Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Settler violence displaces more West Bank families

OCHA warns that settler violence is escalating in certain areas across the West Bank, causing casualties, property damage and placing communities at high risk of displacement.

Yesterday in Nablus, two families, among them one baby and one toddler, were displaced after settlers set their houses on fire in Khirbet Al Marjim. This is one of many Palestinian communities in Area C that have been subject to settler violence.

Over the last two years, OCHA has documented the displacement of more than 2,000 Palestinians across the West Bank due to heightened settler violence and access restrictions.

In the northern West Bank, the ongoing operation by Israeli forces has entered its eighth week. People continue to be displaced, and last week Israeli forces raided at least 10 mosques across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Since Monday, operations in Jenin city have intensified, with more than 500 people displaced from three neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city, according to the municipality.

The UN and its partners warn that food insecurity is rising, as operations by Israeli forces, displacement and movement restrictions limit access to food.

The World Food Programme (WFP) says it is supporting more than 190,000 people with monthly cash vouchers and has provided one-off assistance to thousands of those most in need.

Today is the second Friday of Ramadan. OCHA says restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities continue to prevent thousands of Palestinian worshipers from reaching holy sites.

For the second week, teams have monitored people’s movements through the checkpoints to identify potential protection risks and possible measures for Palestinians seeking to cross, with particular attention to the most vulnerable, such as children, pregnant women and older people. OCHA observed that fewer people have crossed compared with last year.

Meanwhile, OCHA has noted a sharp increase in the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank over the past week and a half. Historically, Israeli authorities have reduced demolitions during Ramadan. However, the number of structures demolished during the first 10 days of Ramadan this year have already exceeded the total for all of Ramadan in 2024.

Food supplies under strain as Gaza cargo closure continues

In the Gaza Strip, OCHA warns that the ongoing halt on aid entry – with that suspension now in its *13th day – is hindering humanitarian operations. This means that WFP has not been able to transport any food supplies into Gaza due to the closure of all border crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies. 

The agency says it has enough stocks to support active bakeries and community kitchens for up to one month. WFP can also continue to provide ready-to-eat food parcels for more than half a million people for two weeks.

WFP has about 63,000 metric tons of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region. This is equivalent two to three months of distributions for 1.1 million people, pending authorization to enter the Strip.

As it did prior to the ceasefire, WFP is reducing the quantity of ready-to-eat food parcels provided to families to stretch its supplies and serve more people in need.

Meanwhile, partners working on health say that the shortage of fuel is affecting the movement of vehicles across Gaza and slowing down first responders.

OCHA notes that oxygen supplies and electricity generators are also critically needed to maintain life-saving operations at hospitals in Gaza. At least two dozen additional generators are needed for health centres, as the ones currently in use need maintenance and spare parts.

#Syria

Health facilities in coastal Syria receive critical supplies

The UN and its partners continue to support the humanitarian response in the coastal areas of Syria.

Partners working in health are supporting facilities in the governorates of Tartous and Lattakia and provide them with medicine, medical equipment and other life-saving supplies.

Ahead of the Syria conference next week in Brussels, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Adam Abdelmoula, led a mission yesterday to the town of Harasta, near Damascus. More than 700 families recently returned there from northwest Syria, with many of them living in destroyed buildings. Eighty per cent of the town has been devastated by the conflict, with some neighborhoods needing to be fully rebuilt.

Meanwhile, the UN and its partners continue to deliver critical humanitarian aid to the northwest through cross-border operations. Yesterday, 28-truck convoy deliver nearly 600 metric tons of aid supplies – including food, shelter and hygiene products – to more than 90,000 people in Idleb through the Bab Al-Hawa border. Since the start of this year, a total of 673 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from UN agencies have entered northwest Syria.

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cholera spreads as clashes drive displacement in eastern DRC

OCHA reports that clashes and insecurity in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to harm civilians.

In South Kivu, humanitarian partners warn that continued violence in the territories of Uvira and Fizi has forced nearly 370,000 people to flee their homes since early February.

Serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law have been reported, including nearly 400 cases of sexual violence reported in Uvira between 9 and 25 February, according to partners monitoring protection issues.

Humanitarian organizations in the area have also been targeted in Uvira.

The impact of the continued insecurity and displacements of people has also contributed to a growing cholera outbreak, with health officials reporting more than 240 cases and 10 deaths as of March 10th in Uvira. Partners working in health estimate new cholera cases are doubling every week there. 

The UN and its partners are providing cholera treatment, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services in the area, but more resources and improved humanitarian access are needed to contain the outbreak.

Since 3 March, clashes in Walungu Territory have reportedly forced more than 20,000 people to flee, and they urgently need food, water, shelter and other essential items. 

Yesterday, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund allocated US$750,000 to help prevent the cholera outbreak in North Kivu from spreading further. The funding is part of the so-called anticipatory action framework, which seeks to mitigating the impact of the deadly disease in the country. The resources will support UNICEF, the World Health Organization and partners provide water, sanitation, hygiene and healthcare services.

*Asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.