The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that a snowstorm has affected thousands of displaced people in Syria, while humanitarian funding continues to shrink. Last week, the storm hit 90 displacement sites in the north of the country, affecting over 150,000 people. According to aid agencies, two infants died due to the extreme cold in Harim, a town in northern Idlib.
Heavy snowstorms hit sites and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on December 31, 2025, and lasted for several days. The snowstorms blocked roads within and to the camps, disrupting access and affecting around 158,000 IDPs across Aleppo, Idleb, and Al-Hasakeh governorates.
On January 1 and 2, two infants — a two-day-old girl and a three-month-old boy — passed away due to extreme cold weather at the Aqadimi IDP site in the Salqin subdistrict and the Tajmuaa Alez IDP site in the Dana subdistrict, respectively, in the northern Idlib countryside.
According to an OCHA situation report published Tuesday, at least 99 incidents, primarily snowstorms and floods, have occurred in 86 IDP sites.
About 68 percent of the affected sites are distributed across the northern Idlib countryside, while 32 percent of the IDP camps and sites are located across the northern and western Aleppo countryside.
On Tuesday, OCHA reported that approximately 5,000 shelters had been completely or partially damaged, leaving thousands of people exposed to freezing temperatures and at risk of hypothermia and respiratory diseases. Camps in Al-Hasakeh and collective shelters in Ar-Raqqa have 100 percent gaps in heating fuel coverage, as the previous fuel support ended in December 2025.
Since the snowstorm hit, humanitarian organizations have provided more than 10,000 displaced people in camps with stoves and fuel. However, only 4 out of 86 IDP sites were selected for emergency road rehabilitation due to funding and access constraints.
The UN and its partners urgently need $112 million for life-saving winter assistance from September 2025 to March 2026. So far, only $29 million has been received, leaving a 74 percent funding gap.
Immediate priorities include providing safe heating solutions, making emergency shelter repairs, distributing non-food items for the winter, and clearing roads to restore access to life-saving services. OCHA stresses that without a rapid increase in funding, health risks for children, the elderly, and the chronically ill will escalate.
Hostilities flare up in Aleppo
In another development regarding Syria, the United Nations expressed alarm on Wednesday over reports of civilian deaths and injuries in Aleppo following an escalation of hostilities since Tuesday.
Fighting escalated again in Aleppo on Tuesday between General Security forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after a brief pause following the ceasefire announced in late December 2025. The initial exchanges were reported near the Alleramoon roundabout before spreading to the Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods.
The shelling has killed 5 civilians and injured 27 others in government-held areas, including women and children. Media reports indicate at least seven civilian fatalities and 52 injuries across the front lines in the Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, also including women and children.
Approximately 30,000 people have reportedly been displaced by the violence. So far, an estimated 200 families have found shelter in ten mosques, and this number is expected to rise sharply in the coming hours.
“The United Nations reiterates that all parties have a clear obligation, under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, “ UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York today.
"We call on all actors to immediately de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint, and take all measures to prevent further harm to civilians."
The United Nations encourages all parties to demonstrate flexibility and goodwill on the military and political fronts and to promptly resume negotiations to fully implement the agreement that the SDF and Syria’s interim government signed on March 10, 2025.
Syria’s humanitarian crisis is far from over
Although Syria entered a new era more than a year ago, the humanitarian crisis is far from over. The crisis that began in 2011 and drastically changed the political landscape of the Middle Eastern country continues to present major challenges. After longtime President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024, a new transitional government led by Interim President Ahmad al-Jarba took office.
However, Syria is still experiencing one of the world’s most severe and complex humanitarian crises, driven by protracted conflict, economic collapse, and climate-related disasters. It is estimated that more than 16.5 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2026, the same number as in 2025.
New developments continue to exacerbate existing needs or create new ones, including sporadic conflict, climatic shocks, and the large-scale return of displaced populations. Sporadic hostilities continued in eastern rural Aleppo, the coastal governorates, and parts of the northeast and south in 2025.
In northern Syria, the situation is especially dire, as the cumulative impact of conflict, the February 2023 earthquake, and recurring climate shocks has resulted in the widespread destruction of infrastructure and essential services.
For over 14 years, Syrian civilians have endured massive and systematic violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
The civil war has devastated the country's economy and infrastructure, leaving millions without adequate housing or reliable access to water, electricity, and other basic services. Years of conflict have pushed 90 percent of the population into poverty.
Over half of the population — approximately 12.9 million people — suffers from food insecurity, and nearly 3 million experience severe food insecurity. Severe drought conditions continue to affect large parts of Syria.
At the same time, Syria’s health system is under immense strain, with over one-third of hospitals operating only partially or not at all. Access to care for maternal health, newborns, and chronic diseases is extremely limited.
The Syrian crisis led to one of the world's largest displacement crises, with over 13 million people forced to flee their homes in search of safety at its peak. The fall of the Assad administration in December 2024 and Syria’s political transition marked a historic turning point and renewed hope for resolving the displacement crisis.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), nearly 1.3 million refugees have voluntarily returned to Syria since December 2024, primarily from Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. Additionally, over 1.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin or choice.
As of January 2026, however, an estimated 12 million people remain displaced within the country, across the region, and beyond, including in countries such as Germany, the largest non-neighboring host country. This includes an estimated 5 million refugees living abroad and 7 million IDPs residing in communities and displacement sites.
Further information
Full text: Flash Update: Escalation of Violence in Aleppo, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, released January 7, 2026
https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/flash-update-escalation-violence-aleppo
Full text: Syrian Arab Republic: Flash Update No. 1 - Heavy Snowfall Hits Displaced Communities in Northern Syria, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, released January 6, 2026
https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/flash-update-escalation-violence-aleppo