Humanitarian Situation Report | 3 July 2026

Highlights

• In just two weeks, over 9,000 cases of chickenpox were reported across 130 health facilities in Gaza, half of them in Khan Younis.
• Although only 85 per cent of the solid waste generated in Gaza is collected, combined with pest control, the overall health and environmental risks from unmanaged waste and pest infestation have not increased.
• A shortage of sodium bicarbonate, due to chronic underfunding, at the Al Shifa Hospital is said to be severely affecting haemodialysis services, reducing treatment capacity for about 240 patients with end-stage kidney disease.
• A new humanitarian assessment in two Palestinian communities in the West Bank found that the establishment of nearby settlement outposts has been accompanied by repeated settler attacks, mounting insecurity and deteriorating access to essential services.
• More than 2,300 Palestinians have been displaced across the West Bank in 2026 due to settler attacks and related access restrictions.
• Demolitions in East Jerusalem neighbourhoods on the ‘West Bank’ side of the Barrier now account for 37 per cent of all lack-of-permit demolitions in East Jerusalem, nearly double the average recorded over the previous six years.

Overview

Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Palestinians are being confined to ever-smaller spaces where they can live, move, access essential services, and sustain their livelihoods. In the Gaza Strip, new displacement is being driven by the expansion of Israeli? military-imposed access-restricted areas – occasionally marked by yellow cement blocks – or by airstrikes or shelling that, over the past week alone, ignited fires that consumed hundreds of tents. In the West Bank, displacement is increasingly linked to recurrent Israeli settler attacks and the establishment of new settlement outposts, alongside home demolitions, which undermine access to land, livelihoods, and basic services. Across both contexts, repeated displacement is eroding household resilience, deepening humanitarian needs, and increasing dependence on humanitarian assistance.

Gaza Strip

This section covers 22 to 28 June unless otherwise specified.

During the reporting period, people across the Gaza Strip, including humanitarian workers remained exposed to airstrikes, other military activity, new or protracted displacement and persisting health risks. For most residents, displacement, overcrowding and limited access to basic services continue to undermine safety, dignity and well-being.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, which operates under the de facto authorities, 23 Palestinians were killed, one body was retrieved, one died of wounds, and 112 people were injured between 24 and 30 June. This brings the overall reported casualty toll since the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025 to 1,053 fatalities and 3,406 injuries, according to MoH.

On 29 June, a mother and her baby daughter were reportedly killed by an airstrike in Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis. The strike also reportedly destroyed the tents of more than 150 families and damaged the tents of an additional 250 families. Those affected are assisted by the UN and partners.

On 27 June, a fifth-grade child died from injuries sustained during an airstrike on 23 June near a temporary education learning space. In a separate incident, a 17-year-old girl – one of UNICEF’s Youth Champions – was killed on her way to sit for her high school exam.

Displacement from areas near the “Yellow Line” continues. Between 26 and 27 June more than 20 families were displaced from eastern Deir al Balah governorate and more than a dozen from eastern Gaza city. Newly displaced people reported that they were ordered to leave through quadcopter announcements or fled as Israeli forces advanced towards their residential areas while dropping explosive munitions from the air. In Deir al Balah governorate, new yellow cement blocks were installed, signalling a further expansion of areas that are now off limits. In a statement issued on 1 July, the Humanitarian Country Team – which brings together the heads UN entities and NGOs operating in the OPT – warned that the continued expansion of areas under Israeli control endangers civilians and relief efforts. For information on this, see the section on Access-Restricted Areas in last week’s report.

A joint assessment released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) found that farmers in Gaza have rehabilitated about 24 hectares of greenhouse infrastructure since the declaration of the ceasefire, alongside early signs of recovery in the livestock sector. Agricultural recovery efforts continue through cash assistance, livestock support, and technical guidance in spite of the prevailing access restrictions. Since October 2025, FAO has distributed nearly 600 tonnes of animal feed each month. However, partners report that about 80 per cent of greenhouse infrastructure remains damaged or out of production, while most agricultural land in Gaza remains inaccessible, severely constraining livelihoods and agricultural production.

In parallel, humanitarian partners continued utilizing the Rapid Joint Distribution Mechanism to address the immediate life-saving needs of newly displaced families and those who lost their belongings.

A total of 29 households who experienced total losses received a multi-sectoral package, including a tent, four blankets, a hygiene kit, a dignity kit, three jerrycans, and two tarpaulins. The remaining 10 households received targeted assistance based on damage severity and assessment findings.

Public Health

The Health Cluster is warning of a rise in chickenpox across the Gaza Strip. In just two weeks, it recorded nearly 9,300 reported cases across more than 130 health facilities. Over half of these cases were in Khan Younis. Partners link this surge to deteriorating environmental conditions, overcrowding, sanitation and hygiene gaps, alongside the summer season. Partners are providing antihistamines, antibiotics, fever relievers and other essential medicines. They are also scaling up water trucking to high-burden displacement sites, intensifying chlorination and enhancing latrine clearing and disinfection. Additionally, they are deploying over 100 health promoters in prioritized locations to educate people on home management, isolation practices and how to seek medical support early on. To expand treatment coverage, more resources and hygiene kits are required, alongside unimpeded access to affected areas and sustained funding.

The Health Cluster has circulated an alert and facility-level aggregated data to health partners to support targeted follow-up, including review of supportive treatment availability, infection prevention and control measures, case identification and management, referral of complicated cases, and reporting of gaps. The Health Cluster is also coordinating with the Site Management and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) clusters on site-level follow-up for high-risk areas, where field reports indicate overlapping concerns around skin disease, overcrowding, poor sanitation conditions, waste accumulation, as well as vector and rodent risks.

The rise in reported chickenpox cases is occurring in a displacement environment already marked by severe overcrowding, deteriorating hygiene conditions, and widespread environmental health hazards. Gaza currently has more than 1,600 active displacement sites hosting approximately 1.7 million people, while Site Management Cluster (SMC) coverage remains limited to about 34 per cent, leaving a large proportion of displaced families without regular site-level support and monitoring. Existing SMC alert systems continue to report acute WASH-related vulnerabilities, including inadequate access to drinking water, limited soap availability, insufficient solid waste management, and overcrowded living conditions, all of which increase the risk of communicable disease transmission.

These risks are further compounded by widespread rodent and ectoparasite infestations, reported in 83 per cent of assessed displacement sites, alongside sewage in streets, accumulated solid waste, stagnant water, and poor sanitation conditions. During recent site visits, SMC teams also observed that many households lacked appropriate water storage containers and were resorting to improvised solutions, such as storing water in used flour sacks lined with plastic garbage bags (bin liners), increasing the risk of water contamination and inadequate household water storage. Combined with overcrowding, poor waste management, and limited access to water and hygiene supplies, these conditions are creating a highly conducive environment for the spread of chickenpox and other communicable diseases.

More broadly, the health system continues to suffer from a shortage of critical items. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has reported a critical disruption in haemodialysis services at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city due to shortages of sodium bicarbonate, a consequence of chronic underfunding. Due to the shortage of this essential consumable for dialysis machine operation, about 45-50 per cent of dialysis machines (approximately 25 of 52) are currently out of service, significantly reducing treatment capacity for about 240 patients with end-stage kidney disease. Emergency measures, including reducing dialysis sessions from three to two times per week, shortening session duration from four to three hours, and increasing the number of daily shifts, have been introduced to maintain partial coverage. These measures have adversely affected patients, with increasing reports of fatigue, clinical deterioration, and elevated risks of cardiac and respiratory complications. The situation remains critical, with an urgent need to restore supplies to prevent further deterioration and potential loss of life. The Health Cluster continues to work with partners and bilateral donors to respond to this urgent need.

Incoming Supplies

According to UN 2720 mechanism data, UN agencies and NGO partners offloaded approximately 41,800 pallets of aid at the Kerem Shalom Crossing for collection from within Gaza in June. This marked a decrease from approximately 46,600 pallets in May and remains below the volumes recorded in April (49,400), March (47,500), February (54,600), and January (58,600). Kerem Shalom remains the only operational crossing for cargo entering Gaza.

During the reporting period, offloading volumes through the Ashdod Corridor fell sharply to 65 truckloads due to a technical problem affecting a scanner used for humanitarian cargo. The Egypt Corridor continued to experience high return and rejection rates, with only 42 per cent of the manifested cargo successfully offloaded, while the Jordan Corridor maintained a 100 per cent offloading rate, with 166 truckloads offloaded.

On the commercial front, data provided by the Gaza Chamber of Commerce to the Cash Working Group indicate that the private sector collected 831 truckloads into Gaza between 22 and 28 June. Of these commercial truckloads, 52 per cent contained food items, alongside 23 truckloads of cooking fuel. However, 29 per cent (240 truckloads) carried non-essential goods, reflecting continued market incentives that favour commodities associated with lower fees and higher profit margins amid continued uncertainty and financial risks. In comparison, shelter materials accounted for 11 per cent of commercial imports and hygiene items for 5 per cent. Only limited quantities of critical commodities entered Gaza, including three truckloads each of medicines and animal feed, two truckloads each of stationery and insecticides and one truckload of baby care items. Essential commodities therefore remain under-imported despite continued demand and critical humanitarian needs.

The UN is only able to confirm the entry of supplies tracked by UN 2720. For breakdowns of those, see the online UN 2720 Mechanism Dashboard.

For a detailed account of the latest humanitarian operations in Gaza, see Annex 1 below.

West Bank

This section covers 23 to 29 June unless otherwise specified.

Across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces’ operations, demolitions, settler violence and movement restrictions continue to generate humanitarian needs and displacement amid deteriorating economic conditions and funding shortfalls. Together, these factors undermine access to housing, livelihoods and essential services, heighten protection risks and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs, particularly among children and their caregivers, disrupt access to education, and further erode household coping capacities while constraining humanitarian response.

Recent joint assessments by UN and NGO partners in Al Bowereh and Hiwara communities in Hebron governorate highlighted the severe mental health and psychosocial impact of recurrent settler-related violence on children and their families. Community members identified MHPSS as one of their most urgent humanitarian needs, with repeated exposure to violence, intimidation and insecurity contributing to heightened fear, anxiety and trauma (see section below). Across the West Bank, Child Protection partners currently reach over 1,800 children each week, including over 80 children with disabilities, through structured individual and group activities, while around 715 caregivers receive MHPSS and parenting support.

While the ongoing 2026 high school (Tawjihi) examinations have largely continued without major disruptions, movement and access restrictions have continued to delay some students, teachers and other education personnel travelling to examination centres, particularly those from Area C and communities near Israeli settlements. Education Cluster partners have provided support, including safe transportation where feasible, to help ensure the continuity of the examinations. The Education Cluster also reported that four students were arrested during the examination period, highlighting the broader protection challenges affecting access to education. Concerns over access to education were further heightened on 30 June, when Israeli forces forcibly entered the UNRWA Kalandia Training Centre (KTC), located in occupied East Jerusalem on the ‘West Bank’ side of the Barrier, where they inspected and photographed the premises and informed staff that the vocational training facility would be required to close. The centre provides free vocational education to hundreds of students from refugee camps across the West Bank, many of whom come from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds. The UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson condemned the operation, stating that it "breached the inviolability of UN premises and violated Israel's obligations concerning the privileges and immunities of the United Nations."

Casualties and Settler Violence

Between 23 and 29 June (hereinafter the reporting period), Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinians, including one child, during raids and search operations in Salfit, Ramallah and Jenin governorates. Israeli forces withheld the bodies of two of those killed. In addition, Israeli authorities confirmed the death of one Palestinian who had been injured during an Israeli airstrike in Tubas governorate in December 2024 and subsequently died while in Israeli custody. During the same period, about 20 Palestinians were injured, including 16 by Israeli settlers and four by Israeli forces. No Israeli casualties were reported.

This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank in 2026 to 63, including 15 children, and the number of Palestinians killed since 7 October 2023 to 1,109 Palestinians, including 243 children.

During the reporting period, at least 37 settler attacks resulting in casualties, property damage, or both were documented. A notable feature of the attacks documented during the reporting period was the repeated targeting of essential civilian infrastructure and livelihood assets, including electricity networks, water infrastructure, irrigation systems, agricultural structures and farmland. These attacks further undermined access to basic services and agricultural livelihoods in communities already affected by recurrent settler violence, while reflecting mounting pressure on Palestinian herding and farming communities through repeated intimidation, damage to productive assets and worsening restrictions on access to agricultural land and grazing areas.

In Ramallah governorate, residents reported that Israeli settlers cut electricity cables connected to an under-construction school and broke into several agricultural structures in Rammun village, stealing farming equipment in an area where a nearby settlement outpost has increasingly restricted Palestinian farmers' and herders' access to agricultural land and grazing areas. Similar attacks on electricity infrastructure were recorded near Susiya, in Hebron governorate, and Al Minya, in Bethlehem governorate, where settlers cut the main electricity cables supplying two Palestinian homes.

Incidents during the reporting period also reflected growing pressure on Palestinian communities located near settlement outposts. In Salfit governorate, on 28 June settlers established a new tent and threatened five Palestinian herding families in Kafr ad Dik, prompting them to relocate about 400 sheep and other belongings. In Nablus governorate, on 29 June settlers occupied an unfinished Palestinian house in Jalud village, while in Jerusalem governorate, residents in Khan al Ahmar–Makab as Samen reported near-daily incursions involving damage to water and electricity infrastructure, harassment and grazing of livestock on community land.

Settler Attacks and Access Restrictions Heighten Humanitarian Concerns in Al Bowereh and Hiwara Communities

During the reporting period, humanitarian partners conducted joint assessments in Al Bowereh community, east of Hebron city, and Hiwara community, south of Yatta town in Hebron governorate, where residents described a deterioration in the humanitarian situation linked to the establishment of settlement outposts near both communities. Al Bowereh is home to more than 120 Palestinian families who rely primarily on agriculture, particularly grape cultivation, while Hiwara is home to about 30 Palestinian households whose livelihoods largely depend on herding. Residents indicated that a settlement outpost established near Hiwara in 2024 and another more recently in 2025 near Al Bowereh have been accompanied by repeated settler attacks, affecting homes, agricultural land and livelihood assets, alongside increasing restrictions on access to farmland and grazing areas, recurrent harassment and intimidation, and repeated obstruction of the communities’ only access routes. These developments illustrate a broader pattern observed elsewhere in the West Bank, whereby the establishment of settlement outposts has been accompanied by recurrent settler attacks and growing restrictions on Palestinian access to land and livelihoods.

In 2026, at least six settler attacks affecting Al Bowereh and 11 affecting Hiwara, resulting in casualties, property damage or both, were documented compared with two attacks in Al Bowereh and no attacks in Hiwara recorded between 2020 and the establishment of the outposts. In both communities, residents reported increasing limitations on access to agricultural land and grazing areas, repeated damage to homes and livelihood assets, obstruction of the only access routes, and greater difficulties in accessing emergency medical care.

The assessments highlighted mounting protection concerns, particularly for children and women. Community members reported that repeated exposure to violence, intimidation and insecurity has contributed to heightened fear, anxiety and psychosocial distress among children, who also face unsafe journeys to school and limited access to recreational and child-focused services. Families also reported increasing difficulties in accessing emergency health care during settler attacks due to movement restrictions that have delayed ambulance access, while limited legal assistance and barriers to seeking accountability have compounded protection risks.

Humanitarian partners continue to respond by providing mental health and psychosocial support, child-friendly activities, shelter rehabilitation, hygiene and WASH assistance, including water trucking and household water storage, fodder assistance and other support to herding and agricultural livelihoods, as well as support for women's livelihoods. Partners also continue to support an elementary school in Hiwara to improve children's access to education. However, they report mounting operational difficulties in reaching both communities due to recurrent settler attacks and movement restrictions, limiting the delivery of assistance and essential services.

The deterioration in the humanitarian situation has also undermined livelihoods and access to basic services. In Al Bowereh, farmers reported significant losses following repeated damage to vineyards, trees and other agricultural assets, while additional agricultural land has been affected by the widening of Road 60. In Hiwara, herding families reported shrinking grazing areas, repeated attacks on livestock and increasing pressure on traditional livelihoods. Both communities also face chronic water shortages and rely on water trucking during the summer months, further compounding humanitarian needs.

Displacement

During the reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished 14 Palestinian-owned structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain, including 12 structures in East Jerusalem and two in Area C. The demolished structures included a home in Qalqas village, in southern Hebron governorate, displacing a household of seven people, including five children and one woman, and affecting 13 livelihood, water and sanitation, and other structures.

In 2026, the share of structures demolished in East Jerusalem areas located on the ‘West Bank’ side of the Barrier has risen to 37 per cent of all structures demolished in East Jerusalem for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, compared with an annual average of 19 per cent over the preceding six years (see chart below). This suggests increased enforcement of planning regulations by Israeli authorities in these areas despite relatively limited municipal services and infrastructure.

The majority of these demolitions have taken place in Kafr ‘Aqab and Shu’fat Camp, two densely populated Palestinian localities within the Israeli-defined municipal boundary of Jerusalem but physically separated from the urban centre of Jerusalem by the Barrier. Despite residents retaining their ‘permanent residency’ status and paying Israeli municipal taxes, basic facilities and services remain inadequate.

This trend was reflected during the reporting period when Israeli authorities, accompanied by Israeli forces, demolished 12 livelihood structures in Shu’fat Camp for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, affecting the livelihoods of 12 households comprising 48 people. During the operation, Israeli authorities also destroyed the front panels of approximately 100 commercial shops, damaging merchandise and air-conditioning units and affecting around 100 additional households. According to affected residents, no demolition orders were issued prior to the operation, which lasted more than 10 hours. Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at Palestinians gathered in the area, resulting in several cases of tear gas inhalation.

Separately, one Palestinian Bedouin household comprising eight people, including four children and three women, was displaced from Wadi Salman Bedouin community in Area C of Ramallah governorate following recurrent settler attacks on 24 June. According to the affected family and local sources, the displacement followed the establishment of a settlement outpost near the community in early 2025, after which settlers repeatedly entered the community, intimidated residents and restricted access to surrounding grazing areas, undermining livelihoods. The family also reported escalating harassment and repeated death threats against the head of the household. As a result, they left their home and livelihood structures and relocated to a safer area in Nablus governorate, where they are currently residing in substandard conditions with limited access to adequate shelter and basic services.

This displacement reflects a broader pattern of settler attacks and related access restrictions that has intensified across the West Bank since January 2023. Between January 2023 and 29 June 2026, 120 communities across the West Bank have experienced full or partial displacement, predominantly Bedouin and herding communities in Area C. Of these, 46 communities have been fully displaced, including 10 communities so far in 2026. Overall, more than 6,200 Palestinians (including over 3,000 children) have been displaced in this context since 2023, including over 2,300 people (more than 1,000 of them children) in 2026 alone.

For key figures and additional breakdowns of casualties, displacement, and settler violence between January 2005 and May 2026, please refer to the OCHA West Bank May 2026 Snapshot. For key figures on the impact of settler attacks, please refer to the West Bank – The Impact of Settler Attacks, January 2023 – April 2026.

Funding

Sources: Financial Tracking System and oPt HF

Annexes

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** Double asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.