Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mozambique, Ukraine
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Storm damage lingers as UN pushes aid through despite obstacles
OCHA reports that the UN and its partners continue to help people in need despite daily impediments that continue to impact the speed and scale of humanitarian operations.
Over the past week, humanitarian partners distributed more than 1,300 tents, 7,000 tarpaulins, and thousands of mattresses, blankets and warm clothes across the Strip as families continue to be exposed to winter conditions without adequate shelter.
The UN and its partners estimate that last week’s storms also impacted 80 displacement sites across the Strip, with at least 4,000 families’ shelters damaged or destroyed. The UN and its partners delivered emergency food supplies, tents and tarpaulins, as well as hygiene and cooking supplies to more than 660 families.
The UN reiterate the urgent need for sustainable shelter solutions – including repairing damaged homes, clearing rubble to make more land available, and restoring water and sanitation systems.
On the health front, over the past week, the UN and its partners supported the setting up of 140 specialized surgical and physical rehabilitation beds at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, as well as five beds in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Awda Hospital in Deir al Balah. This will allow the hospitals to accommodate more patients requiring care.
Meanwhile, humanitarian partners working on improving access to education report that nearly 450 temporary learning spaces are now operational, accommodating around 40 per cent of children. They also distributed half a million bars of soap to educational facilities across Gaza.
OCHA reports that the Israeli military dropped leaflets in Bani Suhaila in eastern Khan Younis, which is located east of the so-called “Yellow Line,” ordering people to evacuate immediately. OCHA estimates that more than 400 families remain in the area, and our partners have not yet observed any movement of people. OCHA reiterates that civilians must always be protected and allowed to flee safely. They must also be allowed to return when conditions permit, if they wish to do so.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza with urgent support.
#Mozambique
UN scales up aid as flooding forces half a million people from their homes
OCHA says the situation in Mozambique remains fluid, with more than half a million people affected so far.
The town of Xai-Xai, which is the capital of the hardest hit Gaza province, and located near the Limpopo River, has been inundated, prompting people to be evacuated to higher ground. Authorities have also issued alerts for downtown Xai-Xai, including warnings of the risk of crocodiles appearing in flooded areas.
Many roads are still inaccessible, and the UN and its partners are exploring alternatives, including the use of sea routes between the capital Maputo and the small port of Inhambane, which is closer to most affected areas.
The UN and its partners – in support of the Government – are scaling up life-saving assistance, while assessments continue in hard-to-reach areas. More support is arriving, including for search-and-rescue, coordination, information management and logistics.
This flooding emergency comes on top of massive conflict-related displacement in the north of the country that has depleted humanitarian stocks.
As the rains are likely to continue in the coming week, the risks of flooding will remain. It will take time for dam levels to reduce, floodwaters to recede and soil to stabilize enough to reopen roads.
This latest disaster is a stark reminder of Mozambique’s vulnerability to multiple, overlapping shocks – from conflict, drought and repeated cyclones to the severe flooding we’re now seeing. These converging crises continue to strain communities and our capacity to respond.
Additional funding to sustain and scale up the humanitarian response is urgently needed.
OCHA calls for $348 million this year to support more than 1 million people.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Mozambique with urgent support.
#Ukraine
UN speaks out against strikes as hundreds of thousands of people lose heat
OCHA reports that a new wave of attacks has left hundreds of thousands of families without electricity and heating across the country.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Mattias Schmale, condemnedthese latest strikes by the Russian Federation Armed Forces, which continue to have a devastating impact on civilians amid freezing temperatures. He again called for the immediate cessation of such attacks.
The capital, Kyiv, was heavily affected, with several parts of the city left without electricity and without access to water. According to local authorities, more than 5,000 multi-storey buildings currently have no heating. Heating and electricity have also been disrupted in the regions of Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy and Rivne.
Authorities also report that several civilians were also killed and dozens were injured across the country.
National and international NGOs and UN agencies are providing hot meals, shelter materials, heating spaces and psychosocial support to affected people.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.