By Muhammad Ayub
UN humanitarian officials cautioned that disruptions to food imports into Yemen could lead to serious consequences, following Israeli attacks on the essential Red Sea port of Hudaydah
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that it is evaluating critical response areas in Yemen, where the war-torn population depends on fuel and food imports from Hudaydah and the nearby Ras Issa port.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressed concern regarding the Houthis’ recent claims of having conducted missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv and Ashkelon, noting that they control the ports, the capital Sana’a, and much of the country.
OCHA also cautioned that without uninterrupted access, humanitarian organizations will struggle to prepare for the rainy season in Gaza, as Israel continues its bombing and ground operations against Hamas.
The agency stated that rain and flooding will exacerbate the already critical living conditions in Gaza, increasing health risks and potentially displacing hundreds of thousands more people, as noted by Mr. Dujarric during a briefing in New York.
Many of the 215 temporary learning spaces for nearly 34,000 children in Gaza are at significant risk of flooding.
Mr. Dujarric further explained that the UN and its humanitarian partners have created a Winterization Plan to address the urgent needs of over 2.1 million people in Gaza during the upcoming rainy season, which will be their second since the conflict began.
The plan aims to assist more than 850,000 people across nearly 50 neighborhoods that are prone to flooding.
Approximately $242 million is needed to enhance shelter conditions, provide warm clothing and blankets, and manage floodwaters to protect critical infrastructure and waste sites.
On Monday, UN humanitarian officials condemned the Russian attacks on Sumy city in northeastern Ukraine over the weekend, which damaged a hospital.
Matthias Schmale, the UN’s top aid representative in Ukraine, stated that the military strikes resulted in casualties, emphasizing that health facilities should never be targeted.
Local authorities reported that nine people were killed in the dual drone strikes near the Russian border, with 12 others injured and over 120 evacuated for safety.
Mr. Schmale made his remarks amid ongoing violence on Monday, including a series of drone attacks on Kyiv, prompting defensive air maneuvers by the Ukrainian military.
Outside the capital, reports indicated explosions as Russia launched drone and guided bomb strikes on Zaporizhzhia, damaging railways and buildings. Additionally, Ukrainian forces reportedly shelled the Belgorod region in Russia.
leading independent human rights experts called on Algerian authorities to overturn a prison sentence given to a poet for her support of large-scale protests against the government.
Djamila Bentouis was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 100,000 Algerian dinars (approximately $750) for her involvement in the Hirak social protest movement through her songs and poetry readings.
