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

In the wake of the ceasefire, residents of Gaza attempt to return to what remains of their homes.
Following the ceasefire, displaced families in Gaza make their way back to what remains of their homes, surrounded by widespread destruction. Photo: UNRWA

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

OCHA reports that a surge of humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip. Today, 897 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.

OCHA says humanitarian priorities in Gaza include providing food assistance, opening bakeries, providing healthcare, restocking hospitals, repairing water networks, bringing material to repair shelters, and starting family reunifications.

Today, OCHA and its partners visited Jabalya camp in North Gaza governorate. They report that people there are creating makeshift shelters amid the rubble. There is also a critical lack of access to water, with all wells destroyed, and the risk of unexploded ordnance remains high. The UN and its humanitarian partners are mobilizing to provide food and emergency shelter support. 

With the ceasefire in place, displaced Palestinians have been making their way back home, with many returning to find mountains of rubble. According to partners working on the shelter response, more than 90 per cent of housing units in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed over the past 15 months.

Given the scale of destruction and needs in Gaza, the humanitarian community is working to get vital aid to people as fast as humanly possible.

It is critical that Member States and partners ensure that aid operations are funded to meet the overwhelming needs. Surging high volumes of aid into Gaza requires a collective effort. The entire population of Gaza – more than 2 million people – depends on humanitarian support. It is critical that the pipelines of stocks are replenished, including by Member States. Aid efforts must also be complimented by the private sector.

Meanwhile, OCHA is extremely concerned about the safety and wellbeing of Palestinians in Jenin city and Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, where the Israeli forces have been operating today.

According to initial reports, air strikes, heavy bulldozing and the operation of undercover forces have resulted in several fatalities and dozens of injuries, including among medical personnel.

This latest Israeli operation in Jenin refugee camp follows weeks of clashes there between Palestinian forces and armed Palestinians. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East says that as of last week, about 2,000 families had been displaced from the camp during those clashes.

Previous Israeli operations in Jenin refugee camp have damaged critical infrastructure, and as a result, the camp remains largely disconnected from basic services, including water. Electricity and solid waste management have also been disrupted.

Earlier this month, the UN and humanitarian partners were distributing mattresses and blankets to those displaced, but humanitarians have not been able to safely access the area more recently on a reliable basis.

Once again, OCHA warns that lethal, war-like tactics – including air strikes – are being applied repeatedly during these operations in the West Bank, raising concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.

#Syria

OCHA says that, amid heightened insecurity in eastern Aleppo, Syria, a UN humanitarian mission went to the city of Menbij yesterday.

The mission met with local authorities, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to identify and address issues related to the Tishreen Dam, which continued to face attacks in its surrounding areas as of yesterday, and other gaps.

The team also visited the Menbij National Hospital, where health workers are working voluntarily with limited resources due to past looting of equipment, ambulances and generators.

Yesterday, OCHA and UNICEF completed a monitoring mission to the Ain Al Bayda water station in eastern Aleppo, which had been recently rehabilitated with the support of the Syria Humanitarian Fund.

In addition to incidents linked to ongoing hostilities, civilians—particularly children—are also at risk from explosive ordnance contamination across several governorates. Humanitarian partners working in protection have recorded 69 explosive ordnance incidents over the first two weeks of January, in which 45 people were killed and 60 others wounded. 

Since 26 November, a total of 134 new areas with explosive remnants of war have been identified by partners across five governorates – Idleb, Aleppo, Hama, Deir-ez-Zor and Lattakia.

As people continue to move and return to their communities, partners are calling for increased and flexible funding for mine action, including risk education and emergency clearance, particularly roads and bridges.

OCHA says that increased funding is also needed to ensure the continuation of life-saving services, including in camps where departures of people have been limited. In north-west Syria, water and sanitation services have been suspended in 636 displacement camps due to funding gaps, affecting more than 635,000 people.

#Mozambique

OCHA reports that access issues continue to hamper humanitarian operations in some parts of Mozambique.

Humanitarian partners report that access restraints – including illegal checkpoints, unofficial requests for payments to cross checkpoints, and threats to NGO vehicles and other government convoys carrying aid – are affecting the main supply roads that partners use in Cabo Delgado.

OCHA is engaging with provincial and district authorities, including community leaders, to advocate for the safe access and safety of humanitarian workers.

Meanwhile, insecurity across the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula is also disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid to more than 700,000 people affected by the two recent cyclones in the country.

#Mali

The UN and its partners, together with Mali’s transitional authorities, today launched in Bamako a US$770 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to support millions of people across the country this year.

The plan aims to address the urgent needs of 4.7 million people affected by conflict, displacement, health emergencies and climate shocks. Nearly 80 per cent of the people aimed to be reached with aid are women and children. The plan aims to provide them with food, water, healthcare and protection support, among other assistance.

The UN and its partners have worked closely with the Malian transitional authorities to develop the needs analysis and response plan. They are also working hard to ensure humanitarian action complements and promotes resilience and longer-term development goals. 

The UN is grateful for Malian transitional authorities’ continued leadership on these issues and welcome the ongoing partnership to deliver principled humanitarian aid and support resilience and development.

Last year, partners mobilized nearly 40 per cent of what was required – just over $270 million – enabling life-saving assistance and protection to reach 1.8 million people.

The Acting Humanitarian Coordinator there, Khassim Diagne, said that it is urgent that the entire humanitarian community and donors renew their commitment to addressing essential humanitarian needs.