Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine

Rows of vehicles filled with people , mattresses and bags can be seen on a road. Some people are walking. Smoke can be seen in the background.

The exodus continues in Gaza as people move from Rafah to middle parts of the Gaza Strip, in search of safety where there is none. UNRWA

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has warned that more than half of Gaza’s population – well over one million people – are crammed in Rafah, staring death in the face, with little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, nowhere to sleep and nowhere safe to go.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mr. Griffiths said that for more than four months, humanitarian workers have been doing the near-impossible to assist people in need, despite the risks they themselves were facing and the traumas they were enduring.

But no amount of dedication and goodwill is enough to keep millions of people alive, fed and protected – while the bombs are falling and the aid is choked off.

Mr. Griffiths warned that military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza. They could also leave an already fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door.

As airstrikes on Rafah continue to intensify, there have been reports of people moving out of the area toward Deir al Balah and An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, according to our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Food insecurity is on the rise, with the entry of humanitarian aid extremely limited.

Sigrid Kaag

Sigrid Kaag, the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, has just wrapped a visit to Qatar to discuss the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2720. In Doha, she met with the Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwah Al-Khater; the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi; Chairman of the Gaza Reconstruction Committee, Mohammed Al-Emadi; and the acting Secretary-General of the Qatar Red Crescent Society, Faisal Mohamed Al-Emadi.

Prior to her visit to Qatar, Ms. Kaag was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take part in the World Government Summit. While in the UAE, she also held talks with the Commander of joint operations at the Ministry of Defense, Major General Saleh Al Ameri.

Ukraine

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned the deadly overnight attack on the town of Selydove in the Donetsk Region, in the east of the country.

A hospital, homes and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.

Ms. Brown said she is appalled by the news of reported deaths and injuries, which include a pregnant woman, a six-month-old baby, and a mother with her child.

The hospital administration had to evacuate patients in the middle of the night. This is the second time they had to do so in just a few months, as the same hospital was hit in November last year.  

Ms. Brown said that attacks on healthcare facilities are a violation of international humanitarian law and emphasized that it is unacceptable that civilians seeking medical attention, already grappling with the physical and emotional toll of illness or injury, face violence and destruction.   

Humanitarian organizations are mobilized and providing support to people in Selydove, including the transportation of patients to nearby hospitals and delivering emergency repair materials.

In 2024 alone, the World Health Organization verified 28 attacks impacting health personnel and patients, hospitals, medical transport and supplies across Ukraine.