Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Ukraine, Hurricane Oscar

destruction caused by an Israeli airstrike on tents sheltering displaced families outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah
Palestinians assess the destruction caused by an Israeli airstrike on tents sheltering displaced families outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. Photo: OHCHR/Olga Cherevko

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has drawn attention to the appalling news from northern Gaza, where Palestinians continue to endure unspeakable horrors under siege by Israeli forces.

In a social media post on Saturday, she said people in Jabalya are trapped under the rubble and first responders are blocked from reaching them. At the same time, tens of thousands of Palestinians are being displaced and essential supplies are running out.

Msuya stressed that civilians must be protected, international humanitarian law must be respected, and the atrocities must stop. She said Israeli must comply with the provisional orders of the International Court of Justice.

The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, warned that attacks on hospitals in North Gaza are deepening an already alarming humanitarian crisis there.

In a statement issued on Saturday, he said two of the three hospitals remaining in North Gaza Governorate were directly hit the day before. At the Indonesian Hospital – which is no longer operational – two patients died due to the resulting power outage and lack of supplies.

Today, OCHA reports that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day. OCHA reiterates once again that these delays are likely costing lives.

OCHA says Israeli authorities also denied a separate request today to access Jabalya in order to distribute food, medicine and fuel to power water facilities, amid the ongoing electricity outage. The fuel needed to keep water facilities running has been depleted, and people are either risking their lives to find drinking water or consuming water from unsafe sources.  

OCHA warns that almost no humanitarian aid is getting into Jabalya refugee camp and telecommunications are severely disrupted amid ongoing airstrikes, shelling, and fighting across North Gaza, as the violence displaces more and more people.

Between 6 October and yesterday, OCHA says 28 requests for coordinated humanitarian movements into Jabalya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia – all in North Gaza Governorate – were denied by Israeli authorities and seven faced impediments. Meanwhile, during the first 20 days of October, only 4 out of 66 planned humanitarian missions through the Israeli checkpoint from southern to northern Gaza were facilitated by Israeli authorities.

Collecting supplies from the Erez West crossing, which reopened a week ago after a closure lasting almost two weeks, remains challenging due to insecurity and long delays. The Israeli authorities are channeling movement from that crossing directly to Gaza city, bypassing North Gaza. Meanwhile, Erez crossing remains kept closed.

OCHA teams have been able to work in Gaza city. On Saturday, OCHA led a visit to several sites there. They say shelter support is urgently needed due to overcrowding at existing sites, with some displaced people now living in restroomsThe team also warns that the lack of sufficient lighting in these shelters is raising the risk of gender-based violence. Mental health support is limited, and there are no assistive devices for older people and those with disabilities. Partners in Gaza city are working to reunite separated families or find other solutions. Team members also report that during their mission, multiple people approached them to ask for help in rescuing family numbers trapped under rubble or recovering their bodies.

In southern Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that on the second day of the polio vaccination campaign in the south, nearly 91,000 children received their second dose, with almost 71,000 getting vitamin A supplements. WHO says this brings the total number of children vaccinated since the start of the second round of the campaign to more than 420,000.

Lebanon

OCHA reports that airstrikes across Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians and displace a growing number of families.

Since October of last year, Lebanese health authorities have reported more than 2,400 deaths and over 11,500 injuries.

Hundreds of people were reportedly displaced late last night in Beirut and across the country following Israeli displacement orders identifying a social finance network affiliated with Hezbollah, which were soon followed by airstrikes.

As a result of one of these airstrikes in the southern suburbs of the capital last night, a UN Population Fund (UNFPA) supported safe space for women and girls was destroyed, alongside a primary health-care centre. The safe space had provided counselling services, legal aid, and referrals for hundreds of women at risk and survivors of gender-based violence in one of Beirut's most vulnerable communities. 

In Beirut, Bekaa and Mount Lebanon, 10 facilities supported by UNFPA – including primary health-care sites, safe spaces, and mobile maternity units – have closed due to insecurity.  

Across Lebanon, the UN and humanitarian partners continue to provide essential support, including in harder to reach areas. Today, a six-truck aid convoy – supported by UNICEF, the World Food Programme and OCHA – brought humanitarian supplies to Jaboule town, in Baalbek Governorate. This was the first such delivery since September. The convoy brought enough food supplies to support 1,000 people for two months, along with five days’ worth of ready-to-eat meals. UNICEF provided 1,300 water bottles, 375 mattresses with covers, 485 blankets, and other supplies – including first aid and hygiene kits for the three shelters in Jaboule town. 

Health authorities in Baalbeck – as well as Bekaa governorate – have issued an urgent call for support to strengthen health infrastructure in several hard-to-reach-areas.

As of this weekend, nearly 1,100 collective shelters have opened in Lebanon, hosting some 192,000 displaced people. More than 900 of these shelters are already at full capacity. The highest percentage of internally displaced people has been recorded in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorate.

The International Organization for Migration says some 780,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon by escalating hostilities over the past year. Meanwhile, more than 420,000 people have crossed into Syria, said UNHCR, according to estimates from authorities, with nearly 17,000 people arriving in Iraq.

Ukraine

OCHA says that attacks have continued in several parts of Ukraine over the weekend and today.

Local authorities reported nearly 90 civilian casualties – including children – and damage to numerous homes, schools, and other civilian facilities in front-line areas of the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.  

Yesterday, two strikes hit a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipro Region, as police were evacuating people from the area, injuring several civilians, including a child. The premises of a national NGO were also damaged.

Also, an attack in Zaporizhzhia City caused a dozen civilian casualties and damage to homes, a school, a dormitory, and other civilian facilities, according to authorities and humanitarian partners.

On Saturday, an attack in the Sumy Region damaged the premises of the fire-fighting station and at least six rescue vehicles, according to authorities. 

Following these attacks across Ukraine, aid organizations responded immediately, providing affected families with emergency shelter kits to cover damaged windows, as well as first aid and psychosocial support. 

Hurricane Oscar

OCHA is closely following reports from Cuba, after Hurricane Oscar made landfall there.

The strong but slow-moving storm has generated significant rainfall in the eastern and central parts of the country over the past few days. The rainfall may increase the risk of flooding in both rural and urban areas. The slow movement of the storm, at only 4 kilometres per hour, will compound the situation, with more rainfall and potential flooding in the coming hours.

OCHA is aware of news reports on the ongoing power outage in Cuba and other related challenges.

Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator in Cuba, Francisco Pichon, the UN stands ready to support and mobilize technical assistance if needed. The UN Emergency Technical Team has been activated and remains in contact with national counterparts.

The storm is also impacting the Bahamas, where the UN is coordinating with local and regional authorities regarding any potential response needed.