Daily Peace and Crisis Report

Compiled Thursday, June 18, 2026

Summary

See below for detail and sources.

Middle East

Gaza Strip

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 1,005 Palestinians since the ceasefire agreement was announced on 10 October 2025, according to Gaza's Health Ministry as reported by AP. The enclave has experienced near-daily strikes, shelling, and gunfire along the boundary dividing Gaza into Israeli and Palestinian-controlled zones. The most recent deaths were recorded after a series of Israeli drone strikes on towns and refugee camps in central Gaza and Gaza City.

On 17 June, an Israeli strike killed two Palestinians and wounded six others near the beach in the Mawasi tent camp in Khan Younis, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live, according to health officials at Nasser Hospital as reported by AP via the Los Angeles Times. The Israeli military acknowledged the strike and said the target was a "terrorist" without elaborating. Gaza's Health Ministry reported on 14 June that the overall war death toll since October 2023 has surpassed 73,000. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants; it is staffed by medical professionals and its records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

The humanitarian situation remains dire. According to the OCHA Humanitarian Situation Report of 5 June 2026, the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza has been closed since 24 May, leaving Kerem Shalom as the sole cargo crossing. Water production in Gaza dropped approximately 20 per cent in May compared with two months earlier, largely due to shortages of chemicals and spare parts. Infectious diseases accounted for 20 per cent of WHO-tracked consultations between 26 April and 30 May, with acute respiratory infections the leading cause of morbidity. Pest and rodent infestations are worsening public health conditions across displacement sites.

Funding shortfalls are forcing humanitarian partners to scale down or suspend critical services. Only approximately 51,900 pallets of aid were offloaded at crossings in May, below the 58,600 recorded in January 2026. Nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million people remain displaced, lacking adequate shelter, food, and medical services, OCHA reports.

West Bank

Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank continue to intensify. The closure of Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps has been extended until 31 July 2026. Since January 2025, more than 33,000 Palestine refugees have been displaced from Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps and surrounding areas, according to OCHA's 12 June 2026 report. The Israeli military has established what Haaretz describes as its first permanent military outpost in a Palestinian Authority-controlled area, located in the Jenin refugee camp, according to legal documents obtained by the newspaper. Between 19 May and 1 June, 73 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 126 people including 57 children.

Settler attacks continue to undermine Palestinian livelihoods, with more than 950 incidents documented across over 230 communities in 2026, resulting in casualties and widespread damage to homes, agricultural assets, and essential infrastructure, OCHA reports. On 17 June, Palestinians in Tulkarem refugee camp were briefly permitted to return to collect belongings before Israeli forces continued their operations in the camp, according to Democracy Now!.

Israel's Supreme Court on 17 June rejected an appeal by Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian doctor from Gaza who has been detained without charge for over 500 days. The court said its decision was based on "confidential materials" withheld from Abu Safiya and his legal team. His family has expressed fears he is being tortured in Israeli detention, Democracy Now! reports.

Lebanon and the Iran–US Memorandum of Understanding

The United States and Iran have reached a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) that includes an immediate and permanent end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The formal signing is scheduled for 19 June 2026 in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock. The deal paves the way for 60 days of technical negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme, with Iran pledging to never acquire nuclear weapons and to engage on the status of its highly enriched uranium stockpile. In exchange, Iran is expected to receive significant economic incentives, including access to frozen assets and sanctions relief, according to CSIS.

Despite the MOU, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon. At least four people were killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon on 17 June, according to Democracy Now!. Iran has accused Israel of violating the truce in Lebanon 84 times since the MOU was agreed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that "any military attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon from now on, as well as the continued occupation of Lebanese territories from now on, will, in our view, be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding." An Israeli drone also struck a journalist with the Iranian outlet Press TV in southern Lebanon on 16 June; the journalist survived with shrapnel wounds.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the MOU, stating that Israeli forces will maintain a "security zone" in occupied Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese territories, according to Al Jazeera. The Lebanon front is considered by analysts the greatest potential threat to the deal's survival, as CSIS notes that "President Trump would need to expend significant political capital to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to end military operations in Lebanon." G7 leaders meeting in Évian, France on 16–17 June endorsed the US–Iran deal in a joint declaration.

Eastern Europe

Russia–Ukraine Conflict

The Russia–Ukraine war continues with no ceasefire in sight. Russian forces made a net gain of 7 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the week of 9–16 June 2026, according to DeepState OSINT data compiled by Russia Matters. Over the past year (June 2025–June 2026), Russia has made a net total gain of approximately 1,340 square miles of Ukrainian territory. Russia currently controls approximately 19–20 per cent of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and pre-2022 Donbas holdings.

May 2026 recorded the highest monthly civilian casualty toll in Ukraine since April 2022. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) verified that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured in May 2026 — a 93 per cent increase compared with May 2025 and a 23 per cent increase compared with April 2026, according to the OHCHR May 2026 Protection of Civilians report. Long-range weapons (missiles and drones) were the primary cause of casualties, accounting for 45 per cent of the total. The vast majority of casualties occurred in Government-controlled areas.

On 14–15 June, Russian strikes targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing several civilians and damaging nearly 30 residential buildings and educational facilities in Kyiv. The strikes also damaged the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Ukraine's most significant religious and cultural landmarks. In Kharkiv, four rescuers were killed and six injured in a double-tap strike while responding to an earlier attack, according to UN News. Approximately 140,000 households in Kyiv temporarily lost electricity.

Ukraine has intensified its long-range strike campaign against Russian energy infrastructure. On the night of 15–16 June, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Moscow region, approximately 10 miles from the capital, according to Russia Matters. Ukraine has struck 20 oil refineries and export terminals in Russia between April and mid-May 2026. Russian authorities and energy companies have reported significant damage to oil infrastructure, though Reuters estimated in November 2025 that Russia's overall oil processing had fallen only 3 per cent despite the attacks.

Russian state broadcaster RT (Rus) reported that Russian air defences intercepted 123 Ukrainian drones in recent attacks, while Russian forces claimed to have continued offensive operations in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The EU on 15 June adopted new sanctions targeting Russia's energy revenues, military-industrial complex, propaganda activities, and human rights violations, according to the Council of the EU. At the G7 summit in Évian, leaders pledged continued support for Ukraine and acknowledged its "new momentum" on the battlefield, though President Trump signalled the war is not a US priority, according to AP.

Cumulative military casualties since February 2022 are estimated at approximately 1,000,000 Russian military personnel (killed and wounded) and 250,000–300,000 Ukrainian military personnel (killed and wounded), according to a late February 2026 estimate from a highly informed former senior Western official cited by Russia Matters. Nearly 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the full-scale invasion, according to UN figures. The Russian government claims 8,012 "peaceful residents" killed by Ukrainian strikes, Russia Matters reports (RF Govt claim).

Africa

Sudan

Sudan's civil war, now entering its fourth year, continues to generate one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. RSF paramilitary forces have deployed unprecedented military reinforcements around El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, ahead of a feared major offensive, according to Sudan Tribune. The city has been under tight RSF siege since the early months of the war. RSF drones struck fuel supplies in El Obeid for five consecutive days through 14 June, according to Sudan Tribune.

The UN Human Rights High Commissioner reported that drone strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians in Sudan in the first five months of 2026, with a sharp increase in drone attacks documented by the UN, according to Democracy Now!. The Global R2P Atrocity Alert of 17 June warned that escalating drone strikes are exacerbating civilian casualties across Sudan, particularly in El Obeid.

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, reporting to the Human Rights Council on 15 June 2026, warned that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are increasingly employing arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearances to control the population, according to UN News. The Mission expressed particular concern over the arrest of at least 70 individuals, including humanitarian workers, in El Geneina during May 2026 by RSF military intelligence; their whereabouts remain unknown. Detainees held by both parties face overcrowded conditions, inadequate food and water, and reports of beatings, electrocution, and sexual violence.

Sudan remains the largest internal displacement crisis globally, with 9.1 million people displaced within the country at the end of 2025, according to UNHCR Global Trends. More than 400,000 Chadian nationals have returned from Sudan since the outbreak of conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration. A new FAO–WFP Hunger Hotspots report released on 18 June identifies a risk of Famine in 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur, and South Kordofan through September 2026, ReliefWeb reports.

Asia

Myanmar

Myanmar's military ruler and self-appointed president Min Aung Hlaing concluded a five-day state visit to China (15–19 June 2026), during which Chinese President Xi Jinping offered diplomatic endorsement, stating that China "firmly supports" Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty, according to Al Jazeera. The visit, Min Aung Hlaing's first to China since being anointed president in April 2026, is widely viewed as a significant diplomatic boost for the junta, which is seeking international legitimacy amid ongoing civil war. A joint statement was issued by China and Myanmar on 17 June, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chin) reports.

The military regime is simultaneously staging symbolic peace talks with minor, non-combatant ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) while intensifying military offensives against active resistance forces. The regime's National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee held talks in the first half of June with the Shanni Nationalities Solidarity Organization, the Shan State Progress Party, and the so-called 7 EAO Alliance — all groups that are either regime-aligned, non-combatant, or inactive in the current conflict, according to The Irrawaddy. Political analysts have dismissed the talks as a sham designed to boost international recognition rather than address the substantive demands of the main resistance forces.

The European Union on 15 June extended sanctions on 106 individuals for ongoing severe human rights violations in Myanmar, according to Mizzima. A high-level delegation of Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), led by Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung, concluded a visit to Canada in June seeking international support for the resistance. The World Bank's Myanmar Economic Monitor for June 2026 warns that the economy remains under severe strain, with activity weak despite tentative signs of stabilisation prior to the Middle East conflict, according to ReliefWeb.

International Cooperation and Diplomacy

G7 Summit, Évian, France

The 52nd G7 Leaders' Summit concluded in Évian-les-Bains, France on 17 June 2026, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, along with EU representatives, issued joint declarations endorsing the US–Iran memorandum of understanding and pledging continued support for Ukraine. The summit communiqué called on Russia to agree to a full, unconditional, and immediate ceasefire and to engage in meaningful negotiations towards a just and lasting peace, according to the Council of the EU. President Trump told reporters that the Ukraine war has "no solution" from the US perspective and that he is "the boss," according to the New York Times. European allies offered to contribute naval assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz as part of efforts to bolster the Iran deal.

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)