Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine

Occupied Palestinian Territory

OCHA warns that deadly warfare tactics that seem to exceed international standards for law enforcement are still occurring across the north of the West Bank.

In the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, the number of fatalities has reached 15 in just less than two days, with many others injured. This is according to the Ministry of Health. People have been hit by airstrikes, sniper fire and other lethal means.

Initial reports suggest that some families have been displaced, particularly in urban areas where Israeli forces have repurposed homes as military positions. In multiple locations, heavy damage to infrastructure has been caused by military bulldozers, and electricity and telecommunication outages continued.

Meanwhile, military operations near hospitals also continue, effectively besieging these facilities and limiting the movement in and out, including that of medical staff. A UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East clinic in Al Far’a refugee camp had to suspend operations yesterday and could only resume them today, when Israeli forces left that area.

OCHA has convened UN agencies and other humanitarian partners working in the West Bank, and they all stand ready to assess damages and people’s needs and to respond. Agencies have warned of the risk of unexploded munition in some areas and that will be among the first issues to address.

Israeli forces in the West Bank must adhere to international law enforcement standards, under which lethal force is used as a last resort only against imminent threats of death or serious injury

In the Gaza Strip, yesterday, 28 August, the World Food Programme (WFP) decided to temporarily pause the movement of its employees across Gaza after a WFP team returning from a humanitarian mission on 27 August came under direct IDF fire, their vehicle struck at least 10 times as it was nearing an Israeli check point. This, despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach.  

Despite this pause in staff movement, WFP continued its life-saving humanitarian operations and activities in Gaza through its cooperating partners and hopes to resume its staff missions as soon as it receives the necessary safety and security guarantees from the Israeli authorities that can allow its staff to safely travel to the areas, they need to be in.

WFP is committed to staying and delivering in Gaza but this incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where humanitarians are increasingly coming under fire and increasing violence is compromising their ability to deliver life-saving aid.

The already critical situation is exacerbated by restricted access and heightened risks, leading to decreased food supplies reaching those in desperate need.

Humanitarian operations by the UN and humanitarian partners in Gaza continue, with colleagues seizing any opportunity to support those in need.

In a new development, OCHA says that, today, the Israeli authorities announced that displaced people could return to specific areas in Deir al Balah. This is the first time where return is officially allowed to an evacuated area.

Sixteen mass evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Gaza so far in August. This is every other day, on average. As Humanitarian Coordinator Muhannad Hadi warned last week, these successive mass evacuation orders have exposed civilians to harm, rather than protecting them and have deprived children and adults of essentials they need to survive.

A reminder that evacuation orders are also severely constraining aid efforts; in recent weeks, they have displaced many of our humanitarian colleagues and resulted in loss of access to warehouses, water wells, other critical facilities and humanitarian routes.

Finally, on Saturday, UN colleagues assessed the water, hygiene and sanitation conditions in two sites hosting over 1,200 families in Rafah. People there are struggling with drinking water as no trucking is currently available. They report skin diseases being the main morbidity among women and children, with no treatments available when they go to the medical points. And, those residing directly on the beach, in Mawassi, have had sea water flooding their tents.

Sudan

OCHA reports that a team led by Sudan's Governor of the Red Sea State including UN agencies, local organizations, the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, the International Committee of the Red Cross and international non-governmental organizations conducted a preliminary assessment earlier this week. The team was responding to the floods caused by the collapse of the Arba’at dam near Port Sudan on 25 August.

The team was only able to visit the western bank of the dam since rising waters are hampering access to the eastern bank.

They met with residents and community leaders who confirmed that several lives were lost and that more than 60 people are still missing. Twenty villages have been destroyed and several dozens of boreholes have been damaged, as well as thousands of latrines.

There has been extensive damage to the freshwater pipeline that supplies the city of Port Sudan.

Local authorities also report that some 5 million cubic meters of silt have been released downstream, severely impacting agriculture and water supply in surrounding areas.

Urgent needs for people affected by the dam burst include food, shelter and household items.

The UN and humanitarian partners are mobilized and have distributed emergency assistance, including food, water purification tablets.

OCHA warns that the damage to the dam has a serious direct impact but will continue to affect freshwater supply to Port Sudan for the months to come.

Meanwhile in the Adre crossing between Chad and Daruf: OCHA says that, as of 29 August, 39 humanitarian trucks entered Sudan from Chad through Adre carrying supplies for more than 120,000 people. Despite the surge of supplies through Adre, OCHA warns that ongoing floods have damaged three major bridges in the region, limiting movements within Darfur.

Ukraine

In Ukraine, OCHA says that attacks on the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk and Kharkiv continued yesterday. Local authorities report dozens of casualties, as well as severe damage to homes and civilian infrastructure.

Local authorities in the Donetsk region, in the east of the country, have declared an emergency evacuation, as the situation around the town of Pokrovsk becomes increasingly dire due to ongoing fighting, with some 40,000 residents still remaining in the town. Banks will remain operational until the end of the week, after which only several ATMs will be available.

Humanitarian organizations continue to assist people in front-line communities by providing food, household supplies and other essential items. They are also distributing solid fuel in preparation for the upcoming winter season. Hot meals and food kits have also been delivered at transit centers and collective sites to support people fleeing the Donetsk and Sumy regions.