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Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Yemen, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Civilian suffering deepens as bombardment escalates in Gaza city

OCHA reports heavy strikes and bombardment across Gaza city over the weekend, with scores of people reportedly killed or injured.

The UN condemns the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive which is having an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation. The UN reiterates its calls for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, and full respect for international law.

Yesterday, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that in the previous four days alone, 10 of the agency's buildings have been hit in Gaza city. This includes seven schools and two clinics used as shelters for thousands of displaced people. Lazzarini warned that as air strikes in Gaza city and the north intensify, exhausted and terrified civilians are again forced to leave.

People are fleeing using Al Rashid Road, which is the only route available for movement to the south, and as such is extremely congested.

Over the past few days, partners monitoring the movement of people in Gaza counted almost 70,000 displacements heading south, primarily to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. In the past month, partners observed about 150,000 movements from north to south.

Yesterday, the World Food Programme said that forced displacement from Gaza city exhausts families' resources and disrupts their last lifelines. Without safe, sustained access, the risk of worsening hunger grows, especially for children.

Meanwhile, the cost of transportation to the south has increased, and many who cannot afford to pay as much as $1,600 to move are having to stay put.

Partners report that one third of malnutrition treatment facilities in Gaza city have already shut down due to forced displacement orders. Today, the Ministry of Health said that three more people died due to malnutrition and starvation over a span of 24 hours. Overall, the Ministry reports that 425 people across Gaza have died due to malnutrition and starvation, about a third of them children, since 7 October 2023.

Partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene have scaled up water production and are distributing water at reception points. They have been able to increase the number of meals being provided in the past few days, distributing about 40,000 additional meals daily. Throughout Gaza as of Saturday, 558,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered by 20 partners through 116 kitchens.

However, health services continue to be heavily constrained, since clinics have suspended their services due to insecurity and displacement orders. In Deir al Balah, more than half of the ambulances are now out of service, with a very limited number to serve thousands of people. In one clinic in Khan Younis, partners recorded a 50 per cent surge in the number of patients in recent weeks - which means an average of 300 patients a day.

OCHA reports that humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue to face impediments. Yesterday, out of 17 missions that humanitarian teams coordinated with the Israeli authorities, only four were facilitated - that is less than a quarter. Seven missions were denied, including the delivery of water tanks to the north. Another four missions were impeded on the ground but three of them were nevertheless accomplished - these included the collection of fuel and food cargo from Kerem Shalom. Two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers.

OCHA continues to call for unimpeded humanitarian access. Aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into and within Gaza, including the north.

Meanwhile, humanitarian teams on the ground report that congestion along the routes they use is slowing down humanitarian movements in Mawasi and Deir al Balah, as well as on the way from southern to northern Gaza.

Additionally, partners estimate that about 77 per cent of road networks in Gaza have been damaged, with Gaza and Khan Younis governorates worst affected.

Despite reduced capacity due to access constraints and insecurity, humanitarian partners remain committed to delivering to people in need, wherever they are and wherever they go, as conditions allow.

Yemen

UN Relief Chief warns Security Council that mass hunger must not define Yemen's future

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, told the Security Council today that rising food prices, security threats to humanitarians' work, a collapsing economy and persistent conflict have made Yemen the third-most food insecure country on earth. Seventy per cent of households in Yemen do not have enough food to meet their daily needs - the highest rate ever recorded.

Fletcher said that despite lack of funding* and a tough operating environment, humanitarians continue to respond to those in greatest need, with partners scaling up life-saving cash support, food distributions and hygiene kits.

He also described the detention of additional UN staff by the Houthi de facto authorities since late August as "intolerable" and called for the immediate release of all those detained and the protection of those delivering humanitarian aid.

"It is outrageous, at a time when humanitarians are trying to serve the Yemeni people while beset by funding cuts, that our operational capacity is being further and needlessly jeopardized," Fletcher said.

The Under-Secretary-General called on those with influence to use it and for the return of UN compounds by security forces, to enable humanitarian partners to do their work. He also called for funding for the response to food insecurity and malnutrition, warning that "we must not allow mass hunger to define the future of Yemen."

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Yemen with urgent support.

Sudan

Deadly attacks imperil civilians in El Fasher

OCHA warns of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation across Sudan's Darfur region and beyond.

In El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, local sources report that heavy shelling and assaults late last week left at least six civilians dead and scores injured. The attacks also triggered further displacement.

Essential services in the city are collapsing amid ongoing hostilities and lack of funding. Over the weekend, water trucking to the only functional hospital was suspended, while community kitchens have shut down due to depleted food supplies. Without urgent support, the most vulnerable people face severe hunger within days.

Across Darfur, medical facilities continue to receive high numbers of wounded. Nearly 100 injured people, including women and children, were admitted in a single day last week, with several pronounced dead on arrival. This underscores the escalating toll of the conflict and the urgent need to protect civilians.

Meanwhile, ongoing heavy rains and flash floods continue to displace people, damage homes and disrupt lives. Last Friday alone, over 4,000 people were displaced and 550 houses destroyed in Aj Jazirah State. Many families still urgently need shelter and other basic assistance.

In the capital Khartoum last week, OCHA saw how local authorities have made progress in restoring basic services and improving security. However, more than 800,000 people who have returned to the city in recent months still need urgent support to rebuild their lives.

OCHA once again calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and increased international support to sustain life-saving operations across Sudan.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN and partners support response to Ebola outbreak

OCHA says that the UN and its partners are supporting the Government-led response to the Ebola outbreak in Kasai province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Data indicates that there has been a sustained increase in suspected cases. As of yesterday, the province has reported a total of 43 suspected cases and 35 confirmed cases, including 27 deaths. Among these fatalities, 16 have been confirmed as Ebola Virus Disease.

National health authorities are leading the response. Partners working in health have facilitated the delivery of over 350 doses of the Ebola vaccine to the Bulape Health Zone, which remains in the epicentre. They have also mobilized rapid response teams focusing on rapid case detection and surveillance, clinical case management, infection and prevention control, and risk communication and community engagement.

Health partners are mobilizing to contain the outbreak, but gaps in medical supplies and logistical capacity are hindering the response. Urgent funding for the Ebola response is still critical.

Ukraine

Dozens of civilian casualties reported due to latest hostilities

OCHA says hostilities continued over the weekend in Ukraine. The region of Donetsk was particularly affected, with reports of multiple casualties and heavy damage to civilian infrastructure.

According to authorities, several civilians were killed and more than 40 injured in the region between 12 September and today, with the towns of Kostiantynivka and Kramatorsk most heavily impacted. Police also documented damage to nearly 190 civilian facilities in the region - including homes, schools, a hospital and a pharmacy.

The continuing violence has forced more than 2,700 people - among them some 340 children - to flee their homes between 12 and 14 September. Humanitarian organizations are assisting evacuees at transit sites by providing hot meals, psychosocial support and other emergency assistance before people move onwards to safer areas.

Meanwhile, hostilities have also continued in other parts of Ukraine, damaging homes, farmland and other civilian infrastructure. Nearly 5,000 people remain without electricity in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Posted on 15 September 2025