Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Hurricane Melissa
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Gaza's health system continues to face significant challenges amid immense needs
OCHA says that humanitarian partners continue their scale-up efforts despite reported Israeli airstrikes across the Strip. Some strikes reportedly occurred in the area close to the "Yellow Line" and resulted in casualties.
OCHA stresses that these military activities put civilians, including aid workers, at risk. OCHA reminds the Israeli military of its obligation to take constant care to spare them throughout all its military operations.
Since the start of the ceasefire, the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered over 840 pallets of life-saving medical supplies into Gaza including insulin, assistive devices, essential medicines, cholera kits and surgical materials.
WHO also reported this week that its teams are working with partners providing nutrition services to develop specific nutrition guidelines for children aged 5-10, aiming to treat 2,500 children through the outpatient therapeutic programme and stabilization centres.
Despite these positive developments, Gaza's health system continues to face significant challenges in addressing Gaza's immense health needs, with only 34 per cent of health service points functional.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza (MoH), as of 7 October 2025, more than 1,700 health workers have been killed since the start of the war. This represents about seven per cent of the health workforce in the Gaza Strip prior to the war, which according to the MoH's 2022 annual report stood at about 25,000 health workers.
On the education front, partners are expanding their interventions, where possible, to restore minimum teaching and learning conditions for over 630,000 school-aged children who have lost over two years of schooling. They have been supporting the rehabilitation of more than 90 classrooms in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, out of over 2,000 classrooms that require rehabilitation across the Gaza Strip as assessed by the Ministry of Education. However, restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on the entry of educational and learning supplies continue to hinder the response.
On aid collection efforts, according to the UN 2720 Mechanism, the UN and our humanitarian partners have collected over 24,000 metric tons of aid from the crossings since the ceasefire came into effect.
More people in need have been able to access this critical aid which includes food, medicine and medical supplies, nutritional supplements and shelter materials, through the resumption of community- and household-based distributions and services.
Additionally, according to the UN 2720 Mechanism, there has been a significant reduction in the interception of supplies collected by the UN and its partners from Gaza's crossings since the ceasefire took effect.
Between 10 and 28 October, five per cent of collected supplies were reportedly intercepted, compared with about 80 per cent between 19 May and 9 October.
OCHA expects this decline to continue as more humanitarian and commercial supplies are able to enter. For that to happen, all crossing points should be open and more UN agencies and organizations authorized to bring aid supplies into the Gaza Strip.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
Sudan
Situation in North Darfur remains catastrophic and humanitarian access to El Fasher is still cut off
OCHAsays that the situation in North Darfur State remains catastrophic with ongoing attacks against civilians, humanitarian access to El Fasher cut off, and desperate people continuing to flee towards Tawila and other areas.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) now estimates that at least 62,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher and surrounding areas between 26 and 29 October, with insecurity along routes continuing to restrict movements.
On the ground in the locality of Tawila, the UN is working with local partners to register new arrivals to provide emergency support. Huge gaps persist, including shelter materials, medicines and trauma care supplies, food assistance and psychosocial support.
Local sources continue to share extremely worrying reports of displaced civilians on the move being abducted and facing extortion.
The humanitarian situation in North Kordofan State also remains alarming, with IOM estimating that close to 36,000 people have been displaced from Bara town, north of the state capital El Obeid, this week.
OCHA reiterates the messages delivered by Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to the Security Council yesterday, including for immediate, concerted action to stop the atrocities, safe passage for people trying to flee, protection for those who remain in El Fasher, and for full and unimpeded humanitarian access across Darfur and in all other areas of need in Sudan.
OCHA also renews its appeal for new, flexible funding, as less than one third of the $4.2 billion Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been covered.
Hurricane Melissa
UN and Governments race to save lives as Hurricane batters the Caribbean
OCHA says that the United Nations and partners across the Caribbean are moving at top speed to help communities impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Supplies are moving, coordination hubs are active, and emergency teams are supporting Government responses in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a release today that millions of people are caught in the storm's path and need urgent help. "In times like these, international solidarity isn't just a principle - it's a lifeline," he added.
In Cuba, OCHA reports that - following hurricane Melissa's passage over the eastern provinces - preliminary assessments indicate severe damage across Santiago, Holguín, Granma and Guantánamo, including to homes, roads and health facilities. Hundreds of communities remain isolated, and access continues to be hampered by damaged road, rail and air transport infrastructure. The UN and its partners are supporting national authorities with assessments and early recovery planning. OCHA is helping to develop a UN Action Plan to guide the response, with a two-person team deployed in-country and additional support from its Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Turning to Jamaica, where the Government is leading a robust national response, OCHA is supporting coordination efforts and the Rapid Needs Assessment Teams led by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. These teams are expected to arrive in Jamaica today. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and IOM will take part in the assessments. A three-person OCHA team deployed from Panama yesterday to reinforce coordination, information management and public information efforts, working closely with the Resident Coordinator's Office and national authorities.
And in Haiti, a country reeling from a massive humanitarian crisis and deadly armed violence, humanitarian teams are working alongside national authorities to respond to the urgent needs - UN agencies and partners are now supporting temporary shelters and providing food, shelter items, non-food items and cash assistance.
Posted on 31 October 2025
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