Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Burkina Faso
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lack of food, fuel and medical supplies compounds hostilities’ impact in Gaza
OCHA reports that amid ongoing hostilities across the Gaza Strip, attacks have continued, reportedly killing and injuring scores of people and damaging vital infrastructure.
Yesterday in Khan Younis, partners report that medical teams at Nasser Medical Complex had to clear the maternity ward to make space for the injured and turn rooms into emergency operating spaces. Many patients had to undergo life-saving amputations. This followed yesterday’s incident where people waiting for aid were killed or injured.
Partners working on health in Gaza note that every day, scores of patients across the Strip need blood transfusions. As blood stocks are very low, partners are relying on daily collections to meet the increasing demand.
In addition to shortages of medical stocks, partners report that the lack of food supplies for emergency workers is causing many of them to faint, especially when they are called upon to respond to mass casualty incidents.
This week in Khan Younis, in-patient admissions at field hospitals have increased threefold, largely due to access challenges at Nasser Medical Complex, which borders a displacement area.
Despite the challenges, partners have established a new field hospital in Khan Younis, which includes 60 beds, two operating theaters and four ICU beds. The hospital will provide medical care to thousands of displaced of families in the Al Mawasi area.
Partners report that the Internet blackout that has affected Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah since yesterday has continued. Today, Israeli authorities denied repair missions, depriving people in need and humanitarian workers of vital communications and disrupting aid operations.
Meanwhile, OCHA warns that fuel stocks in Gaza have dwindled to dangerously low levels, jeopardizing critical lifelines for the population after more than 100 days with no fuel supplies entering the Strip.
Humanitarian operations have been pushed to the brink of collapse. It is urgent that more fuel is made available to run the backup generators needed to sustain a minimal level of life-saving aid operations.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that in view of fuel shortages, it is currently operating fewer than two dozen out of its fleet of 58 ambulances throughout the Strip.
Today, Israeli authorities approved a request to collect fuel from Al Tahreer fuel station in Rafah. That mission is still ongoing.
OCHA notes that the last successful mission to retrieve fuel from inside Gaza was completed one month ago, as Israeli authorities have repeatedly denied attempts to coordinate access for this purpose. OCHA continues to call for immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access – to fuel stocks, aid supplies, and people in need. It is critical that the Israeli authorities meaningfully facilitate humanitarians’ attempts to retrieve the fuel needed to power aid operations and life-sustaining services.
As hostilities continue, people in Gaza have once again been forced to flee. Yesterday, Israeli authorities issued another displacement order in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah. This has affected hundreds of families living in five neighborhoods. Five primary healthcare centres and three medical points are located within 1,000 metres of the displacement area. While some of these areas were already under displacement orders, 3 square kilometres have been newly designated. This means the area that is currently under displacement orders or located in Israeli-militarized zones amounts to more than 82 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
This week, partners are visiting newly established displacement sites west of Gaza city to assess the urgent needs and priorities of the displaced population.
Overall, during the past three months, humanitarian partners estimate that more than 680,000 people have been displaced once again across the Strip. This includes almost a quarter of a million people forced to flee just in the last 30 days alone.
Meanwhile, in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis this week, hundreds of people, including children, benefited from education sessions on explosive ordnance risks, child protection and violence prevention. In Deir al Balah, 300 children participated in recreational activities, while 100 caregivers received parenting support. These activities are critical for children, particularly given the disruption of education, emotional distress, and lack of child-friendly spaces.
#Sudan
Conflict and disease put millions of children at risk
OCHA warns that ongoing conflict and spreading disease outbreaks are having a devastating impact on children in Sudan.
Children account for half of the 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in the country, as well as half of the 12 million people displaced since April 2023. Those who are separated from family or unaccompanied face heightened risks of abuse, exploitation and trauma.
As the conflict in Sudan continues, the country’s children are in urgent need of protection services – yet due to severe funding shortfalls, less than 18 per cent have received that critical support so far this year. Partners working on child protection warn that their work is just 3 per cent funded, with a US$88 million gap.
Disease is also taking a heavy toll on children in Sudan. Since cholera broke out in the country last July, the Federal Ministry of Health has reported more than 80,000 suspected cases and over 2,000 deaths. This includes nearly 7,300 cases and more than 230 deaths affecting children under 5 alone.
Regarding the cholera outbreak more broadly, just in the past month, approximately 15,000 suspected cases were recorded in Khartoum state, although there has been a decline in new reports. However, partners warn that underreporting may be masking the true scale of the outbreak. Cases have also been confirmed in South Darfur, River Nile and other states. Partners working on health and water, sanitation and hygiene continue to support the response led by Sudanese health authorities.
A 10-day oral cholera vaccination campaign, supported by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, was launched in Khartoum state on 10 June, with the aim of reaching 2.6 million people aged 1 and older.
Sudan is also coping with a measles outbreak – and since the start of this year, more than 2,200 suspected cases, including five deaths, have been reported in the country, with more than 60 per cent of cases affecting children under 5. Partners working on health are responding, but as with the ongoing cholera response, their efforts are hampered by gaps in data on disease cases, as well as severe shortages of vaccines, supplies and trained personnel.
Once again, OCHA calls for unhindered humanitarian access so that the UN and its partners can scale up support* for children and other civilians in desperate need, as well as an immediate cessation of hostilities.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support.
#Burkina Faso
UN Relief Chief fast-tracks support for displaced people
Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $5.9 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to address the most urgent needs of displaced people in the regions of Boucle du Mouhoun, Centre-Est and Est in Burkina Faso.
This new funding will enable the UN and its partners, in support of national efforts, to scale up life-saving assistance – including food and nutrition support, shelter and healthcare services, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene support.
So far this year, only 14 per cent of the $793 million required for the humanitarian response in Burkina Faso has been received. Humanitarians have had to prioritize 1.2 million of the most vulnerable people out of the 3.7 million people targeted this year. An immediate mobilization of $280 million is required to meet their most critical needs.