Latest news with #OCHA
Scoop
16 hours ago
- General
- Scoop
Gaza: As Last Fuel Supplies Run Out, Aid Teams Warn Of Catastrophe
19 June 2025 Speaking from Gaza City in the north of occupied territory, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that water pumps had stopped at one site for displaced people there on Wednesday 'because there's no fuel'. 'We are really - unless the situation changes - hours away from a catastrophic decline and a shutdown of more facilities if no fuel enters or more fuel isn't retrieved immediately,' she told UN News. In its latest update on the emergency, OCHA said that without the immediate entry of fuel or access to reserves, 80 per cent of Gaza's critical care units essential for births and medical emergencies will shut down. More killed seeking aid The development comes as Gaza's authorities reported that 15 people had been killed near an aid distribution hub in the centre of the Strip on Thursday. On Tuesday, unverified videos of another incident circulating on social media showed dead bodies lying in the street near a relief facility in the southern city of Khan Younis, reportedly following artillery fire. Finding food is a daily challenge for increasingly desperate Gazans who are ' simply waiting for food and hoping to find something in order not to watch their children starve in front of their eyes ', Ms. Cherevko explained. She added: 'I spoke with a woman a couple of days ago where she told me that she went with a friend of hers who is nine months pregnant in hopes of finding some food. Of course, they didn't manage because they were too afraid to enter areas where there could be incidents like the ones that have been reported over the past few days.' Search for shelter Back in Gaza City, OCHA's Ms. Cherenko said that conditions in shelters in Gaza are now 'absolutely horrific' and increasingly crowded - 'there are people coming from the north constantly,' the veteran aid worker added, while others are also moving back northwards, likely to be closer to the entry points for aid convoys. The amount of aid entering Gaza today remains extremely limited and far below the 600 trucks a day that used to reach the enclave before the war began in October 2023. In its latest update, OCHA reported that 'starvation and a growing likelihood of famine' are ever-present in the enclave. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women now face miscarriage, stillbirth and undernourished newborns as a result of the food shortages. Starvation diet 'With the very limited volume of aid that is entering, everyone continues to face starvation and people are constantly risking their lives to try to find something,' Ms. Cherevko continued. ' You eat or [you're] left with the choice of starving to death.' After more than 20 months of war, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, 82 per cent of Gaza's territory is either an Israeli militarized zone or affected by evacuation orders. Three months since hostilities re-escalated on 18 March, more than 680,000 people have been newly displaced. 'With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in every available space, including overcrowded displacement sites, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings, streets and open areas,' OCHA said.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
World News In Brief: Global Investment Plunges, Hurricane Season In Haiti, Rising Cholera And Hunger In South Sudan
19 June 2025 Their latest data shows that the outlook for international investment this year 'is negative', a sharp course correction from January, when 'modest' growth seemed possible. The reasons for this range from trade tensions and tariffs whose main effect has been a 'dramatic increase in investor uncertainty', said UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan. She said that investment in renewable energy, water and sanitation fell by some 30 per cent and that agriculture saw a 19 per cent drop in investor confidence. Only the health sector saw an increase of nearly 20 per cent, Ms. Grynspan said, although that only accounts for 'less than $15 billion globally'. 'Very real consequences' 'Behind those numbers are very real consequences. Jobs not created,' she said. 'Infrastructure not built, sustainable development delayed. What we see here is not just a downturn. It is a pattern.' Ms. Grynspan also cited 'growing geopolitical tensions' in addition to rising trade barriers around the world as reasons for the fall in global investment for development. In critical sectors as hi-tech industries and rare earth minerals, governments are also tightening screening measures on proposed foreign investment, the UN agency noted. Supplies to limit hurricane impact in Haiti critically low The Humanitarian Country Team in Haiti warned Wednesday that funding and pre-positioned contingency supplies are critically low ahead of what is forecast to be an above-average hurricane season. Haiti is highly vulnerable to extreme weather, with 96 per cent of the population at risk. Forecasts project 12 to 19 tropical storms and up to five major hurricanes this year. The alert comes as the fragile island nation grapples with a worsening humanitarian crisis. Armed gangs control much of the country, the collapse of essential services and growing displacement have left 5.7 million people food insecure, 1.3 million displaced and 230,000 living in makeshift shelters ill-equipped to withstand severe weather. Limited preparations Humanitarian actors have pre-positioned limited stocks of essential items, but they are at a record low for a hurricane season posing such high risk. For the first time, Haiti will begin the hurricane season without pre-positioned food supplies or the financial resources necessary to initiate a rapid response. Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA) is coordinating missions with UN agencies and partners to assess how to safely resume aid operations in high-need areas, following their suspension on 26 May due to insecurity. 'I am deeply concerned for communities, families, and vulnerable groups who have already been affected by violence and are living in precarious conditions,' said Ulrika Richardson, Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, calling for immediate support. As of mid-June, the $908 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is just 8 per cent funded. Worsening cholera and hunger in South Sudan OCHA raised the alarm on Thursday over rising malnutrition and cholera cases in war-torn South Sudan. An estimated 2.3 million children under five urgently need treatment for acute malnutrition, a 10 per cent increase since last July. This crisis is unfolding amid the world's most severe cholera outbreak this year, with almost 74,000 cases and at least 1,362 deaths reported as of 16 June. The start of the rainy season and waning immunity risk a significant surge in infections. UN response The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for South Sudan is only 20 per cent funded. Despite limited resources and many challenges, the UN and partners have scaled up efforts, delivering vaccines and life-saving aid to contain the disease and protect the most vulnerable. 'This dire situation is a stark reminder that we need funding urgently to expand food assistance, to expand nutrition and expand health services to those who need it the most,' said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at the daily briefing in New York.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Over 680,000 Palestinians forced to relocate amid continuing Israeli strikes
A girl is walking through demolished school in Gaza. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article The United Nations announced on Wednesday that more than 680,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced across Gaza in the past three months as Israeli military operations continue to intensify. At a press briefing, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric cited the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), revealing that on Tuesday, Israeli authorities issued a new displacement order affecting hundreds of families in the Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah areas. Dujarric highlighted that five primary healthcare centres and three medical points are located within 1,000 metres of the newly designated evacuation zones. OCHA further noted that the expanded displacement zone now covers an additional three square kilometres, bringing the total area under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarised zones to more than 82 per cent of Gaza. The mass displacement has accelerated sharply, with nearly 250,000 people forced to flee in the past 30 days alone, according to the UN. Since October 2023, Israel has conducted a fierce offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in over 55,600 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict. Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in the territory. Attacks on aid sites continue Meanwhile, Gaza's civil defence agency reported that at least 33 people were killed on June 18 by Israeli fire, including 11 civilians queuing for humanitarian aid. Over 100 others were wounded during an attack on a food distribution point in central Gaza, spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. The Israeli military said its troops fired warning shots after spotting 'a group of suspicious individuals' near the area, but were unaware of any injuries. The incident occurred amid severe shortages of food, fuel, and water in Gaza, where Israel's blockade has remained largely in place since March. On the same day, the civil defence agency said 19 more people were killed in three Israeli strikes targeting homes and a tent sheltering displaced persons. The military said these strikes aimed to dismantle Hamas' military capabilities. Bassal also reported three deaths from an Israeli airstrike northeast of Gaza City. AFP could not independently verify casualty figures due to media restrictions and security concerns. The report followed Tuesday's attack near an aid centre in Khan Yunis, where at least 53 people were killed.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
At least 51 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza, health officials say
APOCHA said the people killed were waiting for food rations arriving in UN convoysYousef Nofal, an eyewitness, said he saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground after Israeli forces opened fireKHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip: At least 51 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 wounded in the Gaza Strip while waiting for UN and commercial trucks to enter the territory with desperately needed food, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and a local witnesses told The Associated Press that Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd in the southern city of Khan Israeli military said soldiers had spotted a gathering near an aid truck that was stuck in Khan Younis, near where Israeli forces were operating. It acknowledged 'several casualties' as Israelis opened fire on the approaching crowd and said authorities would investigate what shooting did not appear to be related to a new Israeli- and US-supported aid delivery network that rolled out last month and has been marred by controversy and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs, or OCHA, said the people killed were waiting for food rations arriving in UN on Tuesday, the main Palestinian telecoms regulatory agency based in the West Bank city of Ramallah reported that Israeli strikes had cut off fixed-line phone service and Internet access in central and southern Gaza.'Aren't we human beings?'Yousef Nofal, an eyewitness, said he saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground after Israeli forces opened fire. 'It was a massacre,' he said, adding that the soldiers continued firing on people as they fled from the Abu Qeshfa reported hearing a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling. 'I survived by a miracle,' he dead and wounded were taken to the city's Nasser Hospital, which confirmed 51 people had been killed. Later Tuesday, medical charity MSF raised the death toll to 59, saying that another 200 had been wounded while trying to receive flour rations in Khan Meqdad was at the hospital looking for her two brothers and a nephew who had been in the crowd.'We don't want flour. We don't want food. We don't want anything,' she said. 'Why did they fire at the young people? Why? Aren't we human beings?'Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds trying to reach food distribution points run by a separate US and Israeli-backed aid group since the centers opened last month. Local health officials say scores have been killed and hundreds those instances, the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots at people it said had approached its forces in a suspicious Israeli airstrikes continued elsewhere in the enclave on Tuesday. Al-Awda Hospital, a major medical center in northern Gaza, reported that it has received the bodies of eight Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the central Bureij refugee grows as rival aid systems can't meet needsIsrael says the new system operated by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is designed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid to fund its militant agencies and major aid groups deny there is any major diversion of aid and have rejected the new system, saying it can't meet the mounting needs in Gaza and that it violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who has access to have warned of famine in the territory that is home to some 2 million UN-run network has delivered aid across Gaza throughout the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, but has faced major obstacles since Israel loosened a total blockade it had imposed from early March until officials say Israeli military restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it difficult to deliver the aid that Israel has allowed Cherevko, a spokesperson for OCHA, said on Tuesday that the aid Israeli authorities have allowed into Gaza since late May has been 'woefully insufficient.'Fuel has not entered Gaza for over 100 days, she said. 'The only way to address it is by sufficient volumes and over sustained periods of time. A trickle of aid here, a trickle of aid there is not going to make a difference.'Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli forces kill or injure 11 Palestinians awaiting food trucks, say Gaza officials
Eleven Palestinians were killed or injured on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd waiting for food trucks in central Gaza, civil defence officials in the devastated territory have said. More than a hundred Palestinians have died in recent days after being targeted by the Israeli military in Gaza as they gathered near food distribution centres or on routes along which trucks were expected to travel. The Israeli military said it was 'looking into' reports of the new incident. Mahmoud Bassal, a civil defence spokesperson, told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded on Monday morning 'after [Israeli] forces opened fire and launched several shells ... at thousands of citizens' who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza. The civil defence agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes on Wednesday, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people. Food has become extremely scarce in Gaza since a tight blockade on all supplies entering Gaza was imposed by Israel throughout March and April, threatening many of the 2.3 million people who live there with a 'critical risk of famine'. The UN humanitarian office OCHA said this week that its partners 'continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity'. Since the blockade was partially lifted last month, the UN has tried to bring in aid but has faced major obstacles, including rubble-choked roads, Israeli military restrictions, continuing airstrikes and growing anarchy. Aid officials said 23 UN trucks on average had entered Gaza through the main checkpoint of Kerem Shalom in recent days but most have been 'self-distributed' by hungry Palestinians who stop them or looted by organised gangs. 'A few made it to the warehouses and the bakeries but the majority were stopped along the way … and off-loaded by hungry civilians in critical need of food to feed their families,' a UN official said. On Tuesday morning, at least 59 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded in Khan Younis, according to medical officials, as they waited for a truck loaded with flour. Other violence elsewhere in Gaza, including a shooting near an distribution site in the city of Rafah, took the day's overall death toll among Palestinians seeking food to at least 73. Many of the recent incidents have involved Israeli forces opening fire on crowds trying to reach food distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organisation that began operating in Gaza last month with Israeli and US support. On Monday, at least 37 Palestinians were killed as they tried to reach a GHF site, local authorities said. The Israel Defense Forces disputed the death toll, saying it did not match its information. Witnesses blamed that shooting on Israeli troops who opened fire early in the morning as crowds of hungry Palestinians converged on two hubs managed by the GHF. The IDF said in a statement: 'Despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone, overnight several attempts were made by suspects to approach IDF troops who were operating in the area of Rafah, posing a danger to them. IDF troops operated in order to remove the threat and prevent the suspects from approaching them, and fired warning shots.' Israel hopes the GHF will replace the previous comprehensive system of aid distribution run by the UN, which Israeli officials claim allowed Hamas to steal and sell aid. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of 20 month long war, have rejected the new system, saying it is impractical, inadequate and unethical. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. The GHF's provisions so far have been grossly inadequate, humanitarian officials in Gaza say. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to advance Israel's military objectives. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals The Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on 18 March, ending a two-month truce. The death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached 55,493, according to the health ministry.
