aid agencies

Health authorities report that Congo's Ebola outbreak has surpassed 8,000 confirmed cases, with the disease described as still out of control. The milestone underscores the difficulty of containing the epidemic despite vaccination and treatment efforts, and aid agencies are warning that transmission continues in affected areas. Observers are calling for sustained international support to bring the outbreak under control.

The World Health Organization says more than 800 people have been killed since fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces resumed in Yemen. The renewed war has drawn international alarm, with aid agencies warning of mounting civilian casualties and a deepening humanitarian crisis in a country already devastated by years of conflict.

A United Nations agency has warned that a severe funding crisis could leave 8.3 million people without humanitarian assistance. According to Reuters, the agency says budget shortfalls are forcing it to scale back aid programmes at a time of rising global need. The warning highlights growing pressure on international donors as humanitarian appeals worldwide remain substantially underfunded.

The number of Sudanese refugees fleeing into neighbouring Chad has surged twenty-fold as the conflict in Sudan continues to displace civilians on a massive scale. Aid agencies say humanitarian assistance is falling far short of needs, leaving camps overcrowded and under-resourced. The crisis is drawing renewed attention to one of the world's largest displacement emergencies and the funding gap facing relief operations in the region.

A new commentary argues that the privatisation of humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza failed the people it was meant to help, with private contractors accused of inefficiency and mismanagement in getting assistance to civilians. The author urges international donors and agencies to study the Gaza experience and avoid repeating the model of outsourcing aid to private actors in future crises.

Aid agencies warn that 4.2 million children and pregnant or breastfeeding women in Sudan are facing life-threatening malnutrition as the country's conflict continues to devastate food supplies and health services. The figure highlights the scale of the humanitarian emergency, with young children and nursing mothers described as the most vulnerable groups in need of urgent nutrition and medical support.

Haaretz reports that no Israeli security agency ever examined security breaches connected to a digital tool developed by an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The claim raises questions about oversight of government-linked software and who was responsible for reviewing its vulnerabilities. The report is likely to fuel debate in Israel about security governance and accountability inside the prime minister's circle.