Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria

In the absence of solid waste management, people are living in unsanitary conditions raising the risk of disease outbreaks. Photo: OCHA
In the absence of solid waste management, people are living in unsanitary conditions in North Gaza raising the risk of disease outbreaks. Photo: OCHA

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

We are alarmed by ongoing attacks across the Strip that have left scores of Palestinians dead. An airstrike near Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza governorate last night reportedly killed dozens of people, including health workers. In Kamal Adwan hospital today, staff, patients and their companions were forced out of the facility. Arrests and significant damage to the hospital have been reported.

UN teams continue to face systematic denials of humanitarian access to North Gaza. Just today, another attempt by the UN to reach besieged parts of North Gaza governorate was denied by the Israeli authorities. Since early October, most UN-coordinated attempts to access these areas have been denied. The few exceptions have faced significant impediments, which often prevent teams from accomplishing the work they set out to do.

Last night another deadly attack was reported in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza city. OCHA visited the area and noted that overstretched health facilities were receiving mass casualties from the strike.

Our team in Gaza city also assessed the needs of people displaced from North Gaza governorate, which has been under siege for almost 12 weeks. The team in Gaza city said few water wells are operating in areas where displaced people have gathered, and the sewage network has been damaged. There is no solid waste management, hospitals are overcrowded, and people are living in unsanitary conditions that are raising the risk of disease outbreaks. People at displacement sites also face risks due to potential flooding.

Meanwhile in the West Bank, as of yesterday, Israeli forces had killed 20 Palestinians over a 10-day period, including at least 12 deaths due to airstrikes. Our humanitarian colleagues say Israel’s military operation in Tulkarm’s refugee camp caused extensive damage to infrastructure.

Lethal, war-like tactics are being applied repeatedly during these operations in the West Bank, raising concerns over use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.

We have also documented eight Palestinian fatalities since the beginning of the operation by Palestinian forces in Jenin refugee camp on 5 December. This includes three members of Palestinian forces.

As this year draws to a close, we can report that 2024 marked the largest number of Palestinians displaced across the West Bank since OCHA’s records began nearly two decades ago.

 As of Monday, a total of 4,706 Palestinians have been displaced across the West Bank this year, including 1,949 children, according to OCHA. The majority were displaced in operations carried out by Israeli forces, primarily in refugee camps and other urban areas of the northern West Bank. Demolition of Palestinian property was among the other factors driving record displacement in 2024, which also included settler violence and access restrictions.

Over the past year, Israeli authorities have demolished or forced the demolition of 1,209 structures, citing lack of permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain.

#Syria

As of today, some 664,000 people remain newly displaced across the country, mostly in Idleb and Aleppo, since 27 November. This marks a decrease of about 64,000 people compared to a week ago. More than three-quarters of those who remain displaced are women and children.

The UN and our partners continue to track population movements on a daily basis through a working group co-chaired by OCHA. According to the group, returnee movements remain fluid, with nearly 486,000 people having returned to their areas of origin – mostly to Hama and Aleppo governorates – over the past month.

The humanitarian community in Syria continues to provide vital support to those in need.

In eastern Aleppo, UNICEF reports that after months of tests and repair work, water is flowing again from the Ain al-Bayda station, which had been non-operational since 2017. UNICEF is working to repair one leak that was identified through testing.

Some 300,000 people in Al Bab – including displaced families and host communities – depend on this water station. Water is reaching part of Al Bab’s population, but urgent support is needed to restore the station to full capacity.

Meanwhile, cross-border aid deliveries continue from Türkiye into north-west Syria. Today, nine UN aid trucks crossed into Idleb using the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing. The convoy was carrying 200 metric tons of food assistance from the World Food Programme – enough for some 80,000 people – as well as school supplies from UNICEF.