Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Sudan

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

 Hundreds of families displaced amid ongoing hostilities in northern Gaza

 OCHA warns that deadly hostilities continue to increase the suffering of civilians in Gaza, driving additional displacement.

Military operations have further intensified in northern Gaza since the issuance of the displacement order on Sunday by the Israeli authorities. In the time since that directive was announced, partners on the ground say that at least 1,500 families have been displaced from North Gaza, as well as eastern parts of Gaza governorate, towards the central and western parts of Gaza governorate.

Over the past 48 hours, five school buildings sheltering displaced families in North Gaza were reportedly hit, with deaths and injuries reported.

Initial assessments by partners indicate that many families who fled from the schools that were hit have returned to North Gaza, largely due to the lack of alternatives and limited shelter space elsewhere.

Healthcare also continues to come under attack. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that in central Gaza yesterday, a tent sheltering displaced people in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al Balah, was reportedly hit, injuring five people. The agency added that the hospital’s internal medicine department also sustained some damage, and its oxygen supply line was affected.

Since October 2023, WHO has documented 734 attacks on healthcare in Gaza. WHO reiterated its call for the protection of civilians and healthcare facilities, noting that ongoing attacks on healthcare and continued hostilities near hospitals are fueling fear among already traumatized communities and placing further strain on facilities struggling to cope.

OCHA reiterates that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected, not targeted.

Regarding aid operations on the ground, OCHA warns that movement restrictions remain a major challenge, preventing partners from predictably and sustainably providing critical services and assistance.

Yesterday, only eight out of 15 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, including to remove debris. Three other missions were denied outright, while two missions were impeded and two others had to be cancelled due to security or logistical challenges.

As humanitarian assistance and basic services dwindle, people in Gaza are being increasingly deprived of the means for their survival. This is a red flag that demands urgent action to secure the opening of all crossings and facilitation of all humanitarian operations, including meaningful flows of necessary life-saving supplies.

OCHA warns that fuel supplies are fast running out – with devastating consequences for civilians. Today, the Ministry of Health reported that Al-Shifa Medical Complex has suspended its kidney dialysis services due to fuel shortages, and that intensive care services will be limited to a few hours each day.

Ensuring sustained access to fuel is essential to avoid a collapse of the logistics backbone underpinning the humanitarian response. No fuel has entered Gaza since the ceasefire over 17 weeks ago, and as available stocks are depleted, OCHA warns that more life-saving and life-sustaining facilities could also shut down very soon.

In a social media post, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the window to push back starvation in Gaza is closing fast. The agency added that its teams are adapting in real time – setting up new distribution points, navigating extreme constraints, and using every safe route to reach people where they are.

However, to sustain these efforts, WFP reiterated its call for multiple points of access and safe routes to reach people, support from the international community, and a sustained ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that the agency recently supported 200 farmers in Rafah and Khan Younis to optimize the use of land that is still available to grow critically needed staple crops.

The pilot initiative – which is being funded through the occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund* – provides farmers with cash-based assistance to help re-establish limited local food production until a sustained ceasefire is reached.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory with urgent support.

#Syria

Humanitarians provide vital assistance, including through cross-border convoys

OCHA reports that the UN and its partners continue to deliver aid across Syria.

Cross-border aid deliveries from Türkiye have significantly increased this year, with more than 1,400 trucks crossing into Syria as of 30 June. This is five times the number of trucks during the same period last year. Since January of this year, more than 1.6 million people have received food, health, shelter and other support.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, today completed a three-day UN interagency mission to the governorates of Aleppo and Idleb, in the north-west of the country, to assess humanitarian needs. The team met with interim local authorities, displaced communities, and people who have returned to their communities.

The team also visited a healthcare centre in the city of Ma'arrat An Nu'man, in Idleb governorate, which has been rehabilitated by WHO and its partners. It provides 100,000 people with healthcare, vaccinations, emergency care and maternity care, but with only one midwife attending to more than 100 births a day.

Meanwhile, OCHA warns that explosive ordnance contamination continues to have a deadly impact across Syria. Since the start of 2025, more than 390 civilians have been killed across the country, including over 100 children. More than 500 civilians have also been injured. 

#Sudan

Rainy season heightens risk of flooding, aid disruption

OCHA is sounding the alarm over the risk of potential floods during Sudan’s rainy season, which runs through October. Any flooding could disrupt road access, hamper aid delivery, and heighten the threat of disease outbreaks during the ongoing lean season.

Regional forecasts indicate a high likelihood of above-average rainfall, which could increase the probability of severe riverine and flash floods, particularly in conflict-affected areas.

Last year, nearly 500,000 people were affected by floods in parts of Sudan. The UN and its partners stand ready to respond where access and resources allow. However, severe funding shortfalls are limiting aid agencies’ ability to preposition critical supplies.

OCHA is also deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing fighting – which is escalating displacement and driving needs even higher, including in the Kordofan region. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that insecurity in North Kordofan state prompted more than 16,000 people to flee Bara locality between 26 and 29 June alone. Another 600 people were displaced in the locality of Sheikan, also in North Kordofan, in the past week.

Meanwhile, in West Kordofan state, IOM reports that ongoing fighting displaced 16,000 people from Babanusa locality on 27 June.

People also continue to flee hostilities in North Darfur, with fighting in El Fasher having displaced more than 400,000 people since April of this year, primarily to Tawila.

Last month, nearly 8,000 of those displaced from North Darfur arrived in Ad-Dabba locality, in Northern state, according to local authorities there. The influx has increased pressure on already limited resources, straining access to shelter, clean water, food and healthcare. Overcrowding in temporary settlements has heightened risks, particularly for women and children.

IOM is setting up a transit centre in the Northern state capital, Dongola, to support returnees from Egypt and internally displaced people arriving from the border triangle area between Egypt, Libya and Sudan. Some 7,000 people reportedly arrived in Dongola between 15 and 28 June, with additional returnees from Egypt arriving each day.

 Humanitarian partners are providing them with hot meals and scaling up access to clean water and sanitation.

 OCHA calls once again on all parties in Sudan to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and facilitate safe and sustainable access to vulnerable people in need across the country, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.