Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Ukraine
UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Humanitarians support storm-affected families in Gaza amid dire conditions
OCHA warns that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely dire, despite ongoing efforts by the UN and its partners to reach people in need wherever they are.*
Humanitarians continue to carry out assessments and provide assistance to families affected by last week's rainstorm. According to the latest estimate, over 18,600 households were impacted: Thousands lost their shelters, had their belongings damaged, or were again displaced. This number continues to increase as partners complete additional assessments to gauge the extent of the damage caused by the storm.
With winter drawing near, partners working on shelter warn that the volume of items entering Gaza is not sufficient to meet people's immense needs. Since the start of September - when shelter supplies were allowed to enter Gaza again following a six-month ban - the UN, its partners and Member States have been able to bring in fewer than 60,000 tents, 346,000 tarpaulins and 309,000 bedding items. This is at a time when hundreds of thousands of people require urgent shelter support as winter approaches.
As part of the ongoing winterization response, partners focusing on child protection have distributed 48,000 children's winter clothing kits across the Strip since the ceasefire came into effect.
Meanwhile, partners leading on water and sanitation report that in the past two days, they have managed to distribute diapers, towels, jerry cans and other critical items to meet the hygiene needs of 400,000 people. However, they warn that sanitation and hygiene conditions in Gaza are deplorable, with no wastewater treatment capacity in the Strip due to widespread destruction of infrastructure after two years of war.
In northern Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan ponds in Jabalya are once again at risk of overflowing, with partners only able to provide short-term solutions by draining the sewage into the sea. The dilapidated state of Gaza's sanitation systems puts public health at risk, including by raising the threat of bacterial infections spreading through contact with contaminated waste or water.
Meanwhile, partners working on nutrition note a gradual decline in the number of patients admitted for malnutrition treatment over the past two months, with about 9,280 cases admitted in October compared to over 11,740 cases in September. However, last month's numbers are still nearly four times higher than they were in January, during the previous ceasefire.
OCHA continues to call for items that are currently restricted from entry into Gaza, including equipment to rehabilitate critical infrastructure, to be allowed into the Strip. OCHA also reiterates the need for NGOs to be permitted to bring assistance into Gaza, and for the opening of additional crossings into and routes inside the Strip to enable the UN and its partners to reach people in need faster and more efficiently.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
Syria
At Security Council, OCHA urges decisive global action to help Syrians build peaceful future
OCHA told the Security Council today that as Syria continues to navigate a daunting set of challenges, the stakes are immense, particularly for the more than 16 million people across the country who need humanitarian assistance.
"The UN and our partners continue to reach 3.4 million people on average each month across Syria - 24 per cent more than the same period last year - despite lower funding, thanks to improved access and operational conditions," said Lisa Doughten, Director of OCHA's Financing and Outreach Division.
Speaking on behalf of Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Doughten called on the international community to devote more funding to humanitarian operations, with this year's appeal just over a quarter funded. She also stressed the need for continued engagement to de-escalate ongoing flashpoints and prevent new violence - as well as concrete, targeted and large-scale investment in development and reconstruction.
"The international community must act decisively to translate this opportunity into concrete support," Ms. Doughten said.
Ukraine
Humanitarian Coordinator condemns new wave of deadly attacks
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned in a statement today the latest wave of overnight attacks, which devastated communities across the country - killing civilians, injuring children and disrupting vital services.
Schmale stressed that the relentless harm to civilians and destruction of essential infrastructure are unacceptable, recalling obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Between last night and early this morning, attacks killed at least 20 civilians and injured more than 150 others across the country, according to national authorities and partners on the ground. Strikes hit multiple regions, damaging apartment blocks and energy infrastructure, as well as triggering power outages.
The city of Ternopil, in the west of the country, and the city of Kharkiv, in the east, were among the hardest hit - with multiple casualties and severe damage to multi-storey residential buildings. A health facility and a school were also damaged in Kharkiv.
Hostilities also caused civilian casualties in areas close to the front line, as well as in the regions of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia.
Authorities confirmed strikes on energy facilities across seven regions: Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv and Lviv. Scheduled power outages remain in place across much of the country due to cumulative damage to the grid.
Aid organizations responded immediately following the attacks in Ternopil and Kharkiv cities, providing emergency assistance, including shelter kits and psychological support.
Meanwhile, evacuations continue in the region of Donetsk, with 190 people evacuated from front-line communities yesterday.
Posted on 19 November 2025
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
