Today's top news: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Ukraine

Displaced people flee from a camp in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, amid ongoing hostilities
People displaced by fighting in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, flee the city in search of safety. Photo: OCHA/WFP Moses Sawasawa

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

OCHA reports that violence and looting of humanitarian warehouses has continued in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, impacting both the ability of aid workers to respond as well as putting them at risk.

Since the recent escalation of fighting, humanitarian partners have recorded more than 2,000 injuries caused by weapons and explosive shrapnel. Humanitarian workers are treating injuries where possible.

Several bodies of people killed have been left in the streets, while water and electricity supplies remain cut off since 26 January.

OCHA calls for the swift resumption of services such as water, electricity and the Internet, as well as the protection of humanitarian warehouses and the facilitation of medical evacuations for people who have been injured.

The airport in Goma remains closed, which means that flows of humanitarian cargo and rotations of humanitarian personnel have been suspended. Most of the roads connecting Goma to the rest of the country are also closed. 

Meanwhile, the border with Rwanda is open and additional humanitarian teams were able to enter today.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Lemarquis, calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and to end the violence targeting civilians. He reiterates his call for the establishment of a secure humanitarian corridor to guarantee unhindered humanitarian access and the creation of a border crossing to facilitate the movement of people fleeing violence.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

OCHA reports that UN agencies delivered six fuel tankers to northern Gaza today to support the operation of bakeries, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene services, along with other essential activities, as displaced families continue to return to their homes. 

As of earlier today, humanitarian partners estimate that more than 423,000 people have crossed from south to north since the opening of the Salah ad Din and Al Rashid roads on Monday.

Aid workers stationed along those roads continue to provide support to those on the move, including food, water and hygiene kits. UNICEF is distributing identification bracelets for children to help families stay safe on their journey. 

Those on the move also include unaccompanied children, pregnant women, older people, the chronically ill, people with disabilities and those in need of medical care. The World Health Organization says it has supplied fuel, tents and equipment, enabling the Palestine Red Crescent Society to establish two trauma stabilization points on Al Rashid Road.

OCHA says the UN and humanitarian partners continue to scale up vital aid for those in need across the Strip. Today, 859 trucks entered Gaza, according to information obtained by the UN on the ground through interactions with the Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire deal.

In the north and east of Gaza city, humanitarian partners are providing tarpaulin sheets to displaced people. They also expect to distribute tents to families returning to their destroyed homes in both southern and northern areas of the Strip. 

Partners working to support water, sanitation and hygiene services in Gaza are scaling up water trucking in the governorates of Rafah, North Gaza and Gaza. In Rafah, some 300 cubic metres of potable water is being distributed each day – enough for about 50,000 people.

As the humanitarian response continues, the UN and humanitarian partners are carrying out needs assessments to inform those efforts. Between Monday and yesterday, partners assessed 148 displacement sites where some 195,000 people have been sheltering in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah. The teams found that in all but 12 per cent of these sites, people are starting to leave. Thirteen such locations were reportedly closed after the population moved to different areas. 

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, OCHA reports a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian and protection situation. Israeli forces continue their operations in the Jenin and Tulkarm governorates in the northern West Bank. The UN has repeatedly expressed concerns over the use of lethal, war-like tactics during these operations. 

Yesterday, Israeli forces reportedly killed two Palestinians – one in an air strike in Jenin city and another by gunfire during a raid in one of the villages in Tulkarm governorate. Twenty Palestinians have been killed since the start of the operations in Jenin and Tulkarm. 

As these operations continue, OCHA continues to receive reports of civilian infrastructure being destroyed and essential services being disrupted. In Jenin, Israeli forces blocked access to an ambulance for hours yesterday. 

In Tulkarm, access to water and electricity has been disrupted. Initial estimates suggest nearly 1,000 people have been displaced.

#Syria

OCHA says that ongoing hostilities and violence continue to impact civilians across Syria, particularly in the north-east.

According to partners, yesterday, shelling and other incidents affected northern Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa and eastern Aleppo governorates – including, areas near the Tishreen Dam. There have been reports of civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, OCHA completed an assessment mission to two communities in northern rural Hama, in the center of the country. This is the first in a series of weekly assessment missions planned by to evaluate the humanitarian situation in return areas and communities affected by recent hostilities in the governorates of Homs and Hama governorates.

The UN also continues to conduct regular cross-border missions from Türkiye. On Monday, OCHA completed a mission to Jandairis, in northern Aleppo, to monitor a project funded by the Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund that supports camps with fire safety systems. Since the start of this year, at least seven camp residents have been killed and 11 others injured in dozens of fire incidents recorded in camps across north-west Syria.

#Ukraine

OCHA reports that relentless attacks continue to cause civilians casualties and damage homes and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine

According to authorities, attacks between 24 January and today have resulted in 45 civilian casualties. More than 100 homes, as well as a school, gas pipeline and port facilities were also damaged.

In many frontline communities, access to power, heating and water has been severely curtailed. Due to attacks on energy infrastructure, people have been without basic services for months while facing cold winter conditions.

Humanitarian organizations continue to provide support as security permits, including construction material for the repairs, food, cash and psychological support.

Aid workers continue to work in very risky environments. OCHA says that the number of humanitarian workers killed or injured in 2024 increased to 53, up from 50 in 2023.