Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Ukraine, Somalia

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Supplies, fuel running out as blockade of Gaza hits two-month mark

OCHA warns that the situation on the ground in Gaza is growing increasingly dire for civilians.

Today marks two months since Israeli authorities imposed a total blockade on all supplies into Gaza. The longer this blockade continues, the more irreversible harm is being done to countless lives.

Fuel is also running out, and even existing stocks are often inaccessible. This is because many fuel stations are in areas where Israeli authorities systematically deny humanitarians access. Earlier this week, the municipality of Beit Lahiya in North Gaza said it could no longer pump water from wells or run sewage and sanitation systems. The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that only eight of its 12 firefighting, rescue and ambulance vehicles remain operational.

Meanwhile, OCHA reports that hostilities continue to imperil civilians. Over the past two days, air strikes, tank fire and heavy shelling have been reported in residential areas across all of the Gaza Strip’s five governorates. Scores of people have reportedly been killed or injured, including women and children staying in tents for displaced people.

In recent days, three farmers were reportedly found dead in eastern Khan Younis, following reports of an air strike in that area. On Tuesday, farmland in North Gaza was reportedly set on fire. On Wednesday, a fisher was reportedly killed off the coast of Gaza city. Beyond the loss of life, these incidents further deepen people’s dependence on food aid – which is either depleted or fast running out.

#Haiti

Humanitarians scale up health support in Centre Department

OCHA reports that the UN and its partners are ramping up life-saving assistance in parts of Haiti where armed violence continues to hamper access to healthcare.

In Centre Department earlier this week, the UN and its partners delivered three emergency kits – enough to support up to 30,000 patients for three months. The kits, which include surgical instruments and other essential supplies, were dispatched to hospitals in the department capital Hinche, the commune of Boucan Carré, and the village of Cange. These facilities are coping with acute shortages due to the influx of displaced people.

They are also understaffed and overstretched, following the closure of a major referral hospital in the department. The University Hospital of Mirebalais was forced to suspend operations amid a wave of insecurity in the area.

Although the UN and its partners continue to support hospitals that are still functioning, access constraints reported along main transport routes are complicating their efforts to deliver vital assistance.

Across Haiti, access to healthcare is shrinking. The situation is particularly acute in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area, where 42 per cent of health facilities remain closed, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

Severe funding shortfalls are also undermining the response. A third of the way into the year, the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti is less than 7 per cent funded, with just over US$61 million received of the more than $908 million required.

OCHA continues to work with UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to meet the most urgent needs of people in Haiti, wherever and whenever possible.*

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Haiti with urgent support.

#Ukraine

Deadly attacks hit front-line communities in Ukraine

OCHA reports that widespread hostilities in front-line regions of Ukraine continue to kill and injure civilians, as well as damage civilian infrastructure.

According to authorities, over the past 48 hours, at least six civilians were reportedly killed and nearly 100 others, including children, were injured as shelling intensified in the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. Homes, schools and health infrastructure were damaged or destroyed.

A strike overnight in the city of Zaporizhzhia injured dozens of civilians and damaged multiple residential buildings, a university, health facilities and other civilian infrastructure, according to authorities and aid workers.

Yesterday, Odesa city was also struck, resulting in casualties among residents and damaging more than a dozen apartment buildings and a school.

Humanitarian partners quickly mobilized to deliver emergency assistance in Zaporizhzhia and Odesa, including hot meals, psychological first aid and shelter material. With many homes left uninhabitable, efforts are ongoing to secure temporary accommodation for affected residents.

To support the growing number of displaced families, a new collective site was opened today in the Dnipro region, offering shelter for up to 200 people fleeing from nearby war-affected areas.

#Somalia

Floods impact tens of thousands in Somalia

OCHA reports that flash floods are affecting tens of thousands of people across Somalia. Since 15 April, more than 45,000 people have been impacted, with four deaths – including three children – according to local authorities.

On 28 April, the Shabelle River burst its banks in the Jowhar district of the Middle Shabelle region, forcing more than 6,000 people to flee to makeshift camps on higher ground.

In Galmudug state, flash floods in some parts of the town of Gaalkacyo affected more than 9,500 people who were already displaced and living in 14 makeshift shelters.

The flooding comes at a time when humanitarian organizations, especially national non-governmental organizations, have been crippled by funding cuts. In recent months, many groups in Somalia have been forced to pause, scale back or even end their critical programmes.

In 2025, about one third of Somalia’s population – nearly 6 million people – needs humanitarian assistance. However, this year’s $1.4 billion humanitarian appeal is just over 10 per cent funded, with $148 million received to date.