Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, Sudan, Somalia
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Gaza: Children reportedly killed while waiting for nutrition supplies
OCHA says that as Israeli military operations continue across the Gaza Strip - including shelling and ground incursions - more deaths and displacement are being reported by the day, as hopes for a possible ceasefire remain on the horizon.
This morning, people waiting to get nutritional supplies for children were reportedly killed in Deir al Balah. In a statement today, UNICEF's Executive Director Catherine Russell said she was appalled by the reported killing of 15 Palestinians, including nine children and four women. Thirty others - including 19 children - were reportedly injured.
"The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable," Russell said. "These were mothers seeking a lifeline for their children after months of hunger and deprivation."
OCHA stresses that parties are bound by international humanitarian law to prevent such excessive death and injury of civilians in the midst of war. All parties must take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm. Indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited.
Another strike today reportedly hit the office of a humanitarian partner in Gaza city, with three staff reported killed.
Two days ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that between October 2023 and the end of June 2025, more than 740 attacks on healthcare affected 125 health facilities in Gaza. These include 34 hospitals that were damaged, as well as 188 ambulances affected.
WHO added that more than 485,000 people suffer from mental health disorders in Gaza, and at least 500,000 women of reproductive age lack access to essential services, including pre- and postnatal care, family planning, and management of sexual transmitted infections.
Yesterday, a UN team managed to bring about 75,000 litres of fuel from Israel into Gaza, marking the first such provision in 130 days. The UN and its humanitarian partners need hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel each day to keep essential, life-sustaining operations going - meaning the amount that entered yesterday is not sufficient to cover even one day of energy requirements.
Fuel is still running out in the Strip, and services will shut down if far greater volumes do not enter immediately.
One partner, for instance, reported this week that in a matter of days, fuel shortages could cut off supplies of clean drinking water to about 44,000 children supported by its team in Gaza. This would further increase the risk of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery.
Yesterday, partners providing education services said that between October 2023 and June 2025, 626 temporary learning spaces have been established in Gaza, with 240,000 students enrolled, about half of whom are girls.
However, partners say that only 299 spaces are currently operational due to ongoing displacement orders, funding shortfalls and other challenges. These spaces accommodate 113,000 students and 3,250 teachers, offering them continuity of education and some physical protection.
Humanitarian partners - including first responders, health workers and aid workers - continue to deliver food and other assistance under intolerable conditions, but they themselves are facing hunger, water scarcity and threats to their personal safety, just like everyone else in Gaza.
This catastrophic situation must end. A ceasefire is not just urgent; it is long overdue.
West Bank: Israeli operations, settler attacks imperil civilians
OCHA continues to warn of the intensification of operations by Israeli forces in northern areas of the West Bank. These operations are causing massive destruction, driving further humanitarian needs, and dampening hopes of thousands of displaced families that they will be able to go back home.
Meanwhile, attacks, harassment and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have become a daily reality - including a settler attack on 3 July that led to the displacement of the Mu'arrajat East Bedouin community in the central West Bank.
Children in this community risk losing access to education, as settlers raided the community school, ransacked property and sprayed anti-Palestinian graffiti. The school, which previously served more than 70 students and has been under threat of demolition for years, now stands empty.
This is the ninth community to be fully displaced in the Ramallah and Jericho areas since January 2023, following recurrent attacks by Israeli settlers. Another four communities in the area are at high risk of displacement due to recurrent settler attacks and access restrictions.
Ukraine
Russian strikes hit Kyiv overnight
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, says that overnight strikes by Russian armed forces on the capital Kyiv caused several civilians casualties. According to local authorities, two civilians were killed and another 19 injured.
Four districts were hit during the attacks, damaging residential buildings, a clinic and a TV channel facility. An outpatient clinic was also destroyed.
Meanwhile, authorities reported nearly 40 civilian casualties following missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. In the Donetsk region, nine people were killed and 10 injured, with damage to nearly 70 homes in some 20 towns and villages. In the Kherson region, one child was killed and 14 others were injured, according to authorities.
The regions of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were also impacted, with reports of additional casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including an ambulance and health facility.
Overnight attacks also struck four more regions - Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava and Kropyvnytskyi - as part of a continued pattern of widespread strikes beyond front-line areas.
Humanitarian teams provided psychological support, hot meals and repair materials.*
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that with at least 1,575 civilian casualties - including 232 people killed - June 2025 has been the month with the highest number of civilian casualties in three years.
The number of civilians killed in June is also the highest in almost a year.
Long-range strikes with missiles and loitering munitions in urban areas caused 53 per cent of civilian casualties in June. In the cities of Dnipro, Kyiv and Kharkiv, for example, the strikes often resulted in multiple casualties in a single incident, with especially high numbers of injured civilians.
In June 2025, the number of missiles and loitering munitions launched by the Russian Federation into Ukraine was over 10 times higher than in June 2024, according to the UN Office for Human Rights.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.
Sudan
UN Relief Chief fast-tracks funds for cholera response
OCHA reports that as Sudan's cholera outbreak continues to worsen, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated US$5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support urgent response efforts.
This new funding will allow UN agencies to scale up time-critical health, water, sanitation and hygiene activities to stem further spread of the disease. However, more resources are needed without delay: Humanitarian partners require $50 million to sustain cholera response operations through the end of 2025.
OCHA warns that the outbreak is being fueled by ongoing conflict, mass displacement, and the collapse of public health and water systems.
Since July 2024, Sudanese health authorities have reported more than 84,000 suspected cases and over 2,100 deaths across 17 of Sudan's 18 states, with upwards of 33,000 cases recorded this year alone. However, partners warn that underreporting may be masking the true scale of the outbreak. More than 33.5 million people - including 5.7 million children under 5 - are at risk.
Khartoum, Aj Jazirah, Gedaref and White Nile states account for over 70 per cent of all reported cases. Khartoum alone has reported more than 23,400 suspected cases. The outbreak is now expanding in Darfur, with cross-border transmission reported into Chad and South Sudan.
OCHA warns that the ongoing rainy season, which lasts through October, threatens to worsen the crisis by contaminating water sources and driving further infections.
It is critical that donors and the international community urgently scale up support to prevent further spread of this deadly disease and save lives.
Somalia
Thousands flee escalating violence in Hiraan region
OCHA reports that clashes in the town of Moqokori in the Hiraan region of central Somalia have intensified since last week, displacing thousands of civilians.
Six health facilities in the area have suspended operations due to security concerns, cutting off access to essential healthcare and emergency services for thousands of vulnerable people.
Continued fighting has also compromised water sources and supply routes, significantly increasing the risk of malnutrition and disease outbreaks among the displaced population.
Humanitarian partners and local authorities are working to verify how many people have been displaced and assess options for delivering assistance where access allows.
More than 58,000 people have been forced to flee due to armed conflict between Government forces and non-State armed groups in the Hiraan and Middle Shabelle regions since January of this year, according to local authorities.
Posted on 10 July 2025
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