Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Cuba, Sudan, Haiti, Madagascar, Syria, Ukraine

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Amid constraints, UN continues aid delivery

OCHA says the UN and its partners continue serving hundreds of thousands of meals every day, as well as digital cash and monthly rations, despite persistent impediments. 

Last week, food security partners completed the distribution of animal feed to more than 2,000 herders and farmers over nine days. This helps increase local production and reduce reliance on humanitarian assistance.

Meanwhile, Gaza city continues to face a severe shortage of drinking and domestic water. This is despite a recent reopening of the valve on the Gaza city Mekorot supply line from Israel. Only 6,000 cubic metres are reaching people in the city every day, out of a higher volume said to be pumped in, pointing to significant water losses in hard-to-reach areas. To mitigate this shortfall, the UN and its partners have increased water production and trucked deliveries from groundwater wells and private sector desalination plants. 

Since late last month, humanitarian agencies have distributed over 100,000 water jerry cans, over 700,000 bars of soap, over 25,000 hygiene kits, over 400 household latrines, and 250 anti-lice kits across Gaza. 

Mine action agencies report, over a week and by Wednesday, 4 February, they had conducted more than 200 assessments of potential explosive hazards in support of debris removal. This is in addition to support they provide to secure humanitarian movements and operations. Last week, they also reached over 10,000 children and adults with explosive ordnance risk education. They note this remains a major risk as 33 explosive ordnance incidents have been reported since the ceasefire came into force in October 2025, resulting in nine deaths and 65 injuries. 

OCHA says restrictions, including limitations on the entry of items listed as “dual use” or non-humanitarian, continue to hamper the humanitarian response. Such items include spare parts and certain shelter materials. Also undermining humanitarian operations is the de-registration of some international non-governmental organizations and restrictions imposed on UNRWA and other UN agencies. 

#Cuba

UN calls for urgent funding as fuel shortages strain essential services

Turning to Cuba, the UN continues to monitor the situation in the country and is working with the Government to provide more support, including on food, water and sanitation, and healthcare.

OCHA is concerned about the growing fuel shortages and their impact on people. This includes disruptions to the delivery of clean water, medical care, food and other critical aid in parts of Cuba hit hard by Hurricane Melissa last October. There are also concerns that the fuel scarcity could have implications on the operation of airports.

In November 2025, the UN in Cuba launched a Plan of Action to support the national response in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which affected more than 2 million people – or one in every five people in the country.

The UN remains committed to supporting recovery efforts led by the authorities and to helping families recover.

The Plan of Action, which seeks $74 million, is currently only 23 per cent funded. The UN urgently calls for more funding to ensure aid reaches all who need it.

#Sudan

UN sounds alarm over continued attacks on civilians, medical facilities

OCHA says it is deeply concerned by continued attacks on civilians and medical facilities, further devastating an already fragile health system.

Humanitarian partners reported on Friday that drone strikes near the border between Sudan and Chad caused multiple casualties among civilians.

According to humanitarian partners, 29 injured people were referred to the Médecins Sans Frontières-supported hospital in the town of Tine in eastern Chad. Six people were reported to have been killed during the attacks, with four more later dying from their injuries in hospital. Medical teams report that the facility is operating under extreme strain, with limited capacity to treat critically wounded patients amid a steady flow of severe trauma cases.

In South Kordofan, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday that three health facilities in the state were struck last week alone. These attacks reportedly killed at least 31 people, including children, women and four health workers, and injured many others, in a region already facing severe shortages of health care.

OCHA reiterates that civilians, medical facilities and health workers must be protected, in line with international humanitarian law. Attacks on health services are unacceptable and have life-threatening consequences for people in need of care.

Meanwhile, many continue to flee their homes in the Kordofan region. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 750 people were newly displaced from the city of Dilling in South Kordofan on Friday and Saturday.

While people are increasingly returning to their communities in other parts of Sudan – with some 3.5 million people having returned so far – more than 9 million people remain displaced within Sudan.

With violence continuing to claim lives and cripple essential services, OCHA once again calls for more funding, as well as rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, so life-saving assistance can reach the millions of people in need across Sudan.

#Haiti

As gender-based violence soars, UN reports survivors have limited access to care

OCHA is deeply alarmed at the surge in gender-based violence over the past year.

Last year, there were reports of 8,000 cases – a 25 per cent rise from 2024 – though underreporting means this reflects only a fraction of the true scale of the scourge.

Access to emergency care remains extremely limited. Only 30 per cent of survivors were able to receive assistance within 72 hours of an assault, increasing the risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. Underfunding means survivors can’t access legal assistance, child protection services and safe shelter.

The UN and its partners are seeking $24 million to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, targeting 1.5 million people with medical, psychological and other forms of support.

#Madagascar

UN releases $3 million ahead of new cyclone as thousands remain affected by previous storm

From Madagascar, OCHA reports another cyclone is expected to make landfall.

Ahead of this storm, $3 million has been released from the Central Emergency Response Fund to pre-position staff and supplies and prepare before landfall.

The funds will go towards IOM, UNICEF, the UN Population Fund, WHO, the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

This comes as Madagascar continues to recover from the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Fytia, which made landfall on 31 January. That storm affected more than 200,000 people across the country’s north-west and at least 12 deaths have been reported.

The humanitarian community is calling for $11 million to reach more than 90,000 people impacted by Cyclone Fytia. The Government, with support from OCHA and partners, is providing food, cash and nutrition assistance.

#Syria

Severe flooding hits northwest Syria, killing children, displacing thousands

Heavy rainfall between Saturday and today has caused severe flooding across parts of Idleb and northern Latakia, killing two children and affecting more than 5,000 displaced people. Some 1,800 tents were partially damaged and 150 destroyed.

Flooding also forced the closure of a local hospital, with patients evacuated and mobile medical teams deployed. Authorities have opened collective shelters and prepared additional housing for families who need it.

Humanitarian partners are relocating families, repairing shelters and delivering assistance.

In a separate incident, a Syrian Arab Red Crescent staff member was killed and five others were injured when a response vehicle crashed while assisting affected communities.

Fighting has subsided in the governorates of Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa following the agreement announced on 30 January. As of 3 February, nearly 160,000 people – mostly women and children – are still displaced.

While there has been some improvement in humanitarian access, there are still major challenges. Electricity outages continue to disrupt water systems, telecommunications are intermittent, food supply chains are constrained, and schools are still suspended in many areas.

The presence of explosive ordnance also poses a serious risk. Between 28 January and 3 February, eight people died and nine were injured.

Between 25 January and 5 February, partners facilitated ten inter-agency convoys to Qamishli and Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani, delivering 154 trucks of life-saving assistance. In total, humanitarian partners have reached more than 190,000 people across 83 communities with food, medicine, fuel, winter items and other essential support.

#Ukraine

New wave of attacks kills, injures civilians

OCHA says a new waves of attacks over the weekend killed and injured many civilians, including children, and caused additional damage to energy facilities.

Between 6 February and this morning, over a dozen civilians, including a child, were killed, and more than 120, including several children and many older people, were injured across the country, according to local authorities. The front-line regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia in the east and south of the country were particularly impacted.

Authorities and partners on the ground also report that on 7 February a large-scale attack damaged two power plants and critical transmission lines in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne and Vinnytsia regions, further worsening the already dire energy and heating situation.

National and international NGOs, with the support of UN agencies, are mobilized and delivering construction materials, helping to cover or replace the shattered windows and providing cash assistance.