Heavy rainfall complicates earthquake relief efforts
In Venezuela, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue scaling up life-saving assistance to people in need in support of the Government-led response.
More than 50 international search and rescue teams and over 2,300 personnel are working side by side with national authorities. Several people have already been rescued alive from the rubble, even as the death toll continues to rise and many remain unaccounted for.
As the critical window for live rescues narrows, humanitarian partners are expanding emergency support in health, shelter, water and sanitation, and logistics in La Guaira and other affected municipalities.
Efforts are being further complicated by the passage of a tropical wave and continued heavy rainfall affecting parts of the country. These conditions increase the risk of additional structural collapses and landslides in already impacted areas. This poses significant challenges to search and rescue operations and complicates the delivery of shelter, health, and other essential services.
National authorities are issuing public safety guidance and monitoring high-risk zones. The UN and its humanitarian partners are working closely with them to ensure a coordinated response to affected communities.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Venezuela with urgent support.
Strikes in Gaza kill civilians, destroy makeshift tents
Humanitarian teams in the Gaza Strip are assessing the needs of those affected by yesterday’s airstrike on Al Muwasi area of Khan Younis.
In addition to the killing of a mother and her baby girl, initial information suggests that more than 150 families have had their tents destroyed. The tents of 250 other families were also damaged.
Survivors have told humanitarian partners that Israeli authorities had warned them of an imminent attack.
The UN and its partners will support the newly displaced or affected through a rapid joint distribution mechanism.
More generally, safety and security colleagues say that most military activity – including airstrikes, naval fire, and shooting – occurred west of the so-called “Yellow Line” in the 24 hours ending on 8 a.m. today, local time. They add that civilian casualties were reported in several of those attacks.
Meanwhile, humanitarian partners leading on health are warning of a rise in chickenpox cases across Gaza. In just two weeks, they recorded nearly 9,300 reported cases across more than 130 health facilities. Over half of these cases were in Khan Younis. Partners link this surge to the deteriorating environmental conditions, overcrowding, and sanitation and hygiene gaps.
The UN and its partners are sending antihistamines, antibiotics, fever relievers and other essential medicines. Partners are also scaling up water trucking to displacement sites, intensifying chlorination and enhancing latrine clearing and disinfection. One hundred health promoters are being deployed in prioritized locations to educate people on isolation practices and how to seek early medical support.
But partners warn that this response isn’t enough. To expand treatment coverage they need more resources, more hygiene kits, unimpeded access to affected areas, and sustained funding.
In the West Bank, yesterday, Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old child during a search operation in Ramallah. The UN saw reports that Israeli forces are now looking into that incident.
A reminder that in law enforcement, lethal force can only be used as a last resort.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces today entered UNRWA’s oldest vocational training facility – the Kalandia Training Centre – in East Jerusalem.
UNRWA reports that Israeli forces took pictures of the premises and announced that the centre had to close, although no documents were handed over.
The centre serves hundreds of students from refugee camps across the West Bank, including many who face difficult socio-economic conditions and benefit from free education services at the facility.
Today’s raid breached the inviolability of UN premises and violated Israel’s obligations concerning the privileges and immunities of the UN. UNRWA is an integral part of the UN and of the humanitarian community and operates under a clear mandate from the General Assembly. Such actions obstruct our joint efforts to provide humanitarian support to people in need.
Humanitarian conditions worsen in south-east due to insecurity
The humanitarian situation in the prefecture of Haut-Mbomou, in south-eastrn Central African Republic, is deteriorating amid persistent insecurity and constrained humanitarian access.
Civilians face serious threats including abductions and violence. Yesterday, a religious leader involved in community reconciliation was killed by armed elements, according to local partners. Last month, community leaders reported that two civilians were abducted in Zémio by unidentified armed elements. Their whereabouts remain unknown. Cases of disappearance, intimidation and attacks against civilians continue to be reported, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and increased vulnerability in communities already affected by displacement and limited access to basic services.
Meanwhile, humanitarian access is increasingly restricted due to insecurity along key transport routes, particularly along key roads around Zémio. This month, humanitarian partners’ staff have been intercepted, threatened, temporarily detained and assaulted. These incidents follow similar attacks at the end of May and underscore a broader trend of insecurity affecting aid operations across the south-east region.
OCHA adds that the prefecture of Haut-Mbomou is considered at high risk of Ebola transmission due to its proximity to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This adds another layer of vulnerability for people with limited access to healthcare.
OCHA and its partners continue to call for the protection of civilians and safe, sustained and unhindered access for humanitarian organisations to reach those in need.
Civilians, aid workers killed in ambush
The UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Ramanathan Balakrishnan, has strongly condemned a deadly attack yesterday in Duk County, Jonglei State, on a clearly marked humanitarian convoy operated by a local partner, the John Dau Foundation.
Five humanitarian workers were killed and four others injured when the convoy, returning from an Action Against Hunger training, was ambushed. Several civilians were also reportedly killed and injured.
Balakrishnan said attacks on humanitarian workers are unacceptable and violate international humanitarian law. He called for a prompt investigation and urged all parties to protect aid workers, civilians and humanitarian assets.
Since January, 29 humanitarian workers and contractors have been killed while serving communities in need.
Balakrishnan stressed that despite the growing risks facing humanitarians, the humanitarian community remains committed to delivering life-saving assistance to the people of South Sudan.
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