North East Syria: Thousands of Children Flee Violence in Freezing Temperatures and In Desperate Need Despite Tentative Ceasefire

HASAKAH (Jan. 19, 2026) – Five thousand children are estimated to be among the 10,000 forced from their homes across northeastern Syria in a resurgence of clashes over recent days, Save the Children said [1]. Thousands have travelled long distances to camps and collective shelters that are already at capacity, with weeks of heavy rain flooding some sites.

Despite a fragile ceasefire agreed on Sunday evening, needs are high. One Save the Children staff member said she saw babies and toddlers fleeing barefoot without coats or blankets, in heavy rain and temperatures as low as 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fighting in recent days has reportedly damaged roads and bridges and disrupted electricity supplies in Raqqa, according to the UN. In parts of Al-Hasakah governorate, insecurity has further heightened risks for civilians and constrained movement. Save the Children has temporarily suspended most of its aid operations in Raqqa and Tabqa due to the security situation, and for the safety of staff and partners.

Many of those impacted were already displaced from other parts of Syria and are now being forced to pick up what remains of their lives once again. The UN reports that around 700 families have arrived in Al-Hasakah governorate, with further arrivals expected in the coming days as insecurity continues.

At least nine schools have suspended classes and are now serving as shelters in Al-Hasakah, according to Save the Children.

Save the Children is planning to distribute food and core relief items including blankets, mattresses, dignity kits and hygiene kits in collective shelters across Al-Hasakah.

Baran*, Food Security and Livelihoods Emergency Co-ordinator with Save the Children, described conditions on the road on her way to work this morning:

"Along the road, I saw a long line of families fleeing. It was raining heavily. The cars were full of civilians: women, children, and older people. They were heading into the unknown, not knowing where they would end up. Some were trying to reach camps, some were seeking shelter in schools, and others were stopping in town squares to try to find rental housing.

"I also saw children wrapped in blankets, sitting in the rain, and I saw people riding in the back of trucks with fear in their eyes, because many of them have already been displaced several times."

Children and families urgently need food, clean water shelter, winter clothes, shoes blankets, medical supplies and hygiene kits.

Rasha Muhrez, Save the Children’s Country Director for Syria, said:

"For nearly 15 years, children in Syria have grown up with fear, loss and displacement — and now thousands more are being forced to flee again, in freezing temperatures and heavy rain, without even the basics like shoes, warm clothing or blankets.

"This tentative ceasefire agreement must hold. And we are appealing to donors to act now so that children are not abandoned once again if the cycle repeats."

Save the Children urges all parties to uphold the ceasefire, exercise caution, and take immediate steps to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian aid workers must be able to reach families safely and without obstruction. Donors should urgently support life-saving assistance, including much-needed winter supplies.

Save the Children has been working in Syria since 2012, reaching over five million beneficiaries, including more than three million children across the country. Save the Children’s programming combines emergency and life-saving interventions with early recovery activities that support the restoration of basic services, including child protection, education, emergency response, food security and livelihoods, water sanitation and hygiene as well as health and nutrition.

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[1] 10,000 figure from UN OCHA