Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine, Nigeria, Typhoon Yagi
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Gaza
OCHA reports that the ongoing issuance of mass evacuation orders in Gaza without ensuring that those displaced have safe and adequate places to stay continue to worsen the already dire humanitarian situation of hundreds of thousands of people. As of 16 September, more than 55 evacuation orders remain in effect, covering more than 85 per cent of Gaza. The latest evacuation order was issued in northern Gaza on Saturday.
Repeated displacements are also separating families, eroding social protection systems, particularly for women and children.
Despite the high surge in needs to protect women and children, multiple evacuation orders are also impacting the response and have delayed or interrupted support to people facing gender-based violence, by forcing the closure or relocations of services.
Meanwhile, displaced people continue to shelter in small, overcrowded makeshift shelters on self-settled sites, typically having deteriorated plastic sheeting for roofing, while the remaining live in tents, many of which are overcrowded. Partners warn that with the upcoming rainy season and the magnitude of destruction to urban areas, roads and critical infrastructure this year, flooding patterns can be expected to be unpredictable and disastrous for those in these shelters. We urgently need a surge of supplies to enter Gaza.
Furthermore, humanitarian partners warn about the lack of access to soap, shampoo and detergent to combat diarrheal diseases and skin infection in Gaza. Ongoing constraints by the Israeli authorities on the entry of essential supplies are particularly harmful for children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems and are increasing stress and anxiety in overcrowded shelters. Health partners say that handwashing with soap is crucial for preventing diseases and can reduce diarrheal diseases by up to 40 per cent and respiratory infections by about 20 per cent.
Meanwhile, OCHA says that ongoing hostilities, access constraints and damaged infrastructure, along with the deteriorating security situation, including looting and frequent Israeli-issued evacuation orders, continue to obstruct the delivery of life-saving aid across the Gaza Strip.
Between 1 and 15 September of the 94 planned humanitarian missions coordinated with the Israeli authorities for northern Gaza, only 37 – or 39 per cent – were facilitated. In southern Gaza, just over 50 per cent of the 243 coordinated humanitarian movements were facilitated. OCHA has not been able to access northern Gaza for 28 days. Aid convoys are being fired at or otherwise exposed to life-risking conditions, stopped and delayed for hours in combat zones.
OCHA says that life-saving work must be facilitated, including by troops on the ground. The Israeli checkpoints separating southern Gaza from the north need to open more and be efficient and safe to go through. Security assurances must become reliable.
The limited access to northern Gaza continues to affect hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people, leaving them in dire conditions with a severe shortage of essential supplies and restricted access to basic services.
West Bank
In the West Bank, OCHA and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East carried out a preliminary assessment in Tulkarm Refugee Camp, over the weekend, following the two days deadly operation carried out by Israeli forces last week. The team observed extensive damage, thought to have been caused by shoulder-fired explosive projectiles and explosives. Nearly 40 residential structures were destroyed, displacing some 200 people, including 90 children. And at least 500 other structures were damaged.
The team also reported on bulldozed roads, as well as sewage and water flooding destroyed streets, thereby limiting people’s access to essential services in and around the camp.
As we have said, lethal, war-like tactics are being applied in the West Bank frequently, raising concerns over excessive use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.
The assessment team has mobilized humanitarian organizations from the UN and beyond to respond to people’s need for shelter, health, food, education and other basics.
#Sudan
The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, called for parties to the conflict in the country to refrain from targeting Al Fasher and protect civilians, following reports of large-scale fighting late last week.
In a statement issued yesterday, Nkweta-Salami said there is no excuse for direct attacks on civilians and essential facilities, such as hospitals, which are protected under international humanitarian law.
While the number of civilian casualties due to the latest hostilities in Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, has yet to be established, initial reports indicate that health-care facilities and displacement camps were affected, threatening the lives of thousands of people. The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least 250 people were displaced.
Al Fasher is home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who are at risk of famine, including in the Zamzam camp, where famine has already been confirmed.
#Ukraine
Hostilities over the weekend in front-line communities in Ukraine resulted in more than 80 civilian casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure. This is according to local authorities.
The regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy have been particularly hard hit.
In Kharkiv City, the UN and humanitarian partners provided emergency assistance after an attack on 15 September which damaged sections of a multi-story residential building with more than 40 civilian casualties, including children, according to the local authorities and aid workers. The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack and said that it is unacceptable that civilians and their homes continue to be hit by daily strikes.
Aid workers provided medical and psychological aid, as well as hot meals. They also distributed emergency shelter materials to cover the damage.
In the south of Ukraine, aid workers provided support affected people in the Odesa Region, following an attack on September 14th there which claimed civilian lives and caused injuries. Homes and civilian infrastructure were also damaged in the attack. Aid workers distributed materials to cover the roofs and windows and organized the distribution of hot meals.
#Nigeria
OCHA reports more than 400,000 people are now affected by flooding in north-east Nigeria following the collapse of the Alau Dam on 9 September.
According to local authorities, 300,000 temporarily displaced people have been registered. Access remains restricted as two major bridges in Maiduguri, among other critical infrastructure, have partially collapsed.
A joint mission comprising heads of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, together with the Nigeria Red Cross Society, visited Maiduguri over the weekend and met with affected people and Government officials. Many of the people they met needed humanitarian assistance even prior to the floods, having been displaced multiple times by conflict and insecurity.
Priority needs are food assistance, potable water, hygiene and sanitation, and shelter. OCHA says there is an urgent need for protection activities to reduce the risk of gender-based violence and to protect unaccompanied children.
In support of Government efforts, the UN and humanitarian partners are responding by providing hot meals, facilitating food air drops in hard-to-reach areas cut off by flood waters and trucking water. We arel also providing water and sanitation hygiene services, as well as water purification tablets to stem outbreaks of diseases. This in addition to supplying hygiene and dignity kits for women and girls, as well as emergency health and shelter services.
The UN is also involved in joint assessments with the Government to continue to adapt the response as needed.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, announced a US$6 million allocation from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund. OCHA is also working closely with donors to secure additional funds.
More resources and funding are needed, not only during this emergency lifesaving phase, but also in the recovery period when people who have lost everything will need sustained support to get back on their feet.
Across Nigeria, flooding has damaged more than 125,000 hectares of farmland just before the harvests, and at a time when 32 million people in the country are facing severe food insecurity. In Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states alone, 4.8 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity, with the lives of 230,000 children threatened by severe acute malnutrition.
These crop losses are alarming given the already skyrocketing prices of staple food, such as maize, beans, sorghum and millet, the prices of which have more than tripled over the past year due to record food inflation.
#Typhoon Yagi
Massive response and recovery efforts continue in Viet Nam ten days after Typhoon Yagi struck the north of the country.
As of yesterday, 15 September, local authorities report more than 292 people have been killed, with 38 people missing and more than 1,900 people injured. As search-and-rescue efforts continue in mountainous regions and hard-to-reach areas, these figures could still rise.
Hundreds of thousands of homes have been damaged. Hundreds of schools and hospitals have also been damaged, as well as roads.
The UN is working closely with the Government, which is leading humanitarian and recovery efforts. The UN is also supporting coordination and the provision of essential supplies, including food, portable water and water purification tablets.
Health partners are procuring and distributing emergency medicine kits and supporting the restoration of essential health care services, such as immunization. They are also working closely with the authorities to monitor and prevent waterborne disease over the coming weeks and months
An immediate needs and early recovery joint response plan to address humanitarian and recovery needs is being developed with UN support.
In Myanmar, heavy rains from Typhoon Yagi's remnants have resulted in significant flooding and damage in various parts of the country.
Central Myanmar is currently the hardest hit, with numerous rivers and creeks flowing down from Shan Hills. Sixteen townships in Shan State suffered significant damage to road networks, telecommunications and electricity.
Partners estimate that thousands of people fled the floods, but numbers are difficult to verify amid telecommunications interruptions and a challenging operational context.
Humanitarians are mobilized and will provide emergency assistance including food and water, sanitation and hygiene support. They will also continue to assess the situation and stand ready to scale up the response.
Humanitarian response efforts in Myanmar remain hindered by underfunding, with only 25 per cent of the $994 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan received so far ($252 million). More resources are urgently needed to sustain delivery of emergency assistance.