Save the Children warns that critical supplies at Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria are running dangerously low after clashes blocked aid deliveries. The camp, housing more than 24,000 people — mostly women and children tied to Islamic State members — was recently taken by government forces following heavy fighting with the Kurdish-led SDF. Aid operations were suspended when the main road became unsafe, halting deliveries of food, water and medical care. Humanitarian groups are calling for a safe corridor so services can resume and children can be protected.
Critical Supplies Running Out at Syria’s Al-Hol Camp as Clashes Block Aid
An aerial view shows the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
DAMASCUS, Syria — Humanitarian agencies warn that lifesaving supplies are running dangerously low at Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria after renewed clashes have hampered aid deliveries. The camp, now under government control, shelters more than 24,000 people — overwhelmingly women and children, including many wives or widows of Islamic State members.
Save the Children issued a late-Friday statement saying that the main road to Al-Hol remains unsafe and that fighting around the camp has forced aid groups to suspend regular operations. With food, clean water and medicines dwindling, humanitarian teams are unable to reach residents or maintain essential services for children and families.
Access and Protection Concerns
According to the organization, the recent clashes around the camp have blocked the safe delivery of aid and interrupted child protection, health and water services. The disruption comes after government forces moved to assert control over territory that had been held by Kurdish-led forces, prompting intense fighting earlier this month.
“The situation in Al-Hol camp is rapidly deteriorating as food, water and medicines run dangerously low,” said Rasha Muhrez, Save the Children’s Syria Country Director. “If humanitarian organizations cannot resume work, children will face even greater risks in a camp that was already extremely dangerous before this escalation.”
Save the Children urged all parties to the conflict to guarantee a secure humanitarian corridor so aid workers can resume deliveries and essential services can be restored. “Lives depend on it,” the agency said.
Ceasefire and Political Developments
The clashes followed weeks of heavy fighting between government forces and the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF later reached an agreement with the central government intended to stabilize a ceasefire and outline steps toward integrating SDF personnel into national security forces, but sporadic incidents have continued to threaten access to the camp.
Humanitarian groups warn that without rapid, safe access, malnutrition, disease and protection threats — particularly for children — will increase sharply at Al-Hol. Agencies are calling for immediate, coordinated action to reopen supply routes and restore services.
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