The U.N. aid agency on Monday warned of an increasingly dire situation for the more than 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Syria as winter sets in and temperatures are set to dip to near freezing. "People urgently need medicines and healthcare, shelter, winter items, safe drinking water, and fuel, among other items," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday. "Almost 2,000 schools and other public buildings are hosting the displaced-many lack adequate heating, sanitation, and winterization. " "Temperatures are falling, and expected to drop close to freezing in December," OCHA said. "Medical care is increasingly hard to find, due to shortages of staff and supplies, as well as damages to facilities. In addition to direct exposure to violence, people, especially children, confront a growing threat from unexploded ordnance and explosive remnants of war."
