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

Families displaced by fighting in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, flee the city, carrying their belongings as they seek safety.
Displaced families flee Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as they carry what belongings they can in search of safety from ongoing fighting. Photo: WFP/Moses Sawasawa

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

Humanitarian partners are beginning to move around the city of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to assess the damage to their warehouses in the wake of looting.

Aid organizations plan to provide humanitarian aid tomorrow with the capacity and stocks available, if security permits.

Today, the local Red Cross, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, continued to remove numerous corpses throughout Goma to mitigate public health issues.

Since the beginning of January, humanitarian partners have recorded and treated more than 1,000 injuries caused by weapons and explosive devices in Goma and other areas affected by violence.

Yesterday and today, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Lemarquis, and the head of the OCHA office in the DRC, Carla Martinez, met with Government authorities to discuss humanitarian assistance in Goma and North Kivu.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

OCHA reports that more displaced families are returning to northern Gaza as the ceasefire continues to hold. 

Since the opening of the Salah ad Din and Al Rashid roads on Monday, partners estimate that more than 462,000 people have crossed from the south to the north.

The UN and humanitarian partners are assisting those on the move – particularly children, pregnant women, older people, and those with disabilities – by providing water, high-energy biscuits and medical care along the two routes. The World Food Programme (WFP) says it plans to set up more distribution points in the north this week as people continue to return. 

Partners report that displaced Palestinians are also moving from north to south, albeit in smaller numbers – about 1,400 people in total as of today. Across Gaza, extensive efforts are underway to restore critical services. 

Yesterday, fuel was delivered to five bakeries in Gaza city, ensuring they can operate at full capacity for a week. Thirteen bakeries in the south and central Gaza continue to function at full capacity. 

WFP reports that it has delivered more than 10,000 metric tons* of food to Gaza since the ceasefire took effect.

Today, 750 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 North Gaza governorate yesterday, UNICEF has distributed 135 cubic metres of water to communities in Jabalya, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, areas that had been besieged for over three months.  

35,000 litres of fuel were delivered to northern Gaza yesterday to sustain the operations of water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Water trucking in Rafah is also being scaled up. 

The UN and its partners are supporting efforts to restore critical civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian partners are coordinating with the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company to repair the damaged power line that feeds the South Gaza desalination plant, which is currently running on fuel. 

And turning to the West Bank, OCHA reports that Israeli forces’ operations in northern areas have expanded beyond Jenin and Tulkarm to the nearby governorate of Tubas.  

Yesterday, an Israeli air strike hit a group of Palestinians in the village of Tammun in Tubas governorate, with reports of 10 people killed.  

This brings the death toll from the ongoing Israeli operation in the northern West Bank to 30, including two children, with at least 45 others reportedly injured. 

In Jenin, OCHA says significant destruction of Palestinian homes and infrastructure – and denial of access to water, electricity, sanitation and health services – continue to be reported. Israeli forces have set up multiple checkpoints around the main hospitals and inspected ambulances and patients.  

Overall, more than 3,200 families have been displaced from Jenin refugee camp in the context of the Palestinian and Israeli operations since December, according to an estimate by the local authorities.

Humanitarian partners – working with OCHA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and local authorities – continue to deliver essential aid, including food parcels, kitchen kits, baby supplies, hygiene items, medicines, and other essentials.

#Syria

OCHA says that the UN and partners continue to support the humanitarian response in Syria as security allows.

Between 27 November and 27 January, more than 3.3 million people received bread, while over 418,000 people were reached with other food aid, including ready-to-eat rations and hot meals.

Partners working in health continue to support the response, including by deploying medical mobile units and support for critical medical cases in collective centers hosting displaced people in the governorates of Ar-Raqqa, Al-Hasakeh and eastern Aleppo. Over the past week, more than 7,500 patients received medical consultations.

However, partners report that health facilities across the country are affected by structural damage and lack of funding. They also warn about support for oncology services, which are lacking essential medications, supplies and qualified healthcare professionals.

Meanwhile, the lack of public services and persisting economic challenges across the country continue to take a toll on communities and the humanitarian response. Many households are unable to put food on the table because of reduced purchasing power and limited employment opportunities – especially in rural areas. Cash withdrawal constraints continue to affect non-governmental organizations and others.

#Ukraine

OCHA reports that an overnight attack on a residential area in Sumy City, northeastern Ukraine, killed four people and injured nine civilians, including a child, according to local authorities and humanitarians on the ground. The attack also damaged a 10-storey residential building and scores of private vehicles.

Humanitarian partners mobilized an emergency response, complementing the efforts of first responders and the authorities. They delivered materials to cover damaged windows and provided meals and psychological first aid to residents who lost their homes. The rescue operation is ongoing. 

Across Ukraine, relentless hostilities and attacks today and yesterday resulted in nearly two dozen casualties and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, according to the local authorities. 

In the Donetsk Region, police reports indicate that 12 multi-storey residential buildings were damaged, as well as 40 houses and a school.

In the Kharkiv Region, local authorities say attacks in the town of Kupiansk injured at least three medical workers and damaged an ambulance.

Meanwhile, a school was damaged in the Dnipro Region, and in the Odesa Region, a hospital was damaged. 

The UN and partners in Ukraine continue to support people in front-line communities devastated by the war. Over the course of last year, nearly 50 humanitarian convoys delivered 580 metric tons of humanitarian supplies across the country.