Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Colombia
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
UN calls for durable shelter solutions as families endure punishing winter
OCHA reports that families in Gaza continue to face harsh winter conditions. On Tuesday, another child reportedly died from hypothermia. This is the eleventh child who has died this way since the beginning of the winter season, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Since October, the UN and its partners have distributed tens of thousands of tents, providing shelter to over half a million people. However, tents provide limited protection, especially during the rainy season. The UN continue calling for more durable shelter solutions to limit people’s dependency on tents.
Meanwhile, while prices for most food items are currently 38 to 96 percent lower than prices in the first week of October 2025 - before the ceasefire - most prices remain higher than before the October 2023 escalation - some items more than 230 percent. Even with the improved availability of goods since the ceasefire, unemployment in Gaza stands at over 80 percent, and households lack purchasing power to buy many of these items. This is according to the World Food Programme’s latest Market Monitor on Gaza.
In the absence of predictable and affordable access to fuel, more than half the population is still resorting to using waste as fuel for cooking, which exacerbates health and protection risks, in addition to environmental hazards.
Even with the improvements in food consumption this month, humanitarian partners stress that the entry of aid and commercial supplies must be sustained and further diversified.
To address malnutrition, humanitarian partners have expanded services through dozens of facilities established since the ceasefire. More than 190 centres are currently distributing infant formula, providing blanket feeding, and other critical support to children.
In the West Bank, UNRWA said in a social media post yesterday that in the past few days, electricity and water have been cut off in schools and health centres in East Jerusalem that provide critical services to thousands of people.
OCHA reiterates that restrictions on humanitarian operations must be lifted. This includes ending the ongoing ban on UNRWA – which continues to serve communities despite operating under severe constraints. It also includes lifting registration requirements imposed on NGOs. All humanitarian partners should be allowed to bring in supplies and operate without hinderance across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza with urgent support.
#Sudan
Uptick in fighting triggers mass displacement of civilians, collapse in services
OCHA warns that the situation in the State of South Kordofan is deteriorating rapidly, with civilians facing escalating violence, continued displacement and a near-total collapse of basic services.
This week, the security situation in the city of Dilling worsened significantly, with intense artillery shelling and drone strikes reported across multiple neighbourhoods. Local sources indicate that dozens of civilians have been killed, but telecommunications disruptions are preventing the verification of casualty figures.
While nearly half of Dilling’s population – some 117,000 people – is estimated to have been displaced, many others remain trapped inside the city, cut off from assistance. Basic services are on the brink of collapse: food is largely unavailable in markets, livelihoods are severely restricted, and most health facilities have exhausted their medical supplies.
The situation in the state capital, Kadugli, remains equally alarming, with more than 80 per cent of the population – some 147,000 people – believed to have fled to other parts of South Kordofan and beyond.
An OCHA team visiting the locality of Abu Jubaiha this week reported that thousands of people are still arriving from cities of Dilling and Kadugli, with 250 to 300 people arriving daily. Some people reported being on the move for several weeks in search of safety, with deaths occurring along the way.
Overall, more than 88,000 people have been displaced across the Kordofan region since late October, as fighting continues to drive civilians from their homes.
Humanitarian partners continue to operate in Dilling where possible, but severe insecurity, supply shortages and access constraints are affecting operations. As we have previously noted an interagency convoy with supplies intended for Dilling and Kadugli remains in El Obeid in neighbouring North Kordofan and has been unable to proceed due to the security situation.
OCHA urges an immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and civilian objects, and calls for rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to reach people in need.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the country, the International Organization for Migration estimates that between late October and mid-January, more than 127,000 people were displaced from El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur State, due to heightened insecurity.
The majority remain within North Darfur, while others have sought refuge across several states, further straining already overstretched services.
With needs rising sharply across several regions, OCHA once again calls on donors to step up urgent support. In 2026, the UN and its partners require $2.9 billion to reach more than 20 million people in need across Sudan.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support.
#Colombia
Clashes between armed groups cutting civilians off from basic services
OCHA reports that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating across several regions as clashes between non‑state armed groups intensify.
Civilians in the states of Cauca, Nariño, Guaviare, Arauca, Chocó and Norte de Santander are increasingly facing killings, kidnappings and restrictions to their movement.
In Catatumbo, near the border with Venezuela, clashes in the first half of this month between non‑state armed groups have claimed the lives of more than 60 civilians. Thousands of people have been displaced or confined in their homes, cutting off their access to services and humanitarian assistance.
OCHA is deeply concerned by repeated attacks on medical services in Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Norte de Santander, which have left communities without essential care.
Climate change‑related emergencies are also increasing humanitarian needs. Heavy rains have triggered landslides and flooding in some states, while. In rural Buenaventura, in the Pacific region, floods have left more than 15,000 indigenous people in need of shelter, clean water, health support and food.
The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to engage with authorities to support the humanitarian response, improve access to aid and strengthen preparedness.
Even after prioritising the most severe needs and what can realistically be delivered, the Humanitarian Response Plan remains critically underfunded. Last year, the UN and its partners received just a quarter of the $342 million dollars required. This year, the appeal is for $384 million to reach 2.6 million of the 6.9 million people who need aid.
The Colombia Humanitarian Fund is one of the few flexible sources of financing available. Since its launch in 2024 it has allocated $5 million to humanitarian partners to respond rapidly in hard‑to‑reach areas.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Colombia with urgent support.