Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Central America and Mexico
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA reports that hundreds of thousands of displaced people in southern Gaza suffer from poor access to shelter, health, food, water and sanitation.
From 7 to 14 to June, OCHA led humanitarian assessments in four displacement sites in the south of Gaza; Deir al Balah, two in Khan Younis and two in Al Mawasi area of Rafah.
OCHA found people living in overcrowded makeshift shelters and tents which are in dire need of repair and do not offer any protection from extreme heat.
Access to water is critically low, and people have to queue for long hours to collect it and are forced to rely on sea water for domestic use.
There is a continuing spread of communicable illnesses, amid sewage overflow, proliferation of insects, rodents and snakes, and a near-total lack of hygiene items and sanitation facilities.
Many households report having only one meal every day, with some having one meal every two or three days, relying mostly on bread, food sharing with other families, and rationing stocks.
Meanwhile, access constraints continue to severely undermine the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance and services across Gaza.
Between June 1 and 18 June, out of the 61 coordinated humanitarian assistance missions to northern Gaza, 28 (46 per cent) were facilitated by Israeli authorities, eight (13 per cent) were denied access, 16 (26 per cent) were impeded, and nine (15 per cent) were cancelled due to logistical, operational or security reasons.
Humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated and all impediments must be lifted.
#Central America and Mexico
Mexico and Central America were hit by flooding and landslides between 15 and 17 June.
A broad area of low pressure is currently centered over northern Central America and southern Mexico, in a pattern that is known as a Central American Gyre. Rainfall of up to 75 centimeters is expected by the end of the week, according to forecasts.
The countries and areas most impacted by the heavy rainfall are El Salvador, Guatemala, northwest Nicaragua, southwest Honduras and the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. According to official reports, at least 20 people have died in the affected countries.
Separately, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season, known as Alberto, formed yesterday in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm made landfall in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas today and is expected to bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas in the United States later this week.
The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be more active than usual due to several factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific.
The UN teams in Mexico and in the three Northern Central America countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, led by the Resident Coordinators, are monitoring the situation closely, together with OCHA. We remain in close contact with the Governments and stand ready to provide further guidance and support.
As the Atlantic Hurricane season begins, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plans for the region require more funding. The appeal for El Salvador seeking US$87 million, is just 13 per cent funded, while the $125 million plan for Guatemala is 18 per cent funded and the appeal for Honduras, seeking $203, is currently 21 per cent funded.