Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
OCHA is deeply concerned by reports that a one-month-old baby in Gaza has died due to hypothermia, according to the Ministry of Health.
This is the eighth such child death due to the cold in less than three weeks. These deaths were preventable had the items required to protect these children been accessible to their families.
OCHA continues to receive daily reports of civilians being killed and injured across Gaza due to ongoing hostilities, which are also causing widespread destruction and displacement.
In Gaza city, a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East school-turned-shelter was hit by shelling over the weekend, injuring several displaced people.
OCHA stresses once again that civilians and civilian infrastructure – including humanitarian workers, convoys and assets – must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.
The World Food Programme (WFP) strongly condemned an incident on Sunday when a clearly marked convoy was shot at by Israeli forces near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint, putting staff lives at tremendous risk and leaving the vehicles immobilized.
The convoy, consisting of three vehicles carrying eight staff members, came under hostile fire despite having received all of the necessary clearances from Israeli authorities. At least 16 bullets struck the vehicles. Thankfully, no staff members were injured in this terrifying encounter.
WFP urges all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilian lives, and allow safe passage for humanitarian aid.
In North Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that Kamal Adwan Hospital remains completely out of service. In a social media post at the weekend, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency had received no updates on the safety and well-being of the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, since his detention on 27 December. WHO continues to call for his release and for a stop to attacks on hospitals and health professionals in Gaza.
Meanwhile, OCHA reports that humanitarian access to besieged parts of North Gaza continues to be constrained by the Israeli authorities. Three UN attempts to reach these areas over the past three days, Saturday, Sunday and today, were denied.
Between 6 October – when the Israeli siege in North Gaza began – and yesterday, the UN has attempted to reach besieged areas in North Gaza governorate 170 times. Of these attempts, 154 were denied outright. Sixteen went ahead but faced major impediments.
These denials and impediments are hampering the humanitarian response in Gaza at a time when survivors in besieged areas are in dire need of food, shelter materials, and clothing to survive the winter.
Across the Gaza Strip over the weekend, 37 UN-led humanitarian missions were planned. 12 of these missions were facilitated, but 15 others were denied outright, nine were impeded, and one was cancelled due to logistical and operational constraints.
Meanwhile, armed looting of humanitarian convoys continues to be reported in southern and central Gaza. Four such incidents were recorded in the south over the weekend, affecting dozens of truckloads of supplies and putting drivers at risk. In one incident, 43 out of 74 trucks were looted on the Ar-Rasheed coastal road in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah.
Yesterday, eight fuel trucks were seized, two of which have since been recovered. This leaves the humanitarian community with approximately 50,000 litres of fuel left to power essential services – that’s less than what is needed for two days.
Once again, OCHA stresses that to stop the looting of humanitarian supplies, Israel must facilitate the flow of aid, fuel and commercial goods into and within Gaza swiftly and at scale through multiple entry points. Israel must also allow the civilian police to operate and thereby restore public order.
#Syria
OCHA says that the UN and partners continue to expand the response across Syria as conditions permit.
The situation remains volatile, with violence continuing in some parts of the country, including Aleppo, Homs, coastal areas and north-east Syria.
Civilians are impacted by explosive remnants of war. According to partners, between 2 and 5 January, 13 civilians were killed and dozens were injured due to landmine explosions in the north-west of the country. Mine action partners report that the number of incidents in Syria drastically increased in December, rising by more than 300 per cent compared to November.
More than 620,000 people remain newly displaced across Syria – a decrease of 37,000 people since last week. As of yesterday, more than 25,000 people have departed from displacement camps across the north-west. While this is more than double the number of people leaving camps reported last week, the figure is minimal, as 2 million people stay in camps across Idleb and northern Aleppo.
Further on Aleppo, health partners are sounding the alarm over shortages of fuel, electricity and water in the city. The Menbij National Hospital, which serves around 100,000 people, has been relying entirely on generators for several days to power incubators and intensive care unit machines.
The city and the countryside are experiencing reduced water supply due to power cuts, staff shortages and damage to the Al-Khafsa water station. Partners are facing challenges in accessing Khafsa station due to ongoing clashes.
In the north-east, humanitarian colleagues tell us that bridges connecting the eastern and western banks of the Euphrates River remain inoperable due to damage sustained during the fighting, which has impacted the movement of goods and people.
Meanwhile, critical shortages of medical supplies continue to be reported in health facilities across the country, including chronic disease medications, gloves and syringes.
WHO today conducted the first UN cross-border mission of the year, crossing from Türkiye to Azaz in northern Aleppo to train paramedics on trauma care. Additional cross-border missions are planned in the coming days.
Last year, the UN completed 386 cross-border missions to north-west Syria, averaging 30 per month, to monitor programmes, conduct assessments and engage with communities.
WFP has resumed the distribution of food parcels this month, with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent as an implementing partner, reaching over 3,600 families monthly.
Partners also continue to support winterization efforts across the country and are distributing essential items, including winter clothing and blankets.