Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Ukraine
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Gaza: UN Relief Chief stresses readiness to deliver ‘massive amounts’ of aid
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, underscored yesterday that the UN has the plan, the will and networks needed to deliver massive amounts of life-saving aid to the people in Gaza.
In a social media post, he said that this would be in line with humanitarian principles, and that there is no more time to lose.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that – 600 days since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza – ongoing air and ground operations are further dismantling the means of survival for 2.1 million Palestinians.
Yesterday, dozens of people were reportedly shot and injured while trying to access supplies administered through a newly developed distribution scheme.
Speaking to press in Jerusalem today, OCHA’s Head of Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jonathan Whittall, said these events illustrate how the collective punishment of Palestinians continues and the assault on their human dignity is accelerating.
Mr. Whittall said the new distribution model is more than just the control of aid – it is engineered scarcity: four distribution hubs located in central and southern Gaza, secured by private US security contractors, where those Palestinians who can reach them will receive rations. He warned that this distribution scheme cannot possibly meet Gaza’s needs, stressing that truly humanitarian action seeks to reach all civilians wherever they are.
OCHA reiterates that a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations is essential to meet the needs of all Palestinians and once again underscores the occupying power’s obligations under international law.
During the ceasefire, the UN and its partners demonstrated they could deliver aid effectively when restrictions on aid delivery were eased. The existing system needs to be enabled once more to deliver services and supplies to the entire population in the north and south of Gaza. As the occupying power, Israel must agree to allow and facilitate the aid that is urgently needed.
Since last week, about 900 truckloads were submitted for Israeli approval, 800 were approved, just over 500 could be offloaded on the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom, and fewer made it to the Palestinian side, where the UN and its partners could collect just over 200 of them – limited by insecurity and restricted access. OCHA notes that because fewer Palestinian trucks are needed to collect the cargo transferred through Kerem Shalom, collection is not a one-to-one ratio with trucks offloaded on the Israeli side.
OCHA stresses that aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into Gaza, and humanitarians need unimpeded access to and from those crossings.
Israeli authorities also continue to deny attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza, including one to retrieve fuel from Rafah today. Overall, all six coordinated movements were denied today.
Meanwhile, partners report that people continue to be displaced amid ongoing hostilities and displacement orders issued by the Israeli authorities. Those on the move lack tents, tarpaulins, food and water, among other essential supplies.
Partners working on health report that as of last week, only half of the hospitals in Gaza are functioning, albeit partially. Eight field hospitals – along with about 200 mobile clinics and health centres – have also suspended their services across Gaza due to hostilities, attacks and displacement orders.
Yesterday in Gaza city, an air strike reportedly hit a community kitchen, killing one person and injuring another. Other kitchens that are still operating in Gaza continue to serve about 300,000 meals daily through more than a dozen partners, with whatever stocks remain.
Today, partners working in education report that 75 furniture sets were distributed to learning spaces. The furniture, which was recycled from wooden pallets, will help support children’s access to education. OCHA notes that hundreds of learning spaces have been directly impacted by displacement orders, and about 90 per cent of education facilities need major rehabilitation or reconstruction.
West Bank: Settler violence on the rise
In the West Bank today, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sarah Poole, led a diplomatic field visit to the south Hebron Hills with representatives of more than 10 Member States present. The visit shed light on the current challenges faced by Palestinian communities in the wake of recurrent settler violence and attacks.
OCHA warns that settler violence is on the rise, leading to imminent forced displacement, casualties, demolitions and property damage – including to homes, schools and essential infrastructure.
#Haiti
UN responds to cholera outbreak
OCHA reports that cholera remains a major public health emergency in Haiti, particularly in the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au-Prince and the city of Cap-Haïtien.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the end of December 2024 and as of 17 May, more than 2,100 suspected cases of cholera have been reported in the departments of Ouest, Centre and Artibonite, including 55 laboratory-confirmed cases and 28 associated deaths. The disease continues to spread in densely populated urban areas, including in displacement sites, where access to safe water, sanitation and healthcare remains limited.
The response – led by WHO and the Pan American Health Organization, with support from OCHA – focuses on epidemiological surveillance, clinical care, disinfection of high-risk areas, water treatment and community awareness.
Between 10 and 17 May, the UN and its partners reached more than 7,000 displaced people with briefings on cholera prevention and water treatment in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. They also helped to disinfect hundreds of homes and facilities and distributed some 2,000 water purification tablets. More than 30 handwashing stations were also installed across 12 displacement sites.
Despite these efforts, security constraints continue to severely hinder humanitarian access and delay emergency interventions.
OCHA warns that low levels of funding are jeopardizing critical cholera response activities, including prevention, case management, laboratory testing and access to safe water.*
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Haiti with urgent support.
#Ukraine
Aid convoy reaches front-line city of Pokrovsk
OCHA reports that yesterday, the UN and its humanitarian partners sent a humanitarian convoy to Pokrovsk, one of the towns most affected by fighting in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The supplies included hygiene and medical kits, dignity kits for older people, and food parcels.
Pokrovsk, located just two kilometres from the front line, has been at the epicentre of hostilities on the eastern front over the past year.
Before the war, the city had a population of more than 60,000. The sharp decline is due to intense hostilities and mass evacuations. The town's current population is about 1,850 – mostly older people and people with disabilities who are unable to leave this hard-to-reach area.
With today’s convoy, aid will reach more than 1,000 people – more than half of those currently remaining in the town.
So far in 2025, the UN and its humanitarian partners have delivered seven convoys with 12 trucks of critical supplies for nearly 11,000 people in front-line areas of the Donetsk region.
Across Ukraine, partners have delivered 22 convoys this year, reaching more than 30,000 residents in front-line communities.
Meanwhile, authorities reported that yesterday and today, air strikes and hostilities resulted in at least 35 civilian casualties – including children – and damaged homes, railway infrastructure and other civilian facilities. The regions of Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Sumy and Chernihiv were among the hardest hit.
In response to recent air attacks, particularly in the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv, aid workers provided immediate assistance, including legal and psychological support, protection services, and construction materials to help families cover damaged homes.