Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Sudan, Philippines
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
The acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, warned that the entire population in North Gaza Governorate is at risk of dying, saying that what Israeli forces are doing in the besieged north cannot be allowed to continue.
In a statement issued over the weekend, Ms. Msuya noted that hundreds of Palestinians in North Gaza have reportedly been killed and tens of thousands forced to flee yet again. She stressed that such blatant disregard for basic humanity and for the laws of war must stop.
OCHA warns that people in North Gaza are in desperate need of life-saving assistance. OCHA says Israeli authorities denied additional requests over the weekend to bring in food and fuel for water facilities in Jabalya.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that people in northern Gaza are being deprived of life-saving care, amid intensive military operations unfolding around and within health-care facilities – as well as severely limited access and critical shortages of medical supplies.
The agency’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that the Health Ministry had informed WHO that the siege at Kamal Adwan Hospital had ended. After 44 male staff members were detained, only female staff, one male doctor and the hospital director were left to care for nearly 200 patients in desperate need of medical attention.
WHO stresses that hospitals must be shielded from conflict at all times.
OCHA reports that the number of people displaced from North Gaza Governorate into Gaza city this month is now estimated at more than 70,000, with very few families crossing south of Wadi Gaza. Humanitarian partners are doing everything they can to respond to people’s needs in that area – particularly those newly displaced – but warn that ongoing impediments are making it impossible for aid organizations to operate at anywhere near the scale that this crisis demands.
In southern Gaza yesterday, an OCHA team – supported by the UN Mine Action Service – visited an area of Khan Younis, where an Israeli military operation on Saturday reportedly killed more than three dozen people and injured scores of others – including women and children. Some 200 families are living in the Al Manara and Qizan An Najjar neighbourhoods, where the team observed damage to two dozen buildings, including seven that had been destroyed and five others burned.
Many families were displaced during the operation but returned afterward, having failed to find other shelter. The team said people in the area urgently need tents, tarpaulins to cover damaged shelters, hot meals, clean water, baby milk and diapers.
#Lebanon
OCHA says hostilities and displacement orders continue to impact civilians across Lebanon.
According to Lebanese authorities, for the second time in five days, residents of Tyre in South Lebanon were given an evacuation order by the Israeli army ahead of air strikes.
Since 8 October of last year, the International Organization for Migration reports that more than 833,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon. Over 189,000 displaced are currently registered in about 1,100 collective shelters.
Since the escalation of hostilities a year ago, more than 2,600 people in Lebanon have been killed and nearly 12,000 injured, according to official figures.
Health workers have been severely impacted by the current crisis, and local authorities report that yesterday, four paramedics were killed in an airstrike on a relief center in An-Baal town, in Tyre District.
WHO reports that as of 24 October, 99 health workers have been killed while on duty, with 82 others injured since 8 October 2023. The agency also reports more than 50 attacks on healthcare.
OCHA warns that the security situation is affecting humanitarian organizations and their capacity to support the response. The UN Population Fund says continues to provide support, but several of the facilities it supports have had to close due to the deteriorating security situation, including six primary health-care centres, one mobile unit, and five safe spaces for women and girls.
Despite the challenges, the UN and partners continue to provide critical assistance. UNICEF, in close coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, supported the activation of mobile medical units to provide health services to displaced people in shelters, communities and displacement hotspots.
The medical support included medical check-ups, immediate medical assistance and immunization services. Since 23 September, more than 25,000 people have been supported by mobile health teams.
As of 25 October, the World Food Programme has provided food and cash assistance to more than 400,000 people in shelters and affected communities.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that since 23 September, 440,000 people have fled from Lebanon into Syria, based on estimates from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
UNHCR is also aware of more than 22,000 Lebanese arrivals in Iraq since the escalation of hostilities, based on information from Government authorities and partners.
#Sudan
OCHA is extremely concerned by escalating armed violence in Aj Jazirah State, Sudan.
The Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, says the UN has received horrific reports of entire villages being attacked, with civilians killed, detained and displaced in huge numbers. Many of those wounded urgently need medical treatment.
Between 20 and 25 October, the Rapid Support Forces reportedly launched a major assault across 30 towns and villages and towns in eastern Aj Jazirah. We have heard accounts of armed men shooting at civilians indiscriminately and committing acts of sexual violence against women and girls, as well as reports of farms being set ablaze and the widespread looting of homes and markets.
An estimated 47,000 people have fled the fighting, including to other parts of Aj Jazirah State. The UN and humanitarian partners are providing assistance to nearly 40,000 people who have sought shelter in Gedaref and Kassala states.
Those displaced by the violence urgently need food, shelter, health care and protection support. The injured require immediate medical care, and additional services are needed for unaccompanied children and survivors of rape and sexual violence.
The UN and partners are concerned about civilians who remain trapped in affected areas and unable to escape due to insecurity and fear of abduction, as well as those on the move in search of safety, protection and life-saving assistance.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said she is shocked and deeply appalled that human rights violations of the kind witnessed in Darfur last year – including rape, targeted attacks, sexual violence and mass killings – are being repeated in Aj Jazirah State.
She reminded parties that attacking civilians, civilian objects and public infrastructure is prohibited by international humanitarian law and must stop immediately. Wherever they are, civilians must be protected.
#Ukraine
OCHA reports that three days of recent attacks in Ukraine have resulted in heavy casualties and damages to civilian infrastructure.
On Friday, 25 October, attacks on Kyiv and Dnipro left 35 people injured, including children, according to local authorities and partners. A hospital in Dnipro and other civilian infrastructure were also damaged in the attacks.
The same day, the offices of two humanitarian organizations were damaged in Dnipro and the village of Bilozerka in the Kherson region. No casualties were reported in these incidents.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned these attacks and stressed the need to protect civilians at all times.
Over the weekend, more attacks were reported in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherso. Local authorities reported civilian casualties, including among children, as well as damage to stores and a kindergarten.
Humanitarian organizations quickly mobilized after the strikes and provided emergency aid, including hot meals, psychological and legal support, and assistance for home repairs.
#Philippines
Local authorities report that, as of today, Tropical Storm Trami has claimed more than 90 lives in the Philippines, with dozens injured and 30 people still missing.
More than 6.7 million people have been affected and some 980,000 people have been displaced - that’s also according to national authorities.
The National Government of the Philippines has requested international support due to challenges accessing flood-damaged areas.
The UN and NGOs are supporting assessments of damages and needs, and are also closely coordinating with the Government on the response.
Communities affected by the storm need food, water, shelter and medical support, among others. Roads also need to be repaired so people can access markets.
Another tropical storm called Kong-rey is forecasted to travel towards Batanes in the north of the island of Luzon.