Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Myanmar, Haiti
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
As limited supplies enter Gaza, UN stresses need for more aid
OCHA reports that yesterday and today, the Israeli authorities granted the UN access to Kerem Shalom so that UN teams could reach additional humanitarian supplies that crossed into the Gaza Strip yesterday and the day before. Other critical items such as hygiene products or fuel have not been allowed by the Israeli authorities.
As of 18:30 local time, none of the supplies have exited Kerem Shalom. This is because, by yesterday evening, Israeli authorities had only allowed UN teams to go through areas that were insecure – where looting was highly likely, given the prolonged deprivation of Gaza’s population, following 11 weeks of total blockade.
The UN and its partners have been engaging with the Israeli authorities to identify the best possible route from Kerem Shalom onward into Gaza to ensure the flow of aid is not disrupted or suspended. Partners are in touch with community leaders in Gaza to mitigate the risk of looting and ensure that the supplies entering Gaza reach the people who rely on them.
However, it is important to underscore that the limited supplies finally being allowed to enter Kerem Shalom are nowhere near enough to meet the vast needs in Gaza. OCHA stresses that much more aid must be allowed in.
Meanwhile, bombardment and shelling continue across the Strip. Today, the Ministry of Health reported that dozens of people were killed in the last 24 hours, and yesterday, it made an urgent call for blood donations for the sick and injured.
Amid the hostilities, large numbers of people continue to be displaced – once again fleeing for their lives amid intense bombing of their communities and with no safe place to seek shelter or supplies. OCHA notes that 80 per cent of Gaza is now either subject to displacement orders or located in Israeli-militarized zones. These zones require humanitarians to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities.
Partners report that over the past few days, almost half of people newly displaced have fled with none of their belongings. The ongoing displacement of Gaza’s population is putting immense pressure on humanitarian teams, especially when there is no food or other basic supplies to offer.
In Gaza city, partners report an extreme lack of shelter space: Displacement sites and residential buildings are very overcrowded. People are settling in abandoned, unfinished, destroyed or damaged structures. Some are sleeping in the open.
OCHA underscores that civilians must be protected, including those fleeing and forced to leave due to displacement orders, as well as those who remain despite those orders.
Meanwhile, attacks on healthcare facilities continue. Earlier today, Al Awda Hospital – which is the only partially functional hospital in North Gaza governorate, with the facility still treating a dozen patients – was hit. Yesterday, Kamal Adwan Hospital ceased operations. Patients and medical staff were forced to relocate to Gaza city, including six patients who were being treated in its malnutrition stabilization centre.
Farther south in Khan Younis, the European Gaza Hospital remains out of service, after it was attacked last week. The hospital’s closure has left patients without vital services, including neurosurgery, cardiac care and cancer treatment – all unavailable elsewhere in Gaza.
As of yesterday, partners report that about 304,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered through about 70 kitchens. Five kitchens resumed operations, including two in Khan Younis and three that relocated to Gaza city following recent displacement orders in North Gaza. However, five others in Gaza city and Khan Younis were forced to shut down after supplies were depleted.
Partners providing water, sanitation and hygiene services warn that the water situation in Gaza is worsening by the day. The largest desalination plant in the north of Gaza is in an area slated for displacement. This has disrupted access to drinking water for about 150,000 people.
In southern Gaza, in Al Mawasi, the situation is also dire, as the area is not connected to the water network and relies heavily on water trucking. This requires both vehicles and fuel to serve the needy population.
OCHA continues to call for the opening of multiple crossings for humanitarian aid, including commercial goods. The UN and its humanitarian partners stand ready to deliver at scale. International law must be respected, and humanitarian operations must be enabled without further delay.
#Syria
Stepped-up funding urgently needed to stem humanitarian crisis
OCHA told the Security Council on Wednesday that the international donor community must act fast and increase humanitarian funding for the response in Syria.
“The Syrian people have shown resilience, but they cannot endure this crisis alone – and we must act with urgency,” said Ramesh Rajasingham, Head and Representative of OCHA in Geneva and Director of the Coordination Division.
Rajasingham noted that over a decade of conflict has pushed 90 per cent of Syria’s population into poverty, displacing nearly 7.5 million people within the country and over 6 million more as refugees. Today, 16.5 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance and protection.
“Humanitarian needs remain immense across the country, and they are growing in complexity,” he told the Council. Yet despite mounting challenges, humanitarian operations continue, and progress is being made, with the UN and its partners reaching millions of people each month through in-country and cross-border operations.
However, only 10 per cent of the US$2 billion needed to reach 8 million of the most vulnerable people in Syria between January and June of this year has been received to date.
“The consequences are already visible and will become more so as time passes and as funding cuts take hold,” Rajasingham warned.
#Myanmar
Humanitarians deliver vital aid despite insecurity, aftershocks
Seven weeks after devastating earthquakes hit Myanmar, the humanitarian situation could deteriorate further amid continued aftershocks and ongoing insecurity.
On 17 May, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Mandalay region, with local sources reporting that two displaced people were killed in their tent. The tremor, which lasted around 20 seconds, was the strongest to hit the area since the 7.7-magnitude quake killed more than 3,800 people across the country.
Meanwhile, insecurity continues. According to local sources, between 10 and 13 May, intensified air strikes reportedly killed more than 50 civilians and injured nearly 100 others across northern Shan, Rakhine and Sagaing regions.
Aid workers continue to deliver*, racing against the clock to help people before the start of the monsoon season, which runs from June to April but is expected to arrive earlier this year.
Since the 28 March earthquakes, humanitarian partners have provided nearly 400,000 people with food and almost 300,000 people with emergency water, sanitation and hygiene support. Partners have supported more than 40,000 people with health assistance and provided emergency shelter to nearly 20,000 people.
However, many families remain displaced in temporary shelters or rental housing, with limited sustainable long-term shelter solutions in sight. The lack of infrastructure to address solid waste is posing serious environmental and public health risks in displacement sites. Malaria and dengue could spread as stagnant water from rain creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Funding for the humanitarian response in Myanmar remains limited, despite the scale and urgency of the needs. The Flash Addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan – calling for $275 million to reach 1.1 million people with urgent aid – is only 22 per cent funded, with $60 million received so far.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Myanmar with urgent support.
#Haiti
Children face threat of sexual violence
OCHA reports that armed violence and growing insecurity in Haiti continue to expose children – especially displaced children – to sexual violence and other severe protection risks.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than half of all internally displaced people in Haiti are children. One in eight children in Haiti is displaced, exposing them to exploitation, abuse and recruitment into armed groups, where already 50 per cent are estimated to be children. UNICEF documented a staggering 1,000 per cent rise in sexual violence against children between 2023 and 2024.
The shocking death of a six-year-old girl on 3 May after she was brutally raped in a displacement site in Cité Soleil in the capital Port-au-Prince is a stark reminder of the extreme dangers faced by children living in highly precarious conditions.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, expressed her deep distress, saying “this intolerable act shakes our conscience … No child should ever endure such violence.”
Humanitarian partners have intensified efforts to support survivors of sexual violence across affected regions. Between January and March of this year, more than 6,200 people, including many women and girls, received psychosocial support. Mobile health clinics reached more than 670 people, and partners distributed over 745 dignity kits.
Partners are also implementing legal, medical and socio-economic reintegration services for sexual violence survivors in Ouest, Artibonite, Nord-Est, and Grande’Anse.
Immediate priorities include expanding access to protection and psychosocial support for survivors, increasing safety in displacement sites, creating safe spaces for women and girls, and enhancing prevention, case management and reporting mechanisms for gender-based violence.
Severe underfunding continues to hamper response efforts. Less than $600,000 – just 5 per cent of the more than $11 million required to support gender-based violence survivors in Haiti – has been received to date, limiting the capacity of humanitarian partners to sustain and expand vital services in high-risk areas.
OCHA continues to work closely with national authorities, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to support joint efforts to protect children across Haiti to ensure that – even in the most difficult circumstances – the right to safety and dignity remains at the centre of the humanitarian response.