Today's top news: Syria, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Tropical Cyclone Chido, Vanuatu
#Syria
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) Tom Fletcher wrapped up his visit to Syria today.
ERC Fletcher travelled to Idleb in north-west Syria. In a camp for displaced people, he met families who voiced their need for immediate services and for the rehabilitation of their homes and land before they can return to their places of origin. Unexploded ordnance poses a major risk to civilians, including children, and must be cleared, ERC Fletcher said.
He is headed to Ankara next.
Meanwhile in Syria, UN and partners are responding as security and logistical conditions permit.
Since 27 November, more than 1.3 million people have received food aid across the country, including hot meals, ready-to-eat rations and food baskets. However, the rapid devaluation of the Syrian pound is impacting availability of food.
In Aleppo, bakeries have resumed activities at near full capacity, but partners report that they observe long queues and crowding.
Rehabilitation of key facilities has begun in relatively stable areas in the northwest, including hospitals in Homs and road repairs in Aleppo.
The water supply in Aleppo was also restored yesterday, following a six-day suspension, thanks to UNICEF and ICRC interventions.
And during the past two weeks, partners have removed more than 30,000 cubic meters of earth barriers that had obstructed roads in Aleppo and Idleb, opening up more than 250 km of roads.
Meanwhile, in other parts of Syria, such as Tartous and Lattakia, operations continued to be disrupted due to past looting and insecurity. In Hama, 30 health facilities remain non-functional. Stocks of insulin have been stolen, and ambulances have been damaged or stolen.
In north-east Syria, 14 health facilities continue to be suspended due to vandalism, looting, and lack of access. Other health facilities maintain only basic services due to severe shortages of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, compounding the situation for the 44,000 displaced people in the region.
Evacuation orders by the Israeli army have triggered displacements in southern Syria. According to partners, some villages in Quneitra Governorate saw 40 per cent of their residents leaving.
Those fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely and voluntarily return when the situation allows.
We urge donors to step up their funding for the humanitarian and recovery response.
The US$4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 is just under 33 per cent funded with $1.3 billion received.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
The head of OCHA’s sub-office in Gaza, Georgios Petropoulos, briefed reporters at the UNHQ in New York, from Gaza.
Meanwhile hostilities across the Strip continue to cause widespread death and destruction, including in Al Mawasi, where Israeli forces have been directing people to move.
There were reports of heavy fire in this area on Monday and Tuesday, which also affected humanitarian organizations with premises there. One field hospital was forced to suspend services on Tuesday but resumed its operations yesterday.
Across Gaza, the UN and humanitarian partners face restrictions and other conditions that are severely impeding aid operations. Today, Israeli authorities denied another UN request to reach besieged areas of North Gaza with food and water. As a result, Palestinians in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, and parts of Jabalya remain cut off from the essential assistance they need to stay alive.
Once again, we underline that facilitating humanitarian assistance – as well as commercial goods – both into and within Gaza, and ensuring aid operations can be carried out safely, is essential to address people’s needs
#Tropical Cyclone Chido
Additional resources are urgently needed to support people affected by the storm. According to the Government’s latest figures, the cyclone has affected more than 329,000 people, with some 52,000 homes either damaged or destroyed.
We and our partners are working to scale up the response, despite funding shortfalls.
UN agencies have distributed shelter and non-food items to at least 10,000 people, and the UN’s mobile medical clinics in Cabo Delgado province have provided primary health care consultations to more than 1,500 people.
In Mecufi, also in Cabo Delgado, UNICEF and partners have distributed nutrition supplies for 6,000 children, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene kits for some 5,000 people.
#Vanuatu
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, today allocated an initial $1 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support immediate response efforts following the earthquake that struck earlier this week. The funds will support life-saving humanitarian action including water, shelter and food.
Aftershocks and transport disruptions are challenging aid operations. Telecommunications and water supply networks are not operating in some areas.
According to local authorities, approximately 80,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake and close to 1,000 have been displaced from their homes. The death toll has now risen to 10.
The UN is supporting the national response, including through the Pacific Humanitarian Aviation Service that is being activated to transport humanitarian personnel and cargo from Fiji to Port Vila.
UNICEF and partners have supported the delivery of bladder tanks to ensure continued access to clean water. UNICEF is also working with the Department of Water Resources in organizing the distribution of water and supplies to affected areas.
A UN Disaster and Assessment Coordination team is being mobilized to support the response.