Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Philippines, Ukraine
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Challenges persist amid efforts to scale up Gaza humanitarian response
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that one month into the ceasefire, efforts to ramp up aid in the Gaza Strip are still being held back by red tape, ongoing bans on key humanitarian partners, too few crossings and routes, and insecurity that persists despite the ceasefire.
Over the weekend, shelling and navy fire were reported in different parts of Gaza - though at much lower levels than before the ceasefire.
In some areas, the UN and its humanitarian partners still have to coordinate every movement in advance with the Israeli authorities. Yesterday, they made eight coordination attempts. Only two were fully facilitated, and four were impeded on the ground - including one that was delayed for 10 hours before the team finally received a green light to move.
Despite the challenges, the UN and its partners are seizing every opportunity to expand operations.*
Yesterday, UN agencies kicked off the integrated catch-up campaign for routine immunization, nutrition and growth monitoring. UNICEF, UNRWA, and the World Health Organization (WHO) are carrying out the campaign with partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The campaign focuses on children who missed earlier vaccination campaigns and aims to reach 44,000 children overall.
Today, WHO reported that Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis resumed operations last week after being forced out of service following attacks in February 2024. The agency supported its rehabilitation by restoring water, sanitation, power and structural systems, and providing essential medical equipment and medicines.
WHO also set up a new 20-bed nutrition stabilization centre at the hospital to treat children with acute and severe malnutrition. This brings the total across Gaza to seven such centres, with 70 inpatient beds in all.
Between Wednesday and Friday, humanitarian partners provided mental health and psychosocial support services to 1,500 children and 500 caregivers in different locations across the south. They received help with emotional expression and stress reduction, with messaging on the prevention of child abuse.
Over the weekend, humanitarian partners distributed nearly 40,000 winter clothing kits and pairs of shoes to children under 10. The UN and its partners are also distributing blankets to hospitals and other locations - nearly 50,000 blankets between Wednesday and Saturday alone.
Since the ceasefire, over the past month, humanitarian partners have been providing water trucking services through 2,000 locations across the Gaza Strip. They have also distributed 15,000 hygiene kits and restored some domestic water supply in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza city by repairing a critical water line in the area.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
Sudan
Humanitarian crisis in North Darfur worsens as violence spreads
OCHA warns that the crisis in Sudan's North Darfur State is deepening as violence spreads beyond the state capital, El Fasher.
Following the Rapid Support Forces' takeover of the city on 26 October, clashes continue to be reported along key access routes, trapping civilians and cutting off aid. The latest analysis by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab of satellite imagery indicates possible mass body disposals in El Fasher, and the closure of a key escape route once used by civilians.
Nearly 89,000 people have fled El Fasher and nearby villages since 26 October, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Many have sought refuge in the localities of Tawila, Melit and Saraf Omra, while others have travelled to Ad Dabbah in Northern State.
In Tawila and Ad Dabbah, the UN and its partners are providing food, clean water, sanitation, healthcare and psychosocial support, among other life-saving aid, but needs far exceed available resources.
Some families from El Fasher have sought refuge in the locality of Tina, near the Sudan-Chad border, where local volunteers report that more than 3,000 displaced people urgently need food, shelter and healthcare. Across the border in eastern Chad, already overwhelmed host communities and partners are preparing for new arrivals as people continue to seek safety and assistance.
Meanwhile, violence is intensifying in Sudan's Kordofan region, resulting in mounting civilian casualties and new waves of displacement. WHO says it verified an attack on Dilling Hospital in South Kordofan State on 6 November that killed six people - including a 12-year-old child - and injured 12 others. The agency notes that this is the 192nd verified attack on health in Sudan since April 2023. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the hospital's X-ray department was destroyed, severely compromising the facility's ability to provide medical services - and he repeated WHO's call for all health facilities, their patients and staff to always be protected.
In neighbouring North Kordofan State, IOM reports that as of yesterday, violence reported across the localities of Bara, Sheikan, Ar Rahad, Um Rawaba and Um Dam Haj Ahmed displaced nearly 39,000 people over the prior two weeks. Partners report that more than 10,000 people have sought safety in White Nile State, while others have fled to Omdurman locality in Khartoum State and other parts of North Kordofan.
Once again, OCHA calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, an end to attacks on hospitals and civilian infrastructure, and safe, unhindered access for aid to reach those in need across Sudan.
Philippines
Over a million people evacuated ahead of Super Typhoon Fung-Wong
OCHA reports that Super Typhoon Fung-Wong, locally known as Uwan, made landfall in the Philippines yesterday. It hit northern parts of the island of Luzon, following one of the largest coastal evacuations ever carried out in the Philippines. The number of casualties was lower than that of Typhoon Kalmaegi, known also as Tino, which had affected the country only a few days earlier.
Authorities report that two people have died and two others were injured due to the current typhoon.
The Government is taking the lead in response and early recovery efforts.
As part of efforts to get ahead of the typhoon, UN agencies and their partners have already provided cash assistance and reinforced shelters.
With early warnings in place, more than 1.3 million people were pre-emptively evacuated in 13 out of 18 regions across the country. As of today, more than 480,000 people remain displaced, with over 6,000 evacuation centres operating.
Food, tents, hygiene kits and other supplies were prepositioned.
OCHA continues to work closely with authorities and humanitarian agencies to assess damage and plan the response.
Strong typhoons such as Fung-Wong will unfortunately be more likely as the climate crisis drives sea temperatures in the region higher, making joint preparedness work more important than ever.
Arnaud Peral, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Philippines, today commended the Government and first responders for their efficient preparedness, pre-emptive evacuations and other timely responses, which he said undoubtedly saved lives.
Ukraine
Recent attacks kill civilians and damage infrastructure
OCHA says that over the weekend, large-scale attacks and hostilities caused civilians casualties and disrupted critical services across Ukraine.
Local authorities report that between 7 November and early this morning, at least 15 civilians were killed and more than 70 others injured as hostilities continued nationwide.
On the night of 8 November, a wave of missile and drone strikes affected the regions of Chernihiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava and Sumy, according to the authorities and aid workers.
On the same day, a clearly marked humanitarian evacuation vehicle came under a drone attack in the front-line town of Kostiantynivka in the region of Donetsk. The passengers managed to escape before the vehicle was destroyed and were not injured. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack, emphasizing that humanitarians must be protected.
These attacks also damaged energy and residential infrastructure in several regions, including Chernihiv, Odesa and Poltava. They disrupted electricity, heating and water supply, making it even harder for vulnerable people to cope amid cold temperatures.
Major cities - including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa - are experiencing power outages, with electricity available only for a few hours a day. In the city of Kharkiv, heating and water services remain disrupted, and public electric transport is partially suspended.
OCHA says that the UN and its humanitarian partners quickly mobilized, providing emergency shelter materials, blankets, hygiene items, hot drinks and psychosocial support in several areas, including the Dnipro, Kherson and Odesa regions.
Posted on 10 November 2025
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