[News] Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Libya

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In Gaza, the number of people internally displaced is estimated at about one million, including about 353,000 people staying in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools in central and southern Gaza. They are living in increasingly dire conditions. For the ninth consecutive day, Gaza is under a full electricity blackout. Hospitals are on the brink of collapse They are operating at a bare minimum capacity and are struggling to keep emergency rooms operational, and are suspending some surgeries, working in darkness and limiting elevator usage. The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 59 attacks on health care, with 16 health care workers killed and more than two dozen others injured. Twenty-six healthcare facilities have been damaged, as well as 23 ambulances. Water production from municipal groundwater sources is at less than five per cent of the level prior to the latest crisis. The lack of fuel, insecurity and road damage have brought water trucking operations to a halt in most areas. Our partners estimate that the average water consumption from all sources and for all needs - including cooking and hygiene - have dipped to three liters per day per person. According to WHO, between 50 and 100 litres of water per person per day are needed to ensure that most basic needs are met, and few health concerns arise. Nutritional health is deteriorating as water is extremely limited, bringing the risk of dehydration and people consuming water that is unfit to drink. Commercial stocks of essential food commodities are running low, with stocks in shops set to last only for a few more days. Despite immense challenges, the World Food Programme (WFP) is providing food and cash assistance each day In Palestine – for a total of 522,000 Palestinians since the start of the crisis. Many of the bakeries contracted by WFP to make bread for people in need are no longer operational. One was hit by a bomb on Wednesday. Others bakery might not be able to continue to operate due to lack of fuel but also shortages of essential ingredients such as flour. Only one of the five mills in Gaza is functioning. Sudan Yesterday [18 October], OCHA facilitated 44 trucks with relief supplies to Kordofan and Darfur. Prior to this, the movement of supplies was delayed for six consecutive weeks due to insecurity. The convoy is transporting supplies from the UN Refugee Agency, WFP and UNICEF. Regarding the health situation in the country, WHO says more than 1,400 suspected cases of cholera and 64 associated deaths have been reported in Sudan since a cholera outbreak was declared late last month. Humanitarian agencies have scaled up their response to the outbreak. The outbreak comes as Sudan’s health care system is stretched to its limits: Some 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected states are not functional, and facilities in states not affected by conflict have been overwhelmed by an influx of people displaced by the fighting. UNICEF and WHO warn that at least 10,000 children under the age of 5 in Sudan could die by the end of this year due to rising food insecurity, as well as disruptions to health and nutrition services. Libya Five weeks after Storm Daniel brought catastrophic flooding to the country’s northeast, more than 43,000 people are still displaced – over one-third of them in Derna. An estimated 400 children are still unaccompanied and separated from their families. WHO reports that only 17 of more than 230 health facilities assessed after the floods are fully functional. The UN and our partners have reached some 156,000 people with humanitarian assistance, including food, safe drinking water, shelter supplies and other essential items. Our three-month Flash Appeal for $71 million to respond to the floods in Libya is currently 45 per cent funded.

https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-occupied-palestinian-territory-sudan-libya