Daily Peace and Crisis Report

Compiled Friday, June 19, 2026

Summary

See below for detail and source

Middle East

Gaza Strip

The UN Security Council convened on 18 June at the request of its ten elected members to debate the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, amid concern that the territory's plight is being overshadowed by wider regional developments. UN News reported that UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher told ambassadors that "fragile gains" since the October 2025 ceasefire are "the bare minimum of what Palestinians need." As of 14 June 2026, the Ministry of Health reported that 72,996 Palestinians had been killed and 173,246 injured in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, according to UNRWA Situation Report #226. Of these, 981 fatalities and 3,104 injuries occurred between the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October 2025 and 10 June 2026. Democracy Now! reported that the cumulative death toll since the ceasefire has now surpassed 1,000, with the most recent killings including strikes on al-Mawasi, a crowded tent camp designated as a so-called humanitarian zone. Israel now occupies 64% of the Gaza Strip — far more than the 53% permitted under the October agreement.

UNRWA reported severe shortages of engine oil, tyres, and spare parts placing life-saving humanitarian operations at risk. Water production in Gaza has dropped to approximately 40% of pre-October 2023 levels, according to the ICRC, with over 70% of the population now relying on truck deliveries as their primary source of drinking water. UNRWA has recorded 392 colleagues killed in Gaza since the start of the war. UNRWA

West Bank

According to OCHA data cited in UNRWA Situation Report #226, between 7 October 2023 and 5 June 2026, 1,103 Palestinians — at least 241 of them children — were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Fifty-seven have been killed since the beginning of 2026. Israeli forces enacted demolition and eviction orders in East Jerusalem, including in the Bustan neighbourhood of Silwan, and continued demolitions across the West Bank. Confiscation orders were issued for land in Raba village near Jenin, where Israeli forces are also preparing to establish a permanent military outpost in Area A — the first since the Oslo Accords. New settlement outposts were established in Tayasir, Deir Abu Mash'al, and Al Khalayleh; Israeli settlements remain illegal under international law.

Lebanon

Despite the US–Iran Memorandum of Understanding calling for an end to hostilities "on all fronts, including Lebanon," Israel continued drone strikes on southern Lebanon on 18 June. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike near Kfar Tebnit killed one person and seriously wounded another. A separate drone strike on Beit Yahoun wounded two people. Democracy Now!

Iran–US Diplomatic Situation

On 18 June, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding at a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles, hours after the G7 summit concluded in Évian. Democracy Now! The agreement calls for an immediate end to fighting on all fronts, the full resumption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of the US blockade, the waiving of US sanctions on Iran, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, and a $300 billion investment fund to rebuild Iran. Iran's lead negotiator, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, stated that Iran obtained through negotiation what it had sought through military action. On Capitol Hill, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called the deal the "worst foreign policy blunder in decades." Israeli officials also expressed sharp criticism of the agreement. The UN's nuclear watchdog chief welcomed the deal, saying technical work on Iran's nuclear programme would begin immediately. Reuters

Separately, Trump has signalled that no one will face consequences for the US cruise missile strikes that killed more than 175 people, mostly schoolgirls, at a school in Minab on the first day of US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February 2026. Democracy Now!

Eastern Europe

Russia–Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian forces launched one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow since the start of the war on 18 June, striking the Kapotnya oil refinery in the southeastern capital for the second time in a week. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that Russian air defences shot down at least 180 UAVs targeting the capital, with more than 550 intercepted nationwide. Several drones reached the Moscow Oil Refinery, with firefighters deployed to the site. The attack disrupted flights at Moscow's four airports. RT (Rus) Russian officials threatened to escalate retaliatory attacks following the strike. The Independent

The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the G7 summit in Évian, France, where G7 leaders reaffirmed unified support for Ukraine and renewed interest in peace negotiations. Trump told G7 leaders that Russia should make a deal and signalled he may reimpose sanctions on Russian oil. Zelensky said Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire during negotiations and proposed direct leader-to-leader talks hosted by third countries. The Guardian

The OHCHR Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) reported in its June 12 update that May 2026 saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in four years: at least 274 civilians killed and 1,763 injured. The intensification of hostilities and increased use of powerful weapons in urban areas drove the toll. On 5 May, aerial bombs struck an industrial area in Zaporizhzhia, killing 12 civilians; on 14 May, a missile struck an apartment building in Kyiv, killing 24 civilians. Near the frontline, short-range drones killed at least 64 civilians and injured 539 in May — the highest drone casualty figure since the full-scale invasion began. OHCHR/HRMMU

HRMMU also verified that civilians were killed and injured in Russian-occupied territory: 21 civilians were killed and others injured when one or more 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; HRMMU cannot regularly verify these figures due to limited independent sources. OHCHR/HRMMU

According to Russia Matters' analysis of DeepState OSINT data, in the four weeks from 12 May to 9 June 2026, Russian forces endured a net loss of 1 square mile of Ukrainian territory, compared with a net gain of 41 square miles in the preceding four-week period. Russia's full-scale invasion has now lasted more than 1,575 days. Russia Matters

Africa

Sudan

The UN's top human rights official, Volker Türk, issued an urgent warning on 18 June that an imminent offensive by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against El Obeid, the capital of Sudan's North Kordofan state, risks the commission of serious international crimes and threatens to deepen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. A significant build-up of RSF militia and allied troops has been reported around the city, accompanied by intensified drone strikes and artillery shelling. Dozens of drone strikes have hit El Obeid over the past two weeks, particularly targeting fuel stations and trucks, killing civilians and cutting off access to basic services. UN News

Türk drew a direct parallel with atrocities documented at El Fasher and the Zamzam IDP camp in North Darfur in 2025, warning that the same pattern was unfolding in North Kordofan. "The world is watching, and those responsible for violations must be held accountable," he said. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also issued an alert expressing alarm over the possible "imminent ground offensive," urging all those with influence over the parties to prevent further bloodshed. Dozens of countries, including Britain, France, and Germany, raised the alarm at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. UN News

Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023 when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. More than 1,000 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan in the first five months of 2026 alone, according to the UN. Al Jazeera The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) reports approximately 56,000–59,000 people killed since the conflict began in April 2023, though other estimates place the toll as high as 150,000. The war has displaced more than 13 million people internally and driven millions more to the brink of famine, with 21 million people in desperate need of food. Al Jazeera

Asia

Myanmar

Myanmar military aircraft launched airstrikes on residential areas in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State, on 18 June, killing at least seven civilians including a five-year-old child, according to witnesses and rescue workers. Straits Times The Irrawaddy reported eight dead as regime warplanes bombed urban wards in Kyauktaw, with three aircraft involved in the attack on areas held by the Arakan Army. Myanmar Now

The attack comes days after a separate airstrike in Gwa Township, Rakhine State, that killed at least two civilians. Rights groups have repeatedly documented that the Myanmar military's air force carries out indiscriminate strikes on civilian areas. The junta's air campaign has been a key instrument in its efforts to counter pro-democracy and ethnic resistance forces, including the Arakan Army, which controls significant territory in western Myanmar. The conflict has displaced millions and left the country in a state of severe humanitarian crisis, with UNICEF and other agencies reporting that children continue to be among the primary victims. Mizzima

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)