Healthcare under repeated attack as destruction leaves thousands homeless
OCHA remains deeply concerned by the continued impact of hostilities in Lebanon on healthcare and people’s access to essential services.
Yesterday, a reported strike near Hiram Hospital in Tyre district, South Governorate, injured 10 staff members and damaged the hospital’s buildings and vehicles. This is at least the fifth reported incident affecting Hiram Hospital since the escalation began on 2 March, according to the authorities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that across Lebanon, 17 hospitals have been damaged during the escalation, including all three hospitals in Tyre. In addition, at least 135 healthcare workers and first responders have been killed, and nearly 400 others injured.
Hospitals and medical personnel must be protected at all times, according to international law.
Furthermore, a new assessment by the UN Development Programme highlights the scale of destruction caused by the strikes in Beirut and its suburbs. It found that 146 residential buildings were completely destroyed and another 264 were partially damaged. The destroyed buildings contained more than 3,100 homes, leaving thousands of families unable to return.
Humanitarian partners continue to support affected families across the country. Since the escalation began, more than 182,000 people have received essential relief items.
Humanitarian aid efforts hampered by hostilities, settler violence
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA warns that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including aid workers and their premises and assets, continue to be exposed to Israeli airstrikes, shelling and gunfire, resulting in reports of casualties and damage.
Yesterday, a structure in Deir al Balah belonging to a humanitarian organization sustained minor damage from an Israeli strike that hit nearby.
Under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected.
Since yesterday, the entry of supplies to Gaza at Kerem Shalom has been reduced due to infrastructure works.
Overall, this week, the UN and humanitarian partners have delivered food, medicine, and hygiene items into Gaza for distribution to the most vulnerable families.
WHO and its partners also supported the medical evacuation of 26 patients and their companions.
In the West Bank, despite challenges and funding shortages, humanitarian partners continue to respond to growing needs among displaced families and communities and those at risk of displacement.
People’s access to water and sanitation services across the West Bank remains constrained due to settler violence, movement restrictions, demolitions and damage to infrastructure, particularly in the northern West Bank, Masafer Yatta in the south, and in herding communities across Area C.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 100 incidents involving demolitions or settler violence have resulted in damage to over 190 water and sanitation structures, including pipelines, irrigation systems, and water tanks.
OCHA reiterates that Palestinians should be protected and that their access to essential services must be respected and safeguarded, not obstructed or destroyed.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.
Violence disrupts Ebola response as civilians bear brunt of clashes
OCHA warns that escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is impacting civilians and undermining efforts to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, raising the risk of further spread across the eastern part of the country.
In North Kivu province, an armed attack in Beni territory this morning killed at least five civilians, according to local civil society. Elsewhere in the province, renewed clashes in Masisi Territory have triggered further displacement and forced humanitarian organizations to restrict their movements in several areas. This significantly limits access to people in need and disrupts Ebola response activities.
In South Kivu province, hostilities in Kabare Territory in the past three days have also resulted in civilian casualties and new displacement. The hostilities have forced WFP and partners to delay planned food distribution in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, in Ituri province, a health worker in Mongbwalu health zone – which is at the centre of the outbreak – was taken by armed group elements on 8 June and forced to perform a post-mortem procedure without protective equipment. The incident highlights the serious risks faced by frontline health workers.
On 11 June, health authorities reported 41 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 676 across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
This week, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Damien Mama, was in Ituri to support response efforts. He stressed that the Ebola response must be integrated into the broader humanitarian response to sustain essential services for vulnerable communities.
Despite these challenges, the UN and its humanitarian partners, together with local communities, continue efforts to contain the outbreak.
The United Nations calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and to ensure safe, sustained and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian teams. It is essential that surveillance, contact tracing, transport of laboratory samples, medical referrals, emergency deployments and safe and dignified burials can continue without interruption.
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