Daily Peace and Crisis Report

Compiled Friday, June 26, 2026

Summary

See below for detail and source

Middle East

Gaza Strip

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic more than eight months after the US-brokered ceasefire announcement of 10 October 2025. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health as reported by Democracy Now! and Al Jazeera, the total death toll since 7 October 2023 has surpassed 73,000, with approximately 175,000 injuries recorded. Since the ceasefire announcement, more than 1,005 Palestinians have been killed and 3,157 injured, according to OCHA.

Israeli forces have continued to expand the so-called "Yellow Line" — a military-demarcated exclusion zone within the Strip — displacing additional families in eastern Gaza City in mid-June. The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has warned that Israeli forces have killed Palestinians apparently for approaching that line. According to OCHA's 19 June situation report, UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher briefed the Security Council on 18 June that "Gaza is being held together by humanitarian workarounds and Palestinian perseverance," describing the situation as unsustainable. He warned that too many Palestinians are being "squeezed into an ever-shrinking strip of land" and called for funding commensurate with the scale of the crisis.

Fuel shortages continue to critically hamper humanitarian operations. Between 9 and 14 June, humanitarian partners were forced to collectively prioritise fuel allocations to life-saving services and suspend non-critical operations. Critical shortages of high-level disinfectant agents threaten to suspend over 520 endoscopic and surgical procedures. Dialysis patients are particularly at risk, with therapeutic erythropoietin out of stock since September 2025. Pest and rodent infestations are worsening as temperatures rise, displacement sites remain overcrowded, and sanitation is inadequate. Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement at least 3,338 times from October 2025 to June 2026, according to Al Jazeera.

West Bank

In the occupied West Bank, a decades-long deterioration is accelerating. According to UNRWA Situation Report #225, between 7 October 2023 and 31 May 2026, at least 1,101 Palestinians — including at least 240 children — were killed in the West Bank. Settler attacks have displaced over 2,200 Palestinians, including more than 1,000 children, in 2026 alone, with more than 950 settler attack incidents documented across over 230 communities. Israeli authorities advanced or approved over 6,000 housing units in the occupied West Bank during the most recent reporting period, according to the Security Council Report. More than one-third of essential medicines is out of stock in the West Bank, and over 11,000 surgeries have been postponed since the beginning of 2026, according to OCHA's 12 June report.

Lebanon

Lebanon and Israel began a new round of talks in Washington on 23 June 2026, with Beirut pressing for direct negotiations even as a conditional ceasefire agreed in early June remains fragile. The US has presented Lebanon with a proposal to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2026 alongside an end to Israeli military operations, according to Reuters. Israel has demanded Hezbollah retreat north of the Litani River as a condition of any permanent ceasefire. The 2026 Lebanon war, which began on 2 March 2026, has seen ongoing Israeli military operations and Hezbollah responses along the Blue Line. A renewed ceasefire was announced in mid-June but attacks have continued to threaten the agreement.

Iran–US Diplomatic Situation

A US–Iran nuclear deal concluded in the weeks preceding 23 June 2026 is casting a shadow over the Lebanon–Israel talks, according to Reuters. The agreement has altered the regional diplomatic landscape, with implications for Hezbollah's strategic posture and for the broader Middle East security architecture. Details of the deal's terms remain under negotiation.

Yemen

Yemen's Houthi movement announced a complete ban on Israeli maritime traffic in the Red Sea in early June 2026, launching two missiles at Israel and declaring a blockade of Israeli vessels, according to the Long War Journal. The Security Council issued a press statement on 6 June condemning Houthi detentions. The Houthis resumed attacks against Israel on 28 March 2026 after a pause following the 2025 Gaza ceasefire, according to the Security Council Report.

Eastern Europe

Russia–Ukraine Conflict

May 2026 recorded the highest monthly civilian casualty toll in Ukraine in four years. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) verified that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured in May — more than 2,000 casualties in a single month, a figure not seen since April 2022, according to OHCHR. The use of powerful weapons in urban areas by the Russian Federation was identified as the primary cause. On 14 May, a missile struck an apartment building in Kyiv, killing 24 civilians. On 5 May, aerial bombs on an industrial area in Zaporizhzhia killed 12 civilians and injured 42. Short-range drones killed at least 64 civilians and injured 539 in May alone — the highest drone casualty figures since the full-scale invasion began.

OHCHR also verified that 21 civilians were killed and others injured when weapons struck an educational complex in occupied Starobilsk, Luhansk region, during the night of 21–22 May. Russian authorities reported 47 civilians killed and 298 injured on Russian Federation territory in May from Ukrainian strikes, according to OHCHR, which was unable to independently verify these figures.

On the frontline, Russian forces are pressing on Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast. President Putin claimed on 23 June that Russian troops were close to taking control of the city, while Russian MoD claimed advances in its south-western parts, according to Russia Matters. ISW assessed that Russian gains in Kostyantynivka "remain limited to small group infiltrations that are not resulting in consolidated territorial control." Based on DeepState OSINT data, Russian forces made a net gain of 12 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the four weeks to 23 June 2026, compared to 21 square miles in the prior four-week period. ISW data, by contrast, shows a net Russian loss of 20 square miles over the same period, reflecting differing methodologies.

Ukraine has intensified its intermediate-range strike campaign against Russian logistics and energy infrastructure. ISW documented at least 210 intermediate-range strikes in occupied Ukraine in May 2026. Ukraine struck a Moscow oil refinery in a drone strike and has stepped up attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea, according to CNBC. In response, Russia closed the majority of children's summer camp programmes in occupied Crimea on 22 June, citing security concerns, according to ISW's occupation update of 25 June. ISW warned that the chaotic evacuation of children from Crimean camps increases the risk of Ukrainian children being transferred deeper into Russia for re-education programmes.

From the Russian government's perspective, RT (Rus) reported on 25 June that Ukrainian strikes continue to target civilians in Russia while Russian forces continue to advance along the front lines. Russia's state broadcaster characterised Ukraine's drone campaign as attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Russia continues to consolidate control in occupied territories, introducing unified state history textbooks for grades 5–7 in occupied Ukraine from September 2026, and advancing plans to hold State Duma elections in occupied Ukrainian territory, according to ISW. Since the full-scale invasion of 24 February 2022, Russia now controls approximately 19–20% of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and parts of Donbas seized prior to 2022.

Africa

Sudan

Sudan's civil war, now in its fourth year since the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023, continues to escalate. Drone warfare has killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first five months of 2026 alone, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 15 June that Sudan's conflict has been "marked by a sharp increase in the use of drone warfare," according to Al Jazeera. Both sides are in a "relentless race to recalibrate" their drone tactics, with some drone-on-drone combat reported, according to ACLED.

The UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warned on 15 June that civilians are increasingly trapped not only by frontline violence but by "fear, disappearance and detention," according to UN News. Both the SAF and RSF are using checkpoints to detain civilians, accusing them of supporting opposing forces. At least 70 individuals, including humanitarian workers, were arrested in El Geneina in May 2026 and have not been heard from since. Families have been subjected to extortion demands of up to $40,000 to secure the release of detained relatives. Thousands are believed to be held in facilities such as Nyala Prison in South Darfur under conditions that include beatings, electrocution, sexual violence and prolonged isolation.

Sudan has become the world's worst humanitarian and displacement crisis, according to the UN. Approximately 13.6 million people are displaced, more than 20 million require health assistance, and 21 million "desperately" need food, according to the WHO. The overall death toll varies widely: ACLED reports approximately 56,000 killed, while other estimates range up to 150,000 or higher. The RSF has continued to target SAF-held areas through long-range drone attacks, including strikes against strategic facilities in Khartoum, according to the Security Council Report.

Asia

Myanmar

Myanmar's civil war, now in its fifth year since the February 2021 military coup, continues to generate severe civilian harm. More than 90,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, according to ACLED, as cited by the New York Times. The conflict is described as the most fragmented in the world, with more than 1,200 armed groups operating. The military junta, which calls itself the State Administration Council (SAC), controls only approximately 21% of the country's territory, while rebel forces and ethnic armies hold 42%, according to the CFR Global Conflict Tracker.

OHCHR reported that junta airstrikes and other human rights violations killed at least 702 civilians between August 2025 and January 2026, according to D-Media. The junta has intensified airstrikes on southern Chin State, including Mindat and Kanpetlet townships, as of 22 June 2026, according to The Irrawaddy. The military has employed fighter jets, helicopters, drones, gyrocopters and armed paragliders, with most sophisticated weaponry sourced from Russia and China, according to the New York Times.

On the resistance side, Mizzima (Myanmar opposition) reported on 24 June that revolutionary forces attacked a junta inspection gate in Chauk Township, Magway Region, killing 2 junta soldiers and injuring 6. In Kyaikto Township, the junta conducted an airstrike on 18 June killing 2 civilians and injuring one. The Arakan Army and allied resistance forces halted a junta advance in Padaung Township, according to D-Media. Nearly 4 million people have been displaced internally, and nearly one-quarter of the population faces acute hunger, according to the UN. Myanmar is also the world's most land mine-contaminated country, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Junta President Min Aung Hlaing, who installed himself as president following stage-managed elections in December 2025–January 2026, visited China and stated that border management must be negotiated only between governments — a position that excludes ethnic armed organisations controlling most border areas. The EU has ranked Myanmar among the top nine global crises, according to Mizzima.

Americas

Venezuela Earthquakes

Twin earthquakes struck northwestern Venezuela on the night of 24–25 June 2026, causing widespread destruction. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck near San Felipe, approximately 284 kilometres west of Caracas, at 22:04 GMT on 24 June, followed almost immediately by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake near Yumare, according to the US Geological Survey as reported by Al Jazeera. As of 25 June, at least 188 people had been killed and more than 1,500 injured, with approximately 200 people trapped and awaiting rescue, according to Al Jazeera's live blog. Buildings collapsed in Caracas and surrounding areas. The USGS assessed that high casualties and extensive damage were "probable." Rescue operations were ongoing as of the time of this report's compilation.

Statistics

Table 1 — Casualties (Killed / Wounded)

* OHCHR access is denied to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine; figures for civilians in occupied territory cannot be independently verified. The vast majority (96%) of verified civilian casualties occur in Government-controlled areas.

Table 2 — Numbers (non-casualty figures)