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

#Yemen

Renewed fighting displaces thousands as response struggles for funds

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that an escalation in fighting in Yemen is devastating communities already struggling to survive after more than a decade of conflict.

More than 5,600 households have been displaced across Ta’iz and southern Al Hodeidah since the escalation in fighting on 3 September. At least 11 civilian casualties have been reported in the last week, including two children killed and nine people injured.

In Marib, there are reports that shelling struck displacement sites over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of two children and injuries to 15 other people. Shelters have been destroyed and families forced to sleep in the open.

Humanitarians are mobilising to respond. As of yesterday, partners have reached 2,340 households – mainly in Ta’iz, as well as Marib and Abyan – with emergency supplies. Reaching many people in need remains a major challenge.

The UN urgently needs funding to scale up the response – $7 million is required for the Rapid Response Mechanism alone, and a further $3 million for shelter and household items, with stocks depleted. The $2.2 billion humanitarian appeal for Yemen overall remain grossly underfunded at just 20 per cent, with $438 million received.

The UN calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law. They must protect civilians, including by allowing them to move to safer areas, and must facilitate unimpeded access for humanitarian relief to reach all those in dire need.

#Lebanon

Hospital destroyed amid deadly escalation

OCHA says it is deeply concerned by the sharp escalation of hostilities in the south of Lebanon over the weekend and into the beginning of this week, particularly in Nabatieh Governorate. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reports that 27 people were killed and 69 injured between Saturday and yesterday (Monday).

Civilians have been among those killed and injured.  Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Health reported that a strike on a house in the municipality of Kfar Roummane in Nabatieh Governorate, killed eight people, including a child and two women, and injured 11 others, including four children and two women.

The escalation is also forcing people to flee their homes. According to local authorities, around 5,000 families – or some 20,000 people – left Nabatieh District last week. Displaced families are mostly staying with their relatives or host communities, rather than in collective shelters.

Healthcare has also come under increased pressure. On 6 September, Ghandour Hospital in the municipality of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, in Nabatieh Governorate, was completely destroyed. Government offices were also damaged.

OCHA reiterates the need for full respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, healthcare and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian access must also be maintained so we can reach people in need affected by the renewed escalation.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

UN relief chief appeals for stepped up funding, access ahead of winter

OCHA is deeply concerned by continuing Israeli strikes and other military operations across the Gaza Strip, with civilian casualties reported.

Over the weekend, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, called for increased funding and access for essential supplies and equipment to help avert a potential humanitarian crisis in Gaza as winter approaches.

Yet, despite ongoing restrictions, insecurity and funding shortfalls, the UN and its partners continue providing supplies and services to people in need.

In social media posts, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that they have reached over 9,000 people, nearly half of them children, through the expansion of rehabilitation services at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis and Hamad Rehabilitation Hospital in Gaza City. This expansion was implemented with funding from the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund, which OCHA manages on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator.

WHO tells us that Hamad Rehabilitation Hospital is the only facility offering prosthetic and advanced rehabilitation services anywhere in the Gaza Strip, and the hospital received beds, equipment, assistive products and aids. Al-Amal Hospital received 40 beds, gym equipment, furniture and a generator.

WHO reiterates that some 43,000 people in Gaza need long-term rehabilitation, but specialized care remains severely limited.

The UN and partners continue to call for unimpeded and expedited entry of essential medicines and other humanitarian supplies at scale.

#Ukraine

Children killed, injured as attacks intensify

OCHA reports that attacks and front-line hostilities continue to exact a heavy toll on civilians across Ukraine. Over the weekend, nearly 190 civilian casualties were reported, and since yesterday, at least five civilians have been killed and 60 others injured.

The capital Kyiv was again struck by a large-scale drone and missile attack overnight, killing at least two people and injuring almost 20 others, according to authorities. Five of the capital’s 10 districts were affected, with homes, warehouses, a school and other civilian facilities damaged.

Elsewhere, attacks killed and injured civilians across the regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. The impact on children is particularly concerning: according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, at least 18 children have been injured and one killed across Ukraine in the past seven days.

The UN and humanitarian partners continue to respond despite the growing risks. Following the latest attacks in Kyiv, partners provided first aid, emergency construction materials, psychosocial support, and hot meals.

Attacks are reaching more areas, driving humanitarian needs far beyond the front lines. In the second quarter of this year, more than 120,000 people were directly affected by strikes, and civilian casualties from missile and drone attacks rose by more than 90 per cent compared with the first quarter, according OCHA’s latest analysis.

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

Senior UN aid official visits North Kivu as new $1.3 billion Ebola response plan seeks funding

OCHA reports that the Ebola outbreak continues to spread in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with more than 3,200 deaths reported so far.

Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Damien Mama, began a four-day visit to North Kivu to assess response efforts and review the broader humanitarian situation.

Meanwhile, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, with support from the DRC Humanitarian Fund, is scaling up assistance in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, helping communities reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission through veterinary surveillance and training, while also providing seeds, tools, poultry and cash assistance.

Last Friday, the Government, together with the WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and partners, launched a revised response plan requiring $1.3 billion.

The updated plan will serve as the operational roadmap for the response over the next six months. It calls for a massive expansion of epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, patient care, community engagement, risk communication, logistical capabilities, and preparedness in at-risk provinces.

OCHA says that humanitarian needs across the country remain immense. The $2.1 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo is half funded, with $1 billion received. Additional resources are urgently needed to sustain humanitarian operations and support efforts to contain the outbreak.