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.
HI welcomes the recently agreed ceasefire and urges all parties to uphold their commitments to peace and release the hostages. This development offers an important opportunity to address the immense suffering caused by the last 15 months of conflict.
The ceasefire agreement for Gaza will provide some desperately needed respite for the millions of people who have been suffering during the relentless conflict of the last 15 months, including the hostages and their families who have been anxiously waiting to have them back home.
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.
A temporary ceasefire will offer only temporary respite to Palestinians in Gaza. A massive and immediate increase in humanitarian aid and access is needed urgently to help them begin to recover from the immense loss and destruction that have engulfed their lives for 15 months.
Since October 2023, over 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with families uprooted an average of six times, often without adequate warning, forcing people to make petrifying journeys on foot to seek safety that does not exist in Gaza.
The use of explosive weapons in Gaza in 2024 condemned an average of 475 children each month – or 15 children a day [1]- to potentially lifelong disabilities, including severely injured limbs and hearing impairments, said Save the Children.
Since the announcement of a cessation of hostilities on 27 November 2024, more than 868,947 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have begun returning to their communities as of 8 January.
This year represents an extremely precarious moment in Lebanon’s history, with crisis upon crisis affecting the country’s social, economic, and environmental stability.
With barely any aid coming in, people in Gaza have been experiencing the full force of winter as heavy rain and floods exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation, leaving many lives at risk.
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.
The Syria HNS is used by humanitarian organizations to strengthen the likelihood of facilitating humanitarian access and/or to reduce the likelihood and severity of harm to humanitarian workers, sites and/or assets.
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.
Lebanon is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis following 14 months of escalating violence. Over 4,000 people have been killed, including 290 children and 790 women, while nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced.
The ceasefire on 27 November has prompted 860,740 internally displaced persons (IDPs) to start returning to their communities as of 31 December, resulting in 123,774 IDPs compared to the nearly 900,000 recorded between September and November 2024.
A ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid is the only way to stop more babies in Gaza dying during the cold winter, Islamic Relief says, as yet another young infant froze to death in their tent in the past 24 hours as a result of Israel's ongoing onslaught and siege.
