Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine, Ecuador
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA warns Gaza's humanitarian crisis at worst in 18 months amid record supply blockage
OCHA warns that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities. It has now been a month and a half since any supplies were last allowed through the crossings into Gaza – by far the longest such halt to date.
Partners on the ground report a surge in attacks causing mass civilian casualties and the destruction of some of the remaining infrastructure that’s needed to keep people alive. This includes yesterday’s Israeli strike on Al Ahli hospital.
In a social media post yesterday, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Al Ahli hospital has gone out of service after receiving an evacuation order and being attacked.
He cited an update received from the hospital’s director, saying that a child died due to disruption of care. The emergency room, laboratory, X-ray equipment and pharmacy were destroyed. The hospital was forced to transfer 50 patients to other facilities, while 40 critically ill patients could not be moved.
Dr. Ghebreyesus called for an immediate halt to attacks on health care and reiterated that patients, health workers and hospitals must be protected, in line with international humanitarian law. He urged the lifting of the aid blockade and repeated the call for a ceasefire.
Also yesterday, a UN warehouse in Gaza city and a community food distribution point that we supported in Khan Younis were hit by strikes. Our colleagues have confirmed damages to the warehouse.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to issue additional displacement orders, further reducing the limited space available for families. Civilians are effectively trapped in increasingly fragmented and unsafe enclaves, where access to essentials for survival is dwindling by the day.
Four new displacement orders were issued over the weekend – two on Friday and another two on Saturday. Some of them followed reports on Palestinian rocket fire. Combined, these latest orders cover more than 33 square kilometres, approximately 9 per cent of the entire Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of people lived in those areas, based on assessments from February. These areas also included medical points and other facilities supporting people’s survival.
Currently, about 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under displacement orders or in “no go” zones, where the Israeli authorities require humanitarian teams to coordinate their movements.
Displacement orders are now undermining access to half of all water wells across the Gaza Strip.
OCHA reports that, due to the closure of the crossings compounded by restrictions within Gaza, dwindling supplies have forced them to ration and reduce deliveries to make the most of the remaining stocks.
Over the weekend, the UN was able to relocate some existing fuel stocks from areas under displacement orders to locations where they are more accessible for humanitarian operations.
#Sudan
Intense fighting in North Darfur drives mass casualties, massive displacement
OCHA is gravely concerned by reports of mass casualties and large-scale displacement following intense fighting on 11 and 12 April in and around Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, as well as the town of El Fasher in North Darfur, Sudan.
Preliminary figures from local sources indicate that more than 300 civilians have been killed, including 10 humanitarian personnel from the non-governmental organization Relief International who lost their lives while operating one of the last functioning health centres in Zamzam camp.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that at least 16,000 people were displaced from Zamzam camp during the same period, with many fleeing to the localities of El Fasher and Tawila.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, condemned the violence in the strongest terms and called for an immediate end to the hostilities and the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
Local partners have reported that the humanitarian and protection situation in El Fasher is rapidly deteriorating due to continued violence and a growing influx of displaced people.
Further east in the town of Um Kadadah in North Darfur, more than 50 people were reported killed and 900 homes destroyed in recent fighting, according to local sources. IOM estimates that about 19,000 people have been displaced from the area since 10 April.
Meanwhile, residents and displaced people in Zamzam and El Fasher face severe shortages of essential supplies, including food, fuel and health items. Diesel prices have surged fivefold in the past three months, significantly limiting access to safe drinking water and forcing the suspension of some water trucking services.
As part of the response, humanitarian partners are preparing to distribute essential household kits to about 2,000 newly displaced families in El Fasher this week. However, ongoing insecurity continues to impede access and poses serious risks to humanitarian personnel operating in and around the area.
Some relief supplies – including health items – have already been pre-positioned in nearby locations such as in the towns of Tawila and Al Kuma. Humanitarian partners are also mobilizing additional relief items, including 1,800 metric tons of food assistance, to Tawila to help meet the urgent needs of displaced families.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s health system continues to face alarming strain. The World Health Organization has verified about 160 attacks on health care since the onset of the conflict, resulting in more than 300 deaths.
One third of hospitals in seven states are now non-functional, and recent funding cuts have forced health partners to scale down support to more than 300 health facilities across the country.
OCHA continues to call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, and facilitate immediate, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need.
#Ukraine
Humanitarians mobilized after strikes kill dozens of civilians in Sumy City
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned in a statement the deadly air strikes on Sumy City, in the north-east of the country, yesterday, on Palm Sunday, a widely celebrated religious holiday in Ukraine.
According to authorities, two missiles struck a crowded street in the city centre on Sunday morning, destroying a public bus with people inside and damaging many residential buildings, the city university facility and scores of civilian vehicles.
According to the regional authorities, at least 34 people were killed, including 2 children. More than 110 people were also injured in the strikes, including 15 children. Reportedly, the second strike targeted those helping the victims of the first strike.
Right after the attack, aid workers delivered first aid, emergency shelter, psychological support – including for children – as well as hot meals, blankets and hygiene kits.
Hostilities also continued in other parts of the country, in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia. Local authorities say that between 11 and 14 April, dozens of civilians were killed in this region and many more injured. Homes and civilian infrastructure, including homes , schools and health facilities, were also damaged.
#Ecuador
Massive oil spill leaves 150,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance
OCHA’s UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team, together with the Joint Environmental Unit, recently carried out an assessment following the massive oil spill in the province of Esmeraldas last month in Ecuador. It found that at least 150,000 people have been affected and need humanitarian assistance.
The assessment, carried out with more than a dozen humanitarian partners, also points to a concerning increase in respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, a marked reduction in household food diversity, and limited access to safe water.
Livelihoods have been particularly hit hard, especially in fishing, agriculture and shellfish harvesting. More than 37,000 women have lost their livelihoods, many of them shellfish gatherers who now face growing health risks and exposure to gender-based violence.
The UN is testing water from affected rivers, treatment plants and seafood from the ocean for hydrocarbons and heavy metals, as it could have long term environmental and health repercussions.
The Resident Coordinator in Ecuador, Lena Savelli, has shared the findings and recommendations with Government ministers and the national humanitarian forum, which includes about 70 participants. She stressed that the humanitarian community in the country remains committed to supporting the Government with technical assistance in both the response and recovery phase.