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UN aid office denounces attacks on Gaza hospital

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OCHA reported that hostilities intensified overnight, with an attack by Israeli forces on the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis which killed and injured several people. 

A team from the World Health Organization (WHO) was also inside the hospital at the time.

The hospital premises were hit again on Wednesday morning, reportedly leading to additional casualties.

A ‘decimated’ health system

“These attacks not only further degrade Gaza’s already decimated healthcare system, but also further traumatize patients and medical staff at these facilities,” OCHA said.

The UN Office has documented at least 686 attacks impacting healthcare in the Gaza Strip since war erupted in October 2023, following the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

OCHA said escalating military activities and increasing explosive ordnance contamination are heightening safety risks for civilians, including aid workers, before stressing once again that civilians and healthcare facilities must always be protected.

First responders in northern Gaza reported that at least 80 people had been killed in the past day following Israeli strikes, including around 50 who died when homes were struck in northern Jabalia.

More displacement orders

Meanwhile, Israel has issued two new displacement orders in North Gaza since Tuesday night, following Palestinian rocket fire.  

Eight neighbourhoods have been affected and humanitarians have already observed some fleeing in search of relative safety.

More than 436,000 people are estimated to have been displaced to various areas of Gaza since 18 March.

“Whether they leave or stay, civilians must be able to access the essentials for their survival,” OCHA said.

© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

Displaced child in Gaza City

End aid blockade

The agency also continues to call for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Gaza. No cargo, including aid, has entered for more than 70 days.

The humanitarian situation is deteriorating, which has led to dwindling stocks in local markets and rising prices of the few supplies that remain available.

For example, during the first week of May, a single 25-kilogramme bag of wheat flour was being sold in Gaza City for the equivalent of more than $415 – a more than 3,000 per cent increase when compared with the last week of February.

“The blockade is also hampering the provision of hot meals in Gaza, with only about 250,000 individual meals now being provided each day through some 65 community kitchens,” OCHA said.

“This is compared to 25 April – less than three weeks ago – when 180 community kitchens were producing nearly 1.1 million meals on a daily basis.” 

Humanitarian partners have more than 171,000 metric tonnes of food in the region, ready for whenever the blockade is lifted.

This is enough to sustain Gaza’s entire population, roughly 2.1 million people, for up to four months.  

Port Sudan: No let-up in drone attacks as UN chief urges peace

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The UN chief warned that any further escalation of the conflict could result in massive civilian casualties and worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation across the country.

“The expansion of the conflict into an area that has served as a place of refuge for a large number of displaced people is alarming,” he said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson’s office.

Mr. Guterres’s appeal follows days of drone strikes on key infrastructure in Port Sudan that have opened a new front in the fighting between forces of the military government and heavily armed paramilitaries.

The city is a main entry point for relief supplies, hosting airports and direct access to the Red Sea. It is also a shelter for hundreds of thousands of displaced people and the seat of government after generals lost control of the capital Khartoum to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Aid flights suspended

In response to the drone attacks, flights of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to and from Port Sudan have been suspended since 4 May.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) which manages the airline said that operations will resume as soon as conditions allow. For the moment, amid reported gun and weapons fire overnight, the insecurity has impacted the movement of aid workers into Sudan and across the country.

A country in flux

Drone strikes have also been reported elsewhere in Sudan, including the states of Kassala and River Nile. In Kassala, strikes near the airport displaced about 2,900 people and led to the temporary suspension or relocation of some aid activities, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

As of Wednesday evening, River Nile State was still without power following a drone strike on the transformer station in Atbara on 25 April. The outage has contributed to growing fuel and bread shortages and long queues at petrol stations and bakeries.

The situation remains dire across Sudan, the UN chief continued, citing intense attacks on critical infrastructure since January that have hampered people’s access to essential services and left them without food, clean water, healthcare and electricity.

“All parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” Mr. Guterres insisted. “They must not direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects; must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental civilian casualties; and must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.”

Sudan’s war stems from the breakdown in the transition to civilian rule following the overthrow in April 2019 of Omar al-Bashir, who had been president for 30 years.

Mr. Guterres decried a “lack of political will” by the warring parties to engage in constructive dialogue as they pursued their military goals.

“Dialogue is the only way to achieve the peace that the people of Sudan demand,” the Secretary-General insisted.

A hunger catastrophe

The turmoil caused by relentless heavy fighting across Sudan has reportedly killed more than 18,800 civilians and injured tens of thousands more. UN aid agencies say that the country’s people are in the grip of the largest hunger catastrophe on the planet.

Today, more than half of Sudan’s population – 30.4 million people – need humanitarian assistance, including more than 15 million children. They lack access to food, water, shelter, electricity, education and healthcare, aid veterans have warned repeatedly.

“Across Sudan, 25 million people face acute hunger,” WFP spokesperson Leni Kinzli told UN News. “And people are displaced across the country, nearly 13 million people forced from their homes. We are seeing waves of displacement in North Darfur, where around 450,000 people have fled horrific levels of violence.”

Reaching those in need

Despite the dangers, UN agencies and partners are doing everything they can to reach the most vulnerable uprooted by intensifying attacks on government-controlled El Fasher town and Zamzam displacement camp.

“We’ve distributed assistance food assistance and emergency food packages to 335,000 people who recently fled that violence in and around El Fasher,” Ms. Kinzli explained. “We are also ramping up assistance in Khartoum, aiming to support one million people across the coming month.”

Distributions are ongoing in Jabalia, in the South of Khartoum, which is one of the risk of famine areas, as well as the central Khartoum neighbourhood of Burri, “where we finally reached the centre of the city…just last week”, the WFP officer noted.

To reach 21 million people in desperate need this year the UN needs $4.2 billion which is only seven per cent funded.

And over the next six months, WFP requires around $700 million to ramp up assistance and expand assistance to seven million people per month. 

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Port Sudan: Aid officials call for greater protection as drone attacks continue

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The escalation is occurring as war grinds on between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who appear to be targeting airports in each other’s areas of control.

“Very concerned by ongoing drone strikes on Port Sudan,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher tweeted on Wednesday. 

“International humanitarian law must be respected. Constant care must be taken to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

Suffering will worsen

The latest strikes in Port Sudan took place early on Tuesday morning, reportedly targeting the international airport and other infrastructure, including a fuel storage facility and a power transformer. 

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, issued a statement that day, saying the attacks “will deepen humanitarian suffering and needs, as well as exacerbate the already severe access and logistical challenges that humanitarian actors face in the delivery of urgently needed aid to the rest of the country.” 

She underlined that the airport is a “lifeline for humanitarian operations” as it is the primary entry point for aid personnel, medical supplies and other life-saving relief. 

“Moreover, the availability of fuel in Port Sudan is critical to the dispatch of humanitarian supplies to areas across Sudan in dire need of assistance,” she added.

She stressed that damage to critical infrastructure could also disrupt supply chains and increase the price of basic goods, thus worsening what is already the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Displacement and aid suspension

Drone attacks have also affected Kassala and River Nile states, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA.

Earlier this week, strikes near the airport in Kassala displaced about 2,900 people and led to the temporary suspension or relocation of some aid activities.

Meanwhile, River Nile state is still facing a power blackout following a drone strike on the transformer station in Atbara on 25 April. The outage is contributing to growing fuel and bread shortages and long lines at gas stations and bakeries.

Cease hostilities now

Ms. Nkweta-Salami noted that since January, attacks on infrastructure across Sudan, such as power stations, water sub-stations, and oil refineries, have caused widespread electricity outages and disrupted access to essential services, including safe drinking water, healthcare and food supplies. 

These are serious violations of international humanitarian law and “reflect a consistent failure to comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution,” she said. 

“Every measure must be taken to spare civilians and civilian objects,” she said. “Once again, I call on all those involved in this conflict to cease hostilities.”

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World News in Brief: Deadly attacks in South Sudan and Ukraine, World Court rejects Sudan case, lifesaving aid in Yemen

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According to the UN relief coordination office (OCHA), the hospital in Old Fangak was struck early Saturday, killing seven civilians and injuring at least 20 more. The attack also destroyed vital supplies and forced the withdrawal of aid workers, leaving the town’s population without access to critical care.

“People in these areas are already battling flooding, food shortages and disease,” said Marie-Helene Verney, the UN’s acting Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan.

Too many lives at risk

“The destruction of critical health infrastructure and continued fighting puts innocent South Sudanese lives at risk.”

The bombing follows a wave of similar attacks in Upper Nile state, where health facilities in Ulang and Nasir have been targeted in recent months. The latest strike has heightened fears of renewed conflict as political and ethnic tensions rise nationwide.

The UN is now airlifting essential supplies to the area, but access remains limited. The violence has displaced over 130,000 people in the past two months, and aid agencies warn that South Sudan’s broader $1.7 billion humanitarian plan remains only 16 per cent funded.

Large scale attacks on densely populated cities across Ukraine

The UN’s top humanitarian official in Ukraine on Monday condemned a series of Russian strikes this weekend on densely populated towns and cities.

Between Friday and Monday, at least 12 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in attacks thar targeted Kharkiv, Kyiv and Cherkasy, and other regions in Ukraine.

These attacks also damaged homes, schools, a hospital and other civilian infrastructure, according to local authorities and partners, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York.

In the aftermath of the strikes, “humanitarian organizations provided first aid, psychosocial support, emergency shelter kits, repair materials, meals and drinks,” Mr. Haq said.

In the Kharkiv region, a fire triggered by a strike near the city of Izium on Sunday, burned 85 hectares of land and damaged over a dozen buildings. There were no casualties reported, Mr. Haq added.

Meanwhile, UN agencies alongside partners reached 600,000 people so far this year with first aid, medical transport, primary care and mental health support, including at transit centres for displaced people.

An IOM-supported health worker in Yemen accesses medical supplies.

Yemen: UN delivers lifesaving medical supplies

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday delivered critical medical supplies to seven health facilities in Yemen, where a collapsing health system and chronic shortages continue to endanger millions.

With support from the Government of the United Kingdom, IOM shipments are reaching hospitals and clinics in Aden, Lahj, Shabwah, Al Bayda and Sana’a – facilities serving both migrants and local communities.

“Every day, our teams see the impact of empty medicine shelves and overwhelmed clinics, on families and entire communities,” said Abdusattor Esoev, head of IOM in Yemen.

“By delivering essential supplies and supporting frontline staff, we are not just responding to urgent needs – we are keeping health services running for those who have nowhere else to turn.”

Crisis on crisis

The intervention comes amid an alarming health crisis.

Nearly 20 million people in Yemen require medical assistance in 2025, but over half of the country’s health facilities are only partially functioning or have shut down altogether. Funding gaps have left 382 facilities unsupported, forcing many to close or drastically cut services.

IOM’s assistance includes essential medicines, surgical equipment and infection prevention tools, as well as infrastructure repairs and support for health workers.

For many in the strife-torn country, IOM-supported clinics remain the only source of free medical care.

ICJ rejects Sudan’s genocide case against UAE

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has rejected Sudan’s case accusing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of complicity in genocide in Darfur, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

In the decision, the UN’s top judicial body ruled on Monday by a vote of 14 to two that it could not proceed with the case brought by Sudan under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) and declined to impose any provisional measures, as Sudan had requested.

The Court also removed the case from its general list by a vote of nine to seven.

“Having come to the conclusion that it manifestly lacks jurisdiction, the Court is precluded from taking any position on the merits of the claims made by Sudan,” the ruling stated.

Complicity charge

Sudan had accused the UAE of backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), alleging its support amounted to complicity in genocidal acts against the non-Arab Masalit population in West Darfur.

The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army has claimed thousands of lives and displaced over 12.7 million people since April 2023.

The Court noted that while it could not hear the case, all States remain bound by their obligations under the Genocide Convention.

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Sudan drone attacks raise fears for civilian safety and aid efforts

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“These attacks appear to be the latest in a series of retaliatory military operations, conducted by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, targeting airports in each other’s areas of control,” UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York on Monday.

The fighting between troops of the military Government and former allies-turned-rivals for power, the RSF, began in April 2023. The war has devastated much of the country, killing thousands and displacing over 8.6 million people, according to UN agencies.

As conflict rages in Khartoum, Darfur, and other areas, Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast has remained a relative safe haven and a key hub for UN and international relief efforts.

Multiple drone strikes

The RSF carried out drone attacks on a military base and other targets on Sunday near the airport – and on Monday, there was a second series of attacks targeting fuel depots in the eastern part of Port Sudan, according to latest news reports.

© UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih

Mothers tend to their children suffering from severe acute malnutrition at a hospital in Port Sudan.

The RSF has not so far claimed responsibility for Monday’s strikes which left fuel storage facilities ablaze in what the army characterised as an attack on civilian infrastructure.

The Secretary-General is “concerned with the recent reports of drone attacks on military and civilian infrastructure” in the area, which until now had largely been spared from the devastation of the year-long war.

Call for urgent dialogue

Mr. Haq stressed that the attack on Port Sudan was a “worrying development threatening the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations” in the city, which has become a lifeline for humanitarian aid across the country.

The Secretary-General “renews his call for urgent dialogue between the warring parties towards an immediate cessation of hostilities and an inclusive political process,” Mr. Haq said. “This is essential to prevent further escalation, protect civilians, and put Sudan back on a path towards peace and stability.”

On the humanitarian front, the UN’s aid coordination office OCHA said the drone strikes have not directly affected its operations in Port Sudan.

UN aid operations continuing

“None of our offices, premises or warehouses have been impacted, and we continue to carry out our regular operations,” Mr. Haq confirmed.

However, he added that the situation is being closely monitored, and that UN Humanitarian Air Service flights in and out of the city have been temporarily paused.

Beyond Port Sudan, recent strikes on power stations across Sudan have disrupted electricity and clean water supplies – worsening conditions for displaced families and returnees.

“We call on all parties to this conflict to ensure that civilians and civilian infrastructure are not targeted,” the Deputy Spokesperson said. “Wars have rules, and international humanitarian law must be respected.”

© UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih

Children participate in an e-learning session at the Al Seniyaa internally displaced people’s gathering site in Port Sudan.

Guterres condemns violence against civilians in Syria, urges Israel to stop attacks

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UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday that the Secretary-General “has been monitoring with alarm the reports of violence in the suburbs of Damascus and in the south of Syria, including reports of civilian casualties and assassination of local administration figures.”

More than 100 people have reportedly been killed in recent days during clashes with sectarian overtones, including in Suweyda governorate.

Call for restraint

Mr. Dujarric said the Secretary-General condemns all violence against civilians, including acts which could risk inflaming sectarian tensions.

In this context, the UN chief also condemned Israel’s violation of Syria’s sovereignty, including the latest airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus.

“It is essential that these attacks stop and that Israel respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and independence,” the Spokesperson added.

The Secretary-General unequivocally called on all concerned to cease all hostilities, exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation. 

He was encouraged by intra-Syrian efforts to de-escalate the violence and maintain security and stability. 

Mr. Guterres took note of the statement by Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which prioritizes “dialogue and cooperation within the framework of national unity.” He also appealed to the interim authorities to transparently and openly investigate all violations. 

Rights experts’ warning

Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council also warned that the recent surge in violence “is deeply troubling” for peace efforts in Syria

The Commission of Inquiry on Syria said the fighting, combined with ongoing Israeli airstrikes, raises the risk of further fragmentation and harm to civilians.

Members noted that hate speech and incitement on social media are fuelling tensions, urging all sides to stop hostilities and commit to dialogue.

While a local agreement has reportedly been reached between Damascus authorities and community leaders, the interim government remains responsible for protecting civilians.

The Commission also called for credible investigations into alleged abuses.

“Impunity for grave violations has in the past been a consistent driver of Syria’s conflict and must not be allowed to persist,” it said. 

“Only by upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice, accountability and reparations for victims and their families can Syria begin to rebuild trust across its fractured communities.”

Independent voices

The Commission of Inquiry was initially established in August 2011 and its mandate has been consistently renewed, most recently in April.

The three Commissioners serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including the UN.

They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.  

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Myanmar crisis deepens as military attacks persist and needs grow

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The 28 March quakes killed over 3,800 people and damaged or destroyed more than 55,000 homes across multiple regions, including Bago, Kayin, Magway, Mandalay, Southern Shan, Naypyitaw and Sagaing.

Families already displaced by years of conflict now face early torrential rains, extreme heat and rising risk of disease. Nearly 20 million people – more than a third of the population – needed assistance even before the earthquakes.

Unremitting violence

Despite the scale of the disaster, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Friday that the Myanmar military has launched at least 243 attacks – including 171 airstrikes – since the massive tremors.

Most of the attacks occurred after 2 April, despite both the military and the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) announcing unilateral ceasefires which were largely unobserved.

“It is imperative that the military immediately stop all attacks on civilians and civilian objects,” he said in his statement, calling for a genuine and permanent nationwide halt to hostilities and a return to civilian rule.

He underscored the need to put the people of Myanmar first, prioritise their rights, and achieve a peaceful resolution.

“Instead of further futile investment in military force, the focus must be on the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar,” Mr. Türk said.

Delays putting lives at risk

UN humanitarians in the country also warn that the situation remains dire.

Speaking to journalists in New York via video link from Yangon, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim Marcoluigi Corsi said that one month on, people are still living in the open and facing increasingly difficult conditions.

“The suffering is immense and the stakes are very high,” he said on Thursday, urging the international community to translate funding pledges into rapid, large-scale support.

“Every delay means more lives at risk and more communities in Myanmar struggling to rebuild.”

Lack of funding imperils response

Agencies have reached 600,000 people with water, sanitation and hygiene services. They have also provided nearly 500,000 people with food assistance and over 100,000 with emergency shelter.

But the response remains constrained by severe underfunding.

Mr. Corsi called on donors to urgently disburse their pledged amounts. Without timely action, the crisis would get worse, he warned.

“Lives depend on our collective commitment to delivering the support that is desperately needed…the time to act is now,” he said.

The $275 million addendum to the 2025 humanitarian response plan has received just $34 million – or about 12 per cent – leaving affected communities without assistance.

Disease outbreak risk

According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) over 450,000 people require critical health services, but only about 33,600 have been reached so far.  

Disease outbreaks are also a growing concern as nine of the 20 townships most at risk for cholera fall within earthquake-affected areas. Stagnant water from delayed rubble removal is creating mosquito breeding grounds, driving up the risk of malaria and dengue.  

Limited access to medicines and medical supplies are further straining already overstretched health facilities.

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Outrage as Russian overnight attacks on Ukraine cities kill at least nine civilians

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Reports indicate that the latest Russian strikes damaged 12 buildings in the capital, causing widespread damage to homes, businesses and key services, while phones have been heard ringing from the rubble.

Other Ukrainian cities targeted included Zhytomyr – due west of Kyiv – and the northeastern cities of Sumy –  where a daytime missile strike killed at least 34 people on 13 April – and Kharkiv – where the authorities reported 24 drone and missile strikes in total.

“The casualty count is expected to rise as emergency teams continue search-and-rescue operations amid,” said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

The development follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reported decision on Wednesday to reject a US-led proposal to seek a peace deal with Russia that would have involved ceding territory lost during the war. In theory, this would include the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in addition to Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014.

“Last night’s large-scale attack by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on residential areas in Kyiv and surrounding regions is yet another appalling violation of international humanitarian law,” said the UN’s top aid official in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale.

Children and a pregnant woman were among the more than 70 people injured by Wednesday night’s reported missile and drone strikes. “This senseless use of force must stop… Civilians must never be targets”, insisted Mr. Schmale, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine.

Echoing that message, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, appealed for an end to the use of explosive weapons in civilian areas.

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