UN briefing: Gaza aid flows amid bottlenecks; UN condemns entry into East Jerusalem property; winter emergency in Ukraine
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Summary
The UN reported that aid and some commercial traffic are returning to Gaza but key items and crossings remain blocked; it condemned an alleged unlawful entry into UN property in East Jerusalem affecting UNRWA facilities and warned of an energy emergency in Ukraine as cold temperatures threaten civilians.
The United Nations warned of continuing humanitarian needs across several crisis zones and described both progress and persistent bottlenecks in aid delivery.
On Gaza, Speaker 1 said OCHA and partners have renovated 10 temporary learning sites this month and that more than 440 spaces are operational, serving about 270,000 students with roughly 6,300 teachers. Humanitarian partners have distributed more than 200 tents this week alongside tarpaulins, blankets, warm clothes, cooking utensils and solar lights, but Speaker 1 warned that over 1,000,000 people in the Gaza Strip still urgently need shelter assistance and durable solutions.
Speaker 1 also said the UN issued a strong condemnation of what it described as an unlawful entry on 01/12/2026 into United Nations property in occupied East Jerusalem, including a UNRWA Jerusalem health centre, and that the agency was ordered temporarily closed. The briefing said UNRWA has been informed that utility providers may soon stop supplying electricity and water to multiple UNRWA facilities in occupied East Jerusalem; Speaker 1 urged the Israeli authorities to restore access to premises and ensure essential utilities are maintained.
Regarding Ukraine, Speaker 1 relayed OCHA reporting that recent frontline hostilities killed and injured civilians, including a child, and damaged energy facilities and hospitals. Nationwide scheduled and emergency power outages continue as nighttime temperatures plunge to about −15°C. The briefing said approximately 130 apartment buildings in Kyiv remained without heating and that schools have been instructed to extend winter holidays until Feb. 1. The UN described the situation as an energy emergency requiring additional resources to provide heaters, charging stations and other winter assistance.
On Syria, regional directors from UNHCR, the World Food Programme and UNICEF pledged to strengthen coordinated support for returning Syrians and those still hosted in neighboring countries; Speaker 1 said roughly 3,000,000 displaced Syrians have returned after more than a decade of displacement, while about 4,500,000 remain hosted regionally. For Sudan, the UN refugee agency urged urgent humanitarian assistance for those fleeing conflict and appealed for more funding.
On Venezuela, Speaker 1 said OCHA and partners continue to deliver food, school meals, health care and psychosocial support but that the 2025 humanitarian response plan calls for about $600,000,000 and was only 17% funded at the time of the briefing.
The UN reiterated calls to lift restrictions on education supplies and other items that humanitarian agencies say should not be held up, and warned that continued attacks on civilian infrastructure — especially heating and power in winter conditions — pose an immediate threat to life.
