Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Niger
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Humanitarian community in Gaza expands response under 60-day plan
OCHA reports that the UN and its partners are working to address the needs of displaced people across the Gaza Strip, in line with the 60-day response plan. Yesterday, a team carried out needs assessments at two collective centres in Gaza city's Az Zaitoun neighbourhood, hosting more than 200 families who recently returned.
This area had been inaccessible before the ceasefire. The team noted that hygiene conditions at these sites are extremely poor, with widespread skin diseases linked to the lack of clean water and damaged sanitation systems. At one of the locations, residents reported repeatedly having to walk two kilometres to the nearest water point due to a shortage of containers.
There is an urgent need to repair latrines and sewage networks to prevent leaks and contamination. Services are almost non-existent, with no medical point, mobile health team or nutrition screening available.
Displaced families at these sites say they urgently need food, clean water, hygiene items, materials to repair water and sanitation infrastructure, and cash assistance to purchase winter clothing, shoes, tarpaulins and kitchen sets.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that its team led the medical evacuation of 41 critical patients and 145 companions out of Gaza - the first such evacuation since the ceasefire. WHO noted that there are still about 15,000 patients waiting for approval to receive medical care outside the Strip.
Between Saturday and Tuesday, partners provided protection support to about 21,000 people in displaced and returnee communities. For example, some 3,000 children and caregivers across Gaza benefited from psychosocial first aid and support.
Partners are also distributing hygiene kits to more than 30 temporary learning spaces in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, with 6,800 school-aged children reached so far.
On Monday, the World Food Programme (WFP) started to distribute high-energy biscuits and fortified date bars to school-aged children across 18 temporary learning spaces in Gaza.
On Tuesday, 147 UN and partner trucks were offloaded at the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings. About two thirds of the cargo was food aid. Other supplies included diapers, hygiene kits and tarps for emergency shelter assistance. Also on Tuesday, at least 80 UN-coordinated trucks were collected from the crossings for distribution inside Gaza. The trucks were carrying food, including fresh vegetables, rice and wheat flour; water, sanitation and hygiene items, including water tanks, handwashing stations and buckets; stoves for community kitchens; and diesel, among other supplies.
While comprehensive data on the amount of cargo picked up from the crossings yesterday is not yet available, UNICEF was able to collect 20 trucks of baby diapers from Kerem Shalom. WFP also collected food cargo from the two crossings.
Regarding fuel, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) successfully collected 159,000 litres of diesel from Kerem Shalom yesterday and distributed more than 118,000 litres of diesel and over 1,200 litres of petrol for critical humanitarian operations.
As part of the 60-day response plan, the UN and its partners are doing everything possible to expand the scale and scope of their operations and deliver life-saving aid.*
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
Sudan
Clashes and drone attacks spread beyond Darfur region
OCHA warns that escalating violence continues to endanger civilians across multiple regions of Sudan, with drone attacks and clashes spreading beyond Darfur into other states.
The situation in El Fasher, the besieged state capital of North Darfur, remains catastrophic. Heavy clashes and drone attacks were reported on Tuesday and yesterday across the city and in Korma, a town 80 kilometres away - marking one of the most intense escalations in recent days.
Elsewhere in Sudan, the use of aerial weapons in densely populated areas in recent days has heightened concerns for civilian safety and further strained essential services.
Since Tuesday, multiple incidents have been reported across the states of Khartoum, Blue Nile, North Kordofan and Sennar. Today, there were reports of drone attacks on the airport in Khartoum for a third consecutive day, impacting its reopening after more than two years of closure.
Meanwhile, other attacks in the cities of Sennar, Damazine and El Obeid triggered widespread power outages. In South Darfur State, insecurity remains high in the capital, Nyala, where reports of drone attacks continue. The UN and its partners are closely monitoring the situation.
OCHA reiterates that civilians must be protected, essential infrastructure must never be targeted, and safe humanitarian access must be ensured. All parties must immediately halt hostilities and uphold international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, critical shortfalls in funding and supplies continue to constrain the provision of life-saving assistance. In Northern State, the health situation in Ad-Dabah locality is deteriorating as hospitals struggle with severe shortages of medicines and other stocks. The anticipated closure of a major health project in November threatens to leave a critical gap in essential services for thousands of displaced people arriving from the Darfur and Kordofan regions.
OCHA once again calls for stepped-up support for the humanitarian response in Sudan - which is just 27 per cent funded this year, with only US$1.1 billion received of the more than $4 billion required.
Niger
Over half a million people affected by deadly floods
OCHA says that hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by deadly floods across Niger.
Authorities in the country report that the flooding during this year's rainy season has affected some 550,000 people, with the regions of Dosso, Tillaberi and Maradi worst affected.
According to official figures, more than 120 people have been killed, nearly 55,000 houses destroyed and over 10,000 acres of farmland left under water.
The UN and its humanitarian partners are working to support Government-led relief efforts, but resources remain extremely limited. This year's response plan for Niger is less than a fifth funded, with just $111 million received of the $603 million needed.
Posted on 23 October 2025
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