Today's top news: Syria, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, Sudan
#Syria
Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Tom Fletcher, paid tribute to Syrian women and girls on the last day of his visit yesterday saying that their role in rebuilding the country is vital and the country’s future will depend on them.
Before traveling onward to Lebanon and Jordan, ERC Fletcher was in Ankara today to meet with Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hakan Fidan, for discussions focused on the latest developments in Syria, as well the dire situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the need for greater assistance in Sudan.
The two agreed on the importance of utilizing all available aid routes, including cross-border from Türkiye, to quickly scale up aid operations in Syria, where 16.7 million people continue to need humanitarian assistance.
The cross-border operation from Türkiye continues and yesterday 25 trucks carrying emergency aid, including food crossed to north-west Syria through Bab Al-Hawa border crossing.
Meanwhile, health partners report that across the country only 33 per cent of public health centres are fully functional, the rest are either not or only partially operational.
In the north-west, that health facilities are overwhelmed due to large number of injured people still being treated. Health partners witness psychological distress and trauma, especially in children, with limited access to mental health and psychosocial support. Medical emergency transport service is also strained amid operational limitations, fuel shortages, and destruction of ambulances.
Despite increasing health needs, partners report funding shortages and in north-west Syria, 140 health facilities are affected. 4 out of 16 dialysis centres are not functional due to underfunding. Blood banks are also impacted.
Before the recent developments, Syria was already one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world with 17 million people – more than 70 per cent of the population – in need of support.
The recent escalation has only added to these needs and many civilians are even more vulnerable as winter is setting in – so we urgently need additional funding and safe, rapid and unimpeded access to reach civilians wherever they are.
#Occupied Palestinian Territory
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, OCHA warns that Israeli authorities continue to demolish or seize Palestinian-owned structures. This is due to a lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain.
In a report issued yesterday, OCHA noted that between 10 and 16 December, more than 70 structures were affected, 16 of which had been provided as humanitarian assistance for the local population. As a result, more than 100 people were displaced, nearly half of them children.
Meanwhile, partners in the West Bank report that 60 Palestinian-run schools serving some 6,600 students and more than 700 teachers are facing partial or full demolition orders, as well as stop-work orders.
Attacks across the Strip have killed and injured dozens of people. Amid the nonstop hostilities in Gaza, OCHA underscores that civilians must be protected and those fleeing the fighting must be afforded safe passage. And wherever they go, civilians must have their essential needs met.
In Gaza city yesterday, OCHA heard from families displaced by the Israeli offensive in the north. People arriving from Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabalya reported having to flee under bombardment, unable to carry any belongings.
Yesterday, OCHA carried out an assessment at sites hosting them together with colleagues from UNRWA, UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Mine Action Service, and the Department of Safety and Security.
They visited four sites hosting some 1,600 families who have arrived from North Gaza governorate since the start of the Israeli siege there almost 11 weeks ago.
Families are packed into tents or damaged buildings with no electricity. Women and girls told our teams that they cannot safely reach the shared bathroom at night, forcing them to use containers inside their tents instead.
People sheltering at these sites lack the most basic items, including shoes, clothing, mattresses, blankets, and kitchen supplies. They also reported a shortage of medicines, with diseases spreading rapidly due to the cold.
Humanitarian assistance for those displaced has been extremely limited so far because of the challenges to aid operations in Gaza. Mothers told our colleagues that in order to buy milk and diapers, they have to resell any aid they receive. Female heads of household reported discrimination, as local charities expect them to be accompanied by a male family member.
At one of the four sites the UN team visited, there were no basic services at all: no bathroom, no water and no food. Tents were packed so close that people have no privacy and no safe route to quickly evacuate if needed.
Today, it rained in Gaza. Our OCHA colleagues saw water accumulating in streets filled with debris. They warn that tents along the street are at high risk of being flooded.
#Ukraine
Yesterday and today, hostilities in front-line areas and attacks in several urban centres killed and injured civilians and caused damage to apartment blocks, hospitals and schools, according to authorities.
In the capital Kyiv, one person was reportedly killed and 10 others injured when an attack damaged the roofs of several buildings, including a cathedral and a business centre. That’s according to authorities and aid workers, who say heating was also disrupted to more than 630 apartment buildings and 30 health and education facilities.
Attacks in Kryvyi Rih and Kherson also killed and injured civilians and damaged civilian infrastructure, including homes and hospitals. In Kherson, a vehicle belonging to an aid organization was damaged while transporting a patient to hospital. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
In Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih, humanitarians supported first responders by providing initial medical and psychosocial assistance to people affected by the attacks and distributing emergency shelter kits to address the damage.
Ukraine’s state energy company reports that workers are repairing damaged facilities and doing what they can to stabilize the power grid. They note that the country’s energy infrastructure is still recovering from 12 large-scale Russian attacks since the start of this year, which have caused major power shortages.
#Sudan
ERC Fletcher condemned the killing of three World Food Programme (WFP) team members in Sudan yesterday, when the agency’s field office in Yarbus, in Blue Nile state, was struck by aerial bombardment.
“The worst year on record for humanitarians just got even worse,” he said in a social media post. Only last month, an OCHA staff member was killed in El Fasher, in Sudan’s North Darfur state.
The brutal war in Sudan has created the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis. Of the more than 3 million people who have sought protection across Sudan’s borders since April of last year, some 1.2 million are being hosted by Egypt – more than in any other country – according to recent data from the Egyptian Government.
ERC Fletcher has allocated US$6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to address the humanitarian needs of refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan to Egypt, in support of the ongoing response there.
The conflict in Sudan has created the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis. Of the more than 3 million people who have sought protection across Sudan’s borders since April of last year, some 1.2 million are being hosted by Egypt - more than in any other country - according to recent data from the Egyptian Government.
This influx of new arrivals has placed additional strain on host communities in Egypt, stretching public services and resources. The funding from CERF will help support people’s most urgent needs including food, water, shelter, cash assistance and protection services.