Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Darwin (VAAC) issued the following report:
FVAU03 at 12:24 UTC, 05/02/26 from ADRM VA ADVISORY DTG: 20260205/1230Z VAAC: DARWIN VOLCANO: MARAPI 261140 PSN: S0023 E10028 AREA: INDONESIA SOURCE ELEV: 2885M AMSL ADVISORY NR: 2026/23 INFO SOURCE: CVGHM, HIMAWARI-9 ERUPTION DETAILS: VA REPORTED TO FL120 AT 05/1119Z EST VA DTG: 05/1210Z EST VA CLD: SFC/FL120 S0030 E10024 – S0016 E10020 – N0011 E10115 – S0029 E10125 MOV E 10KT FCST VA CLD +6 HR: 05/1810Z SFC/FL120 S0030 E10024 – S0016 E10020 – N0011 E10115 – S0030 E10126 FCST VA CLD +12 HR: 06/0010Z SFC/FL120 S0030 E10023 – S0016 E10020 – N0011 E10115 – S0029 E10126 FCST VA CLD +18 HR: 06/0610Z SFC/FL120 S0031 E10022 – S0017 E10019 – N0012 E10115 – S0030 E10126 RMK: CVGHM REPORTED ERUPTION TO FL120. VA UNIDENTIFIABLE ON SATELLITE IMAGERY DUE TO MET CLOUD. HEIGHT AND WINDS BASED ON GROUND REPORT AND MODEL GUIDANCE. NXT ADVISORY: NO LATER THAN 20260205/1830Z=
Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Tokyo warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 28000 ft (8500 m) altitude or flight level 280 and is moving at 25 kts in NW direction. The full report is as follows:
FVFE01 at 12:00 UTC, 05/02/26 from RJTD VA ADVISORY DTG: 20260205/1200Z VAAC: TOKYO VOLCANO: SHEVELUCH 300270 PSN: N5639 E16122 AREA: RUSSIA SOURCE ELEV: 3283M AMSL ADVISORY NR: 2026/37 INFO SOURCE: HIMAWARI-9 ERUPTION DETAILS: VA CONTINUOUSLY OBS IN SATELLITE IMAGERY OBS VA DTG: 05/1120Z OBS VA CLD: SFC/FL280 N5955 E15414 – N5932 E15717 – N5844 E15803 – N5901 E15435 – N5939 E15352 MOV NW 25KT FCST VA CLD +6 HR: 05/1720Z SFC/FL290 N6004 E15428 – N5915 E15042 – N6015 E14930 – N6104 E15203 FCST VA CLD +12 HR: 05/2320Z SFC/FL290 N6119 E15105 – N5853 E14733 –
Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Darwin (VAAC) issued the following report:
FVAU02 at 00:31 UTC, 05/02/26 from ADRM VA ADVISORY DTG: 20260205/0030Z VAAC: DARWIN VOLCANO: SEMERU 263300 PSN: S0806 E11255 AREA: INDONESIA SOURCE ELEV: 3657M AMSL ADVISORY NR: 2026/144 INFO SOURCE: CVGHM HIMAWARI-9 WEBCAM ERUPTION DETAILS: ERUPTION LAST REPORTED AT 05/0006Z EST VA DTG: 04/0010Z EST VA CLD: SFC/FL150 S0803 E11251 – S0755 E11314 – S0813 E11315 – S0809 E11251 MOV NE 05KT FCST VA CLD +6 HR: 04/0610Z SFC/FL150 S0809 E11251 – S0802 E11251 – S0759 E11316 – S0809 E11318 – S0819 E11313 FCST VA CLD +12 HR: 04/1210Z SFC/FL150 S0801 E11253 – S0805 E11319 – S0817 E11319 – S0824 E11311 – S0808 E11249 FCST VA CLD +18 HR: 04/1810Z SFC/FL150 S0802 E11252 – S0805 E11317 – S0816 E11320 – S0823 E11312 – S0807 E11250 RMK: VA NOT ICLEARLY DENTIFIABLE ON RECENT SAT IMG DUE TO MET CLOUD. RECENT GROUND REPORTS AND WEBCAM INDICATE INTERMITTENT DISCRETE ERUPTIONS ARE ONGOING. VA HEIGHT AND MOVEMENT BASED ON GND REP, SAT IMG AND MODEL GUIDANCE. NXT ADVISORY: NO LATER THAN 20260205/0630Z=
HelpAge International survey reveals toll on physical and mental health of older people
Severe shortages of nutritious food, medicine and shelter contributing to inhumane conditions
“The rights and needs of older people in Gaza must not be ignored” – Erika Guevara-Rosas
Older people in Gaza are suffering an overlooked physical and mental health crisis amid Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid and essential medicines and the recent ban on humanitarian organizations, new research by HelpAge International and Amnesty International has revealed.
In a health survey by HelpAge International, older people said that food scarcity had caused them to skip meals, including to ensure other family members could eat, while others said they had to ration medications for serious health conditions because of lack of access.
Internally displaced older people also described to Amnesty International how their lack of access to nutritious food, adequate shelter and healthcare was causing extreme harm due to the continuing blockade imposed by Israeli authorities. Interviewees had been displaced multiple times since October 2023.
“During armed conflict, older people’s needs are often overlooked. In Gaza, older people are enduring an unprecedented physical and mental health collapse as a direct result of Israel’s deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.
“HelpAge International’s survey reveals how Israel’s ongoing unlawful, cruel and inhumane restrictions on the entry of life-saving aid have impacted older people’s ability to access critical healthcare and medications and has limited their access to nutritious food and to adequate shelter.
“The rights and needs of older people in Gaza must not be ignored. Many continue to endure degrading living conditions and desperate humanitarian situation following the destruction of their homes and repeated displacements. Israeli authorities must immediately and unconditionally lift their blockade, and allow the unhindered entry of essential supplies, including medicine and shelter materials.”
During the winter months, Palestinians in Gaza – most of whom live in dilapidated tents or makeshift shelters – have also had to endure overflowing sewage and floodwaters, and have been exposed to heavy winds. Israel has also suspended the registration of 37 NGOs operating in Gaza and the West Bank as of 1 January. and they have been ordered to cease their operations within 60 days.
HelpAge International’s survey findings
HelpAge International surveyed 416 older people in Gaza, and published its findings in a new report Pushed Beyond Their Limits: The survival of older people in Gaza, today. Amid severe food deprivation and the collapse of essential services, older people face distinct and often overlooked risks. Their needs remain largely invisible. Key findings from the HelpAge International survey include:
Older people are living in extreme shelter deprivation: 76% of those surveyed live in tents, which are often severely overcrowded; 84% said their current living conditions harm their health and privacy.
Displacement has been constant and destabilizing: 79% have been displaced more than three times since October 2023, disrupting family support and increasing isolation.
Health conditions are widespread and largely unmanaged: Despite high prevalence of chronic pain and disease, access to medication is extremely limited, with 42% able to obtain it only “sometimes” and 18% “rarely”. 68% of respondents reduced or stopped treatment due to lack of stock. Overall access to healthcare remains low, with just 17% reporting full healthcare availability, and treatment for chronic conditions identified as the most frequently missed service at 31%.
Food insecurity is acute and can be life-threatening: While half of respondents said accessing assistance was easier since the ceasefire, 11% still had eaten no meals in the previous 24 hours; 48% had reduced their own intake to ensure others could eat.
Mental health strain is severe and directly affects nutrition: 77% said that sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or insomnia had reduced their appetite and impacted their wellbeing.
“Life has become even more miserable”
These findings were corroborated by Amnesty International’s research, which included interviews with 12 older people from all regions of the occupied Gaza Strip who remain in tents in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the Zawayda area, where living conditions are extremely challenging. In most cases, a relative facilitated communication with the older person, many of whom had a disability or needed assistance using a smartphone.
Interviewees said they were forced to stop or ration medications for existing chronic illnesses, which were either unavailable or had increased by three or four times in price. According to the World Health Organization, as of October 2025 fewer than 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were partially functioning, while less than one-third of rehabilitation services were operational, severely limiting older people’s access to care.
Some older people had lost significant amounts of weight, and most relied on community kitchens that did not always provide adequately nutritious food. The terrain in the IDP camps, often uneven and sandy, prevented those who used wheelchairs or walkers from moving freely, rendering them fully dependent on relatives.
Mohammed Bili, 61, has been displaced seven times since October 2023. He requires dialysis three times a week. However, the facility he previously visited has been destroyed, and he now gets dialysis only twice a week for shorter sessions. He struggles to use his wheelchair in the camp’s terrain, and has lost nearly 20kg.
Amnesty International
Mohammed Bili, 61, struggles to use his wheelchair in the camp’s terrain.
He told Amnesty International’s researchers: “I struggle with extreme stiffness in my arms and weakness in my muscles due to the fact that I can’t access dialysis as frequently as I need.”
Samira Al-Shawa, 88, had used a walker to move about independently. Now she is living in an IDP camp, where the sandy terrain means she is unable to walk at all. She spends most of her time lying on a makeshift bed in her tent. Charity kitchens provide her family with food, but it is insufficient and lacks adequate nutrition. She has lost about 20kg since October 2023.
Sadiqa Al-Barrawi, aged approximately 90, has been displaced three times since October 2023. She is currently living in a tent in Salam IDP camp with her son, his wife and their four children. While going to use the toilet one night in January 2025, she fell and injured herself, and now cannot stand or walk. She told Amnesty International: “Since then life has become even more miserable.”
Sadiqa has diabetes and high blood pressure. She has lost about 25kg and relies on food from charity kitchens. She added: “We are farmers. At home in the village, we have land and the best fresh food – and now we have nothing.”
Amnesty International
Sadiqa Al-Barrawi, aged approximately 90, has been displaced three times since October 2023.
Background
People over 60 make up about 5% of Gaza’s population. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as of early December 2025, 4,813 older people had been killed in Gaza since October 2023, although this figure did not include indirect deaths due to destroyed health infrastructure, for example. According to a report by UNWRA, many older people lose connection to caregivers due to the hostilities or the upheaval of displacement. Amnesty International has documented how older people are at heightened risk in situations of armed conflict, and their humanitarian needs systemically ignored.
In December 2024, Amnesty International concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, arguing that it had carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, including killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.
