SYRIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that cross-border aid deliveries continue from Türkiye into north-west Syria. Today, nine UN aid trucks crossed into Idlib using the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing. The convoy was carrying 200 metric tons of food assistance from the World Food Programme – enough for some 80,000 people – as well as school supplies from UNICEF.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian community in Syria continues to provide vital support to people in eastern Aleppo. UNICEF reports that after months of tests and repair work, water is flowing again from the Ain al-Bayda station, which had been out of service since 2017. 
Some 300,000 people in Al Bab in northeastern Aleppo – including displaced families and host communities – depend on this water station.
Water is reaching part of Al Bab’s population, but urgent support is needed to restore the station to full capacity. 
OCHA says that, as of today, some 664,000 people remain newly displaced across the country, mostly in Idlib and Aleppo, and that is since 27 November. This marks a decrease of about 64,000 people compared to a week ago. More than three-quarters of those who remain displaced are women and children.
The UN and our partners continue to track population movements on a daily basis through a working group co-chaired by OCHA. Our colleagues say that returnee movements remain fluid, with nearly 486,000 people having returned to their areas of origin – mostly to Hama and Aleppo governorates – over the past month.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is alarmed by ongoing attacks across the Gaza Strip that have left scores of Palestinians dead. Our colleagues are telling us that an airstrike near Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza governorate last night reportedly killed dozens of people, including health workers. Today, we’re also told by our colleagues that staff, patients and their companions were forced out of the facility. Significant damage to the hospital has also been reported.
Our UN teams continue to face systematic denials of humanitarian access to North Gaza. Just today, another attempt by the UN to reach parts of North Gaza governorate were denied by the Israeli authorities. Since early October, most UN-coordinated attempts to access these areas have been denied. The few exceptions have faced significant impediments, which often prevent teams from accomplishing the work they set out to do.
Our humanitarian colleagues also noted that last night another attack was reported in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza city. OCHA visited the area and noted that overstretched health facilities were receiving mass casualties from the strike.
OCHA’s team in Gaza city also assessed the needs of people displaced from North Gaza governorate, which has been under siege, as we’ve mentioned here, for several weeks. The team in Gaza city said that few water wells are operating in areas where displaced people have gathered, and the sewage network has been damaged. There is no solid waste management, hospitals are overcrowded, and people are living in unsanitary conditions that are raising the risk of disease outbreaks. Our colleagues also tell us that people at displacement sites also face risks due to potential flooding.
Now, in the West Bank, our colleagues tell us that as of yesterday, Israeli forces had killed 20 Palestinians over a 10-day period, including at least 12 deaths due to airstrikes. Our colleagues say that Israel’s military operation in Tulkarm’s refugee camp caused extensive damage to infrastructure.
OCHA warns that lethal, war-like tactics are being applied repeatedly during these operations in the West Bank, raising concerns over use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.
As this year draws to a close, our humanitarian colleagues report that 2024 marked the largest number of Palestinians displaced across the West Bank since OCHA’s records began nearly two decades ago. They tell that as of Tuesday, a total of 4,706 Palestinians have been displaced across the West Bank this year, including 1,949 children. The majority were displaced in operations carried out by Israeli forces, primarily in refugee camps and other urban areas of the northern West Bank. 
Our colleagues also note that demolition of Palestinian property was among the other factors driving record displacement this year, which also included settler violence and access restrictions. Over the past year, Israeli authorities have demolished or forced the demolition of over 1,200 structures, citing lack of permits.

SUDAN
In the capital, Khartoum, the World Food Programme is scheduled to start distributing food on Sunday, 29 December, and this food is destined for approximately 78,000 people.
The food assistance is currently being offloaded after a WFP-led convoy of 28 trucks arrived in Khartoum on 25 December.
This is the largest convoy to reach the capital since the start of the conflict in April 2023. The convoy includes WFP food assistance, UNICEF supplies and aid for other partners.
This convoy is also the first time since the start of the conflict that WFP food assistance has been delivered to Mayo and Alingaz in southern Khartoum. Both areas are at risk of famine, according to the IPC classification.
WFP has been working to gain access to all parts of Khartoum - taking advantage of brief lulls in fighting - to deliver food aid while also supporting the community efforts to deliver daily hot meals. 
In July, a WFP convoy delivered food and nutrition assistance to people in Bahri, Karrari, Um Bada and Omdurman localities of greater Khartoum.
WFP is also working to expand the delivery of hot meals through the community-run projects in Jebel Awlia. WFP is already supporting community kitchens in Mayo and is working to expand hot meals to Alingaz as well.
 
EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS DAY
Today is the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. In his message, the Secretary-General says that COVID-19 was a wake-up call to the world. Millions of lives were lost, economies shattered, health systems pushed to the brink and daily life upended for all of humanity. On this Day, he calls on countries to heed the lessons of past health emergencies to help prepare for the next.