UNITED NATIONS/DAMASCUS - In recent days, Israeli authorities once again ordered more than 400,000 people who remain north of Wadi Gaza in the Gaza Strip to move south, while at the same time tightening access restrictions and expanding military operations in the north, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it continues to be deeply concerned about the situation in the northern areas of Gaza.

The office said crossing points into northern Gaza remain largely closed to both humanitarian and commercial supplies, and checkpoints inside Gaza are only permitting civilians to move south and allowing just a trickle of humanitarian movement into the north.

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OCHA warned that these developments are forcing services critical for people's survival to shut down one by one. According to UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, seven schools sheltering displaced people are being evacuated, and only two of eight water wells in the Jabalya refugee camp remain functional.

"The north is also facing severe shortages of bread and food supplies," the office said. Explosive munitions burned down the only bakery supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) in the Jabalya refugee camp.

OCHA and the World Health Organization tried to reach northern Gaza on Wednesday to support the Kamal Adwan hospital after Israeli authorities ordered its immediate evacuation. After receiving a green light from the Israeli authorities for the mission, the team was forced to wait at a holding point for many hours. Ultimately, the mission had to be aborted.

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"Despite these challenges, aid workers are seizing any opportunity to support people in northern Gaza," said OCHA. It added that UNRWA is utilizing limited stocks already in the north to distribute high-energy biscuits from WFP to children in designated shelters and delivering bread bundles to families in certain areas. Hot meals are being distributed by its partners to newly displaced families, some of which are also receiving tents and water is being delivered using trucks.  

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In Syria, Israeli airstrikes targeted several locations across the country early morning Thursday, injuring at least one person and causing significant damage, according to Syrian state television.

A major strike hit a car manufacturing plant in the industrial city of Hasyaa, in the countryside of Homs. The initial casualty report confirmed one person was injured, and several vehicles loaded with relief materials and aid were destroyed in the attack.

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A separate strike in the town of Maarin, located in Hama province, sparked a large fire, and there were no immediate reports of casualty. Meanwhile, an explosion was reported in the city of Daraa, with authorities still investigating the cause.

Additionally, Saudi Al-Hadath television reported a strike on a facility linked to Iranian-affiliated factions in the Al-Kiswah area near Damascus.

The attacks marked a new round of escalation with multiple sites hit in rapid succession.