Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Sri Lanka
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Heavy rains flood tents, heighten health risks in Gaza
OCHA reports that heavy rains in the Gaza Strip have flooded tents, soaked people’s belongings and increased health risks – including hypothermia among babies and illnesses linked to overflowing sewage.
Today, humanitarian teams on the ground set up a system for a rapid, joint response to flooding alerts. It brings together UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working side-by-side to distribute tents, tarpaulins, warm clothes, blankets and dignity kits across Gaza. As of earlier today, they had already processed over 160 flooding alerts since the morning and undertaken assessments covering more than 16,000 families in different areas. These numbers are expected to increase as more updates come in from teams on the ground.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on social media that with this ongoing storm, people who had already lost everything – and need everything – now face another layer of misery. He said that UNRWA teams – many of whom are displaced themselves – are pumping away sewage and floodwater, clearing garbage, distributing critical items and providing medical care.
Ahead of this storm, the UN and its partners had already stepped up winter support, including for families in shoreline areas at high risk of flooding, and for others choosing to relocate away from those areas.*
Partners leading on site management helped people prepare by distributing empty flour sacks to be used as sandbags, along with tools and sand wherever possible. Based on their flood-risk analysis, more than 760 displacement sites – hosting roughly 850,000 people – are at the highest risk of flooding. This constitutes about 40 per cent of Gaza’s population.
Over the past week, the UN and its partners continued delivering relief items: more tents and tarpaulins, as well as a significant increase in winter clothing for children – from 5,000 to 8,000 kits every day. Partners leading on water and sanitation are supporting pre-positioned mobile pumps in low-lying areas and put contractors with heavy machinery on standby. They have also been working hard to clear and unblock stormwater and sewage systems.
OCHA stresses that to meet the immense needs, restrictions on humanitarian operations must be eased or lifted. This includes ending the ongoing ban on most international NGOs and on UNRWA – which continue to serve communities despite operating under severe constraints. Efforts to further scale up the response also depend on more crossings, more routes, and approval to bring a wider range of relief items into Gaza.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in need in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
#Sudan
Dozens of civilians reported dead after South Darfur drone strike
OCHA warns that civilians in Sudan continue to face escalating and indiscriminate violence across the Darfur and Kordofan regions.
In South Darfur State, some 30 civilians were reportedly killed and many more injured – including women and children – in Monday’s drone strike in the town of Katila, about 150 kilometres south-west of Nyala. The strike – which hit a location under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – underscores the devastating impact of intensifying aerial attacks on civilians.
Meanwhile, in South Kordofan State, drone strikes in and around the state capital Kadugli and the town of Dilling point to a rapidly worsening security situation. On Tuesday, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North reportedly urged civilians to evacuate Kadugli, amid reports of increased military mobilizations – raising fears of an imminent confrontation.
The International Organization for Migration says that more than 1,300 people were displaced between Monday and Wednesday across the state due to insecurity and inter-communal tensions, fleeing villages in the localities of Kadugli, Talawdi and Abassiya.
In West Kordofan State, more drone strikes in Heglig following the town’s capture by the RSF on Monday have further compounded risks to civilians. Local sources in Babanusa town also report that some 100 people returning from North Kordofan State were detained by armed groups demanding ransom, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
OCHA reiterates its call for all parties to immediately cease attacks against civilians and to adhere to the fundamental principles under international humanitarian law of distinction, proportionality and precaution. Rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access across Sudan is urgently needed.
In Khartoum State, findings from a partner’s recent assessment of more than 1,200 families point to extreme food insecurity, driven by price increases of up to 500 per cent and the widespread collapse of livelihoods. Many families now rely on borrowing food, skipping meals, or selling their remaining assets to survive.
The UN and its partners are working to expand cash and voucher assistance and are providing emergency agriculture inputs and livestock support to 64,000 farming households and 10,000 livestock-keeping families.
OCHA once again urges the international community to step up support so that life-saving assistance can reach people in urgent need across Sudan.
#Democratic Republic of the Congo
Over 500,000 displaced by South Kivu clashes
OCHA warns that the security situation in South Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sharply worsened since 2 December, following an escalation of armed clashes in the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi and Kalehe.
The number of people affected by the fighting since 2 December has risen significantly. Preliminary reports indicate that more than half a million people have been displaced. While some families have started returning to areas where it is now relatively calm, the vast majority remain in overcrowded sites, where they face heightened protection risks and increased threats of disease outbreaks, including cholera and mpox.
The situation remains calm in the town of Uvira, though sporadic gunfire persists in several neighbourhoods. Yesterday, an explosion in the neighbourhood of Kimanga reportedly killed two civilians and injured three others. Uvira’s main referral hospital continues to receive an influx of wounded people, including more than 60 patients transferred from Ruzizi Hospital, which reportedly ceased operations on Tuesday due to insecurity.
While the situation since Tuesday has been relatively calm in Walungu, Kalehe, Kabare and Mwenga – which has allowed for the limited resumption of activities and some returns – tensions persist in the territories of Fizi and Uvira, with clashes continuing in the village of Mugeti and a high risk of violence spreading to the Hauts Plateaux of Fizi.
Meanwhile, people continue to flee to the province of Tanganyika. Between 8 December and today, at least 27,000 people arrived in Kisongo and Kabimba in Kalemie territory, with additional arrivals reported in Kalemie town and along Lake Tanganyika’s shores.
OCHA continues to engage with all parties to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian teams and enable the resumption of aid operations. Efforts are underway to pre-position critical stocks – including shelter, water, food, and support for health and protection. Additional funding is urgently needed to provide critical life-saving and protection assistance to newly displaced people.
Humanitarians support DRC displaced in Burundi, Rwanda
People fleeing the violence in South Kivu also continue to arrive in Burundi. Yesterday, OCHA coordinated a rapid needs assessment in the areas of Ndava and Gatumba, where humanitarian partners and authorities estimate that more than 50,000 people have sought safety. The Cishemere transit camp is hosting 5,000 people, while Bweru is hosting 1,000, with more people continuing to arrive.
The refugees – mainly women and children – are arriving exhausted and injured. Despite partners’ efforts to scale up the response, conditions at these sites remain very precarious – and shelter, food, water, hygiene supplies, sanitation facilities, and protection support are urgently needed. However, humanitarians’ ability to scale up the response is severely constrained by limited funding.
With some parts of South Kivu in DRC facing a cholera outbreak, it is urgent that the public health response can be scaled up Burundi’s Cibitoke and Gatumba areas, where refugees are being hosted. The Government of Burundi is relocating some of the refugees to the Bweru site, in the eastern part of the country.
UNHCR is providing buses to transport refugees from border points to Bweru and has installed refugee housing units and a water tank to meet basic needs.
Meanwhile in Rwanda, UNHCR is supporting the Government response and providing assistance at the Nyarushishi Transit Centre – including registration, health and nutrition services, protection support, hot meals and other essentials.
#Myanmar
Deadly attack strikes hospital in Rakhine State
The UN is deeply alarmed by reports of air strikes in Rakhine State on 10 December that hit the general hospital in Mrauk-U Township, reportedly killing more than 30 civilians and injuring more than 70 others, including patients, caregivers and medical staff. There are fears that casualty figures will continue to rise.
The World Health Organization says that this is the 67th attack on health in Myanmar that the agency has verified this year. This bombing, which affected a medical facility, underscores the grave and deteriorating situation facing civilians in Myanmar. Medical facilities and civilians, including medical personnel, must be respected and protected. The UN condemns this attack, which is part of a broader pattern of strikes causing harm to civilians and civilian objects that continue to devastate communities across the country.
The UN continues to call on all parties to observe their obligations under international humanitarian and international human rights law.
Humanitarian needs in Myanmar are soaring. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, released yesterday, calls for US$890 million, warning that 16.2 million people – including 5 million children – will require assistance and protection next year. Conflict and disasters have already displaced an estimated 3.6 million people, with many forced to flee repeatedly.
#Sri Lanka
UN, partners launch aid appeal for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah
The UN and its humanitarian partners launched a Humanitarian Priorities Plan today appealing for $35 million to scale up life-saving assistance for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, which struck the country late last month.
The storm has caused extensive loss of life and widespread damage across the country. At its peak, nearly 2.2 million people were affected, with over 600 deaths recorded to date and nearly 200 people still missing. More than 91,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.
The plan – which aims to reach 658,000 of the most vulnerable people through April – follows the Government’s request for international assistance and outlines how humanitarian partners are working together to quickly deliver assistance to meet critical needs in support of national efforts.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche, said that Cyclone Ditwah has hit the poorest and the most vulnerable the hardest – affecting nearly every aspect of their lives and intensifying the difficulties they were already facing.
Initial contributions from donors – coupled with a $4.5 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund – are enabling rapid assistance, but significant gaps remain. The UN calls on the international community to contribute to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches all who need it most.