Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mozambique, Somalia
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Situation beyond catastrophic in Gaza
OCHA says that more people are being killed and injured, either along convoy routes or where they are staying in the Gaza Strip. The situation is beyond catastrophic.
Hospitals are overstretched. Patients are lying on the floor or in the streets, suffering as beds, medical supplies and equipment are severely lacking.
Yesterday, emergency medical teams were denied entry into Gaza. In a social media post today, the World Health Organization said that more than 100 health professionals, including surgeons and other specialized medical staff, have been barred from entry since March 2025.
Yesterday, Israeli authorities allowed the entry of a limited number of trucks carrying commercial goods. While the UN is still following up to obtain more clarity on this, initial reports from its humanitarian partners on the ground indicate that the items included rice, sugar and vegetable oil.
Sugar remains one of the most expensive items on the market. A two-ounce bag costs some $170. Eggs, poultry and meat have disappeared from the market. People rely on pulses and bread to survive, when and if available, which is far from being enough for the most vulnerable people.
The worsening market situation underscores the urgent need for the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial goods at scale - and consistently.
Starvation continues to deepen, and today, the Ministry of Health reported five new malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to about almost 200 deaths, half of whom are children. Partners say that hunger and malnutrition have devastating impacts, including a heightened risk of illness and death. They weaken the immune system, especially among women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities or chronic diseases, and lead to risks of excess morbidity and mortality.
Meanwhile, the limited availability of fuel continues to affect life-saving operations. In the past two days, the UN collected some 300,000 litres from the Kerem Shalom crossing. This is far less than what is needed to sustain operations. For example, partners working in health warned today that the lives of more than 100 premature babies are in imminent danger due to the lack of fuel. Benzene, which is used to operate ambulances and other equipment, has reached very low levels, with hardly any entering Gaza during the past ten days.
Today, the Israeli military renewed two displacement orders spanning some 1.5 square miles across five neighbourhoods in Gaza and Khan Younis governorates. Shelter materials have not been allowed to enter Gaza since March 2nd. The few shelter materials that are available on the local market are extremely expensive and limited in quantity, putting them out of reach for most families.
In a joint statement issued today, UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations warned that without immediate action most international NGOs partners could be de-registered by Israel in the coming months. This would prevent them from providing critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestinians at a critical time. They called on Israeli authorities to rescind the requirement obliging international non-governmental organizations to share sensitive personal information about their Palestinian employees or face termination of their humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Somalia
Severe droughts affect hundreds of thousands of people in central, northern Somalia
OCHA reports that hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by severe drought in Somalia's central and northern regions.
According to analysis from the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 880,000 people are living in severely affected areas in 16 districts.
A joint assessment by UN agencies and its partners is underway in Puntland and Somaliland to determine key needs and inform the response to the droughts.
Preliminary reports point to escalating food insecurity, dwindling access to water and pasture, and major disruptions to livelihoods.
Water wells have dried up and more than 160 boreholes are no longer functional.
Livestock farmers are migrating with their herds to other areas in search of water and pasture.
The UN-managed Somalia Humanitarian Fund is preparing to allocate funds to meet urgent life-saving needs. Our partners are planning to step up assistance, but are constrained by recent funding cuts by key donors.
The US$1.4 billion Somalia Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025 is only 17 per cent funded at nearly $242 million.
Mozambique
New wave of violence in Cabo Delgado uproots thousands of people
OCHA is sounding the alarm over a new wave of violence in Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique.
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 57,000 people have been displaced in recent days, most of them women and children from the district of Chiúre.
Partners are ramping up efforts to assist people, though due to limited resources only half of those who need aid have received it. Schools are being used as temporary shelters, but efforts are underway to relocate displaced families to other sites, which require urgent upgrades in shelter, as well as health, water, sanitation and hygiene services.
OCHA is concerned about the safety of women, children and unaccompanied minors at risk of exploitation.
While Mozambique has faced many crises since 2017, this latest surge in displacement is unfolding as humanitarian access is decreasing and funding is dropping.
The $352 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Mozambique for this year is just 19 per cent funded, with $68 million received so far. More than one million people risk losing access to food, water and shelter, and meeting the needs of the newly displaced will be increasingly difficult.
Posted on 6 August 2025
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