Humanitarian Situation Report | 2 April 2026

Highlights

• Aid workers continue providing supplies and services in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but restrictions remain and needs often outpace available resources.
• In Gaza, cooking gas shortages undermine the operation of community kitchens and force nearly one in two families to use unsafe waste burning for cooking.
• UNICEF supported the reunification of 11 toddlers with their families in Gaza after they were medically evacuated as babies – some while still in incubators – in November 2023.
• In the West Bank, two in every three Palestinian fatalities so far in 2026 occurred since the regional escalation of 28 February.
• In March, over 200 settler attacks have resulted in casualties or property damage across more than 100 communities – about six attacks per day; six Palestinians were killed by settlers – the second-highest monthly toll since 2005.
• Displacement in East Jerusalem continues, with demolitions displacing 18 Palestinians in Silwan and many more families remaining at imminent risk.

Overview

Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, increased levels of violence, recently tightened restrictions, and weather events, continue driving people’s reliance on humanitarian support while limiting what aid workers can deliver.

In Gaza, this is marked by continued strikes, reportedly causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, and major access and supply constraints, including those linked to the regional escalation. Most recently, damage to the electricity line serving desalination in the south sharply reduced the availability of drinking water for an estimated 500,000 people. Meanwhile, cooking gas shortages undermine what community kitchens can serve and force nearly half the population to rely on unsafe waste burning to cook.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, following a slowdown in demolitions during Ramadan, demolition-driven displacement is increasing again, with the highest numbers recorded in the Al Bustan area of East Jerusalem – where the destruction of homes is linked to a settlement expansion plan. Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians remain on the rise, resulting in casualties, damage and displacement, while Israeli forces have fatally shot more people.

Gaza Strip

In the Gaza Strip, airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire continued across multiple areas, reportedly resulting in civilian casualties and damage to critical facilities. Overall, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 26 March and 1 April, 20 Palestinians were killed, three died of wounds, and 81 people were injured, bringing the overall reported casualty toll since the announcement of the ceasefire in October 2025 to 713 fatalities and 1,940 injuries.

On 25 March, an airstrike hit and damaged the electricity supply line serving the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant in Khan Younis, which produces approximately 16,000 cubic metres of drinking water per day. While the line was fixed on 31 March, the damage forced the plant to temporarily operate on back-up generators and reduced its output to approximately 2,500 cubic metres of water per day – barely 20 per cent of its capacity – leaving an estimated 500,000 people with reduced drinking water in Deir al Balah and the northern Mawasi area of Khan Younis.

Heavy rains between 25 and 26 March flooded or damaged the tents and belongings of more than 3,000 displaced people across Gaza. According to the Site Management Cluster, about 600 households were affected in displacement sites, and assessments are ongoing. This followed reports of over 100 other households affected by rainstorms and fire incidents between 16 and 22 March. In response to the recent heavy rainfall, 373 households were supported with emergency shelter and essential household items through the OCHA-coordinated Rapid Joint Distribution Mechanism aimed at providing immediate, life-saving relief to families who lost their shelter or belongings due to adverse weather or other hazards. All 373 households received multiple tarpaulins based on their needs, with 139 families among them also receiving broader assistance packages comprising tents, hygiene kits, blankets, and food items.

Limited medical evacuations abroad continue, with the referral route to the West Bank still banned. Since the reopening of the Rafah Crossing on 19 March, the World Health Organization and its partners supported the medical evacuation of 82 patients and 160 caregivers in six operations – on 19, 22, 26, 29, 30 and 31 March. During the same days, the UN and its partners offered services to 238 returnees who entered Gaza through the same crossing. This includes 11 children, along with seven caregivers, who were reunited with their families through a UNICEF-coordinated mission after having been medically evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital as infants – some while still in incubators – in November 2023.

Facilities at the Rafah Crossing remain insufficient : while one more toilet has been installed in the patient waiting area in March, the first toilet, set up in February, is now broken and dysfunctional. Moreover, the UN request to the authorities for shades, plastic chairs and a hygiene station remains unaddressed to-date.

Severe shortages of cooking gas – which is handled by the private sector – remain a major challenge for households and community kitchens, undermining the ability to cook food safely and efficiently. In March, nearly half of the population continued to rely on unsafe waste burning as an alternative. According to the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, 42 truckloads of cooking gas were collected into the Strip between 9 and 22 March, which was only sufficient to provide highly rationed amounts of 8 kilograms per household to some 109,000 families. The Food Security Sector estimates that at least 130 metric tons of cooking gas are required daily to meet needs across the Gaza Strip.

While only the Israeli authorities currently have full oversight on what enters Gaza, available information shared by the Gaza Chamber of Commerce with the Cash Working Group provides an insight into the volume and variety of incoming products. That data suggests that with the regional escalation, the volume of private sector supplies collected into the Strip has sharply declined, falling from an average of over 900 truckloads per week in January and February to less than 400 in March, with a modest rebound in the second half of the month. As of 30 March, weekly commercial truck volumes were still at less than half their pre escalation levels, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The composition of incoming commercial products remains broadly unchanged: approximately 70 to 75 per cent are food supplies, about 10 per cent is fuel, with very limited shelter and hygiene items. Between 24 and 30 March, of the 432 truckloads collected into Gaza by the commercial sector, 137 reportedly carried a mix of items categorized as "other", including to the largest part non-essential items like chocolate or soda cans, compared with just 13 carrying hygiene items and 12 shelter materials. The limited entry of essential items is resulting in highly volatile availability and critically low stock levels, particularly for shelter and hygiene goods. Overall, since October 2025, over 30 per cent of private sector truckloads collected into Gaza carried non essential items instead of nutritious food or other critical supplies, based on the Chamber’s records.

According to the Cash Working Group, prices have largely plateaued since their initial spike following the regional escalation at the end of February 2026, showing little to no week‑on‑week variation, yet remain 30 per cent higher than pre‑escalation levels, effectively doubling the cost of living.

West Bank

Violence and coercive policies and practices in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remain high, causing casualties, damage, and further displacement and raising serious protection concerns.

Two thirds of all Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers recorded in 2026 (22 out of 33, including seven children) occurred since the onset of the regional escalation on 28 February. During the same period, OCHA has documented more than 211 settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage in over 100 communities, with an average of six attacks and roughly four communities affected every day. Six of the eight Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers during settler attacks in 2026 were reported in March alone, marking the second-highest monthly number of such fatalities since OCHA began systematically recording casualties in 2005, after October 2023 (eight fatalities).

Displacement linked to settler violence and access restrictions continues to sharply increase since the beginning of the year and as of 30 March 2026, with more than 1,700 Palestinians displaced of whom over two-thirds were in the Jordan Valley, surpassing the total number of people displaced witnessed in the past three years. Since 2023, more than 5,600 people have been displaced across the West Bank within this context, including from 38 communities that have been completely depopulated.

In East Jerusalem, the demolition of five residential structures in Al Bustan area of Silwan on 30 March displaced 18 people, nearly half of whom children. Al Bustan, home to over 1,500 Palestinians, is the target of an Israeli settlement-related plan to build a Biblical Park in the area entailing the demolition of dozens of Palestinian housing units. Also in Silwan, 15 Palestinian households comprising 70 people, including 29 children, were evicted from their homes in Batn al Hawa last week, to enable the takeover of the properties by Ateret Cohanim, a settler organization whose ownership claims have been upheld by Israeli courts.

Since the regional escalation on 28 February, and as of 31 March, the Palestinian Civil Defense documented at least 396 incidents of falling missile fragments across the West Bank, distributed across multiple governorates. The highest number of incidents were recorded in Ramallah governorate (162), followed by Salfit (53), Nablus (39), Bethlehem (33), Hebron (30), Jenin (16), Qalqiliya (15), Jerusalem (15), Tulkarm (15), and Jericho (9). Of these incidents, eight involved fragments striking educational facilities, including four in Ramallah and one incident in each of Nablus, Salfit, Jenin and Hebron governorates. In addition, at least 27 residential structures sustained damage, particularly in Nablus (9), Bethlehem (6), Hebron (4) and other areas, alongside damage to at least seven vehicles.

Casualties and Settler Attacks

Between 24 and 30 March, seven Palestinians were killed and 76 injured by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including one child, and injured 34 others, including four children. Among the injured were four Palestinians who were attempting to cross the Barrier to reach East Jerusalem or Israel. During the same period, Israeli settlers killed a Palestinian man and injured more than 40 others, including two children.

Since the beginning of 2026, a total of 33 Palestinians, including seven children, were killed by Israeli forces or settlers, including 24 by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers, and one where it remains unknown whether they were killed by Israeli forces or settlers. Two-thirds of the fatalities (22 out of 33) were reported since the regional escalation began on 28 February.

Out of the eight Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers, six were reported in March 2026, marking the second-highest monthly number of Palestinian fatalities by Israeli settlers during settler attacks since OCHA began systematically recording casualties in 2005. The highest monthly total was recorded in October 2023, when eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers during settler attacks.

Below are details of the incidents that resulted in fatalities between 24 and 30 March:

• On 25 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man inside his home in Jabal al Mukabbir in East Jerusalem, during a raid in which three other Palestinians were arrested. His body was withheld. The Israeli police said that an officer shot and killed a man who tried to grab his weapon. The family reported they were informed of his death through an Israeli police announcement.
• On 27 March, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men and injured at least four others during two separate raids in Qalandiya refugee camp, in Jerusalem governorate. In the early morning, forces conducted house searches, during which Palestinians reportedly threw stones and Israeli forces fired live ammunition, injuring four people, including a man who later died of critical injuries. Later that day, immediately following the funeral, forces raided the camp again, including the wake house, and shot and killed a man and injured another person, deployed snipers on rooftops, and imposed a closure on the camp for about four hours. According to Israeli forces, stone throwing by Palestinians was reported at forces.
• On 27 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy and injured a man with live ammunition in Ad Duheisha refugee camp, in Bethlehem governorate. According to community sources, Palestinians threw stones at Israeli forces positioned at the entrance of the camp and the latter opened live fire; the boy was critically injured and later died at the hospital.
• On 30 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at Einav checkpoint, east of Tulkarm city, and withheld his body. The Israeli military said he had endangered troops by accelerating his vehicle toward them.
• On 30 March, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian man at Khursa junction, southwest of Hebron governorate. According to the Israeli military, the man was running with a knife towards troops.
• On 26 March, Israeli settlers shot and killed a 37-year-old Palestinian man and injured two others when Palestinian landowners gathered to protest settlers land takeover near Jannatah (Beit Falouh) village, in Bethlehem governorate. The incident followed a raid by Israeli settlers from a newly established settlement outpost on land belonging to Palestinian families near Khalet An Nahala village, where Israeli settlers had installed a tent and fenced off approximately six dunums of land. During the incident, settlers opened fire toward the crowd, fatally shooting the man in the head. His father was shot in the leg, and his brother was injured after being physically assaulted by settlers with stones. According to the Israeli military, a police investigation has been opened into the attack.

On 28 March, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, a Palestinian man from Nablus city who had been detained since January 2026 died in Israeli custody (his death is not included in the fatality toll cited above). According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) between 7 October 2023 and 31 March 2026, at least 90 Palestinians, including a 17-year-old child, died in Israeli detention, including 56 from the Gaza Strip, 31 from the West Bank and three Palestinian citizens of Israel. In addition, OHCHR has documented that at least five Palestinians from the West Bank have died while in Israeli custody shortly after being shot, injured and arrested by Israeli forces; four in 2024 and one in 2025.

Overall, between 24 and 30 March, OCHA documented at least 44 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians across 35 communities in the West Bank, resulting in casualties, property damage, or both. Most incidents were recorded in Hebron governorate (12), specifically in the southern Hebron governorate and Nablus (12), followed by Tubas (7). These attacks involved arson, stone-throwing, physical assaults, and vandalism of livelihoods, resulting in the killing of one Palestinian man (see above) and the injury of 48 Palestinians (42 by settlers and six by Israeli forces), and damage to 12 vehicles and at least seven homes.

In the Hebron governorate, in three separate attacks: in Shi‘b At Tawani, settlers set fire to a home, destroying it, and displacing a family of seven, including four children; they also attempted to burn another house; in Mantiqat Shi‘b al Butum, settlers tried to break into a Palestinian home and physically assaulted and pepper sprayed a Palestinian woman and a foreign activist who were inside the house; and in the same area, settlers broke into an agricultural structure where a Palestinian man was staying, physically assaulted him, and stole belongings and equipment. In addition, in Burin village, in Nablus governorate, settlers raided a home, broke windows, sprayed pepper gas inside a room where a family was present, injuring two Palestinians, and stole livestock.

Attacks also affected infrastructure and livelihoods. On 25 March, Israeli settlers raided a stone quarry in Sa‘ir village, in Hebron governorate, set fire to heavy machinery, including a bulldozer and a backhoe loader, and stole cables valued at approximately 10,000 NIS (about US$2,700). The owner, who monitored the attack through surveillance cameras, reached the site and extinguished the fire; however, the machinery sustained significant damage.

Displacement due to Demolitions, Evictions and Settler Attacks

Between 24 and 30 March, OCHA documented the demolition of 29 Palestinian-owned structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. About two-thirds of the structures were recorded in Area C (19), eight in East Jerusalem and two in Area B. The structures included 10 homes, eight agricultural and livelihood structures, and two water cisterns. Three of the demolished structures had been provided as humanitarian assistance. In total, 58 Palestinians, including 23 children and 19 women, were displaced, of whom 30 were recorded in three locations in Area C, and the remaining 28 were displaced in East Jerusalem. This follows a slowdown in demolitions during Ramadan (between 19 February and 19 March).

The highest number of displacement and number of structures demolished in a single incident was in Al Bustan area in Silwan, in East Jerusalem, after Israeli authorities bulldozed five residential structures, displacing five households comprising 18 people, including four children and a pregnant woman. While the demolition targeted four residential houses, another house was severely affected and parts of it were destroyed during the demolition of other structures in the neighborhood. According to the affected families, some received only verbal warnings regarding the demolition about a month in advance, while others received demolition orders giving them 21 days for their homes to be demolished by their owners. Al Bustan, home to about 1,500 Palestinians, is the target of an Israeli settlement-related plan entailing the demolition of dozens of Palestinian housing units.

Three additional homes were demolished by their owners in East Jerusalem, including two in Jabal al Mukabbir and one in Sur Bahir. Since the beginning of the year, 78 structures have been demolished in East Jerusalem, which led to displacing 137 people, including 69 children. Out of those, 35 structures were demolished by their owners to avoid high fines.

Protection Cluster partners report a rapidly deteriorating protection environment across Al Bustan, Batn al Hawa, and Wadi Yasul areas in East Jerusalem, where legal remedies have been largely exhausted and many families face imminent risks of eviction and demolition. OCHA conducted field visits and needs assessments, confirming that displaced and at-risk families require emergency shelter, cash assistance, and continued protection services, including mental health and psychosocial support and legal aid. According to the Protection Cluster, high levels of unmet basic needs, including shelter, food, non-food items and cash assistance, are compounding protection risks. At the same time, coping mechanisms are further constrained by limited housing options within East Jerusalem, high rental costs, and risks associated with relocation outside the city – potentially affecting residency rights. The response remains critically constrained by funding shortfalls and overstretched services, leaving needs significantly exceeding available capacity.

On 28 March, Israeli forces demolished with explosives, a house in Area A, south of Nablus city. The house belonged to a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces while allegedly attempting to ram his vehicle into members of Israeli forces near Jit junction, in Qalqiliya governorate, during which an Israeli soldier reportedly killed a fellow soldier by mistake.

So far in the first quarter of 2026, eight structures have been punitively demolished across the West Bank, in areas A and B, resulting in the displacement of 12 households comprising 57 people, including 19 children. This is an average of 19 people displaced by punitive demolitions per month. This rate is consistent with the monthly average in 2025, which was the highest since OCHA began documenting demolitions in 2009.

Between 24 and 30 March, four families comprising 30 people, including 17 children, were forcibly displaced across three communities in Hebron and Tubas governorates due to Israeli settler attacks.

In Hebron, on 24 March, Israeli settlers forcibly displaced two families comprising 14 people, including four children. After midnight, settlers raided the Shi‘b at Tuwani area near At Tuwani village, set fire to and damaged a house, displacing a family of seven, including four children, and attempted to set fire to another home the following morning. The family was absent during the night, and residents, supported by volunteers, extinguished the fire and forced the settlers to leave. In a separate incident, another family of seven was forced to dismantle their residential and animal shelters and leave the Khallet al Mafteeh area near Ad Dhahiriya town, relocating near As Samu’, after settlers attacked the community the previous day and seized about 60 sheep.

In Tubas governorate, on 27 March, a family of 16 people, including 13 children, was forcibly displaced in Area A near Tayasir village. Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, erected a tent on privately owned Palestinian land planted with wheat and onions, setting up a new outpost, approximately 400 metres from a Palestinian home, where 16 people were residing. Israeli forces and settlers physically assaulted a member of the family and forced the entire family to leave. Although Israeli forces later removed the settlers, the latter returned the following day, broke into the family’s house, and took belongings, noting that the family attempted to return to their house, but were prevented by Israeli forces. The family was previously displaced from Hammamat al Maleh in the Jordan Valley due to settler attacks.

Since 1 January 2026, 1,727 Palestinians from 36 communities have been displaced in the context of settler violence and access restrictions, with more than 66 per cent of the displacement recorded in Jordan Valley communities, primarily among Bedouin and herding groups. This figure, recorded in the first three months of 2026, already exceeds the highest annual displacement figure recorded over the past three years (2023-2025), which was documented in 2025 (1,658).

Since January 2023, when OCHA began systematically documenting displacement linked to specific incidents of settler violence, 1,040 Palestinian households – comprising more than 5,600 people, including over 2,600 children – have been displaced across 107 communities and residential areas. Of these, over 3,200 Palestinians were displaced from 38 communities that have since been completely emptied of their Palestinian residents.

Funding

Sources: Financial Tracking System and oPt HF

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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.