Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Hostilities, displacement orders strain Gaza's fragile lifelines
OCHA reports that amid ongoing shelling, displacement and destruction in Gaza, OCHA continues to receive deeply concerning reports of severely malnourished people who are arriving at medical points and hospitals in extremely poor health.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported that more than a dozen people, including children, have reportedly died from hunger in the last 24 hours.
On Sunday, a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy carrying vital food assistance crossed from Israel into Gaza and encountered large crowds of desperate and hungry civilians. In a statement, WFP said that as the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire. The agency said it is deeply concerned and saddened by this tragic incident resulting in the loss of countless lives. Many more suffered life-threatening injuries. These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation.
Nasser Medical Complex was overwhelmed with dozens of cases and is stretched well beyond capacity at 300 percent, with the facility referring dozens of injured patients to field hospitals.
UN agencies warn that conditions in Gaza are near impossible on the ground. Civilians must be protected, and the consistent and safe delivery of aid at scale must be facilitated to reach more than 2 million people on the brink of famine.
Over the weekend, the Israeli military issued another displacement order in Deir al Balah spanning four neighbourhoods. OCHA warns that this mass displacement order has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip. The directive cuts through Deir al Balah all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, further fragmenting the Strip and pushing people into overcrowded, unsafe areas with no shelter or essential supplies.
Initial estimates indicate that between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area at the time the order was issued, including some 30,000 people sheltering in 57 displacement sites. Several primary health clinics and medical points were within the newly designated area, as is the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, and other vital water infrastructure.
The plant is a main source of drinking water for internally displaced people in Al Mawasi, as it serves hundreds of thousands of people, producing about 2,500 cubic metres per day. The loss of this facility would be catastrophic.
OCHA notes that as of early July, 80 per cent of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities fall within the Israeli-militarized zone or in areas that have been placed under displacement orders. In June, it was estimated that 93 per cent of households have no water.
UN staff are remaining in Deir al Balah, spread across dozens of premises. Their coordinates have been shared with the relevant parties. These locations - as with all civilian sites - must be protected, regardless of the issuance of displacement orders.
Meanwhile, the UN's humanitarian partners have relocated to the northern part of Deir al Balah or Al Mawasi.
OCHA says that 87.7 per cent of Gaza is now under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarized zones, squeezing 2.1 million people into a fragmented area of the Strip, where hardly any services are available.
UN agencies note that about 1.35 million people need shelter and household items. Harsh weather, humidity, overcrowding, as well as frequent disassembly and reassembly of tents and tarpaulins, lead to a shorter lifespan of shelter items, further exacerbating the dire situation. No shelter supplies have been allowed to enter Gaza for more than four months - 140 days.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis continues. The limited quantities that have been allowed to enter Gaza in recent days are hardly sufficient. UN agencies and partners are prioritizing this fuel for the most critical operations. The Israeli authorities must facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance - including fuel, food, aid and shelter items - into and throughout the Strip, to enable humanitarians to provide life-saving services for the deprived population.
The new Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, today met the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, Dr. Mohamed Mustafa, in Ramallah. In a press conference, Dr. Alakbarov called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages, and the lifting of all restrictions on access to people in Gaza. To address immediate needs, he said humanitarian organizations must be able to use traditional systems of aid delivery, noting that these are currently undermined by violence, including armed looting and recurrent shootings at civilians seeking aid - which he said must be independently investigated.
Dr. Alakbarov further warned that the West Bank is on a dangerous trajectory that - if not reversed - will further complicate the two-state solution.
Syria
Tens of thousands displaced by As-Sweida hostilities
OCHA reports that as of yesterday, more than 93,000 people have been displaced due to the escalation of hostilities in Syria's As-Sweida Governorate - both within As-Sweida and towards neighbouring Dar'a governorate and Rural Damascus.
In As-Sweida, most displaced people are being hosted by local communities and in at least 15 reception centres. Some 30 collective shelters have also been opened in Dar'a.
Partners on the ground in southern Syria indicate that humanitarian assistance is urgently needed in As-Sweida. A number of hospitals and health centres are reportedly out of service. Water infrastructure in As-Sweida has been critically damaged, disrupting services for over a week. Significant cuts to electricity have also been reported, as well as disruptions to food and other supplies.
With the security situation still tense and volatile, OCHA is engaging with all relevant parties at all levels to facilitate humanitarian access and ensure the protection of people caught up in the violence.
On Sunday, a first aid convoy deployed by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent reached As-Sweida City and Salkhad District, where the majority of displaced people have sought safety. The 32 trucks were carrying aid provided by WFP and UNICEF, as well as other partners. Teams are delivering vital food, water, medical supplies and fuel to affected people.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher welcomed this initial delivery as a desperately needed first step, but he said much more relief is needed. He stressed that teams in country and at UN Headquarters are mobilized to move as much as possible.
The UN is working with its partners to prepare a next convoy of supplies to be sent through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Meanwhile, OCHA is working with humanitarian partners and the interim authorities to facilitate a direct visit to As-Sweida to assess needs and deliver further assistance when security conditions allow.
In neighbouring Dar'a, the UN and its partners are delivering food, nutrition, health, water, protection and other critical items to newly displaced people at reception centres.
The UN continues to urge all parties to protect people who have been caught up in the violence, including by allowing them to move freely to seek safety and medical assistance.
Sudan
Cholera, floods drive needs higher
OCHA warns that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to deepen as cholera spreads, flooding displaces communities, and thousands of people return to areas with little or no support.
In the locality of Tawila, in North Darfur State, an association of Sudanese doctors yesterday reported more than 1,300 confirmed cholera cases in just one week, a dramatic surge underscoring the urgent need to scale up the response.
Tawila is hosting several hundred thousand displaced people, the majority of whom fled deadly attacks on the famine-stricken Zamzam camp near El Fasher in mid-April. Partners on the ground have been struggling to keep pace with the growing needs in the area, and the challenges will only increase as the rainy season sets in.
Local and international humanitarian partners have set up cholera treatment centres, but the current capacity is far from sufficient to cope with the rising caseload. Additional resources are needed immediately to curb the outbreak and save lives. This includes more treatment centres, mobile health facilities, ambulances and waste management tools.
Meanwhile in eastern Sudan, OCHA warns that many families returning to Kassala State are struggling to cope with the impact of heavy rains and flooding. Earlier this month, more than 1,400 people were displaced by heavy rains, which destroyed more than 280 homes in the village of Tirik. A rapid needs assessment by OCHA and its partners noted that people returning to their homes are finding they have been damaged by floods. Returnees must also rely on open water pools contaminated by waste and other pollutants, as no other sources of water are available. The flooding of over 300 household latrines also poses a serious risk of disease.
In White Nile State, residents in the locality of Um Rimta have begun returning after being displaced for a year. An assessment by OCHA and its partners last week found that health, water, sanitation and hygiene support is urgently needed. OCHA is working with its partners to mobilize supplies before the ongoing rains cut off access.
Returns to Khartoum and Blue Nile states are also increasing, with authorities beginning to restore basic services. At Sudan's northern border, returns from Egypt have surged, with IOM reporting that nearly 200,000 people have crossed back into Sudan so far this year. The agency says that since November last year, more than 1.3 million people have returned to their areas of origin.
However, people returning face serious challenges, including the lack of essential services and the threat posed by explosive remnants of war. These conditions often lead families to return to displacement sites, undermining the sustainability of return efforts.
At the same time, insecurity continues to impede the work of humanitarian organizations. In the town of Zalingei in Central Darfur State, unknown gunmen looted a national NGO's aid convoy last week, forcing partners to suspend aid operations and leaving 8,000 people without assistance.
Once again, OCHA calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and aid workers, unimpeded humanitarian access, and increased international support* to meet soaring needs across Sudan.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support.
Ukraine
Recent hostilities kill at least 20 civilians, authorities say
OCHA reports that over the weekend and into today, attacks in Ukraine killed at least 20 civilians and injured more than 100 others, including several children, according to authorities.
Between Friday and today, these strikes affected the capital Kyiv, as well as western and front-line regions - damaging homes, schools and a health facility. In Kyiv, a kindergarten, metro station, shops and residential buildings were hit. Authorities report that at least one civilian was killed, and several others, including a child, were wounded.
In western Ukraine, the Ivano-Frankivsk region - which hosts many displaced people and had previously been less affected by hostilities - suffered the largest attack since the escalation of the war in 2022.
Meanwhile, in eastern and southern Ukraine, hostilities in areas near the front line in the Donetsk, Dnipro and Kherson regions caused civilian casualties and further damage to schools, a health facility and apartment buildings. Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy and other regions also reported that homes and shops were destroyed, and electricity and other public utilities were disrupted.
Humanitarian organizations, with support from UN agencies, provided shelter materials, non-food items, legal aid, psychosocial support and assistance for children in Odesa, Pavlohrad, Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk. They coordinated with local authorities and first responders to help affected families.
Posted on 21 July 2025
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