Gaza Humanitarian Response | Situation Report No. 39

05 Dec 2025

As of 18:00 on 4 December 2025, unless otherwise noted

This report, issued daily from Monday to Saturday, outlines efforts and progress made by the UN and its partners to scale up humanitarian response across the Gaza Strip under the ceasefire that entered into effect on 10 October 2025. For all situation reports see here.

HIGHLIGHTS

Food Security Sector partners have commenced a new monthly cycle of general food assistance, reaching more than 13,400 families (67,000 people) with two food parcels and one 25-kilogram bag of flour as of 2 December.
One Primary Healthcare Center has been established in the North Gaza governorate, which remains critically underserved, with only two PHCs and two medical points operational.
Between 2 and 3 December, Shelter partners assisted 3,138 families with critical shelter items, including bedding, tarpaulins, clothing vouchers, and tents in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, North Gaza, and Gaza city.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Over the past 24 hours, reports of airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continued east and north-east of Gaza city, including in the At Tuffah area; east of the Al Bureij and Al Maghazi camps in northern Deir al Balah; east of Khan Younis, as well as in northern Rafah.

Findings from an access assessment in Az-Zayton, Ash-Shujaia, and Al-Tufah - three sites near the yellow line around Gaza city comprising approximately 1,500 families - indicate that since the October ceasefire, returnees are steadily increasing, with informal shelters and small businesses emerging despite ongoing insecurity. Communities reported severe gaps in humanitarian assistance, including food, water, health, education, and shelter, while no formal needs assessments have yet been conducted.

According to reports, Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin tribal leader and head of the Popular Forces militia in Gaza, was killed on 4 December. His group operated in Israeli-controlled areas and was known for its anti-Hamas stance. The circumstances of his death remain unclear, with sources citing either an internal dispute or targeted attack.

UNITED NATIONS-COORDINATED AID ENTRY^*

On 4 December, 4,370 pallets of aid administered by the UN and its partners were offloaded at Gaza’s crossings, based on preliminary data retrieved from the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard at 11:00 on 5 December. About 56 per cent of these pallets contained food supplies, followed by shelter (26 per cent), water, sanitation and hygiene items (10 per cent), nutrition supplies (4 per cent), protection items and fuel. At least 117 truckloads were offloaded at Kerem Shalom and 63 at Zikim.

On the same day, UNOPS international monitors deployed at Gaza’s crossing verified the collection of at least 2,179 pallets of aid – 1,785 from Kerem Shalom between 09:21 and 16:00, and 394 from Kissufim between 09:35 and 12:08. These comprised inter alia 1,546 pallets of food assistance, including flour, canned chicken, emergency food rations, and baby milk, 325 of tents, 13 of tarpaulins, 84 of blankets, 54 of winter clothes, and 3 pallets of medicines. The monitors waited over two hours before being granted approval to access the Kerem Shalom platform.

With regard to fuel, UNOPS collected 383,400 litres of diesel from Kerem Shalom on 4 December.

Overall, between the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October, and 4 December, at least 142,585 pallets of humanitarian cargo were offloaded, and 122,545 pallets collected from the different crossings. Only 2 per cent of all uplifted aid was intercepted during transit within Gaza, while over 120,000 pallets safely reached warehouses for onward distribution to people in need.

All the above data excludes bilateral donations and the commercial sector.

Health

On 1 December, a Health Cluster partner opened one Primary Healthcare Centre in the North Gaza governorate. The facility provides comprehensive services, including wound care, physiotherapy, mental health, and psychosocial support (MHPSS), health promotion, Mid-Upper Arm Circumference screening for malnutrition, referral services, and routine vaccinations. The North Gaza governorate remains critically underserved, with only two PHCs and two medical points operational.
On 3 December 2025, a new suspected case of leptospirosis was reported in Gaza city, and one of three suspected cases previously identified in Khan Younis passed away. The Health Cluster is awaiting approval from the Israeli authorities to dispatch samples outside of Gaza for testing.
While access to Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza remains restricted, approval was granted on 2 December for a mission to the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis to retrieve critical medical supplies and neurosurgical equipment.

Food Security

After supporting over 273,000 families with food distributions in November, Food Security Sector partners have commenced a new monthly cycle of general food assistance, prioritizing families that had not received supplies during the past two months. As of 2 December, about 13,400 families (67,000 people) had already been reached through 59 distribution points. Each family is receiving two food parcels and one 25-kilogram (kg) flour bag.
Bread production and distribution continue to increase. As of 1 December, about 180,000 2-kg bread bundles were being produced daily by 19 UN-supported bakeries, complemented by an additional 370,000 loafs of bread by one FSS partner. The bread is being distributed either for free through community kitchens, or sold via 125 contracted retailers, including 51 in Gaza city and two in North Gaza governorate, at a subsidized price of three NIS per bundle.

Nutrition

On 3 December, a Nutrition Cluster partner visited an area near the “Yellow Line” in Beit Lahia, North Gaza, which has remained largely inaccessible. Approximately 300 families (1,800 people) are currently living there after returning in October in the aftermath of the ceasefire. The population continues to grow and includes an estimated 75 pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), 500 children, and 20 persons with disabilities. During the visit, the partner delivered 30 boxes of High-Energy Biscuits (HEB) for distribution to PBW and children under five. Plans are underway to deploy a mobile team to provide regular health and nutrition services until permanent service delivery points can be re-established.

Shelter

Between 2 and 3 December, Shelter partners distributed 3,726 tarpaulins, 1,252 bedding items and 600 clothing kits to 2,180 households in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, as well as 206 tents and 752 clothing vouchers to 958 families in northern Gaza.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

WASH partners continue repair and maintenance works across the Gaza Strip. Seven mobile pumps, 12 batteries and 70 water tanks with a 2,000 litre capacity have been collected into the Strip to enhance water production and storage at community level in Gaza city and Khan Younis.
Three additional wastewater and stormwater teams were mobilized for manhole and gully cleaning in Gaza city, where partners are constructing sewer network manholes using rubble due to lack of cement or precast concrete manholes. Desludging operations are also ongoing in the area. In Deir al Balah, a cluster partner completed sewage and solid waste cleanup operations at a makeshift camp.
On 3 December, the cluster distributed 1,050 squatting slabs, 35 1,000 litre-water tanks, 1,586 dignity kits, 516 hygiene kits, 634 cleaning kits, as well as soap, buckets, towels, jerry cans, and one high-performance tent, benefiting a total of 40,000 people across the Strip.

Protection

Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response

On 3 December, GBV partners distributed 11,000 dignity and menstrual health management kits to address critical gaps in hygiene materials for women in northern Gaza and Khan Younis.
Six high-performance tents were also distributed to support the scale-up of services addressing GBV in Gaza city (Beach Camp) and Deir al Balah (Maghazi Camp).
Between 1 and 2 December, Women and Girl’s Safe Spaces (WGSS) supported 2,499 people through Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, case management and legal awareness sessions.

Education

On 2 December, three High Performance Tents (HPTs) of 72 square metres each were successfully installed at a learning space in Deir Al Balah. These units replaced tents, which had been damaged by heavy rains, disrupting learning activities. The new HPTs are waterproof and better suited for winter conditions, significantly improving the quality and continuity of in-learning in the centre. Additional learning spaces remain urgently needed, particularly given the ongoing restrictions on the large-scale entry of tents.

* All figures solely refer to UN and partner assistance dispatched through the UN-coordinated system. They are preliminary and will be reconciled in the course of the ceasefire. Supplies entering through bilateral donations and the commercial sector are not reflected.