Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, said yesterday that North Gaza has been under a near-total siege for the past month.
In a social media post, Msuya said Israeli ground operations have left Palestinians without the essentials to survive, forced them to flee for safety multiple times, and cut off their escape and supply routes.
She said living conditions in North Gaza are deadly, and civilians are starving while the world watches on. The Acting Under-Secretary-General stressed that these atrocities must stop.
OCHA reports that as of Monday, the UN and its partners estimated that about 100,000 people had been displaced from North Gaza governorate to Gaza city over a period of four weeks. Between 75,000 and 95,000 people were estimated to remain in North Gaza. The death toll there over the past month is thought to be in the hundreds.
Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, concluded a two-day visit to the Gaza Strip. In Khan Younis Governorate, in southern Gaza, he visited a site hosting about 700 internally displaced people in Al Mawasi, where he met with community representatives who shared with him some of their concerns.
Hadi saw firsthand how the community worked with our humanitarian partners to install shared latrines and handwashing stations, as well as organize water trucking and cleaning services for and by the community. This was despite a range of challenges, including the electricity blackout and scarcity of supplies.
Meanwhile, OCHA warns that in central and southern Gaza, more than 100 kitchens producing 400,000 meals a day are at risk of shutting down due to supply shortages. All eight bakeries support by the UN in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis were operating at just 70 per cent capacity as of Sunday. They are at risk of shutting down unless additional flour is received immediately.
In the West Bank, an OCHA team visited the Al Bustan area of Silwan, in East Jerusalem, yesterday. The Israeli authorities had demolished nine Palestinian homes in that neighbourhood, displacing 42 people, nearly half of them children. During their visit, the team heard from residents, assessed their humanitarian needs, surveyed the damage and worked with our partners to mobilize assistance for those affected.
OCHA reports that this area near the Old City, home to more than 1,500 Palestinians, is the focus of an Israeli settlement-related plan to demolish dozens of housing units.
So far this year, OCHA has recorded the destruction of about 1,000 Palestinian homes and other structures across the West Bank for lacking building permits, displacing more than 1,100 people and undermining livelihoods and access to essential services for many others. Nearly 40 per cent of those displaced were in East Jerusalem.
Lebanon
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, was in the Bekaa Governorate, in the east of the country today to meet with the Governor and displaced families sheltering in a building at Lebanese University. The region currently hosts more than 110,000 displaced people.
Yesterday, in Beirut, Riza visited Lebanon’s only hospital treating burns. Since 23 September of this year, the center has already treated 40 patients, including children.
The UN and partners continue to provide food, medicine, water and sanitation support.
Today, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East delivered medical supplies and fuel for generators in a displacement camp in Tyre, in the South Governorate.
Meanwhile, the hostilities continue, with civilians bearing the brunt of the current crisis. Airstrikes and successive displacement orders not only kill and injure civilians, but also push people to flee their homes.
The International Organization for Migration has recorded 30,000 people as being newly displaced in just four days, bringing the total number of people uprooted since October 2023 to more than 870,000.
The UN Refugee Agency also warns of escalating protection risks, with thousands of displaced forced to sleep in unsafe open spaces.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
OCHA is concerned by the continued violence and deteriorating security conditions in North Kivu province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The humanitarian situation there continues to be dire, with civilians caught in crossfire and humanitarian access severely restricted.
Since 20 October, armed clashes in the territory of Walikale have resulted in the deaths of at least 34 civilians, with hundreds more injured, according to local partners. More than 34,000 people have also been displaced.
The General Reference Hospital of the Pinga health zone, which plays a vital role in delivering emergency healthcare for conflict-related injuries in the region, is experiencing a shortage of essential medical supplies.
Humanitarian organizations have expressed concerns about the increased frequency of violent attacks on displacement sites in Goma. UN partners have reported that there have been killings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, forced labour, extortions and looting, with women, children and vulnerable adults being particularly affected.
Between June and October of this year, humanitarian partners have documented more than 100 attacks against people in displacement sites in Goma, Nyiragongo and Masisi, resulting in at least 18 displaced people killed and 39 injured.
Despite the challenges, humanitarian partners continue to deliver food, water and health-care assistance to more than 650,000 displaced people in and around Goma. However, the presence of armed groups near the sites hinders the delivery of aid.
We call on the authorities to take action to restore security and ensure that these sites are safe for both displaced people and humanitarian organizations.