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Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Congo

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Occupied Palestinian Territory

More families lose homes and shelter as military operations escalate in Gaza city

OCHA says that its warnings that the Gaza Strip could be sliding into an even deeper catastrophe are now materializing. OCHA stresses that as military operations in Gaza city escalate further, world leaders still can, and must, act decisively to prevent further suffering.

Over the past 48 hours, the Israeli military has struck high-rise buildings, with more families losing their homes or tents. Today, the Israeli authorities ordered everyone in Gaza city to move south. All of this comes just over two weeks since famine was confirmed in Gaza governorate.

OCHA reiterates that leaving the north is simply impossible for many people. The cost of transportation is well above US$1,000, the coastal road is barely passable, and displacement sites in the south are beyond overcrowded. Most people have already been displaced countless times. They are exhausted and out of money.

Today and yesterday, partners tracking displacement trends recorded 9,400 movements from northern to southern Gaza, bringing the number recorded since mid-August to nearly 62,000 as of 2 p.m. local time. Overall, displacements across the Gaza Strip have now reached 110,000 since mid-August, including many within the north.

Throughout Gaza, people are living out in the open, in makeshift shelters patched together from worn tarpaulins. A fresh supply of tents has only just begun to trickle in, after months of being blocked by the Israeli authorities. With ongoing impediments - including Israeli requirements related to NGO registration and custom clearances, as well as delays in securing collection from Kerem Shalom crossing - quantities remain nowhere near sufficient to meet people's growing needs.

Today, the UN Satellite Centre published a preliminary analysis that identified 1,500 displaced people who live in tents along the shore as being at high risk in the event of high tides or storm surges. The analysis focused on a small area west of Al Rashid Road, the coastal road, where a very high density of tents has been observed in an area known to be flood prone.

OCHA warns that the coastline is already crammed with makeshift shelters, forcing newly displaced families to sleep dangerously close to the water's edge.

Humanitarians estimate that many people will remain in Gaza city even after today's order and amid a further escalation in hostilities. For this reason, aid organizations will need sustained, safe access to all parts of Gaza - including the north - regardless of displacement orders or the labeling of some areas by the Israeli authorities as either "humanitarian" or "dangerous." Safety is not guaranteed anywhere across the Gaza Strip. OCHA reiterates that civilians must be protected, wherever they are.

Humanitarian operations continue to be hindered by the intensified Israeli offensive. Over the past two days, partners providing protection services in Gaza city, including to children, have had to suspend operations because premises they used were in close proximity to buildings that came under attack.

Protection partners are present along the main north-south displacement route, where they have been supporting separated families and unaccompanied children - offering psychosocial support, distributing high-energy biscuits, and raising awareness of the risks that people could face in the south.

Meanwhile, OCHA reports that the situation remains tense following yesterday's shooting attack by Palestinians in Jerusalem that killed six Israelis. Since then, Israeli forces have imposed extensive movement restrictions across Jerusalem, Ramallah, and other parts of the West Bank.

New checkpoints were installed, and existing ones had stepped-up checks, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians trapped for hours and further isolating entire communities. Specifically, the Biddu enclave - which is home to some 40,000 Palestinians - was sealed off.

Haiti

UN fast-tracks support for displaced and host communities

Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher - who is currently in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince - has allocated $9 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) amid worsening violence and displacement in the country.

This new funding will help the UN and its partners step up life-saving support to the most vulnerable, including those who have fled their homes and host communities in the departments of Centre and Artibonite. They are facing acute shortages of food, water, shelter, healthcare, sanitation and protection.

Since March, armed attacks have escalated in these areas, triggering mass displacement and the collapse of essential services. Across Haiti, more than 1.3 million people are internally displaced - the highest number ever recorded in Haiti due to violence and insecurity.

Given the vast needs, the new funding from CERF is being complemented by a $4 million allocation from the Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean, with those resources also meant to support displaced people and host communities in the departments of Centre and Artibonite. The regional pooled fund has also allocated $500,000 for hurricane preparedness efforts.

This additional funding comes at a critical time, with the humanitarian response continuing to face drastic shortfalls. Haiti remains one of the proportionally least funded of the UN's country appeals globally: To date, less than 12 per cent of the resources needed has been received - just $105 million of the $908 million required.

Today, Fletcher just visited a displacement site, a hospital and a youth centre in Port-au-Prince.

Afghanistan

UN launches response plan to help half a million people affected by earthquakes

The UN launched a nearly $140 million emergency response plan today to assist 457,000 people through the end of the year following the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan.

The plan focuses on providing life-saving assistance, including healthcare and emergency shelter, ahead of the winter season.

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte - who presented the appeal in a video briefing earlier today in Geneva - stressed that the UN and its humanitarian partners* are in a race against time to support affected people with just the bare minimum. He called for solidarity and support for a population that has already endured so much suffering.

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

Ukraine

Attack kills over 20 civilians in Yarova

OCHA reports that ongoing attacks and hostilities in Ukraine continue to devastate civilians.

According to authorities, between yesterday and today, 30 civilians were killed and more than 60 injured across the country, causing widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.

In the Donetsk region, a bombardment this morning in the village of Yarova killed at least 21 civilians and injured more than 20, according to the local police. Many of the victims are older people who were collecting their pensions. Police reported damage to some 50 residential buildings, a school and other civilian infrastructure. Elsewhere in the Donetsk region, more than a dozen civilians were also killed and injured yesterday.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, condemned today's attack in a statement, adding that attacks affecting civilians as they go about their daily lives are unconscionable.

Evacuations continue in the Donetsk region - and yesterday, 275 people, including more than 80 children, were evacuated.

Additional casualties were reported in the regions of Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv. Several locations remain without electricity following recent drone strikes on energy facilities.

As the world marks the International Day to Protect Education from Attack today, education facilities in Ukraine continue to be impacted by the hostilities.

Between January and July of this year, humanitarian partners have supported 370,000 children and teachers, mainly in front-line and host communities. They have provided psychosocial support, educational kits, and repairs to 57,000 war-affected school facilities.

Congo

UN funds urgent response to cholera outbreak

Emergency Relief Coordinator Fletcher has allocated $1 million from CERF for an urgent response to the cholera outbreak in Congo.

The funds will help UN agencies and their partners support Government-led efforts to curb the spread of the disease, which has reportedly led to more than 60 deaths and nearly 700 cases since the outbreak began in early July.

The response will prioritize health and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance to prevent further transmission, which is occurring in remote areas along the Congo River with limited health infrastructure. As the rainy season and school year begins, the risk of cholera spreading further is expected to increase.

Posted on 9 September 2025