Nepal: Relief camp shelters grieving families

Israel's military said it carried out an air strike in the Jenin area in the West Bank on Friday that killed a ​Palestinian it described as a Hamas militant operative as well as two of his accomplices, in a rare use of deadly Israeli air power in the occupied territory.

Nepal's confirmed death toll has risen to at least 538, but families are still searching hospitals and disaster zones in the hope their loved ones will be found alive, with nearly 1,000 people still missing. More than 3,700 people have been rescued so far, though destroyed roads, bridges and thick mud continue to hamper search efforts.

William Hilderbrandt is pleased to welcome David Fisher, Head of Delegation, Nepal International Federation of Red Cross. The scale of Nepal’s disaster cannot yet be fully measured. Entire communities remain difficult to reach, tens of thousands of people have been affected, and official assessments are only beginning. But the central challenge is already clear: this cannot be treated solely as an immediate humanitarian emergency. What happens to these communities in the years ahead depends heavily on what we do now. Emergency relief must be accompanied from the outset by planning, funding and action for long-term recovery, including rebuilding homes and livelihoods. If that work is postponed until international attention has moved elsewhere, many people may never fully recover. And signs suggest that the speed and destructive force of this extreme natural event could become more frequent.