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Today's top news: Sudan, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Hurricane Melissa, Afghanistan, Ukraine

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Sudan

Ongoing violence imperils civilians in El Fasher

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, continues to warn of ongoing violence against civilians - including women and children - in and around El Fasher, following the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) takeover of North Darfur's state capital last week.

The UN continues to receive credible reports of summary executions and sexual violence. More than a week after the takeover, the city remains barricaded, and civilians are unable to leave.

Hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers, have reportedly been killed, while large numbers remain trapped inside the city with little or no communication to the outside world. The delivery of life-saving assistance remains blocked by the RSF, contrary to its obligation under international humanitarian law to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of such relief.

OCHA stresses that this obstruction is unacceptable and calls for immediate and unhindered access to the people trapped in El Fasher. An immediate cessation of hostilities is crucial to ensure the protection of civilians.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that nearly 71,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since 26 October, most towards the locality of Tawila, where camps are already overcrowded. Many new arrivals have reported killings, abductions and sexual violence along the way.

Conditions in Tawila are dire: Families are living in the open or in makeshift shelters, food stocks are running out, and clean water is scarce. The UN and its partners are providing emergency assistance - including daily meals, healthcare, water, sanitation, nutrition and psychosocial support - but these efforts cover only a fraction of the needs due to funding constraints.

Meanwhile, in Sudan's Kordofan region, violence has also sharply escalated, triggering large-scale displacement and civilian suffering. In North Kordofan State, grave violations - including the alleged summary execution of civilians - have been reported in the locality of Bara.

IOM reports that between 26 and 31 October, about 37,000 people were displaced from Bara, Um Rawaba and surrounding villages, many fleeing towards Sheikan and White Nile State. Civilians face mounting insecurity, food shortages, and the destruction of basic infrastructure.

In South Kordofan State, UNICEF said yesterday that at least eight children were reportedly killed and three others injured after missile strikes hit displacement shelters on 31 October. The reported strikes on these sites in the state capital Kadugli underscore the grave risks facing civilians. Continued fighting has displaced about 400 people from Abassiya and Delami towns. Families are sheltering in makeshift locations with little access to food, water or healthcare.

Once again, OCHA calls for urgent, flexible funding to support the millions of people caught in Sudan's devastating conflict. With just two months left in the year, the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan is only 28 per cent funded in the face of overwhelming needs - with US$1.17 billion received to date of the $4.16 billion required.

Occupied Palestinian Territory

UN and partners continue to deliver vital aid to Gaza as part of 60-day humanitarian scale-up

OCHA says that the ongoing scale-up of the aid response in Gaza is already having a positive impact on people in all areas of the Strip. However, much more is needed so that humanitarians can address the full scale of the needs and leave no one behind.

This Saturday, the UN and its partners collected nearly 200 truckloads of essential supplies from Israeli crossings along the perimeter fence that encircles Gaza. Among the supplies were nearly 1,900 metric tons of different food supplies and wheat flour and over 100 pallets of food boxes. The supplies also included over 1,000 pallets of mattresses, blankets, tents, tarpaulins and winter clothes. Additionally, they included nearly 300 pallets full of hygiene kits, buckets, water containers, and jerry cans; 50 pallets of fortified cereals; and some 200 pallets of dignity kits, menstrual health kits and midwifery supplies.

On Sunday - based on initial data that is still partial - the UN and its partners collected nearly 1,000 pallets of blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water tanks, mats, winter clothes, tarpaulins and jerry cans, alongside one truckload of animal fodder.

All of this data is preliminary and covers the UN and its partners - excluding bilateral donations and the commercial sector.

Inside Gaza, the UN and its partners are currently supporting 17 bakeries in Gaza - nine in the south and eight in the north. These are producing 150,000 bread bundles of 2 kilograms each every day, as of Thursday. These bread bundles are distributed through more than 400 points across the Strip. The UN and its partners are also supporting 180 kitchens serving nearly 1,160,000 meals every day, as of Saturday. All of this is in addition to the distribution of food parcels.

On nutrition, the UN and its partners are currently supporting 133 treatment sites, including 20 in Gaza city - where famine was confirmed in August. They are also improving services that prevent malnutrition, including by providing blanket supplementary feeding.

On Saturday and Sunday, humanitarian teams also delivered 1,000 tarpaulins and 2,500 blankets to people in need.

Since the ceasefire, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has supported an estimated 90,000 women and girls with reproductive health and hygiene items. This includes the distribution of medical equipment and supplies to 13 health facilities across the Strip, including incubators and surgery equipment. UNFPA has also distributed thousands of post-partum kits and dignity kits to women and girls.

Humanitarians are also making advancements on the education front. Renovation is ongoing in four schools, and over the past three days, the UN and its partners have supported the reopening of five temporary learning spaces in Gaza city.

On Friday, the UN Satellite Centre published a new comprehensive assessment indicating that some 81 per cent of all structures in the Gaza Strip are damaged. Northern Gaza experienced the largest increases in damage since July 2025, with nearly 5,700 newly affected structures. Overall, more than 123,000 structures across the Strip have been identified as destroyed, another 50,000 are severely or moderately damaged, and 24,000 are possibly damaged. In total, nearly 200,000 structures are affected.

OCHA reiterates that to fully deliver on the 60-day humanitarian plan, the UN and its humanitarian partners need a durable ceasefire, more functional crossings, the lifting of bureaucratic hurdles, safe and viable routes inside Gaza, sustained funding*, and unimpeded access - including for NGOs.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.

Hurricane Melissa

UN Relief Chief fast-tracks funds for hurricane response in Jamaica

Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to scale up the response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. The funds will focus on providing support in the areas of food, health, water, shelter, logistics, and sanitation and hygiene.

Major logistical challenges persist, with debris and destroyed roads blocking access to some affected areas. Assessments are continuing, and OCHA is coordinating information management efforts. More members of a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team arrived today, joining others who reached Jamaica yesterday.

The World Food Programme (WFP), with support from local residents, is setting up a mobile storage unit on the grounds of a church in the town of Santa Cruz in Saint Elisabeth Parish. The site will serve as a staging point for supplies moving to the west of the country.

In Cuba, the UN has finalized an emergency action plan, focusing on the eastern part of the island, which was severely impacted by the hurricane.

In the meantime, the UN and its partners continue to support the response. Nearly 300 health facilities and 600 schools have been significantly damaged, and some 25,000 people remain in shelters. Electricity, running water and the availability of medicine are critical concerns.

UNICEF has dispatched kits with medical supplies for 90,000 people. The kits include critical medicine, medical supplies, mosquito nets and oral rehydration salts, which are critical for preventing vector-borne diseases and treating dehydration among children.

WFP is also providing food assistance to some 180,000 people.

Afghanistan

Multiple deaths reported after earthquake strikes Balkh province

The UN and its humanitarian partners are closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan following reports of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit near Mazar-e-Sharif, in Balkh province, in the country's north last night. Initial reports estimate that 20 people have been killed and over 900 injured, with a number of homes destroyed.

The UN is working with local and national disaster management authorities to assess the situation and coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Even prior to this earthquake, people in the region were already experiencing drought, chronic poverty, and limited basic services following the return of over 2 million people to Afghanistan this year.

The UN continues to call for support to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. This year's appeal remains severely underfunded, with just over a third of the $2.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan funded, leaving a gap of more than $1.5 billion.

Ukraine

Ongoing attacks and hostilities cause more civilian casualties

OCHA says that attacks and hostilities continued over the weekend in Ukraine, with more reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

According to authorities, at least 24 civilians were killed and another 84 injured, including children, between 1 November and this morning. The most affected areas include the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa.

The attacks also damaged schools, railway and energy infrastructure, as well as residential buildings, disrupting access to electricity and heating.

Meanwhile, the security situation continues to deteriorate in the front-line town of Pokrovsk and surrounding areas in the region of Donetsk. As of the end of October, more than 1,200 civilians remain in the town, which has become the epicentre of hostilities in the region. Authorities report that evacuations are currently impossible due to ongoing hostilities.

Between 31 October and 2 November, about 500 people were evacuated from the Donetsk region, according to humanitarians on the ground. More than 200,000 people, including over 13,000 children, remain in the region, according to the authorities.

Between January and September, humanitarian partners provided vital help to more than 300,000 people in the region of Donetsk. About 150 organizations delivered food assistance and emergency water supply, and repaired water and wastewater systems. In addition, some 40,000 people, including older residents and those with disabilities, received transportation and evacuation support.

Posted on 3 November 2025