Gaza Humanitarian Response | Situation Report No. 48

16 Dec 2025

As of 18:00 on 15 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

Trained health educators and hygiene promoters are delivering key messages on preventing neonatal hypothermia through maternity hospitals, primary health care centres, mobile teams and communities across Gaza. On 16 December, a two-month-old infant reportedly passed away after being admitted to intensive care for hypothermia.
Between 15 and 16 December, over 4,700 displaced people across 44 designated emergency shelters in three Gaza governorates were affected by flooding following the recent heavy rains.
Since 10 December, over 19,500 candidates from the 2023-24 and 2024-25 student cohorts have registered for the Tawjihi exams, with about 95 per cent already sitting for the tests.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

On 15 December, shelling and airstrikes continued across the Gaza Strip, with most incidents reported east of the so-called “Yellow Line.” Shelling and airstrikes were reported in east Gaza city, including At Tuffah neighbourhood. Meanwhile, several buildings reportedly collapsed in Tal Al Hawa and Ash Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods following heavy rains, resulting in injuries. In Deir al Balah, shelling was reported east of Al Bureij Camp. In Khan Younis, gunfire and shelling, along with airstrikes, were reported in the east and northeast of the governorate, while shelling was reported towards Iqleemi area in the south-west. Gunfire and airstrikes also reached areas in eastern Rafah city and Al Mawasi in the west, where one person was reported injured.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH), two people were killed and six others injured in the last 24 hours in the Gaza Strip.

On 15 December, 10 Palestinian prisoners were reportedly handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Following heavy rainfall between 15 and 16 December, 44 designated emergency shelters - 21 in Khan Younis, 22 in Gaza city and one in North Gaza governorate - were severely flooded, due to blocked drainage channels. This caused temporary disruptions in the delivery of drinking water and food, and some families were forced to relocate to bathrooms, administrative rooms, and temporary learning spaces due to damaged tents and soaked belongings. In total, 4,721 displaced people were affected, and more than 691 tents were damaged or impacted by flooding. Site management teams responded promptly by mobilizing residents to clean blocked manholes, rainfall gullies, rainwater discharge pipes and pump water from flooded areas into the drainage system. Colder temperatures and recurrent rainstorms are exacerbating the situation for many vulnerable families, particularly due to limited availability of essential winterization supplies.

Site Management partners monitoring population movements observed 1,235 displacement crossings from the south to Gaza city, of which 547 were through Al Rasheed and 688 through Salah ad Deen roads.

UNITED NATIONS-COORDINATED AID ENTRY^*

On 15 December, at least 3,146 pallets of aid administered by the UN and its partners were offloaded at Gaza’s crossings, based on data retrieved from the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard at 19:00 on 16 December. About 72 per cent of these pallets contained food supplies. Shelter constituted 25 per cent; water, sanitation and hygiene items - 2 per cent; health supplies - 0.5 per cent and protection items made up 0.2 per cent of all supplies. At least 84 truckloads were offloaded at Kerem Shalom Crossing and 53 at Zikim Crossing.

On the same day, UNOPS international monitors verified the collection of at least 594 pallets of UN-coordinated aid from Kerem Shalom Crossing. The monitors did not receive permission to access the Kerem Shalom platform and conducted their monitoring tasks from outside the platform. Supplies collected comprised 122 pallets of food assistance, including canned vegetables and chicken, tomato paste, cooking oil and spices; 181 pallets of blankets; 112 pallets of hygiene and cleaning supplies; 80 pallets of adult diapers; 57 pallets of wood pellets; 24 pallets of winter clothes, and 8 pallets of tents.

Overall, between the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October and 15 December, at least 169,512 pallets of humanitarian cargo were offloaded, and 151,057 pallets were collected from the operational crossings. Two per cent of all uplifted aid was intercepted during transit within Gaza.

The above data excludes bilateral donations and the commercial sector.  

On 15 December, four out of nine humanitarian movements inside Gaza requiring coordination with the Israeli authorities were facilitated; another three faced impediments but were eventually completed. A WHO mission to Kerem Shalom to collect medical supplies and cold-chain medicines could not be accomplished, as access to the platform was not granted. UNOPS monitors were equally not given permission to enter the platform (see above).

While since the ceasefire, the number of UN-coordinated aid trucks entering Gaza has increased, access constraints across corridors and within Gaza persist, hampering the UN and partners’ ability to bring in the required levels of assistance.

At Ashdod Port, scanning throughput increased in late November until a scanner malfunction in early December prompted the suspension of operations for nearly a week. Scanning operations resumed on 11 December at reduced capacity and reached full capacity on 15 December. Offloading operations via the Egypt corridor remain challenging with humanitarian aid not being prioritized vis-à-vis other cargo. On 10 December, after more than three months of suspension, the Allenby crossing reopened for the entry of humanitarian cargo into Gaza. Movements remain limited to back-to-back convoys, while the government-to-government modality remains suspended. Meanwhile, back-to-back convoys continue via the Jordan River, though capacity remains limited.

Inside Gaza, all humanitarian cargo collections from Kerem Shalom continue to be routed through Philadelphi Corridor onwards to the congested Al Rasheed Road, while the use of Salah Ad Deen Road for transportation of humanitarian cargo remains interdicted since 26 October.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

The below are preliminary updates shared by Clusters at the time of reporting and will be reconciled and aggregated in the coming days as Clusters receive more data from the capillary network of partners active on the ground.

Health

According to reports received by the Health Cluster, a two-week-old infant passed away on 16 December after having been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis with hypothermia two days ago.
Partners scaled up winterization response, including by providing warm clothing and protective materials to safeguard newborns, infants and young children from cold-related risks in health facilities. All maternity units and mother-baby friendly zones have been equipped with winterization kits as well as blankets for newborns and children of various age groups, ensuring coverage for the next four months.
Forty trained health educators and over 115 hygiene promoters are being deployed across maternity hospitals, primary health-care centers, mobile teams, and communities in Gaza to raise awareness on preventing neonatal hypothermia, recognizing danger signs, and taking immediate actions such as proper layering and skin-to-skin contact. Information materials are also being distributed to pregnant women, new mothers, and caregivers of children under two.
A primary healthcare facility has reopened in Gaza city, bringing the total number of health service points that were newly established or reopened since the ceasefire to 52, including 34 in northern Gaza.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

On 15 December, the Cluster dispatched hygiene items to partners for onward distribution to 200,000 people across the Strip. These included 309,880 bars of soap, 132,520 bottles of shampoo, 120,270 units of dishwashing soap, 112,270 packs of laundry powder, 15,300 adult diapers, 12,000 jerry cans, 6,945 dignity kits, 1,500 anti-lice kits, 300 handwashing stations, and nearly 1 million rolls of toilet paper.

Shelter

On 14 December, Shelter partners distributed more than 7,720 tarpaulins and 12,420 bedding items to families in need across the Strip. On the same day, over 9,580 tarpaulins and 11,230 bedding items entered the Strip. Overall, since the start of the ceasefire, 67,890 tents, 372,530 tarpaulins and 318,120 bedding items were collected from the crossings through the Shelter Cluster and bilateral donations.

Protection

On 15 December, protection partners reached 1,165 people through protection services, including 600 with community-level Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), 175 caregivers with positive parenting support and 120 women with mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). Partners provided winterization packages to over 1,000 displaced families, as well as additional distribution of shelter, winter, dignity and hygiene items to vulnerable households in high-risk areas, in coordination with Shelter/NFI efforts.
Despite operational constraints, adult-focused MHPSS, community-based protection activities, staff well-being support, and remote protection outreach through hotlines continued, with strong linkages to referral pathways and other sectors.
Child Protection
- Between 14 and 15 December, Child Protection partners continued delivering life-saving services across the Strip, reaching over 10,000 children and more than 4,000 caregivers through MHPSS, case management, child protection awareness, referrals, community outreach and winter assistance. Partners delivered winter clothing to more than 7,800 children, and over 4,100 blankets to approximately 2,000 families. In addition, 814 hygiene kits, 300 dignity kits for adolescent girls, and 15 family tents were provided to high-risk households. Additional winter supplies, such as diapers and tarpaulins, were also distributed.
- As of 15 December, nine partners reported rainstorm damage to more than 30 child-friendly spaces, safe spaces and service points, including flooded tents, torn tarpaulins and compromised structures. Activities have been suspended or reduced from one to more than three days, affecting an estimated 25,000 children and over 10,000 caregivers. Priority needs include tent repair or replacement, winterization materials, drainage and flooring support and psychosocial assistance. Most partners expect to resume activities within 48 hours to one week, depending on repairs and weather conditions.
Mine Action
- On 15 December, Mine Action partners conducted one explosive hazard assessment in Deir al Balah in support of rubble removal efforts, while EORE continued across Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates.
- On the same day, a Training of Trainers on EORE was conducted for multiple humanitarian agencies.

Education

A total of 19,500 students from the 2023-24 and 2024-25 cohorts registered to sit the General Secondary Education (Tawjihi) exams, which started on 10 December. Approximately 95 per cent of registered candidates have already been able to take the exams, which are scheduled to conclude on 20 December. This initiative aims to ensure that all eligible candidates complete their examinations and transition to higher education.

* 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.