Today’s top news: Venezuela, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Haiti, Ukraine

#Venezuela

UN Relief Chief visits earthquake-affected communities  

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, is on the third day of his visit to Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes there.

Yesterday in La Guaira State – one of the hardest-hit areas – Fletcher visited facilities from where the response is coordinated, including the On-Site Operations Coordination Centre and the Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell, where he was updated on the ongoing efforts and the transition from search-and-rescue activities to recovery operations.

He also visited earthquake-affected communities, temporary camps and international field hospitals, and spoke with families impacted by the disaster, community leaders, frontline responders and humanitarian workers.

Throughout these engagements, Fletcher emphasized the importance of maintaining a coordinated and adequately resourced response that addresses immediate humanitarian needs while laying the foundations for early recovery and reconstruction.

Today in Caracas, Fletcher met with members of the Humanitarian Country Team, international NGOs and other partners, and the donor community. They discussed the ongoing response efforts, recovery priorities and resource mobilization. The Under-Secretary-General is calling for an additional US$298 million to address critical needs over the next six months to 1.3 million people affected by the earthquakes.

The UN and its partners are implementing an integrated response including health, shelter, protection, food assistance, and water, sanitation and hygiene services.*

For example, at temporary camps in La Guaira, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing site management support and distributing kitchen sets and other essential items. In addition, UNICEF has maintained access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services for over 1,200 families by distributing hygiene kits, operating dozens of toilets and handwashing stations, and providing over 30,000 litres of trucked water every day, with the support of the Ministry of Energy and other organizations.

Authorities in Venezuela report that just over two weeks after the earthquakes, nearly 4,000 people have lost their lives and more than 16,700 people have been injured.

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

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN Relief Chief calls for step change to contain Ebola outbreak

Under-Secretary-General Fletcher said in a statement today that “we must move faster to break the back of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” as the virus spreads from the centre of the outbreak, Ituri province, across other provinces where conflict and the constant movement of people increase the risk of further transmission.

Since mid-May, when the outbreak was declared, more than 1,700 people have been infected and 600 have died in the DRC, with 20 confirmed cases in Uganda. Fletcher stressed that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are expertly supporting the epidemiological response under the leadership of the Government.

“We know how to stop Ebola and we’re implementing our strategy,” the Under-Secretary-General said, noting that the leaders of the world’s largest aid organizations have activated a system-wide scale-up to control the disease in the DRC. The UN has also deployed a Senior Ebola Coordinator to the outbreak areas to strengthen leadership across the response, support operations and remove bottlenecks, and up to $60 million has been released from the Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate response efforts.

“Now we need others to act with the same urgency,” the Under-Secretary-General underscored, calling for all parties to facilitate safe and sustained access for humanitarian and health workers, supplies and response equipment. He also urged donors to ensure that pledged funding reaches responders quickly and flexibly, and advocated for more investment in preparedness.

“Any delay will be measured in Ebola deaths and in lives lost to the wider humanitarian consequences of this outbreak,” Fletcher concluded.

#Sudan

Drone attacks, disease outbreaks imperil civilians in Kordofan

OCHA is deeply concerned by ongoing drone attacks and disease outbreaks in Sudan’s Kordofan region.

In North Kordofan State, local sources reported that on Monday, a drone strike targeted a civilian vehicle near Al-Shaatut village, east of Jabrat Al-Sheikh, causing civilian casualties and damage. The following day, another drone reportedly struck a water truck in Hamrat Al-Sheikh, leaving civilian casualties and further disrupting access to essential water supplies.

Cholera also continues to spread across Kordofan. On Wednesday, humanitarian partners reported a suspected case in El Obeid, in North Kordofan, where continued drone attacks have led to severe water shortages. Currently, the water supply can meet only 20 per cent of the city’s needs.

The UN and its partners continue to respond to the cholera outbreak. The WHO reports that cholera response supplies were prepositioned in El Obeid and that a cholera treatment centre has been established in the city.

For the broader humanitarian response, OCHA has already allocated more than $4 million through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund to partners to provide critical relief to communities in El Obeid. This will support food security, nutrition, healthcare, water and sanitation, and protection services and mine action.

In South Kordofan State, UNICEF reported yesterday that health supplies have been delivered to the city of Abu Jubaiha to support both emergency and routine health services for some 240,000 people across the area.

OCHA remains grateful for the continued support of donors for the humanitarian response in Sudan and calls once again for increased, timely and flexible funding. The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan is less than a third funded, with $930 million received to date of the nearly $2.9 billion required.

#Lebanon

Returning families face critical humanitarian situation

OCHA reports that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains critical, despite the ceasefire announcements.

Displaced families continue to return, although not evenly across affected regions. As of this week, more than 33,000 people remain in 325 collective shelters across the country. While collective shelters continue to close in areas north of the Litani River, new shelters have been established in the south. However, many families remain reluctant to return due to insecurity, extensive destruction, and limited access to basic services.

Those who do return face increased needs for shelter rehabilitation, restoration of basic services and early recovery support, particularly access to water and electricity. Local authorities and humanitarian partners report limited access to basic services in Nabatieh Governorate, where many communities face shortages of water, electricity and fuel.

Children continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the crisis. According to UNICEF, an estimated 308,000 children have been affected by displacement, and more than 1 million children require humanitarian assistance.

Humanitarian partners, supported by the Humanitarian Notification System, continue to assist people in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach areas. Between 2 March and 9 July, over 370 humanitarian movements were facilitated in southern Lebanon, with over 770 trucks delivering assistance to affected communities.

Funding remains a major concern. The revised Flash Appeal seeks $640 million to support 1.4 million vulnerable people through August 2026. To date, the appeal is only 42.2 per cent funded.

The UN reiterates that all returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified, and stresses the importance of unimpeded humanitarian access and protection of all civilians.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Humanitarian Coordinator leads virtual diplomatic visit to Gaza displacement site

The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov – together with Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Suzanna Tkalec – led a virtual diplomatic field visit to one of the displacement sites in Al Mawasi, Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip.

The visit was attended through a video link by members of a dozen diplomatic missions who observed the living conditions and relief efforts at the site. They interacted with displaced children and adults, as well as aid workers. Diplomatic missions have not been allowed into Gaza since October 2023.

At a distribution point within the site, diplomats joining the virtual visit saw how community members – including children – collected water carried by truck. This project is operated by a local partner and funded by the OPT Humanitarian Fund. Displaced people told the diplomats that they need sustainable water services, especially during hot summer days, as well as cash-for-work opportunities to feed their families. 

Participants in the virtual visit were also led through hundreds of tents crammed along the shoreline. 

Dr. Alakbarov thanked participants for their financial support for relief efforts, indicating that more is needed to sustain and scale up operations, including funding and political action to unblock persistent impediments.

Earlier today, in Deir al Balah, Dr. Alakbarov met with heads of humanitarian agencies to discuss relief efforts and challenges. In the afternoon, he visited the Emirati Hospital in Rafah.

Meanwhile, WHO said today in a social media post that it is providing specialized feeding bottles to help 45 babies who have a condition preventing normal breastfeeding.

#Haiti

Fighting displaces thousands in West Department

OCHA is alarmed by the impact of armed clashes on people in Haiti’s West Department, with more than 3,000 people newly displaced in the communes of Ganthier and Kenscoff.

In Ganthier, armed clashes on 1 July displaced some 1,300 people, according to IOM. All displaced families are sheltering with host communities, placing additional strain on already vulnerable households. This is the first major displacement event reported in Ganthier since September 2024.

In Kenscoff, amid armed clashes during the night of 4 to 5 July, approximately 2,000 people were displaced. Most found shelter with host families in Pétion-Ville, while others remained in Kenscoff.

OCHA and humanitarian partners continue to assess the situation and humanitarian needs following these displacements.

Six senior emergency officials from the UN and NGOs are in Haiti to assess the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation and to identify priorities to strengthen the response, in line with the Humanitarian Reset. Several mission members will join the noon briefing tomorrow.

#Ukraine

Acting Deputy Relief Chief warns of ‘deeply alarming human toll’ of hostilities

Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Indrika Ratwatte, told the Security Council today that the past week has brought another surge of civilian casualties and suffering in Ukraine, with attacks across the country since last Friday killing and injuring hundreds of civilians.

“The scale and intensity of hostilities in major urban centres in Ukraine – Dnipro, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia – are exacting a deeply alarming human toll,” he said. “Recent strikes in Kyiv are a stark reminder that this war continues to reach ever deeper into civilian life, damaging homes, schools and public services. For thousands of civilians, this harm is life-changing and long-lasting.”

The Acting Assistant Secretary-General warned that intensifying fighting has narrowed opportunities to reach civilians and increased the dangers of delivering critical assistance. He stressed that humanitarian partners continue to respond rapidly with emergency shelter, cash assistance, protection services and psychosocial support wherever they can.

Ratwatte urged Council members to use their influence to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, protect civilians and humanitarians, facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian relief, and pursue every practical opportunity to prevent further civilian suffering.