The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
At least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in northwest Syria amid intense air and ground bombardment, with winter conditions worsening an escalating humanitarian crisis, the United Nations said today.
“We are alarmed at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Idlib, in northwest Syria, where over three million civilians remain trapped in a war zone – the vast majority of them are women and children,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) . “At least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in southern Idlib since mid-December, following a sharp escalation in hostilities”.
Many of those who have fled are living in tents and makeshifts shelters in inhospitable places, with harsh winter conditions in Idlib governorate, a densely populated area that already hosts displaced people from all over Syria. The Idlib area is the last rebel-held swathe of territory in Syria’s nearly nine-year civil war.
“Every day we receive disturbing reports of families caught up in the violence, seeking refuge and access to essential services in overcrowded camps and urban areas. Many are now sheltering in schools, mosques and other public buildings”, Laerke said. “Across Idlib we get reports of critical shortages of food, shelter, health and winterization assistance, as well as other basic services required for their survival”.
“Millions of people in Idlib they are trapped,” the UN OCHA spokesman added. “As you have seen things are getting increasingly worse over the past weeks - they currently have nowhere to go. We have seen, as I mentioned, a very significant increase in internal displacement. Since mid-December, an additional 300,000 movements of people on the run”.
According to OCHA, at least nine civilians were killed and 20 others injured on Sunday in the town of Ariha, south of the city of Idlib, following airstrikes in the area. The airstrikes also resulted in destruction and damage to buildings, including a kindergarten and a mosque.
Airstrikes and shelling are taking place on a near daily basis in many towns and villages. OCHA reported that at least 13 health facilities in Idlib have been recently forced to suspend their operations for security reasons. Throughout the country, “at least 1,300 civilians were killed by air strikes and shelling between May and August last year,” Laerke said, specifying that more recent data was not available,
Asked about the UN’s cross-border humanitarian operation from Turkey to Syria, the OCHA spokesman said that it is one of the most scrutinized aid delivery systems in the world today, a lifeline for 2.7 million people who rely on it for their survival. The delivery of cross-border and cross-line humanitarian aid, originally authorized through UN Security Council 2165 (in July 2014, and renewed several times since then), is a key issue currently before the Security Council.
“One of the reasons why it is so critical important that we continue with the cross-border cooperation is to keep the death toll down”, Laerke said. “Of course, we cannot prevent shelling and fighting. We can call for that to stop. But what we can do is to provide aid so that people survive where they are and this during this very harsh winter, and that is what we are doing. As I mentioned, 2,7 million really rely on our assistance for their survival, and we need to see that continue.” Mr. Laerke stated that there was “no plan B” for the current operation, and that this was the only viable way to reach the people in need.
- Wide shot: exterior, flag alley, Palais des Nations, United Nations Geneva.SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We are alarmed at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Idlib, in northwest Syria, where over three million civilians remain trapped in a war zone – the vast majority of them are women and children. At least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in southern Idlib since mid-December, following a sharp escalation in hostilities”.
- Medium shot: journalists
- SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Every day we receive disturbing reports of families caught up in the violence, seeking refuge and access to essential services in overcrowded camps and urban areas. Many are now sheltering in schools, mosques and other public buildings. Across Idlib we get reports of critical shortages of food, shelter, health and winterization assistance, as well as other basic services required for their survival”.
- Wide shot, journalists
- SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Indeed, the millions of people in Idlib they are trapped. As you have seen things getting increasingly worse over the past weeks they currently have nowhere to go. We have seen, as I mentioned, a very significant increase in internal displacement. Since mid-December an additional 300,000 movements of people on the run”.
- Close up, journalist
- SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Between May and August last year we have a number of at least 1,300 civilians were killed by air strikes and shelling”.
- Close up, journalist
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “One of the reasons why it is so critical important that we continue with the cross-border cooperation is to keep the death toll down. Of course, we cannot prevent shelling and fighting. We can call for that to stop but what we can do is to provide aid so that people survive where they are and this during this very harsh winter and that is what we are doing. As I mentioned, 2,7 million really rely on our assistance for their survival and we need to see that continue.”
- Close up, journalist
- Close up, hands writing
- Medium shot, camera people
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.