Today's top news: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Occupied Palestinian Territory

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, visits a community in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he met with local residents and humanitarian partners. Photo: OCHA/Francis Mweze

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN Relief Chief visits conflict-affected communities in eastern DRC

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, continues his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and officials in the capital, Kinshasa, on Monday, Fletcher is now in the country’s east, where more than 20 million people need humanitarian assistance. Clashes earlier this year uprooted millions.

Today, Fletcher was in Minova, in South Kivu province, where he visited a water supply and waste management project helping displaced and local residents. He also visited a mobile clinic providing healthcare to people affected by conflict. Health remains a critical concern in the east of the country, but the sector has been impacted by drastic funding shortages.

Years of violence, displacement, and lack of access to clean water or sanitation have created conditions for outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, which are preventable and treatable so long as there is sufficient support and funding.*

Fletcher also visited the city of Sasha today. At a centre for returnees, he spoke with women who shared stories about the violence they faced, including sexual violence.

The Under-Secretary-General then traveled to Goma, where he met with communities and humanitarian partners to discuss the latest humanitarian needs across the DRC.

Fletcher will continue his visit tomorrow in Goma.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with urgent support.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

More aid seekers reportedly killed in Gaza

OCHA warns that Israeli operations in Gaza – including shelling and bombing across the Strip – continue to have a devastating impact on civilians, reportedly killing and injuring scores of people, many of whom were seeking aid.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that yesterday, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah received a mass casualty influx of 149 cases – with all responsive patients reporting they were wounded while on their way to an aid distribution site. ICRC says 16 people were declared dead on arrival, and three more died of their wounds shortly thereafter. The vast majority of patients reportedly suffered gunshot injuries.

The ICRC notes that the field hospital has had to activate its mass casualty procedures 20 times since 27 May – stressing that the scale and frequency of these incidents is an alarming testament to the intolerable dangers civilians face as they attempt to access assistance.

Meanwhile, the rapid depletion of remaining fuel stocks is jeopardizing efforts to keep Gaza’s lifelines up and running. In a social media post yesterday, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said that 80 per cent of critical care units, including those used for childbirth, risk shutting down – at a time when 130 women are giving birth every day in Gaza. As UNFPA stressed, fuel for Gaza is a matter of life and death.

Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout the Strip, effectively choking off life-saving services for deprived and starving people.

This week, community kitchens were able to prepare more than 200,000 meals every day. However, compared with the over 1 million meals distributed daily at the end of April, this represents a reduction of about 80 per cent – and a trickle offered to people on the brink of famine.

Meanwhile, partners report that in the absence of fuel, cooking gas and electricity, people are burning plastic waste. When they do so in makeshift shelters or tents, the poor ventilation poses tremendous safety and health risks to vulnerable family members, including children and older people.

OCHA reiterates that to meaningfully address the massive deprivation in Gaza, the Israeli authorities must allow higher volumes of supplies and more varied types of food, as well as cooking gas, fuel and shelter items, into the Strip. To facilitate the orderly distribution of aid, supplies must be channeled daily through multiple crossings and land routes simultaneously, thereby ensuring people that the flow of essential support is steady, sufficient and reliable.

Yesterday, the UN and its partners attempted to coordinate 15 humanitarian movements inside Gaza, but only four were fully facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Seven other attempts were denied outright, preventing teams from trucking water, retrieving broken trucks or repairing roads. Another three missions were initially approved but then impeded on the ground – although one was ultimately accomplished today. Another mission had to be cancelled by the organizers.

OCHA reports that this week, tens of thousands of students were unable to sit for this year’s general secondary examination due to insecurity, displacement orders and Internet connectivity challenges across Gaza. Last year, about 39,000 high-school students in Gaza were reportedly unable to sit for the exam.