Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Deputy UN Relief Chief urges action on Gaza famine
With famine now confirmed in Gaza, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, told the Security Council today that "failure to act now will have irreversible consequences."
She stressed that the famine is a "created catastrophe - the result of a conflict that has caused massive civilian death, injury, destruction and forced displacement," and the result of a destroyed food production system and 22 months of restricted and compromised delivery of essential humanitarian and commercial supplies. She further highlighted degraded health and nutrition systems, lack of adequate shelter, and broken water, sanitation and hygiene networks as causing the catastrophe.
Msuya called on the Council and all Member States to ensure an immediate, sustained cessation of hostilities in Gaza to prevent further loss of life and to stop famine from expanding, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure. She also stressed the need for safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access through all entry points and to all people in need across Gaza, as well as the restoration of commercial flows of essential goods at scale.
"Ending this human-made crisis demands that we act as if it were our mother, our father, our children, our family trying to survive in Gaza today," the Assistant Secretary-General said. "We must all do more, and quickly."
Intensifying strikes across Gaza cause more death, destruction and displacement
OCHA remains deeply concerned about the dire conditions faced by more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip amid famine and ongoing war.
Strikes continue to intensify across the Strip, especially in and around Gaza city, killing and injuring people, causing destruction, and forcing displacement.
While some medicines and medical supplies have reached Gaza, medical equipment and spare parts - which are under Israeli restrictions - are urgently needed. Hospitals are reporting shortages of blood, putting more lives at risk as hospitals continue to receive mass casualties.
Partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene warn that access to water remains extremely limited. With the majority of infrastructure destroyed over the course of the war, the entry of spare parts, generators and equipment must be facilitated to rehabilitate critical facilities. Partners have also noted that ongoing operations in northern Gaza and the recent displacement orders mean that people could be forced away from areas where facilities indispensable for their survival are accessible - and the facilities themselves could also be damaged or destroyed.
Meanwhile, multiple organizations' attempts to bring shelter into the Strip are being rejected by the Israeli authorities, even before the supplies are brought into Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Partners stress that many tents and tarpaulins have worn out and must urgently be replaced. In addition, high tides overnight have submerged tents on the beach, affecting at least 200 families. Partners also underscore that tents and other shelter equipment must be allowed into all parts of Gaza, including directly to northern Gaza and Gaza city, where they are desperately needed.
Furthermore, partners working on education report that next Monday marks the start of the third consecutive year in which the right of education has been denied to Gaza's children. Partners emphasize that access to education must be protected and restored, as the current crisis threatens the future of an entire generation.
Mine action partners note that the expansion of military operations in Gaza will put more people at risk of harm due to explosive ordnance. Explosive ordnance risk education is an important part of ensuring people's safety - and partners continue to offer these sessions to communities and carry out explosive hazard assessments to reduce risks to aid workers.
OCHA reiterates that stopping the famine in Gaza will require a substantial increase in the flow of food and nutritional items into and across the Strip, as well as safe, sustained and predictable access to deliver aid and bring in commercial supplies at scale. A permanent ceasefire and an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and those arbitrarily detained remain paramount.
Sudan
Malnutrition, disease and violence claim young lives in El Fasher
OCHA says that the already dire situation in Sudan's North Darfur State continues to deteriorate at an alarming pace.
After more than 500 days under siege, the state capital El Fasher has become the epicentre of suffering for children, with UNICEF warning that malnutrition, disease and violence are claiming young lives every day. The agency says that an estimated 260,000 civilians - half of them children - remain trapped inside the city in dire conditions, having been cut off from humanitarian assistance for over 16 months.
Meanwhile, acute malnutrition is spreading fast. UNICEF says that more than 10,000 children in El Fasher have been treated for severe acute malnutrition since January - nearly double last year's figure. But the depletion of supplies has now forced the suspension of services. Recent reports indicate at least 63 people - mostly women and children - died of malnutrition in a single week.
This comes as cholera continues to spread in North Darfur, with Médecins Sans Frontières reporting more than 7,100 cases there as of Monday. The outbreak is expanding across the Darfur region and also in the south-eastern state of Blue Nile, where more than 3,000 cases have been recorded. The UN and its partners have scaled up support for the cholera response - including medical supplies and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance - which has helped contain the outbreak. However, new cases are emerging in remote communities where access to healthcare is limited.
Meanwhile, heavy rains are making roads between South and East Darfur impassable and disrupting the delivery of medical supplies to affected areas.
The UN and its partners remain committed to delivering life-saving assistance wherever access is possible. However, insecurity, bureaucratic and logistical impediments, and severe underfunding* continue to hinder aid operations. It is urgent that all parties uphold international humanitarian law, guarantee safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers, and prioritize the protection of civilians.
On Thursday, OCHA's Director of Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, will brief journalists as part of the daily press briefing at UN Headquarters, which starts at 12 p.m. New York time. She will brief on her recent visit to Sudan - including Khartoum and Darfur - as well as Chad, and her remarks will be livestreamed via UN Web TV.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support.
Posted on 27 August 2025
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