeni official said, as the group faces mounting battlefield losses and internal divisions.

Walid al-Qudaimi, Yemen's minister of state, told Asharq Al-Awsat that airstrikes and battlefield operations had killed key foreign commanders fighting alongside the Houthis, as well as senior Houthi figures whose deaths the group has yet to disclose.

He said airstrikes and fighting across several fronts had weakened the militia's military capabilities, inflicting heavy losses in personnel, leadership and equipment.

Foreign commanders involved in directing operations and launching missile and drone attacks on government-held areas and Saudi Arabia were among those hit, he added.

Despite efforts to develop weapons and military technology, the Houthis were facing mounting setbacks and internal disintegration, al-Qudaimi said.

He said tribal leaders, sheikhs and ordinary Yemenis were increasingly recognizing the militia's agenda and refusing to send their sons into battle amid heavy casualties and growing numbers of missing fighters whose fate remained undisclosed.

Al-Qudaimi said Yemeni forces were fighting under a unified command through the joint forces, adding that Operation Dawn of Yemen would continue with Saudi support and under the direct supervision of the chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council until its objectives were met.

He said Yemenis increasingly understood the Houthis' ties to Iran and their role as one of Tehran's regional instruments, expressing his belief that large segments of the population were awaiting the group's removal and the restoration of state institutions.

The conflict extended beyond the Houthis because of the military and logistical support they received from foreign parties, al-Qudaimi said.

He stressed the importance of Yemeni diplomatic efforts to confront countries facilitating Houthi activities or providing assistance, saying such support violated diplomatic and political relations and harmed those countries' ties with Yemen.

His remarks came as Yemeni forces pressed ahead with military operations, intensifying airstrikes, drone attacks and artillery fire against Houthi positions, movements and reinforcements.

Government forces also made fresh gains in Al-Jawf province, while fighting continued on several fronts in Taiz, Dhale and Marib.

Turning to Taiz, al-Qudaimi called the city "an important key to victory over the Houthi militia," saying its residents' resistance reflected Yemenis' determination to confront the group.

He said repeated Houthi attempts to defeat the city militarily had failed despite the deployment of extensive manpower and military resources following the group's seizure of coastal areas.

Al-Qudaimi expressed hope that the Yemeni army would launch further operations to break the siege of Taiz and restore freedom of movement and access to besieged areas.

He also accused the Houthis of hypocrisy, saying they proclaimed solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people while besieging fellow Yemenis in Taiz and denying them basic rights to movement and daily life.

Arab World

More Than One Million in Lebanon Face Acute Food Insecurity, UN Says

A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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More Than One Million in Lebanon Face Acute Food Insecurity, UN Says

A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman holds her daughter's hand as they walk through a neighborhood where homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes near Tebnin Citadel in southern Lebanon, October 3, 2026. (Reuters)

More than one million people in Lebanon face acute food insecurity, the United Nations warned on Wednesday, following years of war and economic crisis.

Lebanon has endured two successive wars with neighboring Israel since 2023 and remains mired in an unprecedented economic collapse triggered seven years ago.

Nearly a quarter of the population face crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse, said a joint statement by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and the Lebanese agriculture ministry.

They called for "urgent action" to alleviate the situation.

The number is expected to rise to 1.15 million by the middle of next year, they added.

"Employment opportunities remain limited, savings have been depleted and debt remains high, while the cost of food, fuel and other essentials continues to strain household budgets," the UN bodies said.

The UN defines such levels of food insecurity as households facing malnutrition, or only being able to meet minimum needs through emergency measures such as selling assets.

Of most concern are conditions in conflict-affected areas of south Lebanon, as well as in impoverished regions in the north and east, they said.

Lebanon's authorities estimate that the cost of two wars between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah since October 2023 amounts to around $27 billion.

The last war, launched in March in support of Hezbollah's patron Iran, displaced more than one million people in Lebanon. That number has fallen to around 300,000 since violence subsided in June.

The fighting broke out as Lebanon struggled to recover from its worst ever economic crisis, which began in 2019.

Beirut has been seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund but has yet to implement reforms demanded by the institution to release the aid.