Today's top news: Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, Sudan
#Lebanon
Despite ceasefire, civilians remain under fire
OCHA reports that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains volatile despite the announced extension of the ceasefire.
As of today, the Ministry of Public Health reports 2,696 people killed and just over 8,200 injured since the escalation on 2 March, just over 2 months ago.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported 13 people were killed, including at least one child and four women, and 32 were wounded as a result of strikes in several locations in the southern part of Lebanon.
People continue to be on the move, with reports of some people returning to shelters. Authorities estimate that more than 124,000 people are residing in 625 schools and other public buildings being used as collective shelters.
On Sunday, displacement orders were renewed in 11 villages and towns in Nabatieh governorate, followed by airstrikes, causing new displacement according to local authorities.
Despite growing and deepening humanitarian needs, the Lebanon Flash Appeal remains significantly underfunded. The appeal has received only 38 per cent – or $117 million – of the $308 million needed, limiting humanitarians' ability to reach vulnerable people.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
More than six months after ceasefire deal, UN calls for expansion of Gaza relief efforts
In a social media post over the weekend, the Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said that more than 6 months since the ceasefire agreement, the humanitarian community continue to work strenuously to help Palestinians in Gaza. Fletcher said the work has saved lives, averted famine, and restored essential services, stressing there was much more to do, “we need sustained access, protection of civilians, neutrality and partnership.”
Partners leading emergency shelter assistance delivered tents, sealing-off materials, bedding, and other supplies to nearly 4,500 households.
They installed 150 improved emergency shelters in Khan Younis; these shelters are made from available materials such as plastic sheets and are designed to provide displaced families with immediate solutions that can be upgraded into transitional shelters as soon as restricted materials are allowed entry.
Health partners report concerns about skin diseases and other medical issues linked to the presence of pests and rodents.
In addition, partners report that over 6,600 people need prosthetic and rehabilitation care, including thousands newly amputated since October 2023, yet only eight prosthetic technicians are available to respond.
Partners say that one in five amputees is a child, but with severe shortages of specialists and restricted entry of prosthetic materials, it could take five years or more to meet today’s needs, assuming no further amputations occur.
International prosthetic technicians are urgently needed, as is the expansion of workshop capacity and the unimpeded entry of prosthetic materials, which remain restricted by the Israeli authorities.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
#Syria
UN transitions aid delivery as cross-border operations end
After 11 years, the UN has concluded its cross-border humanitarian operations from Türkiye into Syria due to the reopening of border crossings to commercial traffic and improved access through regular supply routes.
The operation was one of the largest and most complex humanitarian supply chains, moving more than 65,000 trucks carrying life-saving aid across borders to support an average of 1.25 million Syrians each year.
Moving to our new model builds on the progress made, said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, in a social media post.
With humanitarian needs remaining significant, the UN and partners remain fully committed to reaching people wherever assistance is needed.
#Ukraine
Civilians, aid operations hit in stepped-up drone attacks
OCHA reports that over the past three days, continued missile and drone attacks across Ukraine have caused civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
In the region of Dnipro, strikes hit a public bus carrying children and at least two humanitarian vehicles. These included a bus that the World Health Organization had donated to the Ministry of Health to carry out vaccinations.
These incidents are part of a recent uptick in drone activity affecting civilian vehicles, including those used for humanitarian operations.
Over the weekend and in the early hours of this morning, authorities reported that hostilities caused nearly 250 civilian casualties, including more than 20 deaths, and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, with the regions of Kherson, Kharkiv and Odesa among the worst affected.
In the front-line city of Kherson, drones struck public buses, killing civilians and injuring others on their way to work.
In the region of Kharkiv, several people were killed and scores, including a child, were injured in this morning’s attack on the town of Merefa.
Adding to these tragedies, civilians were also killed or injured, and homes, schools, energy and port infrastructure were damaged by attacks across the regions of Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Ternopil and Zaporizhzhia.
Humanitarian partners are providing emergency assistance, delivering psychosocial support, hot meals and repair materials at the attack sites, alongside local services and first responders.
Over the weekend, 930 civilians, including more than 180 children, were evacuated from front-line areas in the Donetsk region, with support from humanitarian partners and local authorities.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.
#Sudan
UN calls for respect of rules of war as drone warfare escalates
OCHA is alarmed by escalating drone attacks in Sudan, that continue to endanger civilians, with a wave of strikes reported across several states in recent days.
Earlier today, a drone was reportedly shot down over the Khartoum airport, leading to flights being cancelled. That airport is vital to humanitarian access.
In Aj Jazirah State, local sources report that five members, including women and children, from the same family were killed on Saturday. In White Nile State, a fuel station and tanker were hit near the city of Kosti. And in North Kordofan State, the state television building in the state capital, El Obeid, was damaged.
Drone attacks have also intensified in Darfur. Strikes were reported today in West Darfur, while a strike two days ago in Nyala, South Darfur, injured at least five people and damaged buildings near the offices of humanitarian organizations.
The insecurity is forcing people to flee their homes. Over the past week, more than 2,600 people were displaced in North Kordofan and some 1,000 in South Kordofan, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Nearly 9 million people are currently estimated to be internally displaced within Sudan, while some 4.5 million others have fled to neighbouring countries since the start of the war there more than three years ago.
OCHA reiterates that parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times, including by protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach people quickly and safely, without obstruction.