UN announces Ebola Coordinator
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, in consultation with World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros, has designated Julien Harneis as Senior Ebola Coordinator.
Harneis will be based in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and will work with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which brings together UN entities and humanitarian partners.
Harneis previously served as the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen. He also filled that same role in Pakistan.
Working closely with WHO, national authorities and partners, his new role will be to reinforce coordination across the response, address operational challenges and help ensure support reaches people who need it as quickly as possible.
UN, partners provide medical supplies, food to tackle Ebola
OCHA reports that the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to support the response to the Ebola outbreak despite immense operational challenges.
This week, the UN and its partners delivered 16.5 tonnes of medical supplies and also provided new health screening facilities at Ndjili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, to strengthen disease surveillance.
The UN and its partners expanded community engagement and Ebola prevention activities, including a toll-free hotline for pregnant women and awareness sessions for displaced women in the town Bunia. Humanitarians continue to provide logistical support and food assistance to affected households during periods of illness and isolation.
In neighbouring Uganda, yesterday, Fletcher allocated US$4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for the Ebola.
These newly released funds are part of the up to $60 million CERF allocation to boost the Ebola response, announced at the end of May. They will support our work across 29 districts, including in areas hosting refugees, to deliver health and logistics assistance.
UN relief wing releases emergency funding to assist displaced people
Yesterday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, announced an additional $12 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to help hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by conflict in Lebanon.
The funding will help people access healthcare and protection from gender-based violence, among other critical services, as well as help to address growing food insecurity.
Since the announcement of the regional ceasefire, nearly 50,000 people have returned to parts of Nabatieh and South Governorates. However, more than 106,000 people remain in collective sites across the country, with many others seeking shelter elsewhere.
Humanitarian partners warn that continued insecurity, widespread destruction and limited access to basic services continue to prevent people from returning to their homes.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Lebanon with urgent support.
UN warns of escalating settler violence
OCHA reports attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank continue to cause Palestinian casualties, displacement and property damage.
Yesterday, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, said in a statement that arson attacks on two mosques near Ramallah are unacceptable and must be condemned.
Since this Sunday, four mosques have been affected by arson attacks – all in Ramallah governorate.
Dr. Alakbarov warned of a worrying escalation of violence that must be stopped urgently. He stressed that such acts threaten the fabric of communities and risk further inflaming tensions. And he called for accountability for perpetrators.
Last Friday, also in the Ramallah area, two Palestinian herding families – two women and eight children – were forced to relocate for the second time this year due to settler attacks and intimidation.
Further north, in Tulkarm, Israeli forces yesterday allowed displaced Palestinians to access their homes in two refugee camps to retrieve personal belongings. Local partners assess that some 65 families were permitted entry for a limited time, more than a year after their initial displacement.
According to the UN Reliefs and Works Agency, more than 33,000 Palestinians from these camp areas as well as from Jenin Camp have been displaced and not allowed to return since January 2025.
Health partners report that, as of Sunday, more than 30 emergency medical teams were deployed across the Gaza Strip.
Partners working on sexual and reproductive health are maintaining services through hundreds of medical points. This includes 10 mobile units that help reach areas with limited access.
Health partners also say they are expanding mental health and psychosocial support services for children and adolescents.
At the same time, they warn that certain health supplies are running low, particularly items that are difficult to bring in. These include high-level disinfectants needed for surgeries, insulin and hemodialysis supplies for the treatment of non-communicable diseases, as well as artificial limbs and rehabilitation equipment.
WHO recently took 120 wheelchairs into Gaza; however, partners report that assistive devices often wear out or break down within weeks due to the damaged and uneven surfaces they are used on. With the scale of injuries from hostilities over recent years, the number of people requiring such devices is significantly higher than what can be brought in.
Insecurity closes markets, schools in North Kordofan
OCHA warns that escalating hostilities in and around, El Obeid, in the capital of North Kordofan State, in Sudan, are putting civilians at greater risk and severely disrupting humanitarian operations.
Continued drone attacks are causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure, with multiple strikes reported earlier this week across the city, including near El Obeid Girls’ Secondary School.
Local sources indicate that most schools, markets, shops, and humanitarian warehouses in the town have now closed. Humanitarian partners say they are postponing convoys between El Obeid and South Kordofan due to insecurity.
El Obeid hosts large numbers of displaced people and is also a critical logistics hub for the humanitarian response across the broader Kordofan region to support operations in areas of acute need, including the cities of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan.
Any further disruption to roads into and out of El Obeid will significantly limit humanitarian efforts to reach people in need.
Despite the volatile and rapidly evolving situation, humanitarian partners, including NGOs and local responders, remain on the ground to deliver life-saving assistance.
The UN reiterates its calls on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to ensure rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access.
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