Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Mozambique

Homes were destroyed by Tropical Storm Chido in Mecufi, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Photo: OCHA/Bony Nkubiri

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Attacks on hospitals in North Gaza governorate in recent days are having a devastating impact on civilians who remain in besieged areas.

We are deeply concerned by reports that the Israeli military entered the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza today, forcing its evacuation. In recent days, attacks have also been reported in and around Al Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, the two other facilities that are still minimally functioning in North Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israeli siege on Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and parts of Jabalya, in North Gaza governorate, continues for a 79th straight day. The UN and our partners have been pushing to access the area on a daily basis in order to provide life-saving support to thousands of people who remain there in dire conditions.

However, so far in December, the Israeli authorities have rejected 48 of 52 UN attempts to coordinate humanitarian access to besieged areas of the north. Although four humanitarian movements were initially approved, they faced impediments. Since the intensification of Israeli military operations in North Gaza on 6 October 2024, none of the UN-coordinated attempts to access the area have been fully facilitated.

Across the Gaza Strip, just 40 per cent of requests for humanitarian movements requiring coordination with the Israeli authorities have been facilitated this month.

Meanwhile, new estimates by the UN and our partners suggest that at least 5,000 households were staying in an area of eastern Gaza city that was subject to a new Israeli evacuation order yesterday. In the wake of that directive, a few hundred families were observed moving west. Overall, some 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip's territory is under active evacuation orders.

In central and southern Gaza, a new assessment by partners working to mitigate hunger in Gaza found that during the first half of December, bread and pulses dominated households’ diets for the third month in a row, with other types of food mostly absent. They report that 90 per cent of families experienced a further reduction in access to food compared to November, amid reduced availability and skyrocketing prices.

As of mid-December, the UN and partners have distributed 420,000 cooked meals each day in central and southern Gaza, where an estimated 1.7 million people are currently staying.

#Syria

The UN and partners continue to scale up the response in Syria, as security and logistical conditions permit. Although the security situation remains volatile and varied across the country, the humanitarian community is doing all it can to support the people in Syria at this critical juncture.

As of 20 December, partners report that more than 720,000 people have been newly displaced since the escalation of hostilities in Syria on 27 November. Meanwhile, more than 420,000 displaced people have returned to their communities, mostly to Hama and Aleppo governorates.

Explosive ordnance contamination remains a significant threat to civilians moving between former areas of control. On Sunday, incidents involving unexploded ordnance resulted in multiple casualties – with children among the injured – in Dar’a governorate, while incidents in Little Orm village in Aleppo governorate wounded eight children. Partners are working around the clock across the country to identify, mark and clear unexploded ordnance contamination.

While bread production and distribution have generally normalized in most Syrian cities, some areas continue to face significant shortages. A limited number of bakeries are operational in Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor and Homs, which has caused shortfalls in bread production in these governorates.

Syria’s health system remains overwhelmed by a surge in patients, as well as shortages of medical supplies and health personnel. Partners also report that access to mental health support remains inadequate, despite high levels of psychological distress and trauma, particularly among children.

# Mozambique

OCHA reports that the UN and partners today launched the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Mozambique, as well as a Flash Appeal for Cyclone Chido.

The Flash Appeal requires US$88 million to scale up humanitarian operations to meet the most immediate and pressing needs of 320,000 people directly affected by Chido.

The cyclone caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, with more than 70,000 homes destroyed and over 32,000 homes damaged, according to the National Institute for Disaster Management. More than 50 health units have also been damaged, severely limiting people’s access to routine and emergency medical care across affected districts.

So far, the UN and partners – in close collaboration with the Government – have assisted more than 63,000 people with humanitarian supplies, including food, shelter and healthcare. However, the scale and scope of Cyclone Chido’s devastation have overwhelmed the existing capacity of humanitarian agencies, which are coping with already stretched resources. Additional funding for the response is urgently needed.

The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Mozambique calls for US$352 million to address the impacts of the ongoing conflict as well as the projected effects of climate change in Mozambique during the 2024-2025 rainy season.