Humanitarian Situation Report | 16 July 2026

Highlights

• Continued military operations, new displacement and deteriorating access further limited humanitarian assistance and heightened protection concerns across Gaza. 
• Agricultural recovery is at risk as animal feed shortages and soaring prices threaten livestock survival across the Gaza Strip. 
• Engine oil shortages continue to disrupt essential water and sanitation services, increasing the risk of sewage overflows and public health hazards. 
• Settler attacks have become a leading cause of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank, accounting for 55 per cent of all Palestinian injuries in 2026. 
• Israeli settlers demolished the abandoned Al Yanoun School, while Ar Rifa'iyya School became at imminent risk of demolition following an Israeli court ruling. Overall, 84 schools in Area C and East Jerusalem remain under pending demolition or stop-work orders. 
• Jabal al Aqra'a became the 47th Palestinian community to be fully displaced following recurrent settler attacks and related access restrictions since January 2023. 

Overview

Across the OPT, insecurity, access restrictions, repeated displacement and funding gaps continue to deepen humanitarian needs while constraining response efforts. In the Gaza Strip, ongoing military operations, movement restrictions and insecurity are driving new displacement, disrupting humanitarian operations and limiting access to food, water, shelter, health care and other essential services. Shortages of critical supplies, including engine oil and animal feed, are further undermining water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, food security and agricultural recovery. 

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces’ operations, demolitions, settlement expansion, settler violence and movement restrictions continue to drive displacement, heighten protection risks and undermine access to housing, livelihoods, education and other essential services. Settler attacks have emerged as a leading driver of Palestinian injuries and displacement in 2026, with Bedouin and herding communities in Area C particularly affected. 

Gaza Strip

This section covers 6 to 12 July unless otherwise specified.

The humanitarian situation across Gaza remains dire amid ongoing military activity, recurring security incidents, and increasing movement restrictions. These conditions continue to fuel new displacement, disrupt humanitarian operations, limit access to essential services, and heighten protection risks for affected populations. Critical funding gaps are further compounding these challenges, constraining the ability of humanitarian partners to sustain and scale up responses despite growing needs across the Strip. 

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, which operates under the de facto authorities, 40 Palestinians were reported killed, including those who died of wounds and had their bodies retrieved from under the rubble, and 127 people were injured between 8 and 15 July. This brings the overall reported casualty toll since the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025 to 1,123 fatalities and 3,616 injuries. Another 96 fatalities were retroactively added to the total number after their identification details were approved by MoH. 

On 13 and 14 July, reported Israeli military strikes on police positions in North Gaza resulted in 12 fatalities, reflecting the volatile security environment and the continued impact of military operations on civilian infrastructure and public-service capacity. Further south, an airstrike on 10 July reportedly destroyed shelters in displacement sites in Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis. As a result, 78 families were displaced and another 130 families had their shelters damaged, significantly increasing emergency shelter needs and heightening protection concerns, particularly for women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities. 

Humanitarian operations were also affected by interference and insecurity. On 12 July, humanitarian workers were forced to halt food distributions after armed personnel affiliated with the de facto authorities forcibly entered the Abu Rashid food distribution point in Jabalya, North Gaza. The forces also entered a warehouse belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP) and reportedly assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies. In a statement issued on 13 July, the Humanitarian Coordinator, who also serves as the Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator, condemned these incidents, stressing that they are not isolated and reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations. He added that this is happening as the expansion of areas under Israeli control is further reducing the space available to civilians, making it imperative that humanitarian assistance is able to move safely and reach people in need without interference.   

In southern Gaza, access constraints are particularly acute for communities located near the “Yellow Line” in northern Rafah. Between 6 and 13 July, 11 displacement sites in the Al Mawasi Fish Fresh area became inaccessible due to continued daily movement of Israeli military tanks in the vicinity, placing approximately 1,600 displaced people at heightened risk of secondary displacement. Humanitarian services in the affected displacement sites were suspended due to insecurity and access constraints, significantly reducing partners’ ability to monitor conditions and deliver assistance. The situation was further aggravated by the loss of access to the primary water source serving these sites, raising serious concerns over access to safe drinking water, hygiene conditions, and public health risks. 

Following reports of movements of Israeli forces and disruptions to humanitarian services in the area, the UN and its humanitarian partners began conducting joint missions to affected communities. On 13 July, OCHA and its humanitarian partners consulted representatives from 17 displacement sites hosting approximately 3,000 families near the “Yellow Line” in northern Rafah. Community representatives reported that the yellow blocks marking the line had moved northward.  They also described daily movements of Israeli tanks, the construction of sand embankments and recurrent gunfire.  Families reported remaining inside their tents for much of the day due to fear of injury from gunfire or stray bullets.  

Insecurity has significantly disrupted humanitarian access, particularly water trucking, food assistance, hygiene activities, and routine site-management support. Many communities reported severe water shortages and limited access to emergency medical transportation. Some families expressed concerns that they had few viable relocation options due to overcrowding elsewhere, shortages of tents and non-food items, and inadequate access to services.  

Similar concerns were observed in Deir al Balah. On 15 July, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator led a joint humanitarian mission to a school-turned-shelter in Bureij to assess emerging needs and gaps in humanitarian services. The shelter hosts 18 displaced families and is located about 50 yards from the “Yellow Line.” Families reported living there for more than a year and a half, with access constraints hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Their living conditions are severely undermined by insecurity, the absence of alternatives, and severe gaps in access to drinking water, food, healthcare, sanitation and education.  

Humanitarian partners have started mobilizing responses to address the most pressing needs and gaps identified in these visited areas. In parallel, they continue to respond to the needs of newly displaced families in various areas across the Strip (See the Intersectoral Support section in Annex 1 below) and maintain support for those in protracted displacement. 

WASH, Education and Shelter Response Sustained as Needs Remain High 

The fourth round of the Gaza Joint WASH Assessment, conducted between 29 March and 9 April 2026, highlights a net decline in household-level access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services between August 2025 and March 2026. The assessment found that 63 per cent of assessed households access less than six litres of drinking water per person per day, while 34 per cent access less than nine litres of domestic water per day. Seventy-four per cent of assessed households collect water directly from trucks, often through irregular services and in unsafe and overcrowded conditions. Limited access to adequate water collection and storage containers remains one of the principal barriers to safe household water management. The assessment also highlights dire sanitation conditions: only 52 per cent of assessed households have access to basic sanitation, defined as private, improved facilities that safely separate human waste from contact, while the remainder rely on shared, inadequate, or unsafe options.  

The consequences are severe. Overall, 60 per cent of the population is still exposed to sewage or human waste within 10 metres of their shelters, while over 900,000 people are exposed to accumulated garbage in residential areas. These conditions pose serious health and environmental risks and contribute to rodent and pest infestations that humanitarian partners are working to mitigate. The most notable improvement since the announcement of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement is a marked increase in access to soap, with 88 per cent of assessed households reporting soap availability at shelter level, compared with only 37 per cent in the previous assessment round conduct between August and September 2025, though disparities remain among the most vulnerable households.  

At the same time, shortages of engine oil continue to severely affect WASH infrastructure, forcing several municipalities to reduce water-pumping hours or suspend services entirely. In North Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan pumping station could operate only five hours per day last week, resulting in a rapid increase in sewage levels in the stormwater lagoon. As of 13 July, after receiving a limited quantity of engine oil, the pumping station resumed operating 12 to 16 hours per day, the level required to at least maintain or lower sewage levels and avert further environmental risks. Humanitarian partners are exploring short-term mitigation measures, such as facility prioritization, while a longer-term plan for the sustainable, at-scale entry of engine oil is urgently needed to sustain all essential water and sanitation services. 

Alongside the WASH response, humanitarian partners continue to restore and expand access to basic education through all possible means after more than two years of prolonged disruption to learning. In July, UNMAS has so far conducted five explosive hazard assessments of damaged sites identified for debris clearance and conversion into educational facilities.  Several of these sites are also hosting displaced families, meaning with debris clearance has an immediate positive impact on community safety. The five assessments are estimated to directly benefit approximately 2,000 people, including more than 1,000 children. 

Shelter needs also remain extensive. Two Shelter Cluster partners continue conducting a Detailed Damage Assessment to gauge the status of residential buildings across the Strip. To date, 33,469 of the estimated 227,703 buildings requiring assessment have been inspected (15 per cent), amounting to approximately 159,000 housing units. Among these assessed housing units, 95,290 (60 per cent) were either destroyed or sustained severe structural damage, while 63,711 (40 per cent) sustained minor to moderate damage. These findings highlight the vast scale of shelter needs across the assessed areas and show that many families returning to damaged homes require emergency shelter repairs, underscoring the urgent need for thousands of framing kits, emergency shelter kits, and other essential shelter NFIs. 

Animal Feed Shortages Threaten Livestock Survival 

Although FAO has been distributing nearly 600 tonnes of animal feed per month – five times the pre-ceasefire average – to livestock-keeping households, the agency has been unable to bring new barley and feed concentrate stocks into the Gaza Strip for more than one month. The remaining fodder available inside Gaza is only sufficient for one round of distribution to around 2,200 livestock holders, which started on 13 July. If delays in the entry of fodder continue, partners will have no animal feed to distribute in August, risking reversing the gains in livestock survival observed since October 2025 ceasefire agreement, when the number of sheep increased by 33 per cent and goats by eight per cent. These gains were largely achieved through the sustained distribution of animal feed, veterinary kits, alongside cash grants and technical support to herders. 

Since February, the local price of barley has tripled to ILS 9 (US$3) per kilogram, while the price of feed concentrate has nearly doubled to ILS 5 ($1.67)/kilogram. Price increases have accelerated over the past 40 days as feed imports have remained blocked.  

Humanitarian partners call for the immediate restoration of access for animal feed imports to prevent further livestock mortality. More broadly, to enable farmers and herders to sustain and reactivate agricultural production, both the private sector and the humanitarian community need to be allowed to bring agricultural inputs into Gaza without restrictions, including items not classified by the Israeli authorities as “dual-use”.  

Incoming Supplies 

Following the resolution of the scanner issues at Ashdod Port on 2 July, cargo flow through the Ashdod route increased significantly. Between 6 and 12 July, 276 trucks were manifested via Ashdod, compared with 185 during the previous week, representing a 49 per cent increase. Offloading rates remained broadly stable, ranging between 87 and 90 per cent across both weeks. Although a replacement scanner has been installed at Kerem Shalom Crossing to improve cargo-handling capacity, 25 per cent of UN and INGO partner trucks from Egypt were returned or rejected during the reporting period. 

On the commercial front, data from the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, shared with the Cash Working Group (CWG), indicate that between 6 and 12 July, the private sector collected 836 truckloads into Gaza. Of these, 459 truckloads (55 per cent) contained food items, 22 (3 per cent) cooking gas, 33 (4 per cent) hygiene products, and 93 (11 per cent) shelter materials. Smaller quantities included medicines, baby care items, and motor oil. In addition, 216 truckloads (26 per cent) contained non-essential goods. This high share of non-essential items remains a concern, as market incentives continue to favour higher-profit, lower-fee commodities, reducing available space for critical supplies. Imports also remain almost exclusively consumption-oriented, with limited support for recovery and productive capacity, such as machinery, agricultural inputs, and livelihoods-related goods.  

According to the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, prices are gradually stabilizing, with food prices declining by 5 to 10 per cent and most non-food item prices remaining relatively stable. However, despite this recent improvement, overall prices remain approximately 190 per cent of their pre-October 2023 levels. 

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

The reporting period for this section is 7 to 13 July unless otherwise specified

Across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces' operations, demolitions, settlement expansion, settler violence and movement restrictions continue to drive displacement, heighten protection risks and undermine Palestinians' access to housing, livelihoods and essential services.  

The Barrier and its permit and gate regime remain the largest obstacle to Palestinian movement, with ongoing humanitarian consequences. In its Advisory Opinion on 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that the sections of the Barrier built inside the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, violate international law and called on Israel to cease construction, dismantle the sections already built within the OPT and repeal the associated legislative and regulatory measures. These pressures are compounded by worsening economic conditions, the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal crisis and persistent shortfalls in humanitarian funding. According to the World Bank, although unemployment in the West Bank declined from a peak of 35 per cent in early 2024 to about 28 per cent by the end of 2025, it remains more than double the pre-October 2023 level of 13.4 per cent. In addition, only about 50,000 Palestinian workers from the West Bank had regained access to jobs in Israel by late 2025, compared with more than 177,000 before October 2023. Child Protection partners also report growing concerns over child labour, with cases typically increasing during the summer holiday period.  

To respond to the immediate needs of displaced and affected households, during the second week of July, Shelter Cluster partners reached about 195 households in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin and other governorates. Support included shelter repairs, essential non-food items, protection kits, and cash assistance, helping affected families remain in, or safely return to, their homes where possible. Child Protection partners provided mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), parenting support, case management, referrals and specialized protection services, reaching over 49,000 children and 22,000 caregivers during the first six months of 2026. In preparation for the school summer break, the Child Protection Area of Responsibility, in collaboration with the Education Cluster, finalized guidance for partners on the safe implementation of summer activities, including safeguarding requirements, and is supporting partners in rolling out these initiatives. 

Casualties   

Between 7 and 13 July (hereinafter the reporting period), Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man while he was attempting to cross the Barrier in Bir Nabala town to reach East Jerusalem or Israel. In a separate incident at the same location, another Palestinian was injured under similar circumstances. 

Since 7 October 2023, when Israeli authorities revoked or suspended most permits for Palestinian workers and others to access East Jerusalem and Israel, OCHA has documented the killing of 21 Palestinians and the injury of more than 290 others while attempting to cross the Barrier, reportedly to reach workplaces in East Jerusalem and Israel, against the backdrop of a severe economic downturn in the West Bank. As of 13 July 2026, Israeli forces had injured an average of eight Palestinians per month while attempting to cross the Barrier, compared with 14 per month in 2025, six per month in 2024 and about one per month during the last three months of 2023. 

Overall, during the reporting period, about 65 Palestinians, including 18 children and 10 women, were injured by Israeli forces or settlers.  Forty-five Palestinians were injured by Israeli settlers, including 37 in five separate attacks targeting Palestinian farmers in Hiwara community, south of Yatta in Hebron governorate (see section below). During these attacks, settlers physically assaulted farmers or sprayed them with pepper spray while they were working on their agricultural land. Among those injured were 12 children, 10 women and one elderly man.

Since the beginning of 2026, about 850 Palestinians have been injured in the context of settler attacks, including nearly 690 by Israeli settlers and the remainder by Israeli forces, accounting for 55 per cent of all Palestinian injuries in the West Bank. Injuries linked to settler attacks have risen sharply, increasing from one injury every three days in 2020 to an average of two per day in 2025 and more than three per day so far in 2026 (see graph). 

Settler Attacks and Property Damage 

During the reporting period, OCHA documented at least 69 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage or both. This brings the total number of such incidents documented since the beginning of 2026 to more than 1,260 across 250 Palestinian communities, averaging about six incidents per day. 

In Hebron governorate, Israeli settlers carried out five consecutive attacks against Palestinian farmers working their land near Hiwara community, south of Yatta. In addition to injuring 37 Palestinians (see section above), the attacks damaged an agricultural structure, a water pump and about 450 olive trees. Following four of the attacks, Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone, requiring Palestinian farmers to leave while settlers were, in some cases, allowed to remain or later returned to graze their sheep. Humanitarian partners report that attacks in this community have intensified since the establishment of a nearby settlement outpost in 2024, resulting in repeated disruptions to agricultural activities, damage to livelihood assets, and increasing protection concerns. 

In Ramallah governorate, Israeli settlers targeted Palestinian homes, essential infrastructure and livelihood assets. In Deir Jarir village, settlers damaged four residential houses, burned three Palestinian-owned vehicles and vandalized three others during a large-scale attack. Ambulance access was disrupted after Israeli forces and settlers closed the village's main entrance for several hours. In East Tayba Bedouin community, settlers cut the electricity cable supplying Palestinian households. Residents reported that repeated damage to electricity infrastructure and ongoing harassment have increasingly disrupted daily life and restricted access to nearby grazing areas. Elsewhere in Ramallah governorate, settlers damaged a humanitarian-funded protective fence in Al Mughayyir village, vandalized a protective presence tent and herders' structures, and continued to intimidate residents and restrict access to grazing areas. 

In Nablus governorate, settlers repeatedly targeted electricity and water infrastructure. In Qusra village, two attacks on 8 and 13 July damaged electricity cables supplying several households and a main water pipeline serving about eight households, leaving residents without electricity and water for about 15 hours after the first incident and disrupting electricity to three additional households for about eight hours after the second. In nearby Qabalan, settlers accompanied by Israeli forces prevented municipal crews from installing electricity infrastructure and uprooted three newly installed electricity poles. 

Access to Education  

During the reporting period, three developments heightened concerns over access to education in Area C of the West Bank. On 8 July, an Israeli court rejected an appeal by the community seeking to halt the demolition of Ar Rifa'iyya Mixed Basic School, east of Yatta in Hebron governorate. The school serves 175 students from kindergarten to Grade 7 and employs 14 staff. Under the ruling, the Israeli Civil Administration may proceed with the demolition after the expiry of the 14-day period. During this period, the community may petition the court for an interim injunction to suspend the demolition. Pending the outcome of these proceedings, the school remains at imminent risk of demolition. 

Since the beginning of 2026, more than 30 stop-work and demolition orders have been issued in the neighboring communities of Ad Deirat and Ar Rifa'iyya in Hebron governorate. Local authorities indicate that these measures are linked to plans for a new Israeli settlement road running parallel to Road 356 through the two communities. According to the Education Cluster, along Road 356, three of the five government schools, including Ar Rifa'iyya, are subject to demolition orders, while the remaining two may be affected by the planned road construction. Together, the five schools serve about 700 students, placing their infrastructure, accessibility and continued operation at risk.  

Also on 8 July, the Education Cluster reported that the Israeli Civil Administration had issued a notice granting the right to submit objections as part of an enforcement process against an UNRWA school in Al Walaja community, in Bethlehem governorate. The school, which serves 237 students and employs 12 teachers, has been subject to a demolition order since 2006 over allegations that it was built without an Israeli-issued building permit in Area C. The notice provides an opportunity for objections to be submitted before the Planning and Licensing Subcommittee. Pending the outcome of this process, the school remains at risk of demolition. 

Separately, on 9 July, Israeli settlers reportedly demolished the abandoned Yanoun Co-educational School in Al Yanun Foqa community in Nablus governorate, together with two residential structures. The school had served 16 students before six families, comprising 22 people, were displaced from the community in December 2025 following recurrent settler violence and intimidation. Although students were transferred to a government school in Aqraba village, the demolition eliminated the community's only educational facility and further reduced prospects for displaced families to return. 

According to the Education Cluster's July 2026 report, 84 schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remained under pending demolition or stop-work orders, including 54 facing full demolition and 30 partial demolition affecting specific buildings or school structures. Of the 84 schools, 74 are located in Area C and 10 within the Israeli-defined municipal boundaries of East Jerusalem. These schools serve nearly 13,000 students and employ more than 1,000 teachers. The cumulative impact of demolitions, attacks on schools, movement restrictions and community displacement continues to disrupt learning, reduce instructional time and increase protection risks, absenteeism and school dropout. Humanitarian partners continue to provide psychosocial support, transportation assistance, rehabilitation of damaged facilities where feasible, legal aid, remedial education and catch-up classes to help sustain children's access to education. 

Settler attacks continue to undermine access to education, particularly in Bedouin and herding communities in Area C, where they have disrupted classes, forced temporary school closures, damaged educational facilities and, in some cases, contributed to the displacement of entire communities. In Al Maleh, in the northern Jordan Valley, the demolition of the community's school in April 2026 followed months of repeated vandalism and attacks, effectively ending access to education within the community. Overall, 10 schools serving more than 360 students have been abandoned following the full displacement of the communities they served. Seven have subsequently been vandalized and three demolished, including two by Israeli settlers. 

Displacement 

During the reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished 16 Palestinian-owned structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. These included 11 structures in Area C, displacing seven households comprising 38 people, and five structures in East Jerusalem, displacing nine households comprising 40 people. Overall, the demolished structures included nine homes, three uninhabited residential structures, and four livelihood-related and WASH structures. 

Most of the displacement in Area C occurred in Ar Rifa'iyya community, east of Yatta in Hebron governorate, where three households comprising 13 people, including seven children, were displaced following the demolition of a two-storey residential building, a water cistern and an animal shelter near Road 356. One of the affected households had previously been displaced following the demolition of its home in May 2025.  

Separately, on 9 July, five Palestinian households comprising 12 people, including four children, were displaced from Jabal al Aqra'a Bedouin community, west of Jenin, following threats and intimidation by Israeli settlers believed to be from a nearby settlement. According to local sources, settlers had raided the community about one week earlier and warned residents to leave within one month, claiming ownership of the land. The displaced households belonged to a longstanding Bedouin community that had been present in the area for more than 70 years. Jabal al Aqra'a became the 47th Palestinian community to be fully displaced following recurrent settler attacks and related access restrictions since January 2023.  

Between January 2023 and 13 July 2026, 122 Palestinian communities experienced full or partial displacement, including 47 that were fully displaced, predominantly Bedouin and herding communities in Area C. More than 6,200 Palestinians, including over 3,000 children, were displaced during this period, more than 2,300 of them in 2026 alone. Repeated displacement, attacks on homes and infrastructure, and restrictions on access to land and essential services continue to deepen humanitarian needs while eroding community resilience. 

The Jordan Valley remains among the areas most affected by this trend, particularly in 2026. Displacement linked to settler attacks and related access restrictions in the Jordan Valley has accounted for more than half of all displacement recorded in this context across the West Bank this year. Since January 2023, settler attacks and related access restrictions have displaced more than 2,000 Palestinians there, compared with 645 displaced due to permit-related demolitions. During the same period, 11 communities in the Jordan Valley became fully displaced, including five in 2026. As of 13 July 2026, settler attacks in the Jordan Valley resulting in casualties, property damage or both had averaged 23 incidents per month, compared with two per month in 2020 (see graphs below). 

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 as of 15 July 2026.

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.