Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Syria
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Preventable deaths mount in Gaza amid ongoing hostilities
OCHA warns that every day without a ceasefire brings more preventable deaths in Gaza - children dying in pain, and hungry people shot while trying to reach the trickle of aid allowed through the Israeli fence.
Today, there were more horrifying reports of dozens of casualties among people in Rafah who were simply trying to get food and other basic supplies for their families.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis in Gaza remains acute.
Yesterday - for the second straight day - the UN was able to bring into Gaza about 75,000 litres of much-needed fuel. This is a positive development. However, these amounts are a small portion of what is required to sustain life-saving operations on a daily basis.
To be very clear: Fuel is running out in Gaza. If the current limits are not lifted immediately so that greater volumes can be brought in regularly, more services will go dark.
Unimpeded, safe access inside Gaza is also urgently needed. Yesterday, UN teams could provide hospitals with some of the fuel that came in - but only in the south, because Israeli authorities denied their attempt to take fuel to the north.
OCHA warns that such denials are life-threatening, with hospitals in the north on the verge of shutting down. Fuel is also running out for ambulances, water treatment facilities and many other essential services, all of which are at risk of collapsing.
Overall, of 15 humanitarian movements attempted yesterday where coordination with the Israeli authorities is required, five were denied outright, four were initially approved but then faced impediments on the ground, and only six were fully facilitated. Critical missions - such as the evacuation of vulnerable people from high-risk areas, the retrieval of vehicles and spare tires, and the assessment of medical equipment - could not be accomplished.
The facilitation of movements also needs to be timely. OCHA reports that on Wednesday, Israeli authorities denied a request to reach part of Gaza city where 18 injured people were trapped under the rubble. By the time the mission was finally allowed through yesterday, no one was left alive.
OCHA also notes that much-needed operations, such as the distribution of tents, cannot even be attempted as stocks are fully depleted, and Israeli authorities have blocked the entry of any shelter materials for more than 130 days now.
Meanwhile, active hostilities and insecurity continue to put civilians - including aid workers - at risk.
Just this Wednesday and again yesterday, a total of five strikes hit a few hundred metres from aid workers on the go, including UN staffers. Thankfully, no aid workers were injured. Also yesterday, members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies were shot at and injured on their way to help a colleague who had been injured and unreachable since last Friday. In all cases, their movements had been coordinated with the Israeli authorities.
Sudan
Severe acute malnutrition surges among children in Darfur, other areas
UNICEF is sounding the alarm over the deepening nutrition crisis across Sudan. Alarming new data from the agency reveals a 46 per cent surge in the number of children being treated for severe acute malnutrition across the Darfur region during the first five months of this year, compared to the same period in 2024.
In North Darfur, the number of severely malnourished children has doubled, with more than 40,000 admitted for treatment between January and May.
In a social media post today, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, warned that conflict is starving Sudan's children - stressing that vital aid must reach them before it's too late. "We need access and funding* now," he said.
UNICEF says the situation is equally alarming beyond Darfur: The number of children treated for severe acute malnutrition rose by over 70 per cent in North Kordofan, 174 per cent in Khartoum State, and 683 per cent in Aj Jazirah State. In Khartoum and Aj Jazirah, UNICEF says the increase in admission rates likely partially reflects an improvement in security and access, improving the ability of mothers to reach health centres for support.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support.
Syria
New funding fast-tracked for wildfires response
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, announced yesterday a US$625,000 allocation from the Syria Humanitarian Fund to support emergency response efforts following the devastating wildfires in the country's coastal region.
The new funds will enable humanitarian partners - primarily the Syrian Arab Red Crescent - to deliver urgent assistance to thousands of people affected by the fires.
The UN and its partners continue to closely coordinate with and support local and national authorities' response.
Assessments continue in 60 communities. Initial reports indicate that the blazes have displaced hundreds of people, destroyed agricultural land and critical infrastructure, and severely disrupted the livelihoods of communities.
Abdelmoula called for urgent additional support. Timely and flexible funding is critical to save lives and protect communities.
Posted on 11 July 2025
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