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Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Hostilities devastate Gaza as more people die from malnutrition, starvation

OCHA warns that hostilities across the Gaza Strip - including Israeli shelling and air strikes - continue to have a devastating impact on civilians.

Today, the Ministry of Health reported that another three people have died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of such reported deaths to 303, including 117 children.

At the same time, the Israeli military has issued a new displacement order covering approximately one square kilometre in Gaza city's Ad Daraj and Ash Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods.

People continue to flee in fear for their lives, seeking safety wherever possible. Between 14 August - when the offensive on Gaza city was announced - and yesterday, partners tracking population movements in Gaza recorded more than 36,200 displacements, including over 11,600 from the north to the south of the Strip. Of these, more than 2,000 were recorded between 24 and 25 August alone.

The majority of displaced people came from neighbourhoods in Gaza city, with more than two thirds moving to Deir al Balah and nearly a third heading to Khan Younis.

Yesterday, hospitals in Gaza warned of severe shortages of blood units, with daily needs exceeding 350 units. With many people critically injured by hostilities, more blood is needed to save lives, yet community donations have plummeted due to famine and malnutrition. The Ministry of Health has issued an urgent appeal to replenish blood stocks in hospitals.

Meanwhile, obstructions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the flow of aid into and within the Gaza Strip continue to constrain the delivery of life-saving assistance by the UN and its partners. Yesterday, six out of 12 planned missions that required coordination with the Israeli authorities were facilitated; all but one was to move supplies to and within southern Gaza and collect fuel from the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Another three missions to collect cargo from Kerem Shalom and Zikim were impeded and therefore only partially accomplished, while two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers. One mission to carry out road repairs in Khan Younis was outright denied by the Israeli authorities.

OCHA stresses that with famine now confirmed in Gaza governorate, the humanitarian consequences of ongoing hostilities, displacement and aid obstruction are even more devastating. There is an urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and full, unhindered humanitarian access across the entire Strip to bring an end to the suffering of civilians.

Ukraine

Attacks result in civilian casualties, damage to critical infrastructure

OCHA reports that more civilians have been killed and injured following hostilities and attacks across Ukraine in recent days.

According to authorities, between 22 August and this morning, 11 civilians have been killed and more than 90 injured. Damage has also been reported to schools and energy infrastructure.

The Donetsk region was the most affected, with the town of Kostiantynivka particularly hard hit. The regions of Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia were also impacted - with homes, schools, ambulances and power infrastructure in front-line areas sustaining damage.

Aid organizations are mobilized* and have distributed repair materials, hot meals and drinks, and are providing psychological support.

Meanwhile, humanitarians continue to support people fleeing hostilities in the regions of Donetsk and Dnipro.

Between 22 and 25 August, over 2,000 people, including many children, were evacuated from the Donetsk region. With growing pressure on the transit site in the town of Pavlohrad, authorities and aid organizations opened new facilities in the village of Voloske, Dnipro region, and the town of Lozova, Kharkiv region.

Evacuees receive medical and psychosocial support, hot meals, water and hygiene supplies, and can register for cash assistance before moving on to safer areas. Humanitarians are also supporting arrivals in other parts of the country.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.

Posted on 26 August 2025