Initial estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal that up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24th June.

The projections, based on the available population and damage analysis, include up to 2 million people in Caracas alone and highlight the potentially vast humanitarian impact of the disaster as assessments continue.

Early damage assessments are beginning to reveal the scale of the destruction. Working with Microsoft AI for Good Lab, IOM has received initial satellite mapping analysis showing that 31.5 per cent of buildings in Catia La Mar have been damaged. These assessments are helping humanitarian responders identify the communities most affected and to prioritize the delivery of life-saving assistance while ground assessments continue.

“The first hours and days after a disaster are decisive. They shape everything that follows,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General. “IOM is scaling up rapidly: prepositioned relief items are already being deployed, and we are working with the Government and partners to deliver emergency shelter, essential supplies, and protection.

“It is already clear that displacement will increase, as people seek safety. A swift response is essential as we deliver life-saving assistance and support the people of Venezuela through the difficult days and months ahead.”

The humanitarian needs are both immediate and significant. Families who have lost everything require emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, health care, protection support and essential relief items. As the emergency response evolves, sustained assistance will also be needed to help affected communities rebuild homes, restore livelihoods and recover with dignity.

IOM is working closely with the Government of Venezuela, the United Nations and humanitarian partners to coordinate the response. The Organization has prepositioned emergency relief supplies in Caracas, which are now being prepared for distribution to communities with the greatest needs.

While search and rescue operations remain the immediate priority, the humanitarian consequences of this disaster will extend well beyond the coming days. Recovery will require sustained investment to help families rebuild their lives, restore essential services and strengthen community resilience.

IOM calls on the international community to act swiftly in support of the response. Timely humanitarian assistance will save lives, alleviate suffering and help affected communities begin the long road to recovery.

A new report by the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) has revealed that Palestinians forced out of their homes and communities by Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank face poverty, insecurity, uncertainty, and little prospect of returning home, 

Israeli settler violence is making life impossible for families and helping drive their forcible transfer. Eighty-six per cent of displaced families said their living conditions are worse than before displacement. The findings show that displacement is not a one-off event, but one phase of a protracted crisis.

Families continue to face threats of eviction, loss of livelihoods, inadequate housing, and restricted access to essential services, after displacement. Half of households reported they believed that they were at risk of being re-displaced within the next six months. Most attributed this risk to informal threats from Israeli authorities or settlers, or to formal eviction or demolition orders.

“With the loss of land, families are not only losing their homes and communities. They are losing the livelihoods that kept them alive,” said WBPC Chief of Party Allegra Pacheco. “Displacement means families can no longer farm their land, graze their livestock or earn the income they need to survive.”

Three quarters of families said they could no longer earn enough to meet basic needs, mainly because Israeli authorities, settlers, or both had blocked access to their land or livestock.

The findings come amid escalating settler attacks, tighter movement restrictions, increasing demolitions and other coercive measures that are intensifying pressure on Palestinian communities. The report assesses 233 Palestinian households forcibly displaced in Area C, which makes up 62 per cent of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli control. Since January 2023, Israeli settler violence and access restrictions have displaced 6,200 Palestinians across the West Bank, more than a third of them in the first half of this year.

The report also finds that settler violence remains the main reason families cannot return home. Only six per cent of households said they expect to return to their land within the next year, with most citing continued settler violence and harassment, alongside blocked access to land or property, as the reasons they cannot go back.

“Under international law – and even according to several Israeli Supreme Court decisions – Palestinians displaced from Area C should be able return to their communities, but they cannot as long as the settler violence continues. To ensure effective protection for Palestinian communities, Israeli authorities must prevent and stop settler violence, including barring settlers from entering Palestinian residential and agricultural areas,” said Pacheco. “Forcible transfer is a grave breach – one of the most serious violations of international humanitarian law. The Israeli government must also cease all policies and practices that contribute to forcible transfer and immediately facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians.” 

The report also warns that support for displaced families is falling far short. Many received assistance immediately after being forced from their homes, but most said it covered only part of what they needed. As displacement drags on, families urgently need livelihood support, safe shelter, water, electricity and protection services. Without sustained funding, families already forced from their homes are being pushed deeper into poverty and insecurity.

“Forced displacement is protracted and increasing in the West Bank. It must not become a permanent reality for Palestinians,” said Pacheco. “The international community must take concrete steps to hold Israel accountable and stop the drivers of displacement. Without meaningful action, more communities will be uprooted, and those already displaced will see any real prospect of return slip further away.”

A Libyan human rights organization has raised alarm over what it describes as a sharp increase in violations against migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and foreign workers across Libya since the beginning of June 2026.

In a statement released this week, Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) said it has documented widespread arrests, raids on migrant residences, forced evictions, and physical and verbal assaults in both eastern and western parts of the country. The group also reported a surge in hate speech and incitement to violence targeting migrant communities.

According to LCW, its field teams have monitored large-scale arrest campaigns in several cities, including Tripoli, Benghazi, Ajdabiya, and Al-Bayda. Those detained reportedly include women and children. The organization said it has also documented incidents in which migrants were forcibly removed from their homes and subjected to abuse, including individuals with existing health conditions.

LCW alleged that the operations are being carried out by security agencies and armed groups affiliated with authorities in both eastern and western Libya. The group named the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), the Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), and the General Directorate of Security Operations (GDSO), among others, as entities involved in the campaigns.

The organization further expressed concern over what it described as the involvement of civilians in some raids and assaults. It also cited widespread anti-migrant rhetoric on social media and in local media outlets, including platforms it said are aligned with authorities and official institutions. According to LCW, such messaging has contributed to increased hostility toward migrants and encouraged participation in actions targeting them.

One Sudanese migrant, identified by the pseudonym “Inas” for security reasons, recounted an alleged attack on her family. She told LCW that armed men entered their home, assaulted family members, used racist language, and forced them from the property before stealing their belongings.

“We are now on the street with nowhere to go,” she said, according to the statement. “We have a sick family member who needs care, and we have found no organization to help or protect us.”

LCW said Libyan authorities in both the east and west bear legal responsibility for protecting migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and ensuring respect for their rights under international human rights law. The organization called for an immediate end to abuses, protection against violence and forced evictions, and a halt to deportations or forced returns that could expose individuals to persecution or other harm.

The group also urged the Office of the Libyan Attorney General to stop detaining people solely on the basis of their migration or asylum status and to investigate all reported violations. LCW called for those responsible for abuses, including individuals who ordered, participated in, or facilitated them, to be held accountable through fair and independent legal proceedings.

In addition, the organization appealed to international bodies, including the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to take urgent measures to protect migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers at risk in Libya.

The allegations have not been independently verified, and Libyan authorities had not publicly responded to the claims at the time of the statement’s release.