Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, Tropical Storm Melissa, Syria
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Humanitarian scale-up continues in Gaza
OCHA reports that since the ceasefire took effect more than 10 days ago, the UN and its partners have made progress in scaling up response efforts in Gaza*, especially in central and southern areas of the Strip. However, the continued closure of the Zikim and Erez crossings, which provide direct access to the north, make it extremely challenging for humanitarians to reach people there with vital support at the scale needed.
Partners monitoring population flows across Gaza report that people continue to move towards areas that were off-limits before the ceasefire. More than 425,000 movements have been reported from southern to northern parts of the Strip since 10 October.
Yesterday, partners in North Gaza visited a displacement site in Jabaliya and two schools where displaced people are sheltering in Beit Lahiya. Humanitarians had been unable to reach these areas prior to the ceasefire due to military operations.
The 145 families sheltering at these sites urgently need food, water, latrines, bedding kits and hygiene items - and the UN and its partners are doing everything possible to scale up assistance.
Since the start of October, the UN and its partners in Gaza have reached more than 107,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children under 5, with supplementary feeding to help prevent malnutrition. Partners note that these are the highest figures reached since famine was confirmed in Gaza governorate in August.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization stressed that although the needs are immense, "we will not be overwhelmed by the task ahead to rebuild and rehabilitate the health system."
UN teams were able to monitor goods coming through Kissufim crossing yesterday under the UN 2720 Mechanism. This was made possible after the Israeli authorities facilitated access.
Inside Gaza yesterday - and out of 10 humanitarian missions coordinated with the Israeli authorities - six were facilitated, including the collection of water tanks, hygiene kits and fuel from the crossings into Gaza. Today, the UN and its partners managed to collect several tankers of fuel and hundreds of pallets of baby diapers.
On Monday, at least 145 UN-coordinated trucks carrying nearly 1,500 metric tons of aid were collected from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings, according to the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard. Almost three quarters of the aid picked up was food - but the UN and its partners were also able to collect shelter materials, animal feed, health supplies, and water, sanitation and hygiene items.
In terms of aid entering Gaza - on Monday, 105 trucks from the UN and its partners were offloaded at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings, according to the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard. The trucks were carrying 1,600 metric tons of aid - more than 40 per cent of which was food. Other supplies included nutrition support, shelter materials, health assistance, and water, sanitation and hygiene items.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
Ukraine
A dozen civilians reportedly killed in overnight attacks
OCHA reports that another massive wave of overnight attacks across Ukraine killed and injured civilians - including children - and caused widespread power cuts.
Between yesterday and the early hours of this morning, at least 12 civilians were killed and 85 injured, according to local authorities. The strikes mainly affected the capital, Kyiv, as well as the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Novhorod-Siverskyi, along with multiple towns and communities across the regions of Chernihiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.
Multiple residential buildings, a school and a kindergarten in Kharkiv were damaged, as well as other civilian infrastructure - including energy and port facilities in several regions, as reported by the authorities and aid workers.
Ukraine's Ministry of Energy confirmed that the attacks affected energy infrastructure nationwide, triggering emergency blackouts in most regions. Power and water supply disruptions were reported, while national railway services experienced delays due to damaged lines.
The UN and its humanitarian partners were on the ground from the early hours, supporting affected communities and complementing the work of the state emergency services. They provided legal assistance, temporary window repair materials and psychosocial support.
Today in the Kherson region, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy reached Urozhaine, a front-line community regularly affected by shelling and drone attacks. The UN and its partners delivered 11 metric tons of assistance for some 1,000 residents - including food, hygiene and dignity kits, warm blankets, solar lamps and medical supplies. This was the 24th humanitarian convoy to hard-hit areas of the Kherson region in 2025.
Tropical Storm Melissa
Humanitarians step up preparations in Caribbean, fast-track funds for Haiti ahead of storm
OCHA is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Melissa in the Caribbean, which could strengthen into a major hurricane, potentially affecting the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and eastern Cuba.
OCHA is working with UN partners and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency to step up preparedness activities.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds to Haiti - potentially leading to flooding, landslides and power outages.
Based on this forecast, US$4 million has been allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund for Haitiso that the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration can support more than 100,000 vulnerable people before the storm hits.
The funds were released as part of anticipatory action efforts, which allow the humanitarian community in Haiti to get ahead of the direst consequences of storms and hurricanes.
The response will focus on critical early warning messages and life-saving evacuation support, as well as cash transfers, emergency shelter management, and water, sanitation and hygiene kits.
Syria
As Syrians cope with critical aid cuts, OCHA appeals to Security Council for funding
OCHA told the Security Council today that Syria remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crises - affecting more than 70 per cent of the population - with developments on the ground continuing to deepen people's needs.
Ramesh Rajasingham, the Director of OCHA's Humanitarian Sector Division - speaking on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator - said that the UN and its partners continue to do what they can to provide assistance as efficiently as possible, reaching 3.4 million people across the country on average each month, despite reduced funding.
This year's humanitarian response plan for Syria is just 19 per cent funded, one of the lowest levels among the largest UN-coordinated appeals. Mr. Rajasingham stressed the need for more funding for critical humanitarian aid, as well as tangible investments in development and reconstruction projects as soon as possible.
He also stressed the need to de-escalate ongoing flashpoints and prevent new ones, noting that insecurity makes humanitarian work more difficult.
Posted on 22 October 2025
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