The situation in South Lebanon remains volatile, marked during the reporting period by the attempts of thousands of residents to return to villages in areas along the Blue Line where the Israeli Army maintained its presence.
Over 376,000 people are estimated to have returned to their places of origin in northern Gaza, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two main roads along the Netzarim corridor.
At the end of 2024, the Strategic Steering Group (SSG) in Syria agreed to publish a document highlighting the humanitarian response priorities for 1 January-31 March 2025, aiming to address the most urgent humanitarian needs across the country.
In the span of just four days following the long-awaited ceasefire on 19 January, more than 8,000 mt of WFP food assistance has entered Gaza without incident, exceeding the total food aid delivered into Gaza during the first two weeks of January.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reached more than 330,000 people in Gaza with food assistance in the first week of the ceasefire, providing food parcels, hot meals and cash assistance to war-weary families.
Internally Displaced Population (IPs) in camps had the highest percentage of households in need across Northeast Syria (NES), with 100% of households experiencing a gap in at least one sector.
More than 350 UNICEF aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in ongoing efforts to meet the needs of about 1 million children after 15 months of bombardment
Since October 7, 2023, hostilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have escalated to unprecedented levels, resulting in immense humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
WFP welcomes the long-overdue ceasefire as a vital first step. Following the ceasefire, WFP trucks started crossing into Gaza via Zikim and Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem crossings, to deliver life-saving wheat flour and ready-to-eat food parcels to those in urgent need.
Nearly one third of children in Lebanon – 29% - began the new year facing crisis levels of hunger, with some pushed into child labour to support their families, said Save the Children after new data showed an almost 5% increase in child hunger in the past three months.
As the ceasefire violations persist and the needs remain high, it is vital to ensure timely assistance for the vulnerable people returning to their destroyed villages and those still displaced.
While Lebanon made significant political strides with the election of a new president on 9 January, ending more than two years of presidential vacancy, and the designation of a new prime minister, humanitarian needs and response challenges remain extensive.
A pause in hostilities in Gaza will protect children from bombs and bullets for as long as it holds but must be the turning point to secure a definitive ceasefire and to rapidly increase humanitarian aid to children facing malnutrition and disease, said Save the Children.
This year represents an extremely precarious moment in Lebanon’s history, with crisis upon crisis affecting the country’s social, economic, and environmental stability.
Coordinated in Northwest Syria by the Assessment and Analysis Working Group (NWS AAWG) and cochaired by UNOCHA, REACH and IRVD (Al-AMEEN), Rapid Needs Assessments (RNAs) constitute vital initiatives to address the immediate humanitarian needs arising from sudden crises and emergency situations.
The security situation remains volatile in parts of Syria, with reports of hostilities, conflict-related violence, movement restrictions and other incidents in Aleppo, Coastal Areas, Dar’a, Hama, Homs, Quneitra and other governorates over the past week.
In less than three weeks, eight newborns reportedly died in the Gaza Strip from hypothermia because of the cold winter weather, lack of shelter and winter supplies.
Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected to persist through at least May in the South, El Nabatieh, Baalbak-El Hermel, Akkar, and North Lebanon governorates due to extensive infrastructure damage, the investment needed to restore key economic sectors, and the cumulative effects of the year-long conflict.
