Daily Peace and Crisis Report — Sunday 26 Apr 2026

Summary

Summary:

• The US-Israel war on Iran enters its 57th day with a fragile ceasefire hanging in the balance; US envoys travel to Pakistan for indirect talks with Iran, while three US aircraft carriers are now deployed in the Middle East for the first time since 2003.
• Gaza continues to suffer daily Israeli strikes despite a ceasefire nominally in place since October 2025; the cumulative death toll has surpassed 72,500, with at least 984 killed and 2,217 injured since the ceasefire announcement.
• Ukraine marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster as Russia launches one of its largest overnight attacks of the war, killing at least 10 civilians and wounding 73 others across multiple cities.
• Sudan's three-year civil war deepens, with an estimated 150,000–400,000 dead and nearly 14 million displaced; the UN warns of a catastrophic humanitarian collapse.
• The India-Pakistan Pahalgam attack marks its first anniversary amid ongoing tensions over the Indus Waters Treaty and continued military posturing on both sides.
• The DRC-Rwanda peace process shows cautious progress, with the DRC government and M23 rebels agreeing to ease aid deliveries and release prisoners.

Middle East: US-Iran War and Regional Escalation

The US-Israel war on Iran has entered its 57th day, with diplomatic efforts centred on Pakistan as a mediating venue. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Islamabad on Saturday, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan for parallel meetings. However, Al Jazeera reported that no direct talks were scheduled, with Iran insisting that the Lebanon ceasefire hold as a precondition for further negotiations. Al Jazeera

The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which had been extended by three weeks following White House talks, remains fragile. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of trying to "sabotage" efforts to reach a peace deal. The Israeli military confirmed killing six Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon and that Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone. CNN

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Iran still had an "open window" to strike a deal and abandon its nuclear weapons programme "in meaningful and verifiable ways." The US has frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency assets linked to Iran, and imposed sanctions on a major China-based refinery and approximately 40 shipping firms involved in transporting Iranian oil. Al Jazeera

Oil markets remain strained, with Brent crude above $105 a barrel. The International Energy Agency warned that liquefied natural gas markets will remain "tight" through 2026 and 2027 due to the conflict. The US now has three aircraft carriers operating simultaneously in the Middle East — the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford, and USS George H.W. Bush — for the first time since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Wall Street Journal

Two drones launched from Iraq struck northern Kuwaiti border posts, causing damage but no casualties. Iraq opened an investigation into the incident. Al Jazeera

Gaza and the West Bank

Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza on 24 April, including eight people — among them three civilian bystanders — in an attack on a police vehicle in Khan Younis, and two police officers in Gaza City. Two more were killed in a bombing in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. Gaza's Ministry of Interior condemned the targeting of civilian police forces as a violation of international humanitarian law. Al Jazeera

Since the ceasefire was announced on 10 October 2025, at least 984 Palestinians have been killed and 2,217 injured in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The overall death toll since 7 October 2023 has surpassed 72,585, with more than 172,000 injured. Thousands more are believed dead under rubble. OCHA; Al Jazeera

A UN Women report covering 2025 found that more than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025 — an average of 47 per day. The report warns that women and girls continue to face heightened risks of gender-based violence, with access to protective services critically limited. Euronews

A joint EU-UN assessment found that two years of escalated hostilities in Gaza have caused development to leap back by an estimated 77 years. More than six months into the ceasefire, reconstruction has not begun, and an international security force envisioned by the agreement has not been formed. OCHA

In the West Bank, OCHA documented at least 37 Israeli settler attacks between 14 and 20 April, bringing the total for 2026 to approximately 680 incidents across more than 200 communities — an average of six per day. Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers in separate incidents in Ramallah governorate on 21–22 April. OCHA's latest mapping shows 925 movement obstacles across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem — the highest number recorded in 20 years and 43 per cent above the two-decade average. OCHA

Since January 2023, 45 Palestinian communities have been fully displaced across the West Bank due to settler attacks and related access restrictions, including nine communities in 2026. OCHA

Ukraine-Russia War

Russia launched one of its largest overnight attacks of the war on 25 April, killing at least 10 Ukrainian civilians and wounding 73 others across multiple cities. In Dnipro, eight people were killed and 49 injured. Additional strikes hit Odesa, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine carried out some of its longest-distance drone strikes deep inside Russian territory in response; in Russia, a woman was killed and a man seriously injured. Reuters; The Guardian

Ukraine marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster on 26 April 2026. Ukrainian prosecutors have warned that Russian missile and drone routes near Chernobyl raise the risk of a nuclear accident. The Chernobyl site remains under threat as the ongoing war creates new radiological risks. Los Angeles Times; The Guardian

According to OHCHR, since 24 February 2022, at least 15,578 Ukrainian civilians have been verified killed and 43,352 injured. OHCHR notes that approximately 99 per cent of verified casualties occurred in government-controlled territory. The UN Security Council held an emergency briefing on Ukraine on 20 April, with the UN warning the war risks "spiralling out of control." ReliefWeb / OHCHR

Russia has claimed approximately 8,000 "peaceful Russians killed" from Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, according to the Russian government. Russia Matters, citing OHCHR data, records 15,364 civilians killed in Ukraine. The EU imposed its 20th round of sanctions on Russia on 23 April, targeting energy revenues, the military-industrial complex, trade, and financial services. Russia Matters; European Council

Russia Matters' analysis of ISW data indicates that Russian forces suffered a net loss of 2 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the four weeks to 21 April 2026. Russia currently controls approximately 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and parts of Donbas seized before the full-scale invasion. Russia Matters

Peace negotiations remain effectively stalled. Prediction markets place the probability of a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire by 30 April at just 0.9 per cent. President Zelensky told CNN that the war in Iran has drawn global attention away from Russia's aggression against Ukraine. CNN

Sudan

Sudan's civil war, now in its third year, continues to generate what the UN has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Death toll estimates range from 150,000 to 400,000, with ACLED tracking over 58,000 reported incidents since April 2023. Nearly 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes — 9 million internally displaced and 4.4 million refugees in neighbouring countries. UNHCR; CSIS

The UN has reported that nearly 700 civilians have been killed in drone strikes in Sudan in 2026 alone. The conflict has been marked by severe violence and widespread human rights violations, including sexual violence, torture, and arbitrary killings. The UN Geneva office reported that millions of desperate Sudanese are attempting to return home amid dire conditions, with IOM projecting more than two million additional returns to Khartoum in 2026. UN News

Myanmar

Myanmar's civil war continues with significant civilian impact, though it has slipped down the global crisis hierarchy amid competing conflicts. An estimated 16 million people — nearly one in three citizens — are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, as conflict-driven displacement and natural disasters compound existing vulnerabilities. ReliefWeb

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reports 7,974 verified civilian deaths since the February 2021 coup, with 22,131 prisoners still detained as of late April 2026. Myanmar's military junta (SAC) airstrikes, shelling, and drone bombs killed 17 civilians and injured 41 in Shan State in the most recent reporting period. Persecution.org

Haiti

Haiti's humanitarian crisis deepens as gang violence displaces a record 1.45 million people. The UN Security Council held consultations on Haiti on 23 April, with Council members expressing concern about the security situation and condemning gang violence and human rights violations. More than half of Haitians continue to face food crisis. UN News

A UN-backed multinational security support mission has exceeded funding expectations, with more than 1,300 suspected gang members killed and 140 firearms seized. In the Artibonite Department alone, nearly 13,573 people have been displaced as of 17 April 2026. Haitian Times; OCHA

Democratic Republic of Congo

The DRC-Rwanda peace process showed cautious progress on 23 April, with the DRC government and M23 rebels agreeing to ease aid deliveries and release prisoners, following a joint oversight committee meeting involving the United States, African Union, and regional mediators. The African Union Commission Chairperson welcomed progress on humanitarian access, judicial protection, and ceasefire oversight. Al Jazeera; African Union

CARE International cautioned that despite agreements being signed, the crisis in eastern DRC continues to deepen, warning that "for 30 years, the people of eastern DRC have watched peace agreements come and go." CARE International

South Asia: India-Pakistan

The first anniversary of the Pahalgam terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir falls on 26 April 2026. The attack, which killed 26 tourists on 22 April 2025, triggered a brief India-Pakistan military conflict and remains a source of ongoing bilateral tension. India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the attack, declaring that "blood and water cannot flow together." Pakistan has consistently denied involvement. BBC; New York Times

Pakistan's defence minister made inflammatory remarks suggesting that in any future conflict with India, Pakistan would "take it to Kolkata," raising concerns about escalation. Pakistan's role as a mediator in the US-Iran talks has elevated its geopolitical standing, complicating India's strategic calculus. Middle East Eye

International Peacekeeping and Diplomacy

The UN is weighing its continued presence in Lebanon after the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission's mandate expires. The UN has 11 peacekeeping missions worldwide with over 46,000 personnel but faces financial constraints due to unpaid fees by member states. A UN peacekeeper was killed and three others injured in southern Lebanon on 18 April. Reuters; UN News

In South Sudan, the peace agreement faces renewed strain. On 17 April, the Council of Ministers convened an extraordinary meeting amid warnings that the country risks sliding back into war as the peace deal stalls. An African Union Peace and Security delegation arrived in South Sudan on 24 April to assess the situation. Pachodo

Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to peace talks, condemning capital punishment and calling for a diplomatic resolution to the Middle East conflict. AP via MSN

Statistics: Casualties (Killed / Wounded)

* OHCHR has been denied access to Russian-occupied territories (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea); independent verification of civilian casualties in those areas is not possible.

** Russia's claim of ~8,000 civilian deaths from Ukrainian strikes is the Russian government's own figure and has not been independently verified by OHCHR or other international monitors.