“Humanitarian facilities in Rafah are forced to close one after another…The flow of humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza, already insufficient to meet the soaring needs, has dropped by 67 per cent since 7 May,” reported the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, amid reports that kitchens, clinics and hospitals are shutting down.

Until Israeli troops seized and closed the Rafah border crossing in the very south of the Strip, it had been the key entry point for food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza as well as the route for sick and wounded people to leave for treatment.

Powerless to help against famine threat

Echoing those concerns, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that there was little the agency “can currently do in Rafah, with stocks very low and mobility severely restricted”. 

According to WFP, the West Erez crossing in northern Gaza “is functional, but not reliable”. Gate 96 further south and the Erez crossing are also “inaccessible” and access is so “constrained” to southern parts of Gaza that it risks causing the same catastrophic levels of hunger witnessed in the north.

Tactical gain 

The development comes as the Israeli military said that it had secured “tactical control” of a narrow 13 kilometre (eight mile) stretch of land between Gaza and Egypt.

In a statement on Wednesday, an Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson reportedly claimed that rocket launchers had been used to attack Israel from the Philadelphi Corridor. 

A senior Israeli official also reportedly told national radio Wednesday that fighting in Gaza could be expected to last until the end of the year, at least.

Dire humanitarian situation

After nearly eight months of war, the entire population of Gaza of 2.2 million people is almost exclusively dependent on humanitarian assistance, including food.

Although desperately needed supplies have been delivered on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Abu Salem, or Kerem Shalom, crossing located close to Rafah, UN humanitarians have repeatedly stressed that it is not safe to fetch them amid ongoing hostilities, impassable roads, unexploded weapons, fuel shortages and delays at checkpoints.

“Adults and children are beyond exhausted from constant displacement, hunger, and fear,” WFP said in its latest situation update. “They are desperate for the war to end, as are humanitarian workers on the ground, who are largely displaced and dispersed along with the people they are meant to serve.”

Aid officials have frequently reiterated the responsibility of Israel as the occupying power to ensure that aid reaches those who need it, in line with international humanitarian law.

The UN food agency meanwhile confirmed that lifesaving aid relief and fuel from Egypt had crossed into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. 

“This is an important step, but we need sustained access. We need all border crossings and crossing points within Gaza to be open,” it said, adding that although some commercial goods had reached the enclave, “people cannot afford the high prices”.

“We need more aid to enter through the south because people need dietary diversity, access to healthcare and water.” 

In its latest update, the UN food agency said that in the north, aid teams are distributing food parcels, wheat flour, hot meals and supporting bakeries.  

In central areas, WFP is prioritising hot meals to reach more people with fewer resources. It noted that faster assistance is now possible thanks to a recently introduced self-registration tool that allows people to update their location.

Just four bakeries now operate in Gaza City, and one recently opened in Jabalia, providing bread in the north. Out of the 17 bakeries WFP operates in Gaza, only 11 are functioning owing to the lack of fuel and other essentials.    

In Rafah the healthcare situation remains perilous, with only one hospital still functional, the World Health Organization said, referring to Al Emirati Maternity Hospital. This compares with three partially functional hospitals earlier this month. “An Najjar Hospital was evacuated on 7 May and Al Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah ceased operations on 27 May,” WHO said, following reports quoting the hospital’s director that this happened after two medical staff were killed when the hospital’s gate was hit. 

Other aid operations that have closed this week in Rafah reportedly include a field hospital and kitchen run by UN partners the Palestinian Red Crescent and World Central Kitchen.   

Al Mawasi strike

To date, at least 36,171 Palestinians have been killed and 81,420 injured in Gaza, OCHA said, citing Gazan health authorities, since Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on 7 October prompted intense Israeli bombardment across the enclave. 

“Mass casualties” were also reported on Tuesday after an unconfirmed airstrike on a site for forcibly displaced people in the coastal Al Mawasi area, southwest of Rafah. The UN aid office cited the Gazan ministry of health, which reported 21 fatalities and 21 injuries.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the rival military Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been battling for more than year, recently intensified in the North Darfur city. 

Civilians are under attack from all sides, and the news of reported casualties and human rights abuses are appalling, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami said in a statement. 

‘Deeply worrying reports’ 

“Families, including children and elderly people, are being prevented from leaving the city as they search for safety,” she said.

“We are receiving deeply worrying reports that medical facilities, displacement camps and critical civilian infrastructure have been targeted by parties to the conflict.” 

Ms. Nkweta-Salami added that many parts of El Fasher have been left without electricity or water and a growing proportion of the population has limited access to food, healthcare and other basic necessities and essential services. 

Appeal to the parties 

“After more than a year of brutal conflict, families have exhausted their scarce resources and their resilience is being eroded with each day of violence,” she said. 

The top UN aid official in the country stressed that all parties must avoid using explosive weapons in populated areas and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

“Wars have rules that must be respected by all, no matter what,” she said.  

Conflict displaces millions 

Meanwhile, the war has displaced more than seven million people inside Sudan, more than half of them children, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, citing data from the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This is in addition to the estimated two million who have fled to neighbouring countries since the conflict erupted in April 2023. 

The UN and partners continue to step up efforts to respond to rising hunger and food insecurity in Sudan. Some 18 million people across the country are going hungry, and five million are on the brink of famine. 

Food on the move 

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 1,200 metric tonnes of food supplies for some 116,000 people are being transported across the Darfur region and nearing final destinations in Central Darfur and 12 locations across South Darfur, including displacement camps in Nyala.  

The supplies are from a WFP convoy that crossed into Sudan from Chad last week. 

Food distributions are also ongoing for 135,000 people in South Kordofan state as WFP reiterated that aid must safely reach vulnerable communities. 

‘Catastrophic consequences’ for children and mothers

Separately, WFP alongside the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), issued a stark warning of the significant deterioration in the nutrition status of children and mothers due to the war.

“Sudan is facing an ever-increasing risk of conflict-induced famine that will have catastrophic consequences, including the loss of life, especially among young children,” they said on Thursday.

Recent analysis conducted by the agencies highlights how the conflict is worsening the drivers of child malnutrition, which include lack of access to nutritious food, safe drinking water and sanitation as well as increased risk of disease.

The situation is further compounded by the massive displacement of people fleeing to safety. Furthermore, humanitarian access has been severely impacted by the fighting.

Childhood malnutrition crisis

The UN agencies said child malnutrition is at emergency levels. In Central Darfur, acute malnutrition is estimated to be at 15.6 per cent among under-fives and close to 30 per cent at the ZamZam camp in North Darfur, home to thousands of internally displaced people.

Acute malnutrition is life-threatening, they explained, as malnourished children are up to 11 times more likely to die than their well-nourished counterparts. 

Levels of malnutrition are particularly worrying among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, they added, pointing to a screening carried out last month by medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, in the ZamZam camp.

Over 33 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women there are malnourished, indicating that they are likely sacrificing their own needs to feed their children. 

Next generation at risk

“This situation poses an incredible risk not only for the health of mothers, but also for the next generation of Sudan’s children,” they said. “As much as 30 per cent of child malnutrition begins in utero, so children born to malnourished mothers are likely to be already malnourished themselves.”

The agencies fear that the situation for children and mothers will only worsen over the coming months, noting that the rainy season, which starts in June, will cut off communities and raise disease rates.

“Sudan is also entering the lean season, a time between harvests when food stocks traditionally run low,” they added.  “This is particularly pertinent this year as reports are already indicating that agricultural production in 2023 was below normal due to insecurity and displacement.”

The agencies called for immediate, unimpeded and consistent access to communities who are suffering the worst effects of the conflict, through all possible crossline and cross-border routes.

They also appealed for a de-escalation of the situation in El Fasher, a nationwide ceasefire and  a scale-up in donor support, warning that “the window to avert the worst is rapidly closing”. 

Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis, noting that 16.7 million people now require humanitarian assistance, the highest number since the conflict began 13 years ago.  

He stressed that the situation is deteriorating year by year, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing protection crisis as children continue to be killed and women and girls face increasing levels of sexual and gender-based violence.

In addition, an unstable economic situation is compounding suffering and perpetuating instability. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the cost of living has more than doubled over the past year, and there are no signs of improvement in the near future.

“More than seven million people remain displaced within Syria, with millions more living as refugees in neighbouring countries,” Mr. Griffiths said.

He underscored the need for sustained humanitarian access through both cross-border and crossline operations.

Welcoming the recent extension granted by the Syrian Government for use of the Bab al-Salam border crossing, the UN relief chief highlighted the need for more long-term commitments based on needs rather than set time periods

Security concerns

Geir O. Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, described the political impasse as deeply entrenched, with no clear political path to implement UN Security Council resolution 2254, which outlined a roadmap for Syria’s political transition.  

He warned of the risks of prolonged division and despair, which threaten not only Syrians but the broader international community.

“A dizzying array of local and international actors and listed terrorist groups remain engaged in conflict, inside and over Syrian territory, across multiple theatres,” Mr. Pedersen said.

He detailed ongoing clashes across the north of the country and security tensions within areas of control, complicated by the fallout of the war in Gaza, including Israeli airstrikes inside Syria and rocket and drone attacks from Syrian territory towards the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan and Israel.

“If these dynamics simply continue, we will inevitably see even more civilian suffering. And we could also see major escalations and further instability radiating across the region,” he warned, also reiterating the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Regional de-escalation efforts starting with a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is absolutely essential,” he stressed.

Piecemeal approach will not work

Mr. Pedersen further emphasised the need for a comprehensive political solution involving the Syrian Government, opposition, civil society and key international actors such as Iran, Russia, Türkiye, the United States, Arab and European nations and the Security Council.

“No actor on its own can solve the crisis, and none of the existing diplomatic groupings can either. Constructive international diplomacy with the contribution of all is the only way forwards,” he stressed.

At the same time, Constitutional Committee meetings must be resumed and concrete confidence-building measures undertaken to stabilise the situation.

“Many understand that the situation in Syria is dangerous, that the current piecemeal approach will not suffice to stem the tide and that a strategy of containment and alleviation will not stabilise the dangerous and unpredictable situation in Syria, just as it hasn’t elsewhere in the region,” he said.