Today’s top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, ECOSOC HAS

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Gaza civilians cannot wait for diplomacy, UN relief chief tells Security Council

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, yesterday told the Security Council that civilians in Gaza cannot wait for a more convenient diplomatic moment to receive the basics for survival.

He warned that “Gaza is being held together by humanitarian workarounds and Palestinian perseverance.” He also said that Palestinians in Gaza remain deprived of the basics that all families need: safety, shelter, clean water, health care, education.

Fletcher paid tribute to humanitarian workers who have made progress since the announcement of a ceasefire eight months ago and called on Member States to ensure protection of civilians, humanitarian access, and timely funding.

Palestinians are being squeezed into an ever-shrinking strip of land, and their lives are shaped by the indignity of the constantly shifting ‘yellow’ and ‘orange’ lines that define where they can seek refuge, he noted.

Speaking about the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Fletcher cautioned that there is an intensification of discriminatory policies and practices directed against Palestinians.

OCHA said today that on the public health front in Gaza, partners have seen a further increase in diseases related to ectoparasites – which live on people’s skin – and rodents in recent weeks, as temperatures climb and sanitation services remain inadequate. In the second week of June, partners trained nearly 100 people in multiple displacement sites on how to better detect and report disease.

At the same time, partners are exhausting stocks of pesticides and rodenticides that they brought into Gaza last month. Procurement of new supplies is underway. However, the lack of key chemicals for indoor spraying leaves shelters exposed. These and other items require approval from Israeli authorities to take into Gaza.

#Lebanon

Ceasefire fails to translate into security for civilians

OCHA warns that, for many displaced families in Lebanon, ceasefire announcements have yet to translate into improved safety or the ability to return home and stay home. People continue to flee amid the insecurity.

Overnight, according to preliminary figures from local authorities, at least 18 people were reportedly killed and 33 injured in the Nabatieh and South Governorates, while additional strikes in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate were also reported today, underscoring the continued risks to civilians. Insecurity, destruction of homes and infrastructure, and the presence of unexploded ordnance continue to prevent people from returning to their communities safely and sustainably.

In the coastal city of Saida, this morning, during a joint visit by the French and British Ministers of Development, together with Imran Riza, the Humanitarian Coordinator, to a collective shelter, site managers reported that many families who had initially left following the recent agreement have now returned. In one shelter, nearly half of families who had departed earlier this week were reported to have returned as of this morning, with others also indicating that they plan to come back.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Lebanon with urgent support.

#Sudan

Aid efforts ramp up in El Obeid amid fresh drone attack reports

OCHA reports that it continues to closely follow the situation in and around the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, Sudan.

The UN has seen further reports of drone attacks overnight. For now, the area remains accessible.

OCHA says it and its humanitarian partners are focusing on moving food and other supplies into the city, while preparing for the potential movement of large numbers of people from the immediate area.

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

Overcrowded camps fuel Ebola threat

OCHA is sounding the alarm over deteriorating conditions in displacement camps across the province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in these sites are heightening the risk of Ebola transmission.

More than 270,000 people, mostly women and children, are sheltering in over 60 sites across the province, many of which lack adequate access to water, sanitation and health services.

The UN has received reports from local partners that, between 17 and 18 June, at least 13 people died in two camps in Bunia. Response teams are urgently investigating whether these deaths are linked to Ebola to ensure that appropriate response measures are put in place. Since April, at least 62 deaths have been reported in camps around the city.

These deaths are occurring amid a broader Ebola flare-up in Bunia, where mistrust of health facilities, congestion, gaps in prevention measures and unsafe handling of bodies are driving transmission risks among people in displacement camps.

This is particularly concerning as Ituri province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for more than 90 per cent of confirmed cases. As of 17 June, authorities have reported 896 confirmed cases across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

OCHA and its partners are working with local authorities to strengthen community engagement and scale up health and sanitation efforts in the camps. The current measures are insufficient given the scale of the needs.

As previously reported, this Ebola epidemic is unfolding against the backdrop of a broader humanitarian crisis.

The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for $1.4 billion, seeks to respond to the full spectrum of humanitarian needs, including food security, protection, water and sanitation, health care and education, for 7.3 million of the DRC’s most vulnerable people. The appeal is currently just over half funded, with $745 million received.

#ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment 

UN relief chief urges stepped up defense of humanitarian values, principles

Today marked the end of the Economic and Social Council Humanitarian Affairs Segment.

The three-day annual event brought together Member States, the UN system, humanitarian and development partners, as well as the private sector, to discuss challenges and opportunities to strengthen the coordination and effectiveness of the UN’s humanitarian work.

In his closing remarks, Fletcher announced that to date, the UN and its partners have reached 25.3 million people in the highest severity crises with life-saving aid.

He underscored that the humanitarian system is delivering genuine change in the way that it works, cutting inefficiencies and duplication, as well as “liberating humanitarian action from the egos, logos and silos of the humanitarian system.”

Fletcher welcomed this week’s discussions on accelerating a genuine power and decision-making shift from capitals to operations, closer to the people who need assistance, calling on participants to “defend [humanitarian] values and principles in the face of whatever provocation, whatever challenge from whatever quarter.”