Latest news with #UnitedNationsOfficefortheCoordinationofHumanitarianAffairs
The South African
2 days ago
- Health
- The South African
The United Nations urges aid as the Tawila crisis deepens
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has revised its response plan for Tawila. The updated plan requires $120 million (R2.16 billion) to assist over the next three months. The focus is on critical sectors, including food, healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter, and protection. In addition, the humanitarian crisis is deepening amidst ongoing violence and the spread of diseases. The health situation in Tawila, North Darfur, is deteriorating, with a surge in cholera, measles, and malaria cases. Insecurity has forced over 32 health facilities to close in the region. Critical shortages of surgical supplies and essential medicines are pushing the health system to the brink. As a result, the lack of rapid diagnostic tests is hindering disease surveillance. Tawila has become a key refuge for people fleeing intense conflict in El Fasher and Zamzam camp. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) report that between 379 000 and 436 000 people have fled to Tawila since April 2025. Currently, Tawila is accommodating these newly displaced individuals, while estimates place the total number of internally displaced persons in the area at 560 000. Women, children, and people with disabilities are among the most vulnerable, facing acute protection risks. The United Nations (UN) is deeply concerned about escalating violence in the Kordofan region, which is to the east of Tawila, with drone strikes causing civilian casualties. As a result, it has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the protection of civilians and aid workers. Unimpeded access across conflict lines and borders is vital to addressing spiralling humanitarian needs. Furthermore, increased international support is urgently needed to avert a full-scale catastrophe. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Jordan News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Jordan News
OCHA: 88% of Gaza Under Israeli Military Evacuation Orders - Jordan News
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday that 88% of the Gaza Strip is currently under Israeli military evacuation orders, effectively resulting in the forcible displacement of civilians. اضافة اعلان In its statement, OCHA explained that these so-called "evacuation orders" are expected to impact between 50,000 and 80,000 Palestinians residing in the affected areas across the Gaza Strip. It added that 88% of Gaza's total area, approximately 360 square kilometers and home to around 2.3 million people, is now subject to Israeli evacuation directives. On Sunday, Israeli forces issued a new evacuation order for large parts of Deir al-Balah, prompting waves of displacement that continued into the night as residents fled to other areas.
Euronews
4 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Israeli military launches first ground operation in Deir al-Balah
The Israeli military has launched a ground operation on Monday in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, sending in tanks a day after dropping leaflets on neighbourhoods advising people to evacuate. The ground operation, the first to take place in the city since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza erupted in 2023, is being accompanied by aerial strikes by Israel's air force. Eyewitnesses said massive air strikes took place on the city overnight into Monday, one of the last remaining areas of the Strip not to suffer significant damage from the war. The city is hosting thousands of Palestinians displaced from southern Gaza and is also the main hub for erratic aid deliveries due to its central location. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cautioned against a military operation in Deir al-Balah after the IDF dropped evacuation orders on the city on Sunday. "OCHA warns that today's mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip," the agency said in a statement. "With this latest order, the area of Gaza under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarised zones has risen to 87.8%, leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed." The Israel Defence Forces haven't yet released a statement about the aims of the latest operation, but Israeli sources have said one of the reasons the IDF has so far stayed away from Deir al-Balah is that they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. The militant group is still holding 50 people captive in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. The new military operation comes after Gaza suffered its deadliest day for aid-seekers in more than 21 months of war on Sunday, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to access food, according to local and UN officials. The highest death toll was reported in northern Gaza, where the situation is especially desperate, when at least 70 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, according to health officials. The UN World Food Programme said 25 trucks with aid had entered for "starving communities" when it encountered massive crowds. The Israeli military said soldiers fired warning shots at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. It also rejected casualty reports as "exaggerated".
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israel blocks visa for top UN official after Gaza comments
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday said he had ordered the withdrawal of a senior U.N. humanitarian official's residency permit, accusing him of spreading lies about the war in Gaza. "I have instructed not to extend the residency permit of the head of the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) office in Israel, Jonathan Whittall," Saar wrote on X. Whittall, a South African who lives in Jerusalem and frequently visits the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living in the Palestinian territory. In April, he said that Gazans were "slowly dying" due to the effects of Israel's war against Hamas militants. Saar's decision, which he said came after "biased and hostile conduct against Israel which distorted reality" and broke U.N. neutrality rules, is the latest taken against senior U.N. officials. Since the war began in October 2023, Israel has made it harder to get visas for those working for OCHA, the U.N. human rights office OHCHR and the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA.
Jordan News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Jordan News
UN Warns of Consequences of Israeli Evacuation Order in Central Gaza - Jordan News
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated on Sunday that the military order issued by Israel directing residents and displaced persons in the Deir al-Balah area of Gaza to evacuate southward deals a 'crippling blow' to humanitarian efforts in the war-ravaged enclave. اضافة اعلان In a statement, the office warned that 'the mass displacement order issued today by the Israeli military delivers yet another severe blow to the already fragile lifeline keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip.' Hunger and malnutrition have reached unprecedented levels in Gaza, with the UN confirming that tens of thousands of children and women are in urgent need of treatment, while only limited humanitarian aid is entering the Strip due to Israeli restrictions. Gaza's Civil Defense reported a growing number of infant deaths due to acute hunger and malnutrition, confirming that at least three children died over the past week. (Al-Mamlaka)
