Middle East and North Africa

People in Need

59.2 million

People Targeted

38.1 million

Requirements (US$)

$15.9 billion

Regional overview

The humanitarian landscape in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains extremely complex and dynamic, with needs soaring exponentially amid shrinking resources and constrained and highly insecure operational space for aid actors. As of November 2024, nearly 59.2 million people across the region require humanitarian assistance, while 16.2 million are internally displaced, representing 21 per cent of the global internally displaced persons (IDP) population. Beyond the intense conflict in OPT and Lebanon, the region has witnessed an uptick in hostilities and tensions involving multiple stakeholders and fuelling fears of a worst-case scenario for the MENA region. Despite intense diplomatic efforts, meaningful lasting de-escalation and ceasefire agreements are yet to be reached while conflicts appear increasingly entrenched and inter-related. This situation increasingly points towards prolonged instability and further fragmentation, exacerbating the impact on civilian populations and worsening humanitarian needs and responses.

Gaza is a war zone marked by immense loss of life and widespread suffering, with thousands killed and tens of thousands injured. Displacement has reached critical levels, and for a substantial portion of the population famine is imminent. In the West Bank, violence and demolitions have severely impacted people’s lives, while severe movement restrictions hinder access to basic services.

In Lebanon, widespread airstrikes have caused significant displacement, civilian casualties, and widespread destruction of essential infrastructures, compounding the humanitarian crisis. Hostilities have affected civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.

Majdal Zoun, Lebanon

Hassan, a 5-year-old boy, walks through the rubble in Majdal Zoun, Southern Lebanon, following an airstrike.

UNICEF/Diego Ibarra Sánchez

Meanwhile, Syria’s prolonged conflict continues to devastate the population, with a record number of people needing humanitarian aid and widespread food insecurity, and the recent arrivals from Lebanon further exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. In Yemen, millions—including vast numbers of children—remain in urgent need of assistance as the humanitarian crisis deepens.

The region faces a major, multi-faceted protection crisis. Brazen violations of international humanitarian and human rights law continue to rise, leading to disastrous consequences for civilians, in particular women and children, and posing unprecedented challenges to the UN and humanitarian multilateral system, including an erosion of trust between humanitarians and the people we serve. Populations are being forced to flee multiple times within and across borders, compounding the already massive displacement numbers that have accumulated over the last decade due to various conflicts.

Widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure has led to a breakdown in availability of and access to humanitarian assistance and essential public services, including water, sanitation, health, and education. Humanitarian workers’ ability to deliver protection and assistance, is also severely constrained and unpredictable. This is due to the extreme insecurity in frontline areas within OPT, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as increased risks of targeting, arbitrary detention, or visas denial. Hundreds of aid and health workers have been killed in Gaza and Lebanon in 2024. Ongoing hostilities and access constraints have also disrupted vital supply routes across the region, impacting both humanitarian and commercial flow of goods, and ultimately the lives and well-being of the population.

North-west Syria, Syrian Arab Republic

60-year-old grandmother Fatima with her granddaughter, beside her old tent in an IDP site in north-west Syria.

OCHA/Yuosef Aljumaa

The scarcity of basic goods and other essential commodities has led to price hikes, which are placing immense strain on both vulnerable populations and humanitarian operations. The exacerbated socio-economic pressures, further erode resilience and worsening conditions for communities.

Climate change further complicates the regional crisis, as recent disasters underscore the region's vulnerability. Earthquakes, drought, and floods in countries like Türkiye, Syria, and Libya have highlighted the urgent need for better disaster preparedness. In Iraq, over 130,788 individuals have been displaced due to drought and salinity in critical rivers, while Libya and Tunisia face heightened risks from desertification, earthquakes, and wildfires.

Overall, the MENA region is expected to remain highly volatile through 2025, with increasing interconnected conflicts, continued trend of multiple waves of forced displacement, and socio-political tensions. The growing gap between humanitarian needs and funding poses serious challenges; while nearly $15.9 billion was required in 2024, severe funding shortfalls—only 29% received for Syria, 47% for Yemen—have constrained critical humanitarian programs. The immense humanitarian and socio-economic burden is stretching already limited humanitarian resources, which are insufficient, highly restricted, and increasingly costly to mobilize. As these crises continue to evolve and deepen, the need for sustained humanitarian interventions continues to grow, while the scope for life-sustaining interventions remains extremely limited.

IDP shares his shelter with father, son, and sister.

Al Nasr IDP site, Ta'iz Governorate, Yemen

Mohammed, an internally displaced person, shares his shelter with his father, sister and children.

OCHA/Hussam Alqoliaa

Lebanon

The Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) 2025 remains the unified planning and coordination framework in the country and is co-led with the Government. The LRP covers immediate and medium-term needs across all vulnerable population groups, including Lebanese, refugees and migrants, including through support to Lebanese institutions and public services amid the multi-faceted crisis. The Lebanon Flash Appeal is fully complementary to, and supportive of, the LRP. It enables partners to rapidly deliver principled and effective life-saving assistance and protection to one million Lebanese, Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants. In the GHO, the 3RP Lebanon Chapter and the Lebanon Flash Appeal constitute the total requirements for Lebanon.

Total population

5.76 million

Income level

Lower middle income

INFORM Severity Index

4 / High

Consecutive appeals

2020 - 2025

Consecutive years in 3RP

2013-2025

Crisis overview

Lebanon is grappling with its most severe crisis since the 2006 Lebanon War. Escalating violence has caused significant casualties, displacement, and widespread infrastructure damage. Needs assessment, analysis and response planning for 2025 are currently underway. The People in Need (PiN), target population and financial requirements outlined in the GHO are provisional, based on the three-month Flash Appeal launched in October 2024 and the 2024 Lebanon Response Plan/3RP Lebanon chapter.

The $425.7 million Flash Appeal, coordinated by the humanitarian community and the Lebanese Government, aims to provide life-saving assistance to one million people. It complements the pre-existing Lebanon Response Plan (LRP), an integrated humanitarian and stabilization response plan co-led by the UN and the Government of Lebanon, and targets crisis-affected Lebanese, displaced Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants.

As of 25 November 2024, the conflict has killed nearly 3,700 people and injured close to 15,700 according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. At least 1.3 million people have been displaced, surpassing 2006 figures. This includes nearly 900,000 people displaced internally (52 per cent female and 48 per cent male), according to IOM--with 190,000 of them residing in over 1,100 collective shelters--and more than 460,000 people who have crossed from Lebanon into Syria since 23 September, 2024, according to UNHCR, while others fleeing by air or to other neighbouring countries.

Essential infrastructure, including hospitals, water facilities and schools has been damaged or destroyed, disrupting access to vital services. Many schools now serve as shelters, disrupting the education system. With nearly 90 per cent of Lebanon’s population living in densely populated urban areas, mass casualties in urban areas are a grave concern. Older adults, people with disabilities, and others who are unable to flee are at increased risk, especially in areas subjected to frequent bombardment.

Zaita, Lebanon

Smoke billows from a site targeted by shelling in southern Lebanon.

UNICEF/Dar Al Mussawir

Conflict has compounded existing vulnerabilities from years of social, economic and displacement crises, leading to rising needs and further erosion of basic services and stability across Lebanon. Local authorities are stretched to their limits, heightening the risk of escalating tensions.

Lebanon’s economic crisis has drastically deteriorated, with the country’s GDP plummeting from $54.9 billion in 2018 to $17.94 billion in 2023. Soaring prices and decreased incomes have severely eroded purchasing power, leaving many unable to afford basic necessities. Even before the recent escalation of hostilities, food insecurity was worsening, with the Integrated Food Insecurity Phase Classification (IPC) analysis projecting an increase in the number of people who are food insecure, from 19 per cent of the population in March 2024 to 23 per cent by September. Displaced Syrians and Palestinian refugees face particularly acute levels of poverty and food insecurity.

Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million displaced Syrians, 180,000 Palestine refugees, 23,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria, and over 11,200 refugees from other countries. Many live in precarious conditions. In 2024, only 20 per cent of displaced Syrians held legal residency, with many living in informal settlements or overcrowded shelters. Reports indicate Syrians and migrants displaced within Lebanon struggle to find safe housing. About 45 per cent of Palestine refugees reside in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, often in unsafe and dilapidated housing. As of March 2023, 80 per cent of Palestinian refugees lived below the national poverty line. Migrants have been particularly hard-hit, frequently facing exploitation, poor living conditions and limited access to adequate social services.

Mazraat Mchref, Lebanon

At the Mazraat Mchref municipality building, the medical team prepares to provide healthcare services to populations affected by the clashes in South Lebanon.

AMEL

Response priorities in 2025

The convergence of escalating conflict, a protracted economic and governance crisis, and the ongoing impacts of the Syria crisis has pushed Lebanon to a breaking point. Humanitarian organizations are working urgently to address the immediate needs of affected people and sustain essential public services, but the challenges are immense, and the situation continues to deteriorate. Without substantial international support, the outlook for Lebanon remains dire, with vulnerable populations at increasing risk.

The Flash Appeal for Lebanon launched on 1 October 2024 complements and supports the 2024 Lebanon Response Plan (LRP), which remains the unified framework for addressing the country's humanitarian and stabilization needs. The LRP aims to provide both immediate and medium-term assistance to vulnerable populations while supporting Lebanon’s strained institutions and public services. As the country chapter of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), the LRP responds to the cumulative effects of Lebanon’s multiple crises.

Beirut, Lebanon

Escalating hostilities forced many families to flee their homes in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, seeking shelter in public schools and universities. The UNICEF team is on the ground distributing emergency supplies, including mattresses, blankets, water, hygiene kits, and dignity kits.

UNICEF/Fouad Choufany

LRP partners’ interventions focus on four strategic objectives:

Provide immediate assistance to vulnerable people to meet critical needs.
Enhance the protection of vulnerable groups.
Support public service delivery through national systems, including rapid response capacity.
Support Lebanon’s economic, social and environmental stability.

The LRP also prioritizes protection and gender equality. For 2024, it sought $2.72 billion in funding but had only received 36 per cent by the end of September. Securing adequate funding for both the LRP and the Flash Appeal is critical to addressing Lebanon’s worsening humanitarian crisis.

The Flash Appeal focuses on the immediate, life-saving response, with three key strategic objectives:

Deliver timely multi-sectoral assistance to people affected by the escalation of hostilities.
Promote the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure—grounded in international humanitarian and human rights law, norms and standards—and place communities at the centre of the response.
Support the rapid delivery and resumption of essential services in areas affected by the escalation in hostilities.

The Government of Lebanon leads the response, with support from the UN and humanitarian partners. Coordination is managed through the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and sectors/clusters. UN and NGO partners are distributing food, water and essential supplies, including mattresses, hygiene kits, blankets, and sleeping bags, to households and collective shelters. Meals, bread, and dignity kits are also being provided, along with emergency nutrition rations, micronutrient supplements, and malnutrition screenings for children and pregnant or lactating women.

Support for children includes recreational kits, early childhood development activities, and emergency health kits. Technical site assessments are underway to identify repairs to damaged infrastructure.

Aid in Action

Local humanitarian leadership: A lifeline in Lebanon

Bekaa region, Lebanon

Children participate in outdoor protection activities organized by a Lebanon Humanitarian Fund-supported project, aimed at providing psychosocial support and safeguarding their well-being.

OCHA

The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) plays a crucial role in empowering local initiatives and fostering community solidarity to sustain response efforts. In 2024, an additional $12 million LHF reserve allocation focused on localization, contributing to strengthened local leadership of Lebanon’s humanitarian response.

On 16 October 2024, 32 families displaced from Nabatieh arrived in Beirut after a gruelling 13-hour journey. Airstrikes had reduced their hometown to ruins, and they were forced to flee. Exhausted and traumatized, they found a safe place to rest, warm blankets, and some essential items thanks to the swift response of humanitarian organizations.

“It was late, and we were already stretched thin, but we could not ignore the immediate need for food,” explained Dima Zayat, Deputy Country Director at Anera Lebanon. Ready-to-eat parcels, had been rerouted from Nabatieh due to the escalating violence in the south and were quickly distributed. Now, the very aid intended for these families in their hometown was delivered to them in their place of refuge.

The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) enabled partners like Anera to respond swiftly to provide vital aid. This rapid mobilization brought a sense of security and dignity to families who had lost so much. In 2024, the LHF allocated $36 million to meet the critical needs of vulnerable people in Lebanon. Of this amount, $10 million was disbursed in August to scale up the emergency response to growing needs caused by hostilities in South Lebanon, and an additional $12 million was allocated in October to enhance emergency efforts across the country. In an increasingly dire environment, the mobilization of local humanitarian partners, supported by LHF, continues to be a vital lifeline for displaced families in need of safety and compassion.

Financial requirements

The financial requirements for the emergency response for the first three months of 2025 is $425.7 million, based on the 2024 three-month Flash Appeal. Assessment, analysis and planning are currently underway for 2025 for Lebanon, given the highly fluid situation. The financial requirements for 2025 presented in the GHO represent the projected Flash Appeal requirements for the first months ($425.7 million) and the 3RP/Lebanon component of $2.8B, with $3.2B total funding required.

2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights for the Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) (as of September 2024)

Health

Over 1.6 million primary healthcare consultations were provided to vulnerable Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians and migrants through 150 primary healthcare centers within the Ministry of Public
Health network.

Food

1.5 million received regular cash for food assistance by September 2024, to ensure that the most vulnerable people in Lebanon are able to reduce their food gaps, and diversify food intake.

Water, sanitation and hygiene

61 municipalities were able to ensure access to water, ensure essential maintenance work as well as solid waste management through institutional support in the delivery of basic services.

Response highlights for the 5 weeks following the launch of the Flash Appeal (as of 07 November)

Health

The ongoing conflict has heavily impacted Lebanon's healthcare system, with 103 attacks on health facilities, resulting in the deaths of 142 health workers and the closure of 53 primary healthcare centres and eight hospitals. Despite these challenges, humanitarian organizations have provided more than 107,700 health consultations and distributed essential medications to over 76,300 patients, including sexual and reproductive health services to over 10,400 individuals.

Relief items

Over 453,900 relief items, such as mattresses, blankets, and sleeping mats, have been distributed to displaced families in various regions. Repair work has been completed at 71 collective shelters, with ongoing assessments and repairs in others. A significant challenge remains in ensuring the safety and adequacy of shelters, particularly with the approaching winter.

Food

Some 4.9 million meals have been provided to displaced individuals across Lebanon. 223,000 displaced individuals received ready-to-eat kits, 142,000 received food parcels, and over 245,000 bread packs were distributed.

Water, sanitation and hygiene

Displaced individuals in 991 collective shelters received 1.5 million litres of bottled water and nearly 82,000 hygiene kits. WASH infrastructure has been upgraded in 81 collective shelters, including the installation of emergency toilets, showers, and water storage facilities. At least 34 water infrastructures have been damaged due to hostilities, impacting the water supply for over 402,000 residents.

Protection

48,500 displaced individuals received legal, child protection, and gender-based violence (GBV) services. 24,193 children and caregivers received psychosocial support, and 2,694 recreational kits were distributed to enhance children's well-being.

Consequences of inaction for the 5 weeks following the launch of the Flash Appeal (as of 25 November)

Funding

As of 25 November 2024, only 60 per cent of the $425.7 million Flash Appeal had been funded (Lebanon Aid Tracking), severely limiting the ability to meet growing needs across all sectors. While nearly half those targeted have received at least one form of assistance, wide-spread gaps remain unaddressed.

Shelter

With 90 per cent of collective shelters at full capacity, there is a critical shortage of adequate shelter for displaced individuals. Many families are living in abandoned buildings, rented spaces, or open areas, often without basic non-food items like kitchen sets. High turnover in shelters further complicates efforts to fully equip them. With winter approaching, urgent inter-sectoral efforts are needed to relocate IDPs in self-settled sites and ensure access to safe shelters and essential services to protect against harsh weather.

Food

While 80 per cent of displaced people in shelters have received some form of assistance, significant gaps remain in providing hot meals and food parcels, particularly in remote areas. Those living outside shelters are also in need of support.

Education

At least 60 per cent of public schools are being used as shelters, delaying their reopening. There is an urgent need to identify alternative learning spaces, strengthen remote learning platforms, and secure funding for emergency education. This is critical to facilitate children’s return to school and provide psychosocial support for displaced students.

Health

Access to essential healthcare services is severely limited, particularly in conflict-affected areas like Baalbek. A confirmed cholera case in Akkar, combined with damaged water infrastructure, increases the risk of disease outbreaks in overcrowded shelters.

Protection

Many shelters lack static and mobile safe spaces for women, girls, and children, leaving them without privacy, adequate protection or psychosocial support. Analysis for the third quarter of 2024 reveals a rise in GBV incidents in "schools," suggesting an increase in GBV within collective shelters, as 70 per cent of them are schools.

Humanitarian worker

The displacement of humanitarian workers due to ongoing hostilities has created a shortage of personnel, hampering the delivery of protection services, particularly in high-risk areas.

Occupied Palestinian Territory

People in Need

3.3 million

People Targeted

3.0 million

Requirements (US$)

$4.0 billion

Total population

5.5 million

Income level

Lower middle income

INFORM Severity Index

Consecutive appeals

2003 - 2025

Crisis overview

Since 7 October 2023, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) has drastically changed. Access to lifesaving services, already hindered by occupation, conflict, political instability, movement barriers, and lack of adherence to international law, has dramatically decreased and protection concerns have surged.

The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip (Gaza) are unlike anything seen in recent history. As of 31 October 2024, a total of 43,061 Palestinians, including at least 7,216 women, 3,447 older persons and 13,319 children, have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. More than one hundred thousand people have been injured, many suffering permanent disability, and some ten thousand people are believed to be under rubble. In the past year, nearly all of Gaza’s population has been displaced with nowhere safe to go. The UN estimates 1.9 million people, 90 per cent of the population, are internally displaced, with 40 per cent near flood risk areas. Across Gaza, people lack basic essentials for survival, including food, shelter, safe water and medical care. Over 60 per cent of homes and 65 per cent of roads are damaged, the health and waste management systems are devastated, and safe water is scarce.

Everyone in Gaza feels as if they have been put on death row. If not killed by bombs or bullets, they are slowly suffocating from a lack of the basic means of survival. At the time of writing, people in the besieged area of North Gaza have received virtually no assistance for 52 days. Israeli authorities have only allowed humanitarian access for medical evacuations on an exceptional basis. Food distribution points, kitchens and bakeries in North Gaza, have shut down due to lack of food, flour, fuel and military operations. The risk of famine persists, as conditions deteriorate. On 8 November, the IPC Famine Review Committee stated that starvation, malnutrition, and mortality due to malnutrition and disease are likely rising rapidly in these areas. Famine thresholds may have already been surpassed or could be crossed soon. Throughout Gaza, critical health services have been disrupted, posing long-term risks. Hospitals and medical facilities have been repeatedly hit, and those that remain partially functional do so with only a handful of staff, and without sufficient fuel or critical supplies.

Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory

Amid escalating hostilities in Khan Younis, displaced Palestinians wait at an Israeli checkpoint between two tanks for entry into Rafah governorate in southern Gaza. Tensions are high as residents face evacuation orders as the conflict intensifies.

OCHA

Gaza is also the most dangerous place in the world and the most challenging to deliver humanitarian assistance. Crossing points into Gaza remain restricted or closed, humanitarian law and notification mechanisms not respected, humanitarian staff have been detained and held at gunpoint at checkpoints, and a breakdown of public order and safety inside Gaza have left people reliant on a literal trickle of aid.

As of 5 November, at least 318 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza, while medical staff are regularly targeted, detained, or killed while attempting to provide care. Roads are damaged and littered with unexploded ordnance. A targeted campaign to discredit the UN, most recently UNRWA, risks further disruptions in humanitarian operations with potential catalytic regional and global implications. Without UNRWA, the delivery of education, food, shelter and health to most of Gaza’s population would grind to a halt. The level of humanitarian assistance that has been allowed into Gaza is completely inadequate and not commensurate with the needs of over 2 million people. The result is heightened desperation, rising levels of malnutrition, gender-based violence, morbidity and death. Despite the immense risks and challenges faced, humanitarian agencies remain committed to deliver aid when and where they can.

At the same time, violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has sharply escalated. The use of lethal force by Israeli forces, along with rampant settler violence and house demolitions, have led to a dramatic rise in fatalities, widespread destruction and forced displacement. At least 700 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October 2023—the highest number in more than two decades—and 4,555 displaced. 2024 also saw the longest and largest military operations in the West Bank since the Second Intifada as the construction of new settlements, land grabs, demolitions and settler violence all continue.

Aid in Action

Humanitarian access in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory

OCHA

In September 2024, 83 per cent of all humanitarian movements to northern Gaza were either denied or impeded. Humanitarian access is critical to ensure that people with urgent needs receive critical aid.

Response priorities in 2025

The UN and partners estimate that at least $6.6 billion is required to address the humanitarian needs of 3.3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Out of this total, the 2025 OPT Flash Appeal is calling for $4 billion for UN agencies, INGO, and NGO partners to address some of the most urgent and critical needs for 3 million people based on the assumption that humanitarian actors will continue to face a constrained operating environment in 2025, making it impossible to scale up operations effectively. To operate at scale, the humanitarian community would require predictable supply, safe access and the ability to reach people where they are. None of these requirements are met in the case of Gaza.

The Appeal will target the entire population of Gaza, estimated at 2.1 million people, and 0.9 million people in the West Bank. For the West Bank, this reflects an incremental increase compared to 2024 resulting from rising needs linked to the deteriorating situation.

Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestinian Territory

Malak, 14, holds a bottle of water she filled from a UNICEF-supported water tank, made possible through support from the governments of Australia and Sweden.

UNICEF/El Baba

The magnitude of this response and operational constraints are beyond what has been seen before in OPT and in other contexts. Achieving the vision laid out in this appeal requires critical changes in the operating environment, including:

Humanitarian actors must have safe and sustained access to all people in need across the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Humanitarian goods must be allowed to enter Gaza at scale, requiring the opening of additional crossings into Gaza, supply routes within Gaza, and the resumption of commercial sector operations.
The Humanitarian Notification System must be respected.
Entry of critical humanitarian items, including communications equipment and protective gear for humanitarian staff.
Funding must be timely and flexible to allow humanitarian actors to adapt programming to a highly dynamic context.
Visas and permits for UN and INGO staff to support Gaza operations from Jerusalem, and for staff to move within the West Bank.

Jabalya, Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory

Palestinians stand along a road, awaiting crucial aid deliveries during an OCHA-led reconnaissance mission. Families depend on these essential supplies to endure the ongoing instability.

OCHA

The main response priority is to scale up operations to address the urgent needs across the OPT. The 2025 Flash Appeal outlines the actions needed to meet lifesaving requirements. Activities will focus on delivering emergency supplies – including food, water, medical supplies, shelter, NFIs, education materials—while providing critical services, including protection, until local services and markets are restored. The Flash Appeal includes activities to address the needs of displaced families, both inside and outside emergency shelters, including those staying with host communities in Gaza and those affected by settler violence, demolitions and military operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Early recovery activities are included when they offer the most cost-effective and efficient way of providing humanitarian assistance, or when they are essential to enabling such assistance. Recovery and reconstruction considerations are anticipated to be reflected in subsequent plans when the situation allows.

Protection underpins the overall response with specific focus on the intersectional impacts of the crisis, especially on women and girls. A ‘twin-track’ approach ensures protection and diversity is embedded within all cluster programming. With the breakdown of traditional communications channels in Gaza, humanitarian actors have come together to find innovative approaches to drive community awareness and engagement to ensure accountability to affected people and protect against sexual abuse and exploitation.

Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory:

Despite extremely challenging conditions, the polio vaccination campaign has resumed in northern Gaza, led by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO, UNRWA, and partners.

UNICEF/Media Clinic

Financial requirements

The UN and partners estimate that at least US $6.6 billion is required to address the humanitarian needs of 3.3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The 2025 OPT Flash Appeal calls for $4 billion for UN agencies, INGO, and NGO partners to address some of the most urgent and critical needs for three million people based on the assumption that humanitarian actors will continue to face a constrained operating environment in 2025, making it impossible to scale operations effectively. The ask reflects a 19 per cent increase from the estimated financial requirements for 2024. The increase is driven by the deepening needs and rising costs of operating in OPT, most dramatically in Gaza, where rising security, logistics, demurrage, and staff costs are inversely correlated with operating constraints. Growing needs in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, also contribute to the overall rise.

The Flash Appeal employs a unit-based cost (UBC) methodology in which cluster coordinators estimate the required cost of priority activities for 2025 based on the information available at the time of writing. The Flash appeal may be updated later in the year as the situation continues to evolve.

2024 in review: response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights

Gaza remains a war zone with active and ongoing military operations. Evacuation orders continue to be issued, forcing people to constantly move. Humanitarian operations have also been forced to repeatedly move their base of operations and programmes. Asset losses have been high, and the psychological toll, great. Critical health, water, sanitation, education, housing, and telecommunications infrastructure has been destroyed.

Amidst unprecedented challenges, humanitarian actors have continued to operate. Doing so has required that they constantly adapt, innovate and identify creative solutions to complex problems. Despite facing significant challenges and operating in extreme conditions, notable humanitarian achievements include:

Critical care

Over 87,000 injured in Gaza and 5,000 in the West Bank received critical care, including emergency medical interventions after mass casualty events

Primary healthcare

Eight field hospitals were established, and medical points and temporary facilities were created to expand primary healthcare

Emergency obstetric and newborn care

Two clinics for sexual reproductive health were deployed to offer emergency obstetric and newborn care

Vaccination

Nearly 557,000 children were vaccinated with a second dose of the polio vaccine, reaching 94 per cent of all children under the age of 10 throughout Gaza

Food assistance

Some 1.8 million people were reached with food assistance, including 6,195,767 hot meals

Nutrition

Nutrition services were offered at 300 feeding sites, 100 outpatient sites, and four stabilization centers

Hygiene

120,000 hygiene kits were distributed, achieving 9 per cent of the target

Sanitation

Faced with a severely inadequate waste management system and a complete absence of proper sanitation infrastructure, 6,000 latrines were built for individuals in spontaneous displacement sites

Women and girls

Six safe spaces for women and girls were established, aiding 4,788 people

Menstrual health items

168,285 people were provided with menstrual health items

Mental health and psychosocial support

Mental health and psychosocial support are ongoing

Shelter and NFIs

293,000 non-food kits, 73,600 tents, and 81,800 sealing-off kits were distributed

The OPT is an example of the cost of inaction, notably the absence of sustained and dedicated attention or commitment to driving a political solution to the protracted conflict and occupation. People’s resilience and coping mechanisms are exhausted, the most acutely affected are children, women, older people and people with disabilities. Resilience cannot be measured like calories or litres of water. You only know it is exhausted after it is too late.

Consequences of inaction due to:

Underfunding

• Provision of MHPSS services has been reduced to a triage situation, at times meaning that families living side by side at the time of a violent military operation will not receive the same services due to insufficient number of qualified MHPSS personnel.
• Persistent shortage of essential medical supplies and funding for mobile clinics in the West Bank.
• Water access is limited in Bethlehem and Hebron, due to funding and movement restrictions, exacerbated by Mekorot water supply cuts.
• Increased drop-out rates and continued education losses due to inability to provide sufficient educational support services in West Bank and Gaza.

Access constraints, attacks against aid workers/facilities

• As of 5 November, at least 318 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza.
• WHO has verified 516 attacks on health facilities and medical transport in Gaza, resulting in 765 deaths and almost 1000 injuries, between 7 October 2023 and 31 October 2024.
• Humanitarian aid faces severe access restrictions in, out and within Gaza. In October 2024, 43 per cent of all humanitarian movements coordinated with the Israeli authorities to reach people in need were denied, and a further 16 per cent impeded, leaving many without essential aid.
• In the West Bank, violence, demolitions, and movement restrictions have led to increased displacement and insecurity. Movement restrictions and denials of visas and permits by Israeli authorities inhibit the ability of humanitarian actors to provide assistance.

Gaza Strip

• There is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within the northern Gaza Strip. Without immediate action, within days, to avert and alleviate the situation, this scenario can materialize.
• Healthcare is crippled, with 84 per cent of facilities damaged and only 55 per cent of bed capacity available, leaving people injured or ill, unable to meet their critical health needs.
• Education is undermined. 658,000 children missed a full school year; and risk missing the second year of formal schooling; 57,000 are unable to start first grade. The situation jeopardizes their lives and futures.
• Over 1.1 million people lack safe water, and solid waste collection is constrained, posing a risk to public health.

West Bank

• Ambulances and healthcare are disrupted; half of primary health facilities operate just two days a week due to the fiscal crisis.
• Access to education for 806,000 students is hindered by violence, risking learning losses and increased child labour.
• Worsening food insecurity which is addressed through cash assistance, provision of food assistance, and agricultural and livelihoods support.
• Failure to restore WASH infrastructure, the destruction of which has been notable during recent military operations, risks leaving communities without reliable water.
• Preparedness for service providers and communities against future shocks will incur increase costs and extend response times.

Syrian Arab Republic

People in Need

16.7 million

People Targeted

10.8 million

Requirements (US$)

$4.1 billion

Total population

24.3 million

Income level

Low income

INFORM Severity Index

5 / Very high

Consecutive appeals

2012 - 2025

Crisis overview

The protracted crisis in Syria—driven by ongoing hostilities, economic instability, and prolonged environmental shocks—continues to take a heavy toll, with 16.7 million people identified as needing assistance in 2024. As of 25 November 2024, the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is only 29 per cent funded, with just $1.2 billion raised out of the $4.07 billion required to deliver essential aid to the 10.8 million people targeted by the HRP. These 2024 figures also serve as projections for 2025, as planning remains underway. The funding gap in the current HRP threatens the delivery of vital services, including protection, food, shelter, and healthcare for Syria’s most vulnerable populations.

Throughout 2024, waves of hostilities, particularly in Syria’s northwestern and northeastern regions, caused civilian casualties and new displacement. Attacks on critical infrastructure—including electricity stations, gas and fuel plants, medical facilities, farmland, and major access routes—continue to disrupt essential services, impacting access to water, electricity, and healthcare. These disruptions are driving further displacement of civilians, particularly along frontlines in Idlib. In Deir-ez-Zor Governorate, especially in areas east of the Euphrates River, access remains particularly challenging due to complex local political and military dynamics.

Regional conflicts have increasingly impacted Syria. Hostilities in Lebanon since September 2024 have displaced approximately 528,000¹ people—65 per cent Syrians and 35 per cent Lebanese or other nationals—forcing them into Syria. This influx, including over 100,000 arrivals in north-east Syria and 7,800² in north-west Syria, has intensified the demands on an already fragile humanitarian situation, straining Syria's limited resources and placing additional pressure on essential services.

Aid in Action

Voices of resilience: Fatima's fight for dignified shelter in north-west Syria

North-west Syria, Syrian Arab Republic

60-year-old grandmother Fatima with her granddaughter, beside her old tent in IDP site in north-west Syria.

OCHA/Yuosef Aljumaa

Fatima, a 60-year-old grandmother, was forced to flee her home in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man in Idlib due to ongoing conflict. She and her grandchildren found refuge in the IDP site in north-west Syria but faced daily challenges with few resources. Fatima had particular concerns about their inadequate shelter which offered little protection against harsh weather—a sentiment echoed by nearly 70 per cent of the 4,000 complaints received by the interagency hotline, SafeLine.

To address these issues, SafeLine provided a platform for Fatima and others to voice their experiences. At a community-led validation session, Fatima and other residents were able to engage directly with the Shelter Cluster Coordinator and explain their challenges. For many, this was their first opportunity to participate in decisions which directly impacted their lives.

As a result, the Dignified Shelter Guidance was tailored to meet Fatima’s specific needs. Her new shelter, constructed with durable materials, provides better insulation and protection from the elements. The participatory approach not only enhanced living conditions but also empowered community members. By fostering trust and collaboration between humanitarian actors and affected people, it delivered meaningful and sustainable solutions.

Humanitarian access remains a significant challenge. The Access Severity Overview (March 2024), indicates very high access severity in five sub-districts, affecting 48,000 people in need, (1 per cent of the total). High severity was recorded in 69 sub-districts, impacting 2.1 million people, or 12% of people in need, while moderate access severity affected 129 sub-districts, representing 8.4 million people, or 50% of people in need.

Syria’s economic crisis—characterized by soaring inflation, currency devaluation, and rising commodity prices—continues to drive needs across the country. Minimum wages cover only 20 per cent of a family’s basic food needs and just 10 per cent of essential household expenses, as measured by the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB). According to WFP market price monitoring, prices in July 2024 were 80 per cent higher than in July 2023. This economic hardship, combined with limited employment opportunities, is pushing more households into poverty and aid dependency. driving up response costs and complicating humanitarian efforts.

Syria’s vulnerability to climate-induced shocks is heightened by the long-lasting impacts of conflict and compounded water scarcity. The average Syrian has access to only 355 m³ of clean water per year. A 15 per cent rainfall deficit in 2023 further restricted water access for 8.5 million people, including 1.8 million already severely affected. Increasingly frequent climate anomalies—such as prolonged, extreme heatwaves and unpredictable cycles of drought and flooding—exacerbate Syria's water scarcity and pose serious risks to human, animal, and plant health. As these cascading climate events widen communal resilience gaps, Syrians are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with additional shocks.

Homs, Syrian Arab Republic

Soaring costs and economic decline are crippling businesses, making it difficult for many to survive in an increasingly harsh environment.

OCHA/Sevim Turkman

Response priorities in 2025

The humanitarian community is developing the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), focusing on persistent drivers of need, including ongoing conflict, protection risks, socio-economic decline, environmental shocks, and the regional conflicts affecting Syria. The 2025 response will prioritize the most vulnerable populations, addressing urgent needs through expanded early recovery, livelihood support, and improved access to basic services, including investments in essential civilian infrastructure. However, anticipated funding shortages for 2025 risk worsening humanitarian conditions for millions. Ongoing hostilities are fueling a surge in displacement, impacting civilians and damaging critical infrastructure, thereby complicating the reach and effectiveness of humanitarian efforts.

Humanitarian partners will continue to implement lifesaving interventions addressing critical areas such as injuries and displacements due to hostilities, food insecurity, malnutrition, public health crises, trauma, climate-related risks, including water scarcity and the impact of extreme weather, as well as the recent acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)/cholera outbreak. The response also prioritizes protection risks exacerbated by conflict, such as gender-based violence (GBV), child marriage, forced labor, family separation, and the extensive presence of explosive ordnance. From January to June 2024, partners reached an average of 4. million people monthly, just 41 per cent of the target population, underscoring the gap between needs and capacity.

Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic

In rural Aleppo, mobile clinics are a lifeline for many. These vital services bring healthcare to remote communities, ensuring that even the most vulnerable receive the care they need.

OCHA/Sevim Turkmani

To maximize impact with limited resources, the 2025 response will adopt a boundary-setting approach based on several key criteria. First, each sector will focus on essential interventions, defined as the most critical activities. Second, geographic severity will be considered, targeting populations in the highest-severity areas, particularly those classified as JIAF severity levels 4 and 5, and sub-districts at risk of escalation. Third, response reach will be analyzed in collaboration with implementing partners to identify underserved areas, response gaps, and sector capacity trends. Additionally, vulnerability criteria will be applied to focus on the most at-risk population groups, and seasonality of funding requirements will be considered for timely responses. Guided by Syria’s Strategic Steering Group, the 2025 approach will build upon and refine last year’s boundary-setting, with the HRP scheduled for government consultation in February.

Maskaneh, rural Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic

After years of hardship, children share a moment of joy through psychosocial support programmes that help them recover from the trauma of conflict.

OCHA/Sevim Turkmani

Financial requirements

In 2024, the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Syria required $4.07 billion to assist 10.8 million of the 16.7 million people identified as in need. Planning for 2025 is underway, with similar figures expected. To enhance planning and response efficiency, the humanitarian community adopted a 'hybrid costing' methodology starting with the 2024 HRP, which directly links the number of people targeted to the financial requirements, followed by project registration. This methodology will be continued for 2025.

Resource limitations mean that many lifesaving programs may be scaled back or unable to fully meet the escalating needs, with significant consequences for protection and access to basic services. Of the 10.8 million individuals targeted in the 2024 HRP, 9.2 million were identified as "critical targets" in need of urgent, life-saving support. A similar number of critical targets is expected for 2025.

A declining global humanitarian budget, coupled with Syria’s diminishing visibility amidst other crises, compounds the challenge. The ongoing hostilities, regional spillover on Syria, economic pressures, and impacts of climate change are intensifying the crisis, demanding urgent financial attention to avert worsening conditions. Limited funds are not only affecting the reach of assistance but are also restricting humanitarian partners’ flexibility.

Additionally, funding shortfalls have meant humanitarian partners are now forced to reprogram or reallocate resources to meet emerging urgent humanitarian needs, leaving significant gaps elsewhere. Limited funding have hindered preparedness efforts for predictable emergencies including prepositioning essential emergency supplies.

2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights

Humanitarian partners reached an average of 4.2 million people monthly across Syria.

Protection

As of August, nearly 2 million displaced people and members of host communities received protection services, including legal aid for 168,000 people.

Child protection

Over 824,000 children and caregivers received community-based child protection, psychosocial support, and parenting services, including child protection services for more than 36,000 children at risk of or exposed to violence.

Mine action

Over 4,400 mine action risk education sessions were held, benefiting over 400,000 people. Over 540 physical rehabilitation sessions were provided for victims.

Gender-based violence

Over 780,000 people were reached with gender-based violence services and 207,000 survivors and at-risk women and girls received support. Partners also distributed over 91,000 dignity kits.

Camp coordination and camp management (CCCM)

Camp coordination and camp management activities benefitted over 341,000 people.

Livelihood

Over 146,000 people gained access to livelihood and job opportunities, indirectly benefiting at least an additional 370,000 people.

Education

Education partners assisted over 795,000 children, teachers and education officials.

Food security

By August, some 926,000 people were reached with regular food assistance, representing only 12 percent of the target due to funding shortfalls. Around 217,000 households were reached with livelihood interventions.

Nutrition

Nutrition partners provided services for 1.1 million children under 5 and 1.1 million pregnant or lactating women.

Health

Health sector partners administered 19.6 million medical procedures and over 8 million medical treatment courses.

Shelter and NFI

Shelter and NFI partners reached over 605,000 people with essential shelter and 266,000 with core non-food items, while over 1.2 million received winter assistance.

Water, sanitation and hygiene

11 million people were reached with water, sanitation and hygiene interventions—5.2 million with life-saving emergency services, and 4.8 million benefiting from water system repairs.

Cash assistance

Multi-purpose cash assistance reached over 1.3 million people with $65 million.

Consequences of inaction

Due to underfunding, more than 2 million fewer people were reached monthly compared to 2023.

Protection

Underfunding has forced additional prioritization of the protection response, with at-risk populations in hard-to-reach areas going without assistance. Reduced funding for housing, land and property has limited the ability to respond to eviction threats, documentation issues, and land disputes.

Case management

Children needing case management and mental health services remain underserved, raising risks of school dropout and child labour. Family separations are increasing as families seek safer environments.

Gender-based violence

Reduced funding for GBV programs has left more women and girls without essential support, including access to safe spaces for women and girls.

Mine action

Inadequate funding for mine action leaves millions at risk from explosive ordnance, risking children, farmers, and displaced individuals, while limiting safety, recovery, and access to infrastructure.

Shelter

Some 730,000 IDPs in north-west Syria continue living in inadequate tents. Only 10 per cent of the winterization budget has been secured, creating a critical gap to address the needs of 1.4 million people in 1,152 IDP sites.

Livelihood

Access and resource constraints prevented early recovery and livelihoods partners from reaching many communities, limiting services, livelihood and social cohesion support.

Education

Inadequate funding will push more children out of school, when already 2.45 million do not attend.

Food assistance

Food assistance is being provided to only one third of the most severely food insecure, while 12.9 million people, over 60 per cent of the population remains food insecure

Health

Underfunding has forced more health facilities to close or scale back, with 24 per cent of primary healthcare facilities and 32 per cent of hospitals now non-functional. Without additional funds, half of all health facilities across north-west Syria will be non-operational by December 2024.

Water, sanitation and hygiene

Funding gaps have left 800,000 people without essential water, sanitation and hygiene items, and nearly 1 million without needed sanitation improvements.

Cash assistance

An estimated 2.4 million people lack multi-purpose cash assistance, driving up negative coping mechanisms.

Aid in Action

Shattered by war and earthquake: Alia’s story of survival

Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic

Alia, a 40-year-old caregiver, has endured years of hardship, worsened by the February 2023 earthquake that devastated her home. Living in a single, safe room with her mother and mentally disabled brother, she struggles to make ends meet. Oxfam’s cash distribution program became a lifeline, enabling Alia to provide food and medicine for her family.

Oxfam/Islam Mardini

Oxfam's cash assistance helped us secure food, medicine, and materials for a few months.”

Alia, a 40-year-old caregiver, faced unimaginable challenges, struggling to make ends meet without a steady income. The February 2023 earthquake devastated her home, leaving her family with little more than insufficient meals of tomato paste and bread. Dinner became a rarity, and hunger took a toll on her mother’s health.

Years of war had already weakened their ageing house, but the earthquake caused it to crumble further. Alia, her mother, and her mentally disabled brother were squeezed into a single room, the only space still safe to use. “We use this room for everything: cooking, eating, sleeping, and washing,” she explained.

Alia and her family relied on her deceased father’s pension, but the earthquake intensified their hardship, piling new struggles and misery onto years of conflict. “We thought nothing could be worse than before, but now we miss those days.”

In their darkest hours, Oxfam’s cash distribution program provided a lifeline. The funds allowed Alia to prioritize essentials like food and medicine over home restoration. This critical support not only provided immediate relief but underscored the importance of people-centered support that addresses people’s immediate needs while helping them build resilience in the face of ongoing crises.

Yemen

Note: Preliminary figures as consultations with concerned authorities are still ongoing.

People in Need

19.5 million

People Targeted

10.5 million

Requirements (US$)

$2.5 billion

Total population

34.9 million

Income level

Low income

INFORM Severity Index

5 / Very high

INFORM Risk Index

8 / Very high

Consecutive appeals

2008- 2025

Crisis overview

In 2025, an estimated 19.54 million people in Yemen will require humanitarian assistance and protection.

Now in its tenth year of conflict, Yemen faces a severe protection and humanitarian crisis exacerbated by recurring economic shocks, weakened basic services, climate hazards, regional conflict, and chronic underfunding. Living conditions for most Yemenis will remain dire in 2025. Limited livelihood opportunities and declining purchasing power are expected to deepen socio-economic instability. The country’s gross domestic product has shrunk by over 50 per cent since 2015 and is projected to contract further in 2024.³ In Government of Yemen (GoY)-controlled areas, the Yemeni Rial continues to hit record lows, as oil and gas exports remain obstructed. Access to basic services—healthcare, schools and water supply systems—continues to deteriorate. Disease outbreaks are expected to surge, while 3.2 million school-aged children (6-17 years old) remain out of school.

Humanitarian needs in 2025 are expected to mirror those of 2024, barring significant new shocks. However, fragility and severity levels vary across the country due to multiple shocks. Notably, one-third of Yemen’s districts experienced improvement in humanitarian conditions due to sustained assistance and reduced conflict. These changes opened roads and improved commercial access along frontlines, while decreasing displacement. In contrast, several areas have experienced worsening conditions, falling into severity level 4, due to halted or disrupted assistance in critical sectors such as food security, shelter and camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), largely driven by underfunding. Other areas have worsened to severity level 3, highlighting the need for sustainable development to prevent further decline.

A man and his family under a roof of a destroyed house.

Ta'iz City, Yemen

Mohammed Abdullah and his child huddle inside a house destroyed by the conflict.

OCHA/ Ahmed Basha

Protection remains central to Yemen’s humanitarian response, with more than 16 million people in need of protection assistance. Vulnerable groups—including IDPs, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, persons with disabilities, and the marginalized Muhamasheen—face heightened risks. Nearly 4.8 million people, primarily women and children, remain displaced, with repeated displacement locking families into cycles of aid dependency. Economic hardships and entrenched gender inequalities force many into harmful coping mechanisms. Gender-based violence surged in 2024, intensifying risks for women and girls, while overstretched prevention and response services struggle to meet growing needs.

Food insecurity and malnutrition will remain consistently high in 2025. An estimated 17 million people (49 per cent of the population) will face severe food insecurity, with 5 million enduring emergency-level conditions.⁴ Acute malnutrition will affect about 3.5 million people, including over 500,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.⁵

Mother carrying her child while receiving medical care

Al-Sadaqah hospital, Aden, Yemen

Three-year-old Jana sits with her mother while receiving medical care.

OCHA/Ala’a Noman

Yemen’s health system is severely strained, leaving millions without adequate care amidst multiple disease outbreaks.⁶ Limited access to basic WASH services—a major driver of Yemen’s cholera outbreak— further exacerbates these challenges. Vaccination coverage is low as local beliefs and misinformation challenge vaccination campaigns. Women and girls lack sufficient maternal care and reproductive healthcare. Landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to endanger civilians and restrict movement.

Yemen ranks as the world's third most vulnerable country to climate change⁷ and lacks capacity to mitigate or adapt to its effects. In 2024, nearly all (93 per cent) of those supported through the Rapid Response Mechanism, were severely affected or displaced by climate-related crises.⁸ Climate-related shocks impacted over 1.3 million people in 2024—a 68 per cent increase from 2023—while harsh winters expose thousands to freezing temperatures.⁹

Amran Governorate, Yemen

A young IDP girl stands at the entrance of her family's shelter, which has been reinforced for winter.

OCHA/YPN

Response priorities in 2025

In 2025, humanitarian efforts will focus on improving targeting and response interventions to address evolving needs, the operational environment, and reduced capacities. The response will be guided by the three Humanitarian Country Team position papers aimed to: 1) establish a more structured and measurable approach to humanitarian action; 2) transform the response to become more effective, relevant and locally driven, while supporting a responsible transition to sustainable durable solutions; and 3) reduce operational costs of the humanitarian response.

Partners will ensure the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups in both the design and delivery of assistance, while mainstreaming protection across all activities.

Area-based consultations will guide prioritization of assistance and promote a people-centred approach to humanitarian response efforts. In this deteriorating environment, integrating protection across sectors remains essential to safeguard the dignity and well-being of Yemen’s affected populations. Priorities for 2025 include strengthening accountability mechanisms, promoting localisation, and enhancing coordination on key protection issues, including accountability to affected people, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, gender-based violence, and cash-based interventions.

Humanitarian actors will focus on integrating responses in areas with the most severe needs, while maintaining flexibility for contingencies. Efforts will also focus on strengthening ties with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), extended through 2025, and fostering programmatic discussions with development actors, as much as the current operational environment allows.

Ash-Shab IDP site, Aden, Yemen

Nine-year-old Samia fetches water at the distribution point alongside other children.

OCHA/Ahmed Haleem

Financial requirements

The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan prioritizes life-saving and life-sustaining activities in Yemen, underpinned by strong prioritization and boundary setting. It remains complementary to the UNSCDF.

2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction

Response highlights

The humanitarian operating environment remains fraught with challenges, including significant risks to the safety of humanitarian workers, cumbersome bureaucratic impediments and interference in programming and activities. Despite these difficulties, 177 humanitarian organizations delivered aid to 5.9 million people between January and September 2024¹⁰, reaching internally displaced persons, returnees, marginalized groups, vulnerable host communities and other people in need across the country.

In 2024, the humanitarian community made significant strides in improving response quality while addressing both new and existing needs. For example, a large-scale cholera epidemic was successfully mitigated, with the response reaching over 2 million people, limiting the outbreak's scale and impact. Food security partners, navigating a difficult funding and operational environment, implemented a comprehensive mitigation plan that delivered emergency food distributions and livelihoods support across Yemen, helping curb the spread of food and nutrition insecurity. On the west coast, a multi-sector response plan is being implemented to address unprecedented levels of malnutrition. WASH partners championed sustainable water management solutions, responding to the expressed needs of communities, providing clean water to thousands in host communities and IDP sites through solarized water supply systems. Cash programming expanded significantly, with over $80 million in multipurpose cash assistance provided to over 580,000 people. The Yemen Humanitarian Fund exceeded its target for local involvement, channelling over 60 per cent of its funding through local organizations. Over 504,000 people received emergency support following conflict or climate-induced displacement, amidst the worst flood season in years.

Food Security

Acute funding shortages for the food security and agriculture cluster forced the suspension of humanitarian food assistance for 6.5 million people in areas controlled by the Houthi de facto authorities since November 2023. In GoY-controlled areas, food packages for 3.6 million people were reduced.

Livelihoods

Agriculture and livelihood support scaled back significantly. Three months after the pause in humanitarian food assistance, food consumption patterns among surveyed former beneficiaries had worsened. The proportion of households experiencing severe food deprivation increased by 61 percent, with vulnerable households reportedly resorting to desperate coping measures. Needs are particularly pronounced in Hajjah Governorate, which saw a 168 per cent increase in poor food consumption among those who no longer were receiving assistance.

Protection

Underfunding led to the reduction of critical protection services in six governorates, affecting mine victim assistance, civil documentation, housing, land and property support, child protection case management, including tracing and reunification, and the availability of safe spaces for women and girls. Mental health and psychosocial support interventions were also reduced in six governorates, particularly affecting vulnerable children and caregivers.

Health

Funding shortages resulted in 196 health facilities losing support in 83 districts in 17 governorates as of November 2024, affecting access to quality service provision for the most vulnerable population groups.

Treatment Centre

As of November 2024, 33 diarrhoea treatment centres (DTCs) and 165 oral rehydration centres were closed in the midst of a cholera outbreak, with 80 per cent of DTCs anticipated to close by December 2024 based on available funding levels. Only 14 (32 per cent) of DTCs are expected to continue beyond December 2024.

Camp Coordination and Camp Management

CCCM was among the least funded clusters in Yemen in 2024. Between January and September, at least 286 IDP sites lost multi-sectoral support, severely impacting living conditions and access to basic services such as clean water, healthcare, education, protection and psychosocial support. Funding shortfalls also delayed infrastructural improvements, with 348 sites having to go without critical flood mitigation measures.

Additional information found here.

Aid in Action

Building trust to save lives

Hajjah, Yemen

The Al-Shara initiative is part of a broader UNICEF-led effort to improve health access across Yemen.

UNICEF/Hay@2024

In the remote village of Al-Shara in Hajjah, long-standing mistrust of the healthcare system had long deterred families, especially those from marginalized communities, from accessing critical health services like vaccination. To address this, community volunteers were deployed to engage directly with families and listen to their concerns.

Through repeated home visits and discussions at community gatherings, the volunteers slowly built trust. Their persistent efforts paid off: vaccination rates in Al-Shara nearly doubled within weeks, with over 150 previously hesitant families choosing to immunize their children and seek health services. These changes not only improved health outcomes, but also opened doors for further support and strengthened community trust in healthcare.

The Al-Shara initiative is part of a broader UNICEF-led effort to improve health access across Yemen. Similar community engagement campaigns helped over 14,200 families complete their children's vaccination schedules and access additional health services. This success underscores the power of community-driven approaches in overcoming barriers and delivering critical care in challenging contexts.

References

UNHCR (UNHCR Syria Short Brief: Response to Displacement from Lebanon to Syria - Reporting period: 24 September - 2 November 2024 - Syrian Arab Republic | ReliefWeb)
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ibid.
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World Bank, Yemen Economic Monitor, Fall 2024.
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Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) People in Need Analysis and severity classification. Methodology.
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World Bank. Yemen Overview
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Including polio cVDPV2, acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)/cholera, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, malaria and dengue fever.
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INFORM Climate Change Results and Data
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Rapid Response Mechanism Cumulative Snapshot. Between January and October 2024.
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OCHA Flood Preparedness and response dashboard.
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From January – September 2024, 5.9 million people received at least one form of assistance.
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Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory

Global Humanitarian Overview 2025