UN Secretary General António Guterres on Monday called for a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians ahead of the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks by the militant organisation Hamas on Israel.

“Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future,” Guterres said in New York.

He said Israelis and Palestinians should be able to “live side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity, and aspirations fulfilled. “These horrors must never be repeated, “He added.On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other armed groups killed more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and abducted 251 people to Gaza.

The ‌‍‍‍⁠⁠‍‍‌⁠‍‍‌attacks triggered the Gaza war, in which more than 74,000 Palestinians have since been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza.

A ceasefire has been in place since October 2025, although deadly attacks have continued.

Relations between the Israeli government and the United Nations remain deeply strained, with Israel accusing Guterres of bias and the UN chief repeatedly criticising Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Guterres also paid tribute to the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks.

“Nothing can justify these atrocities,” he said.

“Their suffering, and the enduring grief of their families, must never be forgotten.”

The UN chief also highlighted the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza following the war.

“Their suffering, too, demands an end, now,” he said.

Guterres said the ceasefire had brought some relief but had yet to deliver security, adequate humanitarian assistance or a credible path to recovery and peace.

He urged all sides to fully implement their commitments and move to the next phase of the ceasefire.

“It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent. It is time to allow humanitarian assistance at scale.

“And it is time to respect international law,” he said.

“We must build the political path to lasting peace across the whole region.” 

Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola, a Kenyan citizen who has been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the past seven years.

Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient, who fell ill a month ago, and was treated in several hospitals in DR Congo, died days after arriving in Nairobi.

Duale said the patient boarded a flight on Saturday and underwent normal public screening at the main airport in Nairobi before he was transferred by a relative to a hospital in the city.

More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, in what is the second most deadly known outbreak of the disease.

Shortly after DR Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola in May, it was also reported in Uganda, where two people have died. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the county free of the disease in August.

Since then, all cases of the disease have been declared in DR Congo.

The current outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is relatively rare, with no known vaccine.

Duale confirmed that the Kenyan national had tested positive for the Bundibugyo species.

According to the minister, the patient first travelled by road from DR Congo to the Ugandan capital Kampala, where he boarded a flight to Nairobi

Duale said that after being taken to the Nairobi Hospital, the patient was transferred to an isolation facility which was built during the Covid-19.

It was there that the patient “developed fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin”.

The patient died at 23:30 (20:30 GMT) on Monday and his burial is planned for later on Tuesday in line with public health safety protocols.

At least 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, have been identified, while health authorities are tracing a further 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight.

So far, WHO has recorded 4,082 deaths out of 8,463 cases since the emergence of the Bundibugyo species of the virus.

There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the species, which is highly infectious.

The Zamfara State Universal Basic Education Board (ZSUBEB) has flagged off the training of 75 State and Local Government Education Authority Social Mobilisation Officers (SMOs) on the utilisation of School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) operational documents.

The training, held at the ZSUBEB Headquarters, Gusau, on Monday, was aimed at strengthening the capacity of the officers to engage communities and stakeholders on improving retention and the quality of basic education in the state.

At the formal flag-off, the Executive Chairman, ZSUBEB, Prof. Nasir Garba Anka, represented by the Permanent Member I, Madawaki Alhaji Dahiru Shehu, said social mobilisation remains critical to the success of government interventions in the education sector.

“Social Mobilisation Officers are an important link between government, schools, parents, communities, traditional and religious institutions, as well as civil society organisations and other stakeholders.”

Madawaki explained that the responsibilities of Social Mobilisation Officers go beyond information dissemination.

“They are expected to build trust, create awareness, encourage community participation, identify barriers to education and promote ownership of educational programmes.”

He emphasised that sustainable progress in basic education cannot be achieved by government alone, but requires the active participation of parents, communities, traditional and religious leaders, teachers, SBMCs and development partners.

In a goodwill message, the State Coordinator of UBEC, Zamfara State Office, Malam Tanimu Abdulkadir, who spoke on behalf of the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, and the management of the Commission, commended ZSUBEB for organising the training.

Malam Abdulkadir cited the recent Enrolment Drive Campaign at JNI Primary School, Gusau, where 87 out-of-school children were enrolled, as an example of what effective community mobilisation can achieve.

He further disclosed that UBEC has made SBMC functionality an important indicator in its school monitoring exercise.

Representatives of the Teachers Service Board, Senior Secondary Education Board and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology also pledged their continued support and collaboration.

In his remarks, the Director of Social Mobilisation, ZSUBEB, Alhaji Sani Usman Gummi, thanked the participating institutions, development partners, facilitators, organisers and other stakeholders for their contributions.