Today’s top news: Middle East, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen

#Middle East

Humanitarian toll mounts as escalation continues 

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian consequences of the Middle East escalation are worsening by the day, with civilians increasingly at risk and essential infrastructure disrupted across the region.

Since yesterday, civilian casualties have been reported in Iran and Kuwait, while damage or disruption to infrastructure has been reported in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Jordan and Egypt remain vital lifelines for humanitarian operations, including medical evacuations and aid deliveries.

OCHA continues to monitor the humanitarian impact and calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by protecting civilians and vital infrastructure.

In Iran, a new wave of strikes was reported today in the provinces of Fars, Hormozgan, Bushehr and Khuzestan, including the country’s main oil-producing region.

According to local sources, a strike in Qeshm, in Hormozgan Province, hit a residential building, killing three civilians, including a two-year-old child. Two other children were reportedly injured.

The Iranian Ministry of Health says that, as of 27 July, at least 60 people have been killed and 670 injured since hostilities escalated again on 27 June.

UN agencies and humanitarian partners already operating in the country continue to support the response to the growing humanitarian needs.

#Democratic Republic of the Congo 

Insecurity compounds humanitarian, Ebola risks

OCHA warns that escalating insecurity in the eastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is putting displaced families at greater risk and hampering humanitarian efforts in an area affected by the Ebola outbreak.

According to humanitarian partners, at least 12 displaced children were reportedly abducted by armed people on 27 July near the Plaine Savo displacement site in Djugu territory.

The incident comes amid worsening insecurity and repeated attacks on civilians. Local civil society organizations report that at least 23 displaced people were killed in and around the site during the first half of this year.

Plaine Savo hosts more than 76,000 displaced people, many of whom have fled repeated violence. Humanitarian conditions remain extremely challenging, with limited access to food, clean water and other basic services, while insecurity continues to hinder humanitarian access.

Between 6 July and 22 July, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided food assistance to more than 48,000 of the most vulnerable displaced people at the site. Additional distributions are planned next August.

The site is located in the Fataki health zone, where confirmed Ebola cases have been reported. While no Ebola cases have been confirmed within the site itself, overcrowding and poor living conditions increase the risk of disease transmission.

OCHA reiterates its call on all parties to protect civilians and to facilitate safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with urgent support.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Aid agencies expand emergency support as displacement grows

OCHA reports that the UN continues to receive reports of civilian casualties – including young children – and displacement caused by strikes and shelling across Gaza.

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

The UN and its partners continue to provide support to affected families through a system set up for a rapid, joint response. Last week, partners received over a dozen requests for assistance and mobilised responses to 180 families whose shelters and belongings were damaged by shelling and fire. Many of the families were newly displaced.

Humanitarian partners provided emergency shelter materials, bedding, water containers, clothing, hygiene and dignity kits, and food assistance.

Humanitarian partners report that over the past week, approximately 30,000 metric tonnes of debris were cleared from roads, camps, displacement sites and public facilities across Gaza.

The UN Development Programme said that it recycled and repurposed about 6,000 metric tonnes of debris for soil stabilization, helping to facilitate safer movement for communities and improve access to humanitarian services. However, this is only a fraction of the more than 60 million tonnes of debris that have been generated since the onset of hostilities in October 2023.

Insecurity, access restrictions, limitations on the entry of essential heavy machinery and spare parts, and shortages of engine oil continue to constrain efforts to clear debris.

#Sudan

Aid reaches communities despite mounting challenges

OCHA reports that the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to deliver vital aid to people in need across Sudan, including conflict-affected parts of the Kordofan and Darfur regions, as well as areas facing flooding and disease outbreaks.

In North Kordofan State, the WFP has completed this month’s food distributions for nearly 73,000 displaced people in Sheikan locality, including the state capital, El Obeid.

At the same time, the International Organization for Migration has supported the delivery of essential household items to more than 1,000 families affected by recent violence in Ar Rahad town.

In West Darfur State, humanitarian partners this week reached more than 10,000 people in Artala village, in Mukjar locality, with healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene services. This was after local reconciliation efforts restored access following four weeks of insecurity linked to intercommunal clashes.

Elsewhere in Sudan, the World Health Organization and health authorities are responding to a growing dengue fever outbreak. More than 1,000 cases and five related deaths have been reported in Blue Nile State this month, and more than 130 cases in South Kordofan State.

Meanwhile, in White Nile State, local authorities and partners are assessing needs and supporting families affected by recent heavy rains and flooding. More than 600 homes have been damaged in Rabak locality, with additional damage reported in Kosti and Guli localities.

OCHA continues to call on donors to provide additional funding for the humanitarian response. This year’s humanitarian appeal for Sudan remains about 40 per cent funded, with over $1.1 billion received against the nearly $2.9 billion required.

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

#Ukraine

Deadly strikes prompt swift humanitarian response

OCHA reports that aid organisations are responding following another wave of large-scale overnight missile attacks, in Ukraine, while continuing to support people affected by hostilities along the front line.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, attacks between yesterday and the early hours of today killed at least a dozen civilians, including three children, and injured more than 100 others. Homes, schools and other civilian infrastructure were damaged across several regions. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine is at the attack sites to verify these reports.

The heaviest impacts were reported near Kryvyi Rih City in the Dnipro region, where a missile struck a residential building, killing a family, including three children.

In Lviv City, in western Ukraine, multiple residential buildings and schools were destroyed or damaged, injuring more than 30 people, including several children, as search-and-rescue operations continue. One person was killed, and several were injured in Kyiv City and the region.

Following the attacks, partners on the ground – the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and NGOs supported by UN agencies – quickly mobilised to provide first aid, psychosocial support, emergency shelter assistance and other assistance to affected residents in the Dnipro region, Lviv and Kyiv, complementing the efforts of local emergency services and local authorities.

Humanitarian partners continue to scale up assistance across Ukraine. This week, partners delivered a humanitarian convoy carrying vital medical and hygiene supplies to front-line communities in the Dnipro region.

In the first half of this year, aid organizations have reached nearly 2.5 million people with at least one form of humanitarian assistance across Ukraine.

#Yemen

UN emergency funding targets worsening hunger crisis

The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Indrika Ratwatte, has allocated $10 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to respond to deepening food insecurity in Yemen.

The new funds will allow UN agencies and partners to rapidly scale up the delivery of emergency, treatment for acute malnutrition among children and pregnant and lactating women, and critical health, water, and sanitation services.

More than 18 million people – or over half of the population – are facing acute food insecurity (IPC phase 3 or higher), including over 5.5 million people feared to be in emergency conditions (IPC phase 4), based on the latest available data for the whole country.