CARE

Aid workers in Gaza are facing the enormous task of clearing an estimated 61 million tonnes of rubble left by more than a year of war, a task complicated by the likelihood that the bodies of up to 10,000 people remain buried beneath the ruins. Clearing operations must balance reconstruction with the careful recovery and identification of the dead, a slow and delicate process that will shape how families find closure and how the territory rebuilds.

Millions of residents returning to Khartoum are finding the city barely habitable, with widespread power cuts, rubble from the fighting, and basic services destroyed. The army's recapture of the capital has allowed displaced families to go home, but many are discovering homes damaged or unusable and little water, electricity or health care available. Aid agencies warn the humanitarian crisis remains severe across Sudan.

Aid workers in Gaza have begun one of the largest rubble-clearance operations in modern history, removing 61 million tonnes of debris from the war-torn territory. The work is delicate: an estimated 10,000 bodies remain buried beneath the ruins, alongside unexploded bombs. Workers say the debris holds lives and memories as well as wreckage, and each site must be handled carefully. Reporting from Gaza City highlights the scale and human cost of the task ahead.

Gaza's hospitals are on the brink of closing completely as fuel supplies run out and backup generators fail, threatening critical care for patients across the territory. The warning highlights the collapsing medical infrastructure and the worsening humanitarian situation for thousands of wounded and chronically ill people who depend on functioning hospitals.

Aid workers in Gaza are undertaking the delicate job of clearing an estimated 61 million tonnes of rubble from the territory, ruins that are believed to conceal the bodies of up to 10,000 people. The scale of the destruction left by the war means clearance efforts are slow and dangerous, with recovery teams working carefully to find and identify the dead amid the debris.

UNRWA figures circulating widely state that before the war, 300,000 children attended 288 UNRWA-run schools in Gaza, and that of 22 healthcare centres once operating across the Strip, only six remain active. The numbers are being shared amid ongoing debate over the humanitarian toll in Gaza and renewed calls for a ceasefire, with commenters citing them as evidence of the collapse of education and health services.

Civilians in Ukraine's eastern fortress belt describe being targeted by Russian forces while trying to survive along the front line. One resident recounted fearing she would be burnt alive as attacks on villages near Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka continue. The accounts highlight the growing dangers to non-combatants as Russia presses its advance through the strategically important chain of towns.

Yemen's health minister has warned that the country's health system risks collapsing in some areas. The warning highlights the precarious state of medical services in a country already strained by years of conflict and humanitarian crisis. Observers are closely watching whether the alert prompts a stronger international response to shore up essential care.

The UN refugee agency reports that 55,000 Sudanese have crossed into Chad since the start of the year, fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The arrivals add to a large existing refugee population in eastern Chad and are straining humanitarian resources, with aid agencies warning of growing needs for shelter, food and medical care in border areas.

Sudanese doctors report that the Rapid Support Forces looted and wrecked a hospital in a town recently recaptured by the army. The group says the damage has left the facility unable to function, depriving residents of medical care amid the country's ongoing civil war. Health facilities have repeatedly been targeted since fighting between the army and the RSF began in April 2023.

Reports describe mothers in Sudan giving birth in facilities dubbed 'clinics of death', as the country's war has devastated the health system. Hospitals lack staff, supplies and power, forcing women to deliver in dangerous conditions where preventable maternal and newborn deaths are rising. Commenters are highlighting the plight of pregnant women caught in the conflict and the collapse of medical care.

Pharmacists in the Gaza Strip are improvising medical treatments as the Israel-Gaza conflict leaves hospitals and pharmacies short of essential supplies. With deliveries of medicines and equipment disrupted by the fighting, health workers are compounding or substituting drugs and adapting available materials to keep treating the wounded and sick. The report highlights the strain on Gaza's health system, which aid agencies warn is close to collapse amid ongoing hostilities and blocked humanitarian access.

Insurers in the United States are using artificial intelligence algorithms to help decide whether to approve or deny coverage for medical care, including for patients in UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, Cigna and Humana plans. Vox's Good Medicine newsletter examines the practice, and critics warn the tools can wrongly delay or deny treatments that doctors consider necessary.

Warnings are mounting that Palestinian children in Gaza are fast running out of time as the territory endures ongoing bombardment, displacement and severe shortages of food, water and medical care. Humanitarian organisations say children are dying from malnutrition and untreated injuries, and are urging an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded aid deliveries and international action to protect the civilian population, especially minors.

Palestinians are facing prolonged waits and restricted movement at Israeli military checkpoints in the occupied West Bank. Al Jazeera reports on people caught between crossings, unable to reach work, schools or medical care. The checkpoints remain a central flashpoint of the occupation, with movement restrictions widely criticised by rights groups and UN agencies.

A Mexican migrant has died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, becoming the 47th person to die in detention during the current administration. The death adds to mounting scrutiny of conditions inside ICE detention facilities, with advocates and lawmakers pressing for answers about medical care and oversight. Officials have not released extensive details about the individual or the circumstances of the death.

Six inmates have died within a single week at a prison in Kano, Nigeria, in what authorities suspect is a cholera outbreak. Health officials are working to confirm the cause and contain the spread of the disease within the facility, which has raised concerns about overcrowding, sanitation and access to medical care for detainees.

The Guardian reports on the death of Luna Wong, an international student in the UK, in a piece framed around her family's claim that a university 'accepted the money but didn't take care of my child'. The article examines what the case says about how UK institutions support international students, particularly around welfare and mental health provision.

The Trump administration is expanding the use of artificial intelligence to decide whether Medicare Advantage claims for seniors are approved, and critics call it a disastrous experiment. Ars Technica reports that vendors rolling out AI denial systems have an incentive to deny as many claims as possible, since they profit when care is refused. Critics warn the tools are being used to override doctors' judgments and systematically reject legitimate care for older Americans.