Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Hostilities, supply shortages fuel suffering in Gaza
OCHA reports that relentless hostilities across the Gaza Strip are resulting in further death, destruction and damage to essential infrastructure.
The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to send supplies bound for Gaza to the Kerem Shalom crossing. Today, just over 20 truckloads of supplies – mostly food assistance, as well as some health supplies – were sent to the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom, a number that reflects a limit imposed by the Israeli authorities.
OCHA stresses once again that after 80 days of full blockade on the entry of aid and any other supplies, people in Gaza are starving. This demands the urgent opening of all crossings and allowing unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid at scale, through multiple routes, and to all areas where people require assistance.
Partners report that more than 90 per cent of families in Gaza lack the cash needed to buy what little food remains available in the markets. Meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit are nearly absent from people’s diets, and eggs have once again disappeared from the market.
Yesterday, Israeli authorities continued to deny humanitarian movements that require coordination. Out of 16 attempts to coordinate such movements, five were rejected – including trucking water, retrieving nutrition supplies, and relocating fuel stocks. Six other missions were also unable to be accomplished, either due to impediments or because organizers had to cancel them, which typically happens for security or logistical reasons.
The remaining five missions were facilitated and accomplished. They allowed our partners to screen children for malnutrition, provide medical services, and carry out assessments. However, none of them involved the delivery of supplies.
Meanwhile, supplies continue to dwindle, as what is allowed into Gaza is merely a trickle. This week, partners working on food security report that 14 of them delivered just over a quarter of a million meals each day. This is much less than the 1 million meals that were being distributed daily at the end of April. Half of the community kitchens in Gaza have been forced to stop cooking due to lack of supplies or displacement orders.
OCHA reports that yesterday, Israeli authorities issued another displacement order, this time covering 54 neighbourhoods across three governorates: North Gaza, Gaza and Deir el Balah. This is the second order issued for the same area, representing one third of the Strip.
Overall, since the renewed escalation of hostilities in March, the Israeli military issued 35 displacement orders, forcing more than 640,000 people to flee again – almost every third Palestinian in Gaza.
Partners working in health warn that facilities continued to be attacked. This morning, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Suzanna Tkalec – with an OCHA team – visited Al Ahli hospital in Gaza city, only hours after an attack just outside the facility. Four people were killed there, according to the hospital management, and at least three of them were reportedly journalists.
OCHA stresses once again that civilians and healthcare facilities must always be protected.
Today, Ms. Tkalec and humanitarian partners also visited the Al Shifa and Patients Friends’ Society hospitals. The staff and partners stressed the need for qualified specialists, supplies and medical equipment.
Ms. Tkalec also visited a water well, highlighting the urgent need to address the lack of water across Gaza. Fuel, generators and spare parts must be allowed to enter the Strip to restore safe and unimpeded access to water.
On the education front, colleagues on the ground report that as of today, hundreds of learning spaces have been forced to suspend their operations due to insecurity or lack of funding. More than 200,000 students and 5,000 teachers have been affected.
#Ukraine
Attacks cause dozens of civilian casualties
OCHA says attacks across Ukraine – which started last night and continued this morning – have killed and injured civilians.
Local authorities report more than 45 civilian casualties, including children, as well as widespread damage to homes and civilian infrastructure in the Chernihiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Sumy regions.
The city of Pryluki in the Chernihiv region was heavily impacted, with five people killed, including a one-year-old child in an overnight attack. Authorities also report that several people were injured.
In Kharkiv city, at least 19 people, including three children, were injured. Multiple residential buildings, a kindergarten and a store were damaged, according to local authorities.
The regions of Kherson, Donetsk and Sumy were also affected by air strikes that killed five people and injured several others. Hospitals, schools and residential buildings were not spared and sustained damage.
More than 500 civilians were evacuated from front-line areas over the past 24 hours in the Donetsk and Sumy regions. A hospital, school, kindergarten, residential buildings and other infrastructure were damaged in Kherson city and surrounding areas, as reported by the governor.
Humanitarian organizations are providing immediate assistance in affected regions, including construction materials, hygiene kits, emergency shelter materials and psychological support.*
Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization reports that since 2022, the agency has supported nearly 250,000 rural families across Ukraine with vegetable seeds, animal feed, cash and vouchers. More than 15,000 farmers have received crop seeds, storage solutions and financial assistance.
The agriculture sector has suffered more than US$83 billion in damages and losses since the war started. Thousands of families still lack basic tools and services to sustain production and protect their livelihoods.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.