Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UN Relief Chief welcomes humanitarian pauses in Gaza, stresses vast amounts of aid needed to stave off famine
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, yesterday welcomed Israel's announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza and said in a statement that this decision supports the scale-up of aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, and would help lessen the tremendous suffering of the starving population. He added that vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis.
UN agencies and our partners have also welcomed these measures. Yesterday, the World Food Program (WFP) said it has enough food in the region or en route to feed the starving population for about three months. UNRWA says that some 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt are waiting for the green light to enter.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that July was the worst month of deaths linked to malnutrition, with more than 85 per cent of malnutrition related deaths recorded in 2025. Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza city is now acutely malnourished.
Humanitarian organizations report that in July, more than 5,000 children under five have already been admitted for outpatient treatment of malnutrition. The only four specialized treatment centers in Gaza are overwhelmed, pushing an already fragile health system closer to collapse.
The UN and its partners stress the need for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid through all crossings and corridors to allow large-scale delivery of aid to the starving and exhausted population.
Yesterday, the Israeli authorities announced simplified movement procedures both from the crossings and within Gaza. Out of 17 missions requiring coordination with the Israeli authorities eight were facilitated, including the collection of fuel and supplies from Kerem Shalom, while three have been denied, and two cancelled. Four missions, including the uplift of food cargo, were impeded but accomplished.
The long-standing restrictions on the entry of aid have created an unpredictable environment with a lack of confidence by communities that aid will reach them. This has resulted in many of our convoys being offloaded directly by starving, desperate people. Yesterday, hungry people offloaded food supplies before they could reach their intended destination.
OCHA reiterates that the only way to mitigate this situation is to have a sustained flow of aid over a period of time. This was evident during the ceasefire when such incidents did not occur.
Meanwhile, airdrops have resumed in Gaza yesterday.
All efforts to provide aid to the people who desperately need it are welcome however OCHA and its humanitarian partners say that airdrops are the last resort measure and carry risks for people on the ground. Injuries were reported yesterday when packages fell on tents.
Israeli authorities must open all crossings and corridors to ensure the delivery of aid in an equitable and dignified manner. UN teams are ready to ramp up delivery and ensure that food aid reaches nearly every single person in the Strip.
OCHA reports that modest quantities of fuel have entered Gaza last week. Fuel must be allowed in, consistently and at the volume needed to keep aid operations running, including operating the trucks to collect and distribute cargo.
Over the weekend, in southern Gaza, partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene report that the power supply to the feeder line for the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant has been restored. The plant is operating at full capacity now and would serve some half a million people in Al Mawasi with clean, potable water.
In northern Gaza, the Mekorot pipeline remains damaged, affecting the availability of water for more than 950,000 people.
OCHA continues to stress the urgency of a permanent ceasefire, to provide adequate assistance and aid to the desperate population in Gaza, who have been living under catastrophic conditions for more than 21 months.
Sudan
Aid groups appeal for stepped-up funding as health, food crises escalate
OCHA is alarmed by escalating health and food crises across Sudan.
In the locality of Tawila, in North Darfur State, cholera cases continue to rise, with more than 1,500 suspected and confirmed infections reported since June. Over 500 people are currently receiving treatment. Local authorities have introduced emergency measures, including market closures and a ban on public gatherings.
Humanitarian organizations urgently require $120 million to scale up life-saving support in Tawila over the next three months. This funding is essential to contain the outbreak and sustain critical services.
In the city of Port Sudan, the main entry point for humanitarian personnel and supplies, a sharp increase in heatstroke cases linked to extreme temperatures and prolonged power outages is raising concerns. According to a professional association of Sudanese doctors, more than 40 cases and one death were recorded over the past two days.
Meanwhile, food insecurity continues to worsen across Sudan. In North Darfur State, low cereal supply, poor harvests and a prolonged food deficit have severely affected food availability. In Abu Shouk camp, displaced families are facing acute shortages of food and medicine, with local sources reporting four hunger-related deaths last week.
Food prices continue to rise to alarming levels in El Fasher, the state capital. In May, the average cost of the local food basket there was more than six times the national average. The city recorded the highest prices for nearly all essential items among assessed localities. Some of the most staggering price hikes included sugar, which rose by some 960 per cent, sorghum by 160 per cent. Even liquid dish soap increased by 150 per cent in just one month.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has identified famine conditions in multiple areas in North Darfur and the eastern Nuba Mountains, with more locations at risk. An IPC alert earlier this month noted that the food security and nutrition situation will further deteriorate over the lean season from July to October, particularly in areas of active conflict with limited access and experiencing high levels of displacement.
Despite these challenges, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to provide assistance. Last week, the UN and our humanitarian partners distributed shelter material, blankets, cooking sets and hygiene items to 2,000 newly displaced families in North Darfur State. However, nearly 60 per cent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter support.
In June, the World Food Programme reached 3.6 million people with food assistance across the country— including 1.6 million in areas facing or at risk of famine. This marks a sharp drop from the 5 million people reached in May, driven by reduced funding, access constraints, insecurity and the onset of the rainy season.
Syria
OCHA urges Security Council to protect civilians, sustain support for Syria
Addressing the Security Council today, Edem Wosornu, OCHA's Director of Operations and Advocacy, said that recent weeks have provided a stark reminder that Syria is not just one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, but also subject to violence and climatic shocks that compound the country's needs.
Wosornu, speaking on behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, noted that the recent violence in As-Sweida displaced an estimated 175,000 people both within the area and to surrounding governorates, adding that women, children and medical personnel were among hundreds of people who have been reportedly killed.
She said that those caught up in the fighting must be protected and be allowed to move freely in search of safety and medical treatment. Safeguarding essential infrastructure and services - including healthcare, water and sanitation and electricity - are equally vital. OCHA is engaging with all parties to ensure the swift delivery of assistance, but access remains constrained.
Wosornu warned that humanitarian assistance across the country is falling short of meeting the level of humanitarian needs and without further funding, the gap will only widen*. OCHA has just issued an extension of the response plan, for which further prioritization have been done. The UN and its humanitarian partners are seeking $3.2 billion through the end of the year, a reduction of nearly $1 billion from the 2024 ask - though needs remain just as high. Only 12 per cent have been funded so far.
OCHA says that assistance to As-Sweida Governorate, including from the UN, continues to be provided through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society, with a third convoy today. But sustained access for more assistance is needed.
Meanwhile, over the past three days, OCHA led two interagency missions to assess the situation of families displaced by recent violence in in Rural Damascus and Dar'a Governorates. In the town of Sayyeda Zeinab in Rural Damascus, some 3,000 people are sheltering in 14 hotels. Displaced families reported trauma, injuries during fighting, and loss of homes and documentation. Health access is limited, with only one public hospital functioning and the nearest health center 6 km away. In Dar'a, the mission assessed the Tal Shihab reception centre in Izra' District as a potential site to accommodate displaced families.
The World Health Organization has confirmed five attacks on healthcare in As-Sweida Governorate during the recent escalation of violence, including the killing of two doctors, obstruction and targeting of ambulances. WHO-supported mobile medical teams have been deployed to areas of displacement, providing urgent outpatient consultations, maternal and child health services, mental health support, and essential medicines.
The UN and our humanitarian partners have scaled up support across Dar'a and Rural Damascus Governorates. The UN Refugee Agency and its partners provided more than 1,800 kits of household items, reaching over 9,000 people. UNFPA and its partners continue to deliver psychosocial services and distribute dignity kits to displaced women and girls.
Partners have also delivered 90,000 bottles of water; provided 12,000 liters of fuel to operate essential water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; and supplied dozens of plastic water tanks to displaced families in Dar'a and As-Sweida Governorates. Additional water tanks are being dispatched to reception centers across the affected areas to enhance access to safe water.
Medical teams and ambulances are on the ground and continue to provide medical consultations, emergency care, and essential medications to patients among the displaced families in Dar'a, among ongoing waves of displacement from As-Sweida countryside.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Syria with urgent support.
Ukraine
Attacks continue to cause casualties, damage
OCHA reports that attacks over the weekend continued to damage hospitals, homes and critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
According to authorities, at least 20 people were killed and more than 120 others, including five children, were injured across the country from Friday to the early hours of today.
The most severe impact occurred in the north-east, in the Sumy region, where attacks hit a civilian bus, reportedly killing and injuring several people, and repeatedly disrupting electricity in Sumy City and across the region.
In the neighbouring Kharkiv region, a hospital was struck last Friday, injuring four health workers and two patients, according to WHO. Attacks and hostilities also caused civilian casualties and damaged residential buildings, schools and shops in the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia.
In Kyiv, an early morning attack today damaged windows in an apartment block and injured several people, including a child.
Meanwhile, aid workers continue to coordinate with local organizations to support the most vulnerable people in the Sumy Region. Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, visited several border communities with Andrea De Domenico, the head of OCHA's office in the country, and Richard Ragan, Country Director for WFP, to assess the most urgent needs of people affected by intense hostilities.
Following the strikes in the regions of Kharkiv and Dnipro, aid workers delivered shelter materials and other supplies, assisted with repairs, and provided psychosocial assistance to affected families.
On 25 July, the UN and itts humanitarian partners also delivered food, medicines, hygiene items and charging stations to front-line communities in Kherson and Donetsk regions. So far in 2025, more than 30 convoys have reached nearly 40,000 people in front lines areas.
Posted on 28 July 2025
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