Today's top news: Afghanistan, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Afghanistan
UN fast-tracks support as earthquake deaths and injuries rise
The Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a social media post yesterday that humanitarians are on the ground to help save lives in Afghanistan following Sunday's devastating earthquake. Fletcher also called for the international community's support to scale up emergency relief efforts.
Also yesterday, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya allocated US$5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help kickstart the response, which will be matched by a $5 million allocation from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.
Preliminary reports from de facto authorities now indicate that at least 1,400 people have been killed and 3,100 injured. Casualty figures are expected to rise further as search and rescue teams reach affected areas.
The de facto authorities have launched an immediate response, flying hundreds of medivac cases to regional hospitals for care and clearing blocked roads. Humanitarian partners are seeking ways to mobilize additional air assets to reach those in need.
The United Nations has dispatched at least 25 assessment teams to the region to assess the situation and are already supporting the response by deploying critical items to areas that can be reached. For example, the UN Refugee Agency is deploying prepositioned essential relief items from stockpiles in Kabul, including tents, blankets and solar lamps.
Immediate priority needs include emergency shelter, critical medical supplies, drinking water and emergency food assistance.
OCHA warns that shelter materials and medical supplies are running low, and the current funding is insufficient to address all needs. Additional funding is urgently required*. The UN and its partners are developing an emergency appeal.
The earthquake has added death and destruction to a country already facing multiple crises, including a severe drought and the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Afghanistan with urgent support.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Hostilities in Gaza city and southern areas of the Strip take heavy toll on civilians
OCHA warns that military activities continue in and around Gaza city, but also in southern areas of the Gaza Strip, taking a heavy toll on civilians - including deaths, injuries and further displacement.
People continue to flee, mainly towards the coast. Since 14 August, partners monitoring population movements have recorded more than 76,000 new displacements. Almost a third of these movements - over 23,000 - were from northern to southern Gaza, and most of the remaining displacement was within Gaza governorate. Individual people are counted multiple times if they were displaced more than once.
OCHA warns that coastal areas in Gaza city are already extremely crowded with tents, forcing some of those fleeing Gaza city to move north to coastal areas near Zikim, although these areas are under displacement orders.
Meanwhile, there continue to be daily reports of malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that the situation continues to deteriorate, noting that families without able-bodied members are those at the highest risk of severe malnutrition. For this reason, WFP resumed the distribution of digital vouchers last Tuesday, following a five-month pause, and has so far reached 22,500 people - prioritizing vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities and female-headed households.
The UN and its partners also continue to transport food and other supplies to and from the crossings, but the current conditions on the ground have not yet allowed them to resume community-based distributions. WFP says that violence among crowds and convoy attacks make organized distributions nearly impossible and put civilians and staff at risk. Adding to these difficulties are congestion at entry points and supply shortages.
They stress that only a ceasefire will ensure the necessary conditions for a massive response to prevent famine from spreading further. During the previous ceasefire, humanitarians reached nearly every single person across the Gaza Strip with life-saving aid - and they can do this again.
Meanwhile, OCHA reports that the movement of humanitarian teams inside Gaza remains heavily restricted. Between Friday and Monday, about one in three planned missions was either impeded or outright denied by Israeli authorities - that is 12 out of 37 movements that the UN coordinated with them. As a result, many missions could not be completed. For example, colleagues were stopped from retrieving nutrition supplies or from inspecting a dumpsite to expand solid waste operations and thereby curb the spread of disease.
Some missions went ahead but could only be partially accomplished. This included efforts to collect supplies from crossings, which involves navigating Israeli-controlled militarized areas, along with multiple approvals and long delays. Fully accomplished missions included collecting, moving or delivering medical supplies, as well as moving staff when no cargo was involved.
Restrictions also impact the pipeline before it reaches Gaza. Partners leading on logistics say that strict physical inspections by Israeli authorities continue to significantly delay aid clearance at Ashdod Port. Meanwhile, trucks entering from Egypt face a high number of returns, and the West Bank route remains restricted.
Meanwhile, like children around the world, young people in Gaza should be returning to the classroom - but the education system lies in ruins. The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said yesterday that instead of going back to school, about 660,000 girls and boys will be sifting through the rubble - desperate, hungry, traumatized and mostly bereaved. He stressed that a ceasefire is the only way forward.
Sudan
Deadly landslide reported in Jebel Marra region
OCHA is deeply concerned by reports of a devastating landslide that struck Tarsin village in the Jebel Marra region of Sudan, on the border of Central and South Darfur states, on 31 August, following days of heavy rainfall.
According to humanitarian partners, it is difficult to assess the full scale of the incident or confirm the exact death toll, as the affected area is extremely hard to reach. Preliminary reports from local sources estimated the death toll to be about 1,000, while humanitarian partners have reported significantly lower numbers. An inter-agency assessment will seek to provide verified figures in the coming days.
In a message of condolence and solidarity, the Acting Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Luca Renda, today said that the UN and its humanitarian partners are mobilizing to provide support to people affected by this disaster. OCHA is coordinating with partners in the area to assess needs and mount a response.
Although Jebel Marra is one of Sudan's most remote and inaccessible regions, it is hosting people displaced by the ongoing conflict in other parts of the country, including those who fled North Darfur State.
Heavy rains have also caused widespread damage and displacement elsewhere in Sudan. In Gedaref State, more than 300 people were displaced over the weekend when floods hit Bazora and Abu Nahl villages, according to the International Organization for Migration.
In South Darfur, torrential rains displaced 750 people in Safia village and destroyed over 100 homes on 31 August. Affected communities urgently need humanitarian assistance - including water, sanitation and hygiene services, emergency shelter and essential household items.
Meanwhile, OCHA remains gravely concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur.
Continued shelling has reportedly killed at least seven civilians and wounded more than 70 others in recent days. The absence of safe passage for those wishing to flee the violence continues to trap civilians inside the besieged city. Recent satellite imagery reportedly shows more than 30 kilometres of earthen walls surrounding the city, further restricting the movement of civilians.
The UN Secretary-General has called for an immediate ceasefire in and around El Fasher, stressing that civilians must be protected, safe passage guaranteed, and humanitarian access enabled without delay.
Posted on 2 September 2025
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
