Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Ukraine, Cuba
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA reports that, as of yesterday, the only UN assistance allowed into North Gaza since the start of the Israeli siege a month ago was supplies to hospitals during medical evacuation missions. The Israeli offensive is preventing Palestinians from accessing the essentials for their survival, including water. Humanitarians are not safe to do their work and are blocked by Israeli forces and insecurity from reaching people in need.
As the leaders of UN and humanitarian organizations, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, stated a week ago, the entire population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.
Palestinians there have absolutely no protection as the bombardment continues. OCHA stresses once again that civilians in the north and across Gaza must be protected.
Today, people staying in parts of North Gaza and Gaza governorates were ordered out yet again by the Israeli authorities. An initial estimate by our partners on the ground indicates that some 14,000 displaced Palestinians in that area are staying in shelters and other sites, which include three of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East collective centres, one other collective centre and six makeshift locations.
Meanwhile, there are new reports of mass casualty attacks, which continue to put tens of thousands of civilians in grave danger.
Despite ongoing hostilities, yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners carried out the largest medical evacuation from Gaza since October of last year. 90 patients were evacuated, including 38 children. More than three dozen patients have cancer, and a dozen have severe injuries. Along with their companions, the patients were transferred to the United Arab Emirates and to Romania.
Prior to the evacuation, WHO transferred 16 patients and 20 caregivers from northern Gaza to the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza to join the movement.
WHO calls once again for the establishment of evacuation corridors and for all possible routes to be used for the timely passage of all patients who need specialized care.
Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) say 40 of the agency’s trucks – loaded with essential medical, hygiene, and reproductive health supplies – are waiting at the Egypt and Jordan borders, to enter Gaza. The trucks contain more than 360 inter-agency reproductive health kits – which include essential medicines and supplies for safe births and emergency obstetric care – as well as medicines, medical tents, postpartum kits, and hygiene supplies and sanitary pads. Since the beginning of October, UNFPA says only 16 trucks carrying the agency’s supplies have been able to enter Gaza.
UNFPA is working to deliver critical assistance across Gaza. Over the last week, the agency has provided nearly 6,300 dignity, hygiene and postpartum kits to partners in Deir al Balah.
In Gaza city, UNFPA delivered three inter-agency reproductive health kits to the Sahaba and Al Helou hospitals, along with 765 dignity kits to our humanitarian partners.
#Lebanon
OCHA says that continued airstrikes and displacement orders continue to deepen the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, leaving people in a state of constant fear.
Since the recent escalation of hostilities on 23 September and as of 4 November, OCHA reports that the Israeli army has issued displacement orders for more than 160 villages and over 130 buildings in conflict-affected regions of Lebanon. Airstrikes also continue to kill, injure and displace people across the country.
Yesterday, in one day alone, local authorities say that 40 people were killed and dozens injured after strikes hit the governorates of Bekaa and Baalbeck. Some 30,000 displaced people are now in Baalbeck Governorate and many of them have been forced to relocated multiple times this week amid relentless airstrikes.
Collective shelters are overstretched, with 85 per cent of them operating at maximum capacity.
Meanwhile, the UN continues to support the response and today a humanitarian convoy delivered essential aid, including food, water and winter kits, to over 4,000 people in nine collective shelters in the town of Deir Al Ahmar in Baalbeck-Hermel Governorate.
#Ukraine
OCHA reports that overnight attacks in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, as well as in the regions of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia, injured civilians and damaged apartment buildings and hospitals, according to authorities and partners on the ground.
Aid workers swiftly mobilized to offer psychological support, provide construction materials to cover damaged windows and deliver cash assistance for vulnerable people.
Yesterday and today, authorities also reported dozens of civilian casualties in the front-line regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Sumy and Mykolaiv, in the east, south and north-east of the country. Authorities and aid workers said these strikes also damaged homes and critical infrastructure.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, witnessed the humanitarian impact of the attacks firsthand while on a mission to the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions. He urged the international community to keep standing with Ukraine as the war continues to kill and injure civilians, destroy vital infrastructure and put the lives of aid workers at risk.
The Humanitarian Coordination met with local authorities and humanitarian partners in Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia to discuss ways to strengthen the humanitarian response to support civilians – both residents and displaced people – affected by intensified attacks and now by colder temperatures as winter sets in.
#Cuba
The UN is working with authorities in Cuba to assess the impact of the storm and respond to the needs after hurricane Rafael made landfall yesterday afternoon with Category 3 force winds, just two weeks after hurricane Oscar struck the east of the country.
Winds of over 130 miles per hour and heavy rains affected the west of the country, which experienced a total power blackout as the storm arrived.
The storm impacted Pinar del Rio and Artemisa, which are still recovering from hurricane Ian in 2022 and is considered the agricultural food basket of the country.
Ahead of the storm, authorities issued alerts to 9 provinces and evacuated over 70,000 people from high-risk areas.
The authorities indicate severe damage in housing and infrastructure. Many public and private sector activities, including schools are suspended and transportation is disrupted.
Together with the European Union and partners, the UN is coordinating flights from the regional logistics hub in Panama to replenish emergency supplies that were stocked out during the response to Oscar.
Additional support is required for the US$33 million UN Action Plan launched last week which will be a key facility to provide much needed assistance.