Daily Peace and Crisis Report — Monday 18 May 2026

Compiled May 18, 2026, 08:00 AEST | Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN)

Summary

Summary:

• Gaza remains under active bombardment despite a ceasefire announced in October 2025, with the total death toll since 7 October 2023 surpassing 72,700; Israel killed Hamas military wing chief Ezzedine al-Haddad in an airstrike on 16 May.
• Iran–Israel conflict: US-brokered peace talks remain stalled, with President Trump warning the "clock is ticking" for Iran to accept a deal; Israel and Lebanon agreed a 45-day ceasefire extension, but Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continue.
• Ukraine–Russia: A US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire expired without agreement; Ukraine launched one of its largest-ever drone strikes on Moscow and surrounding regions on 17 May, killing at least four people; OHCHR recorded 238 civilians killed and 1,404 injured in Ukraine in April 2026 — the highest monthly toll since July 2025.
• Sudan's civil war intensifies as drones account for over 80 per cent of civilian deaths; the UN warns the conflict is entering its fourth year with no peace process in sight and 14 million people displaced.
• Democratic Republic of Congo: WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 17 May; at least 80 people have died from the rare Bundibugyo strain. M23 rebels have partially withdrawn from eastern South Kivu under US pressure.
• Somalia faces its first famine risk since 2022, with six million people going days without food as the Middle East conflict disrupts aid supply chains and shipping routes.
• Haiti: Renewed gang clashes in Port-au-Prince's Cité Soleil neighbourhood displaced thousands more, bringing the total displaced by gang violence to over 1.4 million people.

Middle East

Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Israeli military operations in Gaza continued on 17–18 May 2026, with strikes killing at least eight Palestinians, including in a kitchen providing meals to displaced civilians in Gaza City. Reuters; ABC News

On 16 May, Israel confirmed the killing of Ezzedine al-Haddad, head of Hamas's armed wing (the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades), in an airstrike in Gaza City. Six others were killed in the strike, including al-Haddad's wife and daughter. BBC; Reuters

Since the ceasefire announced on 10 October 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 856 Palestinians and wounded 2,463 others, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health as reported by OCHA. The cumulative death toll since 7 October 2023 has surpassed 72,700, with over 172,000 wounded. OCHA; BBC

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. WHO estimates over 43,000 people in Gaza have life-changing injuries — one in four of them children — including amputations, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. No rehabilitation facility is fully operational. OCHA

Aid access remains severely constrained: only one in every two aid trucks from Egypt could offload at Israeli-controlled crossings in the first 11 days of May. Sewage systems in Khan Younis have ceased operations, with untreated wastewater flooding residential areas. OCHA

West Bank

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces and settlers continue to kill and injure Palestinians. Between 5 and 11 May, approximately 70 Palestinians — including 10 children — were injured by Israeli forces or settlers, mainly during raids and settler attacks. Since 7 October 2023, at least 1,091 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to OCHA. UNRWA Situation Report #221; OCHA

Nearly 90 per cent of the 45 Palestinian-owned structures demolished between 5 and 11 May were used for agricultural, livelihood, water, or sanitation purposes. The Jordan Valley has witnessed a 14-fold increase in settler violence incidents since 2020. OCHA

Iran–Israel Conflict and Lebanon

US-brokered peace negotiations between the United States and Iran remain stalled. President Trump warned on 17 May that the "clock is ticking" for Iran to accept a peace deal, threatening that "there won't be anything left of them" if talks collapse. Iran's Mehr news agency said the US failed to offer real concessions in its latest response to an Iranian proposal. Al Jazeera; AP

Israel and Lebanon agreed on 15 May to extend their ceasefire by 45 days, though the two sides remain at odds over key issues surrounding Hezbollah's status. Despite the extension, Israel carried out at least 100 strikes on sites in southern Lebanon over two days. Reuters

Europe — Ukraine–Russia War

A US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine expired on 12 May without a broader agreement, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Russia launched a fresh wave of strikes following the ceasefire's expiry. The Guardian

On 17 May, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks of the war, striking Moscow and surrounding regions. Russian authorities reported at least four people killed, including three near Moscow, in what officials described as the biggest drone attack on the capital region in over a year. Ukraine struck oil refineries and pumping stations in the Moscow region. Reuters; BBC; The New York Times

Earlier in the week, a Russian drone and missile attack killed 24 people in Kyiv. A UN humanitarian convoy delivering aid to Kherson was struck twice by drones, despite prior coordination with both Ukrainian and Russian forces. Al Jazeera

OHCHR's April 2026 report found that at least 238 civilians were killed and 1,404 injured in Ukraine that month — the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since July 2025, representing an 18 per cent increase compared with April 2025. The vast majority (96 per cent) of casualties occurred in areas under Ukrainian government control. In the first four months of 2026, civilian casualties were 21 per cent higher than in the same period of 2025. OHCHR

Russia continues to occupy approximately 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory. The war has led to more than 4.2 million refugees and over 7 million internally displaced people. UN Women

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated on 13 May that Ukrainian forces must cease fire and withdraw from Russian-claimed Ukrainian oblasts as a precondition for any ceasefire. ISW (Rus)

Africa

Sudan

Armed drones have become the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan's civil war, accounting for more than 80 per cent of civilian fatalities in the first four months of 2026. The UN documented at least 880 civilian deaths from drone strikes between January and April 2026, carried out by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). UN News; Reuters

The conflict, now entering its fourth year, has displaced approximately 14 million people — the largest displacement crisis in the world. Peace efforts have repeatedly failed, with the UN warning that both the SAF and RSF have shown little willingness to negotiate. Sudan's Blue Nile State saw renewed heavy fighting, with the army recapturing key territory from RSF forces. Al Jazeera

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk issued a high alert on 11 May, strongly condemning the rising use of armed drones and calling for an immediate end to attacks on civilian populations. OHCHR

Democratic Republic of Congo

The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC's Ituri province a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 17 May 2026. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, has killed at least 80 people and infected 246, with cases also reported in Uganda. The outbreak is compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis driven by ongoing conflict. Al Jazeera

In eastern DRC, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group partially withdrew from key positions in South Kivu province following US pressure. However, Human Rights Watch documented grave abuses committed by M23 and Rwandan forces during their occupation of the city of Uvira, including summary executions and other atrocities. Reuters; Human Rights Watch

Somalia

Parts of Somalia face famine risk for the first time since 2022. At least six million people are going days without enough food, with nearly two million facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. UN agencies warned on 15 May that the number of people facing catastrophic food insecurity has increased by 160 per cent in less than a year. The crisis is compounded by the ripple effects of the Middle East conflict on shipping and aid supply chains through the Strait of Hormuz. UN News; Reuters

Asia and the Pacific

Myanmar

Myanmar's civil war continues with no resolution in sight. Following the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu on 8 May, ASEAN again failed to take meaningful action to address the military junta's ongoing violence. Human rights groups warned that ASEAN risks granting legitimacy to the junta through its engagement process. The conflict is also driving a drugs epidemic in northern Thailand, with hundreds of thousands of people becoming collateral damage from the war. Progressive Voice Myanmar; AFP

A junta air attack targeting a hospital in Kani Township on 7 May killed at least two people, according to ground sources. The Israel-Iran war is also worsening Myanmar's economic crisis through fuel shortages and rising costs. Eurasia Review

Americas

Haiti

Renewed gang clashes erupted in Port-au-Prince's Cité Soleil neighbourhood from 10 May, displacing hundreds of additional families. Gang violence has now displaced more than 1.4 million people across Haiti, with armed gangs controlling an estimated 90 per cent of the capital. Hospitals have been shut down and key roads linking the capital to the provinces remain blocked or unsafe. Al Jazeera; Le Monde

International Cooperation and Peacekeeping

The UN Security Council remains divided on multiple fronts. US-brokered ceasefire efforts in both the Iran–Israel conflict and the Ukraine–Russia war have stalled, with President Trump expressing public frustration over the lack of progress. The UN mission in Somalia concluded talks on 16 May without resolving key political disputes between the Federal Government and regional states. Hiiraan Online

The UN convoy strike in Kherson underscored the dangers facing humanitarian workers in conflict zones. More than 500 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. The New Yorker

Key Statistics

Table 1 — Casualties (Killed / Wounded)

Note: OHCHR has been denied access to Russian-occupied territories (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea); independent verification of civilian casualties in those areas is not possible. Cumulative Ukraine figures are estimates based on OHCHR monthly reports from Feb 2022 through Apr 2026.

Table 2 — Numbers (Non-casualty figures)