Speaking in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the recent escalation in northwest Syria, saying it was painful to see the country’s progressive fragmentation.
The Syrian war began nearly 14 years ago, sparked by a civil uprising against the Government.
Renewed fighting last week led by the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other armed groups has engulfed parts of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama, shifting frontlines that had remained unchanged since 2020.
Thousands of families uprooted
Local authorities in Hama report that tens of thousands of families have been displaced, some of whom have fled the city for Homs, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking during his daily media briefing from New York.
He noted that Hama had previously been a destination for people fleeing hostilities in and around Idlib and Aleppo, “so one can only imagine the scale of the crisis in that city”.
Separately, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for the protection of children amid the escalating crisis.
The agency is seeking just over $488 million to support seven million people in the region, including 4.3 million children, with life-saving services such as water, sanitation and hygiene, healthcare, nutrition, education, and protection.
Mr. Dujarric said the UN and partners continue to provide support wherever and whenever they can, to people displaced by the ongoing hostilities.
Cross-border mission from Türkiye
On Wednesday, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, David Carden, led a cross-border mission to Idlib from Türkiye to assess the situation.
He was joined by several UN agencies including aid coordination office OCHA, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the World Health Organization (WHO), and staff from the UN security department.
The team also visited a reception center in Dana hosting dozens of newly displaced households and spoke with families who fled their homes in western Aleppo.
“During the visit, our refugee agency and local partners provided mattresses, blankets, cooking materials and other items. People at the reception centre urgently need water and sanitation support, as well as heating material,” said Mr. Dujarric.
Local hospitals overstretched
The mission also visited the Sham Surgical Hospital, which is treating patients wounded by the recent attacks. During the period from 27 November to 2 December, the hospital alone provided life-saving care to more than 200 people, while its ambulance system supported more than 130 people.
WHO is providing medical supplies to the hospital, including trauma kits, but added that health workers there are not being paid due to underfunding.
Since the start of the escalation of hostilities, more than 30 health facilities in northwest Syria have ceased operations, which is putting immense strain on the remaining functional hospitals.
Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, discusses the escalation.
Hot meals for hungry people
The World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up assistance to affected people. Staff and partners on the ground are providing ready-to-eat rations and hot meals and have so far served more than 10,000 people.
One WFP-supported kitchen began operations in Aleppo on Tuesday, and another is now up and running in Homs.
“The agency is providing food to displaced people wherever they are, on both sides of the front lines and in all areas of control. WFP is working to negotiate safe supply corridors to allow a rapid and substantial response to all those in need,” said Mr. Dujarric.
Aid in southern Lebanon
Turning to Lebanon, he said UN aid coordination office OCHA reported that a humanitarian convoy reached the southern city of Nabatieh that day and delivered food for more than 4,000 people in the area.
Since 23 September, the UN and partners have distributed more than nine million packages of food to people impacted by the crisis.
OCHA further reported that in addition to the destruction of their homes and essential services in their communities, families in southern Lebanon continue to face insecurity and restricted access.
“These include the risk posed by unexploded ordnances and the daily warnings from the Israeli Army, urging civilians to avoid returning to many villages in the south. This is obviously complicating our humanitarian efforts,” said Mr. Dujarric.
Ongoing hostilities in Gaza
He then moved on to the Gaza Strip, where hostilities continue to kill and injure civilians, including health workers.
Some 130 people in central Gaza are now without shelter after an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday hit a school in Deir al-Balah operated by UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA.
Another airstrike in the south that night hit a group of tents in Khan Younis near the road along the coast, reportedly causing nearly 50 casualties.
“OCHA carried out an assessment today and says the airstrike burned about 40 tents. We and our partners are mobilizing response efforts to support those who lost their shelters,” he said.
Not a target
Furthermore, a paramedic from the Palestine Red Crescent Society was fatally shot in Khan Younis on Wednesday after transporting patients for treatment.
“Over the past 14 months, hundreds of health and humanitarian workers in Gaza have been killed. Once again, we stress that civilians – including patients and healthcare workers – and hospitals must be protected,” he said.
The UN Spokesperson also touched on the situation in North Gaza governorate, where humanitarian access has been almost non-existent since the start of the siege two months ago, and civilians are coping with catastrophic shortages of essential items.
West Bank attacks
Meanwhile the West Bank has seen a sharp increase in attacks by Israeli settlers since the start of the olive harvest season in October, according to OCHA.
From 27 October to 27 November, settlers vandalized more than 700 Palestinian-owned trees and saplings, mostly olive, in Palestinian villages in Hebron, Ramallah and Salfit.
Between October and November, OCHA also documented about 260 settler-related incidents directly linked to the harvest season across 90 communities in the West Bank.
