Today’s top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Ukraine, Somalia, South Sudan, Haiti

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Conditions in Gaza deteriorate as hostilities continue

OCHA warns that as attention turns to news of what is hoped will be a possible ceasefire, the already catastrophic conditions on the ground in Gaza are deteriorating even further. Humanitarian teams continue to receive reports of tents, schools, homes and medical facilities coming under attack, with scores of people killed or injured every day.

OCHA warns that the fuel crisis in Gaza has reached a critical point. What little fuel remains is already being used to power the most essential operations – such as intensive care units and water desalination – but those supplies are running out fast, and there are virtually no additional accessible stocks left.

Hospitals are rationing. Ambulances are stalling. Water systems are on the brink. The deaths this is likely causing could soon increase sharply unless the Israeli authorities allow new fuel in – urgently, regularly and in sufficient quantities.

Today, the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order for parts of Khan Younis – specifically ordering the displacement of those staying in tents. An initial review of a map published with the order suggests it also includes areas that have not been subject to displacement orders since before the last ceasefire, which ended in March.

OCHA notes that even the smaller areas where people are being forced to concentrate – now down to about 15 per cent of the Strip and shrinking – are fragmented and lack the most basic infrastructure and services. Like the rest of Gaza, they remain extremely unsafe. Across the Strip, families are trying to survive this nightmare, protect their children to the extent possible, and search for whatever minimal food exists.

The issuance of a displacement order does not relieve any party from the imperative to spare civilians, including those who are unwilling or unable to leave.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the protection of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, warning that the hospital is overwhelmed with trauma injuries – double its capacity – and has effectively turned into one large trauma ward. WHO said that many of the patients are coming from areas where people are being shot at while trying to access food.

In a video message from the hospital, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the facility is running critically low on trauma supplies, essential medicines, equipment and fuel. He also noted that staff are exhausted.

OCHA reports that humanitarian movements inside Gaza remain heavily restricted. Yesterday, out of 12 attempts to coordinate such movements with the Israeli authorities, only four were fully facilitated – and just one of those involved the delivery of supplies. Another four attempts were denied outright, blocking efforts to evacuate patients, recover broken trucks or remove debris. The remaining four were initially approved but then faced impediments on the ground, ultimately undermining humanitarian teams’ ability to carry out their missions as planned.

#Syria

Authorization for UN cross-border aid deliveries extended

OCHA says that on 7 July, the Syrian Arab Republic extended its consent for the United Nations to deliver humanitarian assistance through the Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai crossings with Türkiye for an additional six months, through early February.

This remains an important and cost-effective route for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, which is now being used to provide aid to a range of areas inside Syria.

This year, more than 1,500 trucks have delivered critical UN assistance through these routes – more than five times the number during the same period last year.

For example, on 3 and 4 July, 52 trucks carrying about 1,300 metric tons of food assistance from the World Food Programme crossed into Syria, benefiting an estimated 430,000 people.

#Ukraine

Scores reported injured in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia attacks

OCHA says that yesterday’s attacks in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia caused multiple civilian casualties and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure.

According to authorities, nearly 60 people were injured in the morning attacks, which sparked fires in residential areas.

In Kharkiv city, drone attacks killed one person and injured 39 others, including children, and damaged more than two dozen homes and several schools, according to authorities. In Zaporizhzhia city, 20 civilians were injured and multiple buildings, including a university and pharmacies, were also damaged.

Meanwhile, hostilities near the front line killed 10 civilians and injured more than 20 between yesterday and today, according to police reports. Drone attacks in the regions of Donetsk and Kherson also impacted a civilian bus and a car, injuring civilians. Humanitarian partners provided support to affected families after the attacks.

Today, a UN-led convoy delivered 10 tons of aid – including hygiene kits and shelter materials – to communities in the region of Mykolaiv, in the south of the country.

The UN and its partners continue to support the humanitarian response across Ukraine: From January to May 2025, nearly 460 humanitarian partners reached 3.5 million people out of the 6 million people they hope to assist this year. The US$2.6 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Ukraine is currently 32 per cent funded, with $848 million received so far.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that it continues to undertake durable house repairs of war-damaged homes – a key enabler for families and communities to begin their path towards recovery.

UNHCR reached a major milestone, with more than 40,000 homes damaged by the war repaired, enabling families to return or remain in their communities. Beyond durable repairs, since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, UNHCR has also supported some 470,000 people with emergency shelter materials kits, including tarpaulins, wooden boards and nails.

#Somalia

Aid shortfalls put most vulnerable at risk

OCHA reports that funding cuts are taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable people in Somalia.

The country faces an already difficult food security situation, with some 4.6 million people facing high acute food insecurity across Somalia and 1.8 million children under 5 expected to be acutely malnourished this year. Partners report that food assistance has dropped more than 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Across Somalia, more than 150 clinics have been affected in the first half of this year, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to healthcare. Funding for water and sanitation programmes stands at just 6.5 per cent of the required amount.

In the Middle Shabelle region, more than 28 nutrition sites could close by end of this month. The closures will significantly affect nutrition services for vulnerable children, as well as pregnant and lactating women, in a region that has one of the highest malnutrition rates in Somalia.

In Banadir region, more than 12,700 malnourished children, including more than 1,100 suffering from severe acute malnutrition and at risk of death, will soon lose life-saving treatment, as 20 supplementary feeding sites face imminent closure. 

Similarly, in South West state, mobile outreach health teams have dropped from 74 in 2024 to just 25 currently. In Puntland state, 79 health facilities, including all 29 public health units, have ceased functioning since the start of the year.

Because of the funding reductions, 2 million Somalis are projected to face heightened vulnerability in the coming months.

Humanitarian agencies in Somalia have reprioritized their response efforts to align activities to the new funding reality. The $1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia is 15 per cent funded, with just over $222 million received. The food security and nutrition sectors are only 5 and 3 percent funded, respectively.

OCHA is concerned that without urgent and sustained funding, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia will deepen, leading to preventable suffering and loss of life.*

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

#South Sudan

UN, partners aid response to worsening cholera outbreak

OCHA reports that South Sudan is facing a rapidly expanding cholera outbreak, affecting thousands of people across the country.

According to the Ministry of Health, nearly 80,000 cases and more than 1,400 deaths have been reported since the end of September 2024. The crisis has evolved into a complex emergency, driven by flooding, displacement and limited access to basic services.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, Anita Kiki Gbeho, participated yesterday in a meeting with Government ministers on coordinating the response to what is now the worst cholera outbreak in the country’s history.

The UN and its partners are working with the Government to pre-position life-saving supplies, maintain essential health and nutrition services, expand disease surveillance and early warning systems, and improve access to safe water and hygiene, as well as scaling up cholera vaccinations, facilitating humanitarian access, and mobilizing resources with transparent tracking.

These coordinated actions come ahead of the peak of the rainy season, which is expected to bring widespread flooding and further hinder humanitarian access to areas of acute need. The next eight weeks will be critical to containing the outbreak and saving lives.

While the UN and its partners continue to deliver oral cholera vaccines and other urgent, life-saving assistance across South Sudan, the ability to scale up the response is severely constrained by funding shortfalls. As of the first week of July, the South Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which seeks $1.69 billion, is only 22 per cent funded, with $368 million received.

#Haiti

Thousands flee violence in Centre department

OCHA reports that recent armed attacks in Haiti’s Centre department last week have displaced more than 16,000 people. Most have found shelter with host families, while 2 per cent have settled in seven informal displacement sites formed in the wake of these incidents.

These latest developments reflect the continued deterioration of the security situation in Haiti, which is compounding humanitarian needs in a country where more than 1.3 million people are already internally displaced – half of whom are children. Overall, nearly 6 million people in Haiti need humanitarian assistance, amid persistent insecurity and the gradual collapse of essential services.

Displaced women and girls are particularly vulnerable. They face severe risks to their safety, including exposure to sexual and gender-based violence, with cases reported in some displacement sites.

Despite major challenges, humanitarian partners – coordinated by OCHA – continue to deliver life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable in Haiti. From January to March, more than 722,000 people received emergency food assistance, nearly 25,000 people received emergency shelter kits, and 35,000 benefited from essential non-food items. Nearly 170,000 people gained access to safe drinking water, and 55,000 accessed emergency sanitation facilities.

However, a lack of funding is significantly limiting partners’ capacity to meet growing needs. Halfway into the year, the 2025 appeal for Haiti is only 8 per cent funded, making it the least funded of all UN-coordinated humanitarian response plans globally: Less than $75 million of the $908 million needed has been received to date.

OCHA remains committed to working closely with humanitarian partners, national authorities and others to increase funding levels, coordinate the delivery of assistance, facilitate humanitarian access, and ensure that the needs of Haiti’s most vulnerable people are addressed.

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