Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Mauritania, Ukraine
Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA says that local pauses have enabled the launch of the emergency polio vaccination campaign, which aims to reach more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 across the Gaza Strip.
In a social media post earlier today, World Health Organization’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that around 74,000 children are estimated to have been vaccinated yesterday, on the second day of the campaign. This brings the total number of children vaccinated so far to over 160,000. Dr. Tedros added that day three of the campaign is ongoing.
In parallel to the local pauses, OCHA says that Israeli bombardments, ground operations and heavy fighting continue in multiple areas, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructures. As we have flagged repeatedly here, families continue to flee and find themselves in overcrowded areas with inhumane living conditions, which, coupled with the lack of clean water, sanitation facilities and basic hygiene items, contribute to the spread of diseases.
Parties must always respect international humanitarian law. This means that civilians must be protected and their essential needs – including food, shelter, water and health – must be met, wherever they are in Gaza.
On public health and the prevention of waterborne diseases, local partners, in collaboration with UNICEF, have been able to repair the main water transmission line running from Israel to Khan Younis, which was damaged during recent military operations. This has led to the partial restoration of water services in several areas, including Al Mawasi where hundreds of displaced people are living in unbearable conditions. UNICEF and partners have also delivered more than 12,000 litres of essential supplies for water disinfection to the municipalities of Gaza city and Jabalya for the first time in three months.
However, the global water and sanitation in Gaza continues to be dire with services and the response hampered by the ongoing destruction of water and sanitation facilities, restricted access and limitations on the entry of essential resources.
With the first rainfalls experienced over the past weekend, OCHA warns that over one third of the population is staying in flood-prone areas across Gaza. Local authorities and humanitarian partners are worried of seawater flooding tents along the beach, as well as of damage to rainwater and sewage networks resulting in additional flooding. Today, UNICEF, along with OCHA, UNDP and non-governmental organizations assessed the water, hygiene and sanitation situation in four displacement sites located in flood-prone areas in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah. And this is informing the preparation to the rainy season.
Meanwhile, OCHA says that insecurity and access restrictions continue to jeopardize humanitarian operations. Since January 2024, 16 incidents involving UN vehicles being directly hit have been recorded in Gaza. It bears reminding that safe, unimpeded and predictable humanitarian access is critical to save lives and deliver basic assistance across the Strip.
In the West Bank, OCHA warns of the continued use of lethal war-like tactics by Israeli forces, including airstrikes, with people being killed, injured, displaced or deprived of access to basic services. Operations have now resumed in Tulkarm, while continuing in Jenin. The UN has recorded more than two dozen fatalities over the past week, including children.
OCHA has mobilized organizations from the UN and beyond to assess damages and humanitarian needs on the ground. Visiting Tulkarm on Saturday, they confirmed the displacement of 120 people, including over 40 children, whose homes were destroyed. At the time of the assessment, 13,000 people in Nur Shams refugee camp experienced water cut-offs, attributed to damages caused to the water network, and sewage overflow was observed. The teams also noted that the population was traumatized and in need of psychosocial support. OCHA has triggered humanitarian response to the identified needs.
Today, multiple organizations mobilized by OCHA were set to carry out an assessment in Jenin but were denied access by the Israeli authorities. OCHA warns that access impediments are impacting the ability to provide meaningful humanitarian response. The movement of ambulances and medical teams has been impeded and delayed since the onset of the now-week-long operation. Humanitarian access must always be facilitated.
Syria
OCHA warns about the continued impact of hostilities on civilians across Syria.
Yesterday, at least 13 civilians, including six children and three women, were injured when hostilities impacted a market in Western Aleppo.
The UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, David Carden, expressed concern over the incident, reiterating that civilian and civilian infrastructure must be protected.
At the same time, health services are being scaled back due to underfunding, with half of all health facilities in the north-west risking closure by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, in north-east Syria, on Sunday the UN carried out a cross-line interagency assessment mission to Al-Kisrah district in Deir-ez-Zor for the first time since 2018.
Al-Kisrah was affected by the recent escalation of hostilities in Deir-ez-Zor, which resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths.
The resurgence in hostilities, along with the closure of crossing points along the Euphrates River, have interrupted access to healthcare, water and food, and driven up already-high prices.
More than 85 per cent of the population of Al-Kisrah, which is on the eastern side of the Euphrates, needs humanitarian assistance, including those at seven sites hosting some 22,000 displaced people.
The inter-agency team met with local communities and visited essential service points, including water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, health facilities and markets.
Our ability to meet the needs in Syria remains constrained by underfunding. This year’s appeal has received only 26 per cent of the $4.1 billion needed to help nearly 11 million people in need of assistance across the country.
Mauritania
Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, has allocated US$3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support Malian refugees who have sought safety in Mauritania.
The funds will support the provision of life-saving assistance, including in the health and nutrition sectors, for more than 100,000 people – both Malian refugees and host communities – in the Hodh Chargui region, in the east of the country.
As of July 2024, this region was hosting more than 260,000 displaced people, putting severe pressure on local resources and services and the health sector.
Mauritania has hosted a significant number of refugees, mainly from Mali, since 2013.
Ukraine
OCHA reports that aid organizations continue to provide emergency support to people affected by the latest attacks across Ukraine over the weekend.
Kharkiv City, in the northeast, was particularly affected and sustained two attacks, on 30 August and 1 September. According to authorities, 6 people were killed and 150 others were injured, including 30 children. Humanitarian partners on site also noted large-scale damage to civilian infrastructure – more than 90 residential buildings, a shopping center and sports facilities, as well as two education facilities, were damaged in the attacks.
In a social media post, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the repeated attacks impacting residential areas and causing multiple civilian casualties.
Aid workers in Kharkiv mobilized immediately and provided medical and psychosocial support. They organized the delivery of hot meals for both affected people and rescuers. In the last two days, more than a dozen NGOs delivered repair materials and covered over 400 shattered windows. Humanitarian partners also started the registration process for cash assistance and support continues today.
Other parts of Ukraine — particularly Sumy and Donetsk regions and Kyiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia cities — also suffered from deadly strikes and attacks over the weekend and on Monday. This includes – on 1 September – an attack on Sumy City which served as a psychosocial rehabilitation of children, injuring civilians, including children.
A new attack occurred today in the central city of Poltava. Initial reports indicate multiple casualties.