Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Afghanistan, Niger

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

The number of people displaced across Gaza has now topped 263,000 – an increase of 40 per cent since yesterday. More than 175,000 displaced people are sheltering in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools.

More than 1,000 housing units in Gaza have been destroyed, and some 560 have been severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable. An additional 12,630 sustained lesser damage.

All 13 hospitals and other health facilities in Gaza are only partially operational due to supply shortages and fuel rationing. The Beit Hanoun hospital is also inaccessible due to damage to surrounding areas.

With water supplies cut off from Israel into Gaza, there is a severe shortage of drinking water affecting more than 650,000 people. 

Israeli airstrikes have also damaged seven facilities that had been providing water and sanitation services to over 1,100,000 people. In some areas, sewage and solid waste are now accumulating in the streets, posing a health hazard.

#Afghanistan

Another earthquake struck parts of Herat Province this morning, just four days after the same province was hit by a major earthquake affecting 17,000 people.

Initial reports from humanitarian partners indicate that 140 people were injured and transported to Herat Regional Hospital and private facilities in the latest 6.3-magnitude quake. 

More than 110 new villages were affected by today's earthquake across five districts, with houses reported to be severely damaged in Gulran and Injil districts. 

Our international colleagues, along with our local partners, are on the ground assessing the impact and needs of the latest earthquakes in Herat Province and continue to provide assistance.

Yesterday, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, Daniel Andres, visited the affected areas to assess the damages and meet with affected communities. 

#Niger

We and our partners continue to deliver humanitarian assistance across the country.

Before the current political crisis, the country was already facing a complex humanitarian situation linked to escalating violence and the impact of the climate crisis.

Some 4.3 million people need humanitarian aid in the country and 3 million people – 13 percent of the population – need of food assistance. Our colleagues warn about a looming food and nutrition crisis with limited funding to sustain a food response during the lean season.

The ongoing floods in the country are further worsening the situation, with more than 170,000 people affected, as well as significant property and livestock losses. The Maradi region in the south is the hardest hit, with more than 65,000 people affected.

The US$584 million Humanitarian Response Plan is currently 41 per cent funded.