Today’s top news: Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon
#Ukraine
Massive air assault batters capital
OCHA reports that over the weekend, in Ukraine, the capital Kyiv and its neighbouring regions suffered from one of the largest combined air attacks on the country since the start of the full-scale war in 2022. There were scores of civilian casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure.
According to authorities, an attack in Kyiv on Sunday killed at least 2 people and injured nearly 90 others, including several children, and destroyed or damaged residential buildings, a market, a trading centre, a subway station and other public spaces, including museums and other cultural sites.
The Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale visited one of the impacted sites in Kyiv and called for an end to civilian harm.
A drone struck a residential building next to UN offices, damaging the windows and facade of the business centre, including the WHO office. No civilians, including aid workers, were injured in this incident.
Between January and April, at least 62 incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies and facilities were recorded across the country, according to partners monitoring access constraints and operational risks.
Apart from Kyiv, attacks across the country and front-line hostilities between 22 May and the early hours of 25 May killed nearly 20 and injured over 200 more civilians, with the regions of Kherson, Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk repeatedly impacted.
Humanitarians provided immediate emergency support after the attacks. In Kyiv City and the regions of Kyiv and Cherkasy, several national NGOs, with support from UN agencies, provided psychological support, legal assistance, protection counselling and emergency supplies to people affected by the attacks. Aid organisations also registered people for humanitarian cash assistance.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.
#Sudan
Drone strikes deepen civilian suffering in Darfur
OCHA is deeply alarmed by the continued drone attacks across the Sudanese region of Darfur and the growing toll on civilians.
In North Darfur, at least 12 people were reportedly killed in multiple drone attacks on two towns in North Darfur near the Sudan-Chad border.
Local sources report there were multiple deaths yesterday in the town of Al Tina in North Darfur, following another strike that, earlier this week, killed seven people and injured 11.
On Sunday, multiple deaths were reported due to a drone strike on Kornoi town in North Darfur. This reportedly followed another attack on the same town on Friday that left five people dead and four injured in Kornoi.
OCHA calls on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate access, as required by international humanitarian law. The UN urgently needs additional funding to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in need across Sudan.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support.
#Haiti
Violence forces thousands from their homes in capital
OCHA reports the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, particularly in the neighbourhood of Cité Soleil, following an escalation of armed violence on 10 May in Haiti.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the latest estimates indicate that some 17,500 people – or more than 4,200 households – have been displaced in the past two weeks.
More than 80 per cent of the displaced people are taking shelter in 33 sites, while others are hosted by already vulnerable families.
Assessments at the displacement sites point to rapidly growing needs for food, clean water, healthcare and hygiene supplies.
Conditions at the sites, including poor lighting, are also raising concerns over people’s safety. Children separated from their families, pregnant women and people with disabilities are at greater risk as a result.
Humanitarian partners continue to respond despite insecurity and access constraints, with OCHA coordinating efforts to ensure we can reach people in need more effectively.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
UN calls for more crossings to open amid health, sanitation crisis
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), OCHA reports that the movement of supplies into Gaza continues to be restricted.
Over the weekend, Israeli authorities informed us that Zikim Crossing will remain closed this week, leaving Kerem Shalom as the only operational crossing for cargo.
The UN continues to call for more crossings to open and for more critical supplies, such as backup generators and fuel, to be allowed in – regularly, predictably, and in sufficient volumes.
OCHA also reports that efforts to address public health risks and improve sanitation across the Gaza Strip continue.
After the UN brought 3 tons of rodenticides and 3,000 litres of pesticides into Gaza earlier this month, they and their humanitarian partners launched a response spanning over 1,700 locations to spray, take rodent control measures and raise people’s awareness.
Humanitarian partners working in water and sanitation report that severe shortages of engine oil continue to disrupt critical operations. They estimate that approximately 7,000 litres are required each month to keep water and sanitation operations running.
Life‑saving activities are increasingly curtailed. For example, on 11 May, the Sheikh Radwan stormwater lagoon in Gaza City had to shut down to preserve the generator’s lifespan. Since then, water and wastewater levels have risen significantly, raising the risk of flooding in the coming weeks and posing further public health threats.
Between 11 May and 17 May, shelter partners provided more than 14,000 households across Gaza with shelter and essential items.
Humanitarian partners are also responding in the West Bank, mainly to Palestinian communities affected by conflict-related damage, escalating settler violence, the increasing risk of forcible displacement of entire communities, and deteriorating shelter conditions.
Last month alone, partners reached more than 40,000 people in that part of the OPT. They provided shelter repairs, cash assistance, tents and other supplies, and installed fences and doors.
#Lebanon
Families sleeping in cars as displacement grows amid strikes
OCHA says that in Lebanon, people have been forced from their homes overnight, following reports of intensified Israeli airstrikes. Families were seen spending the night in their vehicles in Beirut, with some shelters in the capital saying dozens of families have sought refuge in the past 24 to 48 hours.
Today, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) issued a displacement order for the city of Nabatieh, in the Nabatieh governorate, located north of the Litani River, for the first time.
A renewed displacement order was also issued today for the town of Mashgara in Bekaa governorate, where an airstrike last night reportedly killed at least 11 people and where rescue operations continued today.
Multiple new and renewed displacement orders have been issued in recent days across the governorates of South and Nabatieh.
Nearly 1 million people are still displaced within Lebanon.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) surveillance system for attacks, nine attacks on healthcare were recorded in four days, between 21 May and 24 May, resulting in eight health workers killed and 45 injured.
On 23 May alone, 25 medical staff were injured at the Hiram Hospital in South governorate, following several airstrikes in the hospital’s immediate proximity.
On the same day, an airstrike destroyed the Civil Defense Center in Nabatieh city, including firefighting and rescue equipment, and heavy machinery, impacting the already overstretched emergency response capacity.
Two other hospitals –in South Governorate and in Nabatieh Governorate – also sustained damage from nearby strikes in recent days.