Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Sudan, Colombia, Ukraine

A Palestinian youth walks through the rubble of destroyed homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian youth walks through the ruins of homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, carrying a water jerrican and a shovel. Photo: UNICEF//UNI724700/El Baba

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, arrived in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory today for a week-long visit. During his travels, he will engage with authorities, humanitarian partners and those on the front lines of the response.

Today in Ramallah, Fletcher met with Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several Palestinian ministers. He also held a separate meeting with Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, President of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, to discuss the challenges that emergency responders are facing. 

In the coming days, Fletcher will meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials and visit areas in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel to see the situation, understand obstacles facing aid partners, and strengthen humanitarian coordination.

OCHA reports that the UN and its humanitarian partners are expanding life-saving aid operations as more humanitarian supplies enter Gaza. Today, 857 trucks entered the Strip, while 954 crossed into Gaza over the weekend, according to information obtained by the UN on the ground through interactions with the Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire deal.

Meanwhile, work continues to assess the needs of Palestinians across the Strip and adapt the humanitarian response accordingly.

OCHA says displaced people continue to move between southern and northern Gaza as they reunite with family and start rebuilding their lives. 

As of today, the UN and humanitarian partners estimate that more than 545,000 people have crossed from the south to the north of Gaza over the past week. More than 36,000 people have been observed moving from the north to the south.  

OCHA also notes that protection partners have distributed more than 30,000 child identity bracelets to children under the age of four to help prevent family separation. This effort was critical, as partners reportedly received more than 250 young children who had been separated from their caregivers while crossing to the north. 

In North Gaza governorate, protection partners say three temporary sites have been established in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabalya. Each of these three sites can host 5,000 people. Yesterday, the UN Population Fund reported the expansion of protection services for women in Jabalya in North Gaza, as well as in Gaza city.  

The World Food Programme noted that prices have started to fall since the ceasefire took effect and as more humanitarian commodities enter Gaza – although they still remain above pre-conflict levels. 

One-third of households reportedly have better access to food, but consumption remains significantly below levels prior to the escalation of hostilities. For most households, the primary obstacle is lack of cash.  

Meanwhile, partners working on education report that some 280,000 school-aged children in Gaza have registered in the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East e-learning programme.

In the West Bank, OCHA reports that Israeli forces’ ongoing operation in Jenin and Tulkarm has expanded to the nearby governorate of Tubas, resulting in further death, destruction and displacement. 

OCHA warns once again that lethal, war-like tactics are being applied, raising concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards. Yesterday in Jenin Refugee Camp, Israeli forces reportedly destroyed 20 residential structures where more than 50 families were living. 

Meanwhile in Tubas yesterday, Israeli forces conducted house-to-house searches in the town of Tammun, displacing as many as 15 families and blocking the town's entrances. Today, Israeli forces raided El Far'a Refugee Camp and blocked the entrances. As a result, dozens of families have reportedly fled the camp, fearing a larger Israeli operation.

OCHA reports that as of today, the Palestinian death toll in recent Israeli operations in the West Bank stands at 39 since 21 January, when the operation in Jenin began. 

Meanwhile, tight movement restrictions across the West Bank continue to hamper access to basic services, leaving Palestinians queuing for hours at Israeli checkpoints or forced to take significantly longer detours.

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

OCHA says it is concerned about escalating health risks in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the rainy season intensifying.

The bodies of people killed are still in the streets of Goma. Morgues are at capacity, and hospitals and health centers are overwhelmed with injured people. While efforts to chlorinate water are under way with the support of humanitarian partners, the lack of drinking water is forcing people in Goma to rely on untreated water from Lake Kivu.

Meanwhile, economic and other activities are gradually resuming, but schools and banks remain closed in Goma.

Two humanitarian organizations and government entities had their vehicles hijacked over the weekend.

Aid organizations continue to assess the impact of the looting of their warehouses as these groups try to resume the delivery of aid in and around Goma.

Between 31 January and 1 February, OCHA and its humanitarian partners jointly assessed to displacement sites in and around Goma. Initial findings reveal that many camps have been looted, destroyed and abandoned. While some people may have returned to their communities or sought refuge elsewhere, many people still lack adequate shelter and access to basic services.

#Lebanon

OCHA reports that the UN and its partners continue to support the humanitarian response across Lebanon.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 100,000 people remain displaced within Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of people have begun to return to their communities after the cessation of hostilities at the end of November last year, with many people still on the move.

The UN and its partners continue to provide support to returnees and displaced people including blankets, clothes, jerry cans, hygiene kits, food and water. They are also supporting mobile clinics with the delivery of medicine and medical supplies. 

Recent assessments by UN agencies in Lebanon noted the severe impact of the conflict, including widespread infrastructure damage, agricultural losses, economic setbacks and increasing unemployment. According to UN-Habitat, over 15,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed in South Lebanon, generating more than 8 million tons of debris. Immediate support is crucial to restore essential services, rebuild livelihoods and drive recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, the situation remains volatile, with persisting airstrikes, gunfire, and the demolition of homes and infrastructure in areas bordering Israel. 

According to the UN Human Rights Office, between 22 and 29 January, at least 21 civilians were killed, bringing the total death toll to 51 since the cessation of hostilities took effect on 27 November, including 9 women and 5 children.

OCHA reiterates that civilians must be protected at all times and wherever they are, whether they leave or stay.

#Sudan

OCHA is deeply concerned about escalating violence and continued attacks on civilians by the parties to the conflict across Sudan.

In Khartoum State on Saturday, a strike on a crowded market and attacks on several residential areas in Omdurman reportedly left at least 60 people dead and more than 150 injured.

In recent days, civilian casualties have also been reported due to attacks in North Kordofan, and North and South Darfur.

In North Darfur’s capital Al Fasher, the civilian death toll is reportedly rising due to ongoing clashes, artillery shelling and air strikes. OCHA is particularly alarmed by reports of ongoing attacks on the Abu Shouk displacement camp, where famine conditions were identified in late December. The situation remains extremely volatile, with reports that the warring parties are mobilizing troops from other states.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has condemned these indiscriminate attacks, calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed. In a statement issued yesterday, she stressed that the deliberate targeting of civilian areas demonstrates a blatant disregard for human life and the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

OCHA is also gravely concerned about rising cases of severe malnutrition in Khartoum State, where local reports indicate more than 70 hunger-related deaths, mostly among children. In January alone, over 1,100 cases of severe malnutrition were recorded in three neighbourhoods of Omdurman, underscoring the urgent need for food assistance.

Malnutrition rates are especially high in areas where access restrictions have forced the closure of community kitchens that many families relied on for their survival.

Without immediate action, the crisis will only worsen. OCHA stresses once again the urgent need for increased funding and logistical support to sustain nutrition programmes and community kitchens, ensuring that the most vulnerable – especially children and older people – receive adequate food, nutrition and healthcare assistance.

#Colombia

The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has allocated US$3.8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help more than 42,000 people in Colombia's north-east.

The new funding will support displaced people and host communities in the region of Catatumbo. The resources will go towards food assistance; emergency shelter and basic household items; drinking water and sanitation; education; child protection; and addressing gender-based violence.

Escalating hostilities in Catatumbo region, near the border with Venezuela, has affected more than 75,000 people, over 50,000 of whom have had to flee their homes, since January 16th. This is according to our partners.

This new CERF allocation comes a week after the launch of the Colombia Humanitarian Response Plan, which seeks $342 million to assist 2 million of the most vulnerable people in Colombia.

#Ukraine

OCHA says continuing hostilities in Ukraine's front-line areas in recent days have left more than 20 civilians dead and over 100 others injured, according to local authorities. Multiple homes, schools and critical infrastructure were also damaged. 

In Poltava, in central Ukraine, an attack on a residential building on Saturday killed more than a dozen civilians, including two children, and injured 20 others, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, fighting in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia killed several people and injured scores of others.

In the wake of these attacks, aid workers responded immediately, providing first aid, hot meals, plastic sheeting to cover damaged windows, and psychosocial and legal support to affected civilians.