Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Chad
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Two years on from 7 October, UN Relief Chief urges action to protect civilians, stresses “glimmer of hope”
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said today that two years on from the abhorrent 7 October attacks in Israel, the pain endures. He renewed his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for civilians everywhere to be protected. Fletcher recalled that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and that hundreds of thousands endure starvation and displacement. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the free flow of humanitarian aid at scale – stressing that there is a glimmer of hope for change that we must keep alive.
On the ground, OCHA reports that Israeli military operations – including air strikes and shelling – continued across multiple areas, causing more civilian casualties, widespread displacement, and the destruction of critical infrastructure. Earlier today, a rocket was reportedly launched from Gaza towards Israel; no casualties or damage were reported.
Civilians continue to bear the brunt of hostilities, destruction and mass displacement – with women and girls among those most at risk. The UN Population Fund and partners reported yesterday that incidents of gender-based violence in Gaza city surged by 26 per cent between July and August, with rising cases of sexual exploitation, domestic violence and economic abuse. The renewed offensive in Gaza city has contributed to the collapse of referral systems for gender-based violence in the area, leaving women and girls without safe access to support.
Despite the challenges, partners responding to gender-based violence in Gaza city – many of whom are displaced and affected themselves – continue to deliver psychosocial support, case management and other services.
OCHA reiterates that humanitarian partners face severe physical and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent the delivery of life-saving assistance at the scale required. Complex authorization and inspection procedures, limited clearance capacity at crossings, and unpredictable rejections of pre-cleared cargo by Israeli authorities continue to delay humanitarian movements and aid delivery. Inside Gaza, looting – including by armed actors – has further hampered humanitarian operations.
Yesterday, eight out of 20 missions coordinated by the UN with Israeli authorities were facilitated, including the collection of supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing. Four missions were cancelled by the organizers, and four missions were denied, which included the collection of food cargo that had entered Gaza. Four other missions were impeded on the ground – these included collections of food cargo from Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings, which were partially accomplished, as well as the collection of medical supplies, which was fully accomplished despite the impediments.
OCHA reiterates that for a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations, additional crossing points must be opened, and restrictions on the entry and movement of humanitarian aid inside Gaza must be lifted without delay. Currently, a limited number of humanitarian organizations and UN agencies are authorized by Israeli authorities to bring in aid supplies – a limitation that continues to undermine the scale-up of response efforts.
#Chad
UN fast-tracks funds for cholera response
Emergency Relief Coordinator Fletcher has allocated US$1 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for an urgent response to the deadly cholera outbreak in Chad.
The new funding aims to help contain the spread of the disease – mainly by improving access to water and sanitation, providing medical support, and strengthening community engagement to raise awareness of the risks and encourage proactive prevention.
The outbreak is affecting the eastern provinces of Ouaddaï and Sila – which are hosting large numbers of people displaced by the conflict in neighbouring Sudan – as well as the central province of Guéra.
As of Sunday, more than 2,600 suspected cases and nearly 150 deaths have been reported. These figures indicate a potential case fatality rate of nearly 6 per cent – far higher than the emergency threshold of 1 per cent, as defined by the World Health Organization.
The new funding complements $3 million previously allocated for the cholera outbreak in Chad – including $2 million from the OCHA-managed regional fund for West and Central Africa* and another $1 million from CERF. So far this year, the Central Emergency Response Fund has released $11 million to mitigate and respond to cholera outbreaks in five African countries, including Chad.
OCHA remains deeply grateful to donors who support CERF and the other pooled funds, which allow humanitarians to fast-track response efforts.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in West and Central Africa – including Chad, Mali and Niger – with urgent support.