Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
Hostilities, displacement orders take mounting toll on civilians
OCHA warns that as bombing and other deadly attacks continue in the Gaza Strip, the space left for civilians to stay in is shrinking by the day.
Just yesterday, the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order – this time for parts of Gaza city – citing Palestinian rocket fire. Partners estimate that about 40,000 people were in these areas, which included one displacement site, one medical point, and a neighbourhood that had been spared from any displacement orders since before the ceasefire. As of earlier today, about 900 families are estimated to have fled.
OCHA notes that since mid-March, when the ceasefire ended, more than 50 such orders have been issued. Together, they now cover about 78 per cent of Gaza. Add the Israeli-militarized zones and that percentage jumps to 85 – leaving just 15 per cent where civilians can actually stay.
Those areas are overcrowded and severely lacking in services or proper infrastructure. They are also fragmented and unsafe.
Yesterday, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a social media post that menstruation has become a nightmare for an estimated 700,000 women and girls in Gaza. The agency stressed that, alongside food, people need water, soap, menstrual pads and privacy. UNFPA noted that it has supplies ready – almost 170 truckloads’ worth – but they are not being let into the Strip.
In a report issued yesterday, OCHA notes that since last Thursday, nine more aid workers have been killed – from five different organizations. That brings the total number of aid workers killed to 107 so far this year, and 479 since October 2023. Among them are 326 UN staff.
Inside Gaza, humanitarian teams are required to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities. During the month of June, out of nearly 400 such coordination attempts, 44 per cent were outright denied by Israeli authorities. Another 10 per cent were initially accepted but faced impediments. Only a third were fully facilitated. The rest – about 12 per cent – had to be cancelled by the organizers for logistical, operational or security reasons.
Yesterday, four out of 16 coordination attempts were denied, hindering humanitarian teams’ efforts to relocate medical supplies or remove debris, among other critical operations.
#Ukraine
Attacks cause civilian casualties, widespread damage
OCHA reports that air strikes in Ukraine over the past three days have killed and injured civilians. According to authorities, at least 10 civilians were killed and nearly 60 injured, including children.
The strikes also damaged homes, hospitals, schools and agricultural supplies in front-line regions, according to the local authorities and aid workers. In the Donetsk region alone, authorities reported damage to more than 80 homes, schools and other civilian facilities across the region.
Health facilities have not been spared. On 1 July, shelling damaged a hospital in the city of Kherson, injuring at least three health workers and five patients. More than 100 windows were also shattered, with significant damage to the facility.
Today, drone strikes in the same city damaged several ambulances, civilian vehicles, and windows of another hospital building. A hospital in the town of Kostiantynivka, in the east of the country, was also affected by strikes yesterday.
Between January and June of this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded at least 255 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine – accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all such attacks verified globally. In 2025, these attacks caused at least six deaths and 55 injuries among medical personnel and patients, according to WHO.
Humanitarians continue to respond, providing construction materials and emergency shelter kits, blankets, hygiene items, and mental health and psychosocial support.*
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.