Humanitarian Situation Report | 23 April 2026 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

24 Apr 2026

Highlights

An updated mapping by OCHA shows 925 movement obstacles across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – the highest number recorded in the past 20 years and 43 per cent above the two-decade average.
Since January 2023, 45 Palestinian communities have been fully displaced across the West Bank due to settler attacks and related access restrictions, including nine communities in 2026.
In Gaza, two years of escalated hostilities caused development to leap back by an estimated 77 years, a new European Union and United Nations assessment finds.
While major impediments persist, aid entry into Gaza surged considerably between 14 and 20 April, compared with the previous week, attributable, inter alia, to the reopening of Zikim Crossing.
Two UNICEF contractors killed while delivering drinking water in northern Gaza, prompting the suspension of operations at a key filling point.

Overview

Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, people continue to face acute protection, access and humanitarian challenges driven by systemic violence, movement restrictions and the erosion of essential services. Recurrent attacks affecting civilians – including children, aid workers and service providers – drive and sustain displacement and further heighten risks to Palestinians’ safety and wellbeing, particularly for displaced communities, women, girls and others facing intersecting vulnerabilities.

In a new report covering 2025, UN Women notes that across Gaza and the West Bank, women and girls remained in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian protection and assistance, including access to food, clean water, shelter, health care, and education. It warns that women and girls continue to face heightened risks of gender-based violence – particularly older women, those with disabilities or caring for family members with disabilities. The report links those risks to repeated displacement, overcrowded and unsafe living conditions, resource scarcity and the collapse of family and community protective networks. All the while, the report warns, access to services that prevent or respond to gender-based violence remain critically limited. A separate report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warns of harmful coping mechanisms, including child marriage, across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In Gaza, UNFPA warns that such practices are on the rise, accompanied by a surge in adolescent pregnancies.

In the West Bank, sexualized and gender-based violence is occurring “within a coercive environment that contributes to the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities,” according to a recent report by the West Bank Protection Consortium. Communities have reported a “broader pattern of sexualized harassment, intimidation and humiliation, much of which remains underreported,” including conduct that takes “sexualized and gendered forms.” In this context, “more than 70% of displaced households identified threats to women and children, particularly sexualized violence, as the decisive reason for leaving,” highlighting its role as a key driver of displacement. The report further notes that such violence “penetrates domestic space, fractures family life and renders continued civilian residence untenable,” reinforcing the cumulative pressures that lead families to leave their communities.

West Bank

During the reporting period, schools reopened for in-person learning across the West Bank and students have resumed classroom attendance after nearly one month of disrupted schooling due to the regional escalation. While some students were able to access remote learning during this period, significant learning time has been lost, according to the Education Cluster. A key challenge remains supporting children to readjust to structured, in-person learning routines after an extended period of remote education. This transition is affecting attendance, engagement, and overall continuity of learning, particularly for younger students and those who faced limited access to remote modalities.

Educational materials lie scattered on the ground following the demolition of a donor-funded Palestinian school by Israeli settlers in the northern Jordan Valley. Photo by OCHA

Casualties and Settler Attacks

Between 14 and 20 April, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians, including one child, in two separate incidents in Jerusalem and Hebron governorates. The first occurred on 16 April during a raid by Israeli forces in Beit Duqqu village in Jerusalem governorate. The second took place on 18 April near an Israeli settlement in Hebron governorate; according to Israeli forces, the man was inside the Israeli settlement with a knife. The bodies of both Palestinians have been withheld by Israeli authorities.

Outside the reporting period of this section, on 22 April, Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian man during a settler attack in Deir Dibwan town, in Ramallah governorate. On 21 April, four Palestinian fatalities, including two children, were reported. A Palestinian woman died of injuries sustained in 2023 during an Israeli forces’ operation in Jenin Camp. In Al Mughayyir village, in Ramallah governorate, an Israeli settler opened fire toward the village near the school, killing a Palestinian child and injuring two others. Israeli forces subsequently arrived and fired live ammunition, tear gas canisters, and sound grenades. Another Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli settlers near the school. In another incident on 21 April, a Palestinian boy died in a road traffic incident at Beit ‘Einun junction on Road 60 in Hebron governorate after being struck by a vehicle belonging to an Israeli security unit, reportedly securing a ministerial convoy; Israeli police opened an investigation (not counted among the overall number of fatalities by Israeli forces or settlers).

During the same reporting period, at least 55 Palestinians, including nine children, were injured, including 31 by Israeli settlers in settler attacks and 24 by Israeli forces mainly within the context of search operations and other raids by Israeli forces. More than half of Palestinians injured by Israeli settles or forces during settler attacks (18 out 34) were reported in a single incident in Halhul town, in Hebron governorate. During this incident, dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers while they were working on their land. Israeli settlers physically assaulted Palestinians, used pepper spray, and stole agricultural tools. Israeli forces arrived at the scene, declared the area a closed military zone, and detained about 120 Palestinians, later releasing most of them.

Between 14 and 20 April, OCHA documented at least 37 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both, bringing the total number of attacks since the beginning of 2026 to about 680 in over 200 communities. This is an average of six incidents per day. During the reporting period, more than 260 Palestinian-owned trees and saplings and 14 vehicles, including an ambulance, were vandalized, and water pipes were damaged. In addition, at least 170 Palestinian-owned livestock were reportedly stolen by Israeli settlers from two communities in Ramallah governorate.

On 20 April, students in Umm al Khair community, in Hebron governorate, protested after Israeli settlers had blocked the main access route to the local school with a metal fence on 13 April, leaving only an unsafe alternative route passing near a settlement outpost. When students and families previously attempted to access the school, Israeli forces accompanying settlers fired tear gas canisters toward them, affecting 55 students, including 23 girls, who suffered tear gas inhalation and acute stress symptoms; no cases were referred for medical treatment. According to the Education Cluster, the incident highlights children’s exposure to the use of force by Israeli forces and settlers near schools and ongoing risks to safe access to education. In response, three education partners are delivering coordinated support to affected children, including psychosocial services. Education cash assistance for transportation has commenced and will continue through the end of the academic year. The distribution of recreational kits, stationery, and school bags also continues.

Arson attacks by Israeli settlers continued during the reporting period (14-20 April), affecting Palestinian homes, vehicles and agricultural livelihoods across multiple communities. In at least five incidents, settlers set fire to residential structures, including parts of a multi-storey home, agricultural land and assets, resulting in damage to at least two homes, destruction of crops cultivated on several dunums, and the loss of key livelihood items such as equipment, tents and vehicles. An ambulance travelling on a main road was also damaged after settlers threw flammable materials at it.

Access to Water

According to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster, access to water and sanitation services across the West Bank remains constrained due to ongoing settler violence, movement restrictions, demolitions, and damage to infrastructure, particularly in the northern West Bank, Masafer Yatta in Hebron governorate, and other herding communities residing in Area C. These conditions continue to disrupt access of Palestinians to water sources, damage networks and storage structures, and limit service delivery, increasing reliance on short-term interventions such as water trucking.

So far in 2026, Israeli settlers have vandalized over 60 WASH structures and infrastructure, including pipelines, irrigation systems and water tanks, undermining access to water in 32 Palestinian communities.

The impact of these incidents on herding and farming communities is especially acute. For example, on 12 April, Israeli settlers bulldozed at least 300 metres of a main water network near Khirbet ‘Atuf, in Tubas governorate in the northern Jordan Valley, cutting off water supply to more than 20 Palestinian families in the eastern ‘Atuf and Ras al-Ahmar communities. The damage also affected the livelihoods of about 120 farmers in eastern ‘Atuf and 300 farmers in Al-Ras al-Ahmar whose lands are located east of the newly constructed trench, with water supply disconnected for at least 48 hours. Also in the northern Jordan Valley, Israeli settlers continue to destroy water pipelines connected to Ein el Himma Spring in Khirbet Tell el Himma community and restrict the access of Palestinian herders and farmers to the area through physical assaults and intimidation. In Masafer Yatta, water supply to 11 communities has been disrupted since late January, when settlers reportedly interfered with the main transmission pipeline, cutting off access, and was followed by repeated acts of sabotage against the network. In March, efforts to restore water access through the provision of spare parts to service providers enabled the temporary reconnection of a damaged main pipeline. However, the pipeline was reportedly damaged again within 12 hours, resulting in renewed disruption of supply and continued reliance on emergency water trucking.

To mitigate the impact of these violent incidents, WASH Cluster partners continue to implement a range of emergency and resilience-focused interventions. In March, 10 partners reached about 29,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other crisis-affected people across 73 communities with emergency interventions while continuing to explore more sustainable solutions where access permits. Key interventions included: delivering 2,528 cubic metres of water through trucking; installing or rehabilitating 6,864 metres of water networks; providing 636 water storage tanks; rehabilitating 23 cisterns; installing or repairing 157 latrines; desludging 1,660 cubic metres of wastewater; and distributing 338 hygiene kits.

Displacement

During the reporting period, between 14 and 20 April, OCHA triggered emergency response to the demolition of 40 Palestinian-owned structures, including 14 homes, for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. These included 33 structures in Area C, displacing five families of 23 people, including 15 children, and seven structures (all homes) demolished by their owners in East Jerusalem, displacing 35 people, including 11 children.

Just over half of the structures (17) and all displacement (23 people) in Area C were in the community of Az Za'ayyem Bedouins in the Jerusalem governorate. Az Za’ayyem Bedouin is among 18 communities of over 4,000 people residing in an area designated for the E1 settlement plan in eastern Jerusalem governorate by Israeli authorities to create a continuous built-up area between Ma’ale Adumim settlement and Jerusalem.

In addition, a Palestinian family of eight people, including three children, was displaced on 14 April in a herding community in Hebron governorate, due to recurrent settler attacks. Settler attacks have accounted for about 75 per cent of displacement across the West Bank in 2026, further intensifying the coercive environment and heightening the risk of forcible transfer.

In another incident (outside the reporting period), on 21 April, Israeli settlers, believed to be from a newly-established settlement outpost near Tayasir checkpoint in Tubas governorate in the northern Jordan Valley, raided the Hammamat al Maleh community, and demolished at least two residential structures and an elementary, donor-funded school that served approximately 60 children from surrounding herding communities. In addition, the last three remaining Palestinian households in the community, comprising 15 people including six children, were fully displaced. This is one of six communities that have been fully displaced in Tubas governorate since 2023 due to settler attacks and access restrictions.

Since January 2023, 116 communities across the West Bank have experienced full or partial displacement due to settler attacks and related access restrictions, predominantly in Bedouin and herding communities in Area C. These include 45 communities comprising over 3,500 people that have been fully displaced, including 14 communities in 2023 (10 of them in the aftermath of 7 October), 10 in 2024, 12 in 2025 and nine so far in 2026. In total, more than 5,800 Palestinians have been displaced within this context, including about 1,960 people in 2026.

Access and Movement Restrictions

On 23 April, OCHA released the findings of a field survey conducted in December 2025, where it documented 925 movement obstacles that permanently or intermittently restrict the movement of 3.4 million Palestinians across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This is 43 per cent more than the annual average of 647 movement obstacles in the preceding 20 years. Checkpoints and road gates comprise nearly 60 per cent of movement obstacles, signaling the increasing entrenchment of movement restrictions. Combined with the long-standing impact of the Barrier and its associated regime, movement restrictions continue to undermine Palestinians’ access to essential services, such as health care and education.

On at least three occasions in March 2026, Israeli forces installed movement obstacles across Nablus, Salfit, and Tubas governorates, disrupting access to services, homes, and livelihoods. In Al Lubban ash Sharqiya in Nablus governorate, Israeli forces blocked with cement blocks a road that affected students’ vehicular access to schools in the area. In Deir Ballut in Salfit governorate, a roadblock restricted the movement of four families to their homes. In Khirbet ‘Atuf in Tubas governorate, Israeli forces installed two gates that forced 32 families in the area to rely on less accessible routes to reach their homes, essential services and farmland.

For further reading on this see:

Further details on key incidents in the West Bank are provided in Annex 2.

For key figures and additional breakdowns of casualties, displacement and settler violence between January 2005 and March 2026, please refer to the OCHA West Bank March 2026 Snapshot.

Gaza Strip

Living conditions across the Gaza Strip remain dire, with most people still displaced, exposed to rising public health risks (see below) and ongoing strikes that cause civilian harm. Over the past week, reports of gunfire, shelling and strikes have increased significantly.

Data by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza indicates that between 15 and 21 April, 18 Palestinians were killed, three died of wounds, one body was retrieved, and 79 people were injured. This brings the overall reported casualty toll since the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October 2025 to 786 fatalities and 2,217 injuries. Another 196 fatalities were retroactively added to the total number after their identification details were approved by MoH.

Aid workers and other providers of critical services have not been spared. On 17 April, during routine work to deliver drinking water to displaced communities, two civilian contractors operating on behalf of UNICEF were killed, and two others were injured. In a statement, UNICEF said the contractors were killed by Israeli fire at the Mansoura drinking water filling station in northern Gaza.

In a separate statement, the Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory condemned the killing, reminded the obligation set in international humanitarian law to protect civilians, and called for immediate measures to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian operations.

The incident forced UNICEF to suspend water collection at that location until security conditions are restored. Since that was the primary operational filling point from the Mekorot water pipeline from Israel, serving Gaza city, mitigation measures were critical; partners have therefore increased water collection from alternative sources, including private desalination plants.

On 20 April, the European Union and the United Nations released the final Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, jointly concluded with the World Bank. The assessment finds that over 24 months of escalated hostilities caused catastrophic levels of infrastructure damage and destruction, with the total recovery and reconstruction needs estimated at US$71.4 billion over the next decade. Physical infrastructure damage is assessed at $35.2 billion, alongside $22.7 billion in economic and social losses, with housing, health, education, commerce and agriculture among the hardest hit sectors. According to the new assessment, over 370,000 housing units and nearly all schools have been destroyed or damaged, more than half of hospitals are non functional, and Gaza’s economy has contracted by 84 per cent. Overall, human development in Gaza is assessed to have leaped back by 77 years. The authors of the report call for recovery efforts to run in parallel with humanitarian response and to be Palestinian led and aligned with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.

Aid workers applying pest-control measures at a displacement site in Gaza. Photo by UNRWA

Pests, rodents and public health

Vector-borne risks linked to the proximity of solid waste accumulation to displacement sites remain high. Rodents, cockroaches, flies, and other pests are proliferating and contributing to the spread of disease. Between 14 and 19 April, the Site Management Cluster coordinated fumigation across 21 designated emergency shelters and 30 nearby displacement sites in Rafah and Khan Younis, benefiting approximately 35,000 people (6,950 families). Fumigation activities in Khan Younis have been completed, while implementation in Rafah is ongoing. The Israeli authorities have approved the import of essential pesticides, insecticides, and equipment to support implementation of the plan. Other interventions are ongoing.

For more information, see the section on rodents, pests and public health in last week’s report.

Incoming supplies

Between 14 and 20 April, according to UN 2720 Mechanism data retrieved at 19:00 on 23 April, approximately 17,400 pallets of UN and partners’ aid were offloaded at the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. Of these supplies, nearly 70 per cent consisted of food assistance, followed by shelter items (24 per cent), health supplies (3 per cent), nutrition supplies (2 per cent), and WASH supplies (1 per cent). This marks a significant increase compared with the previous week, when about 7,400 pallets were offloaded, attributable, inter alia, to the reopening of Zikim Crossing for collections on 13 April.

During the same period, nearly 12,900 pallets of UN and partners’ aid were collected for onward distribution inside Gaza, compared with about 9,200 pallets the previous week.

At Ashdod Port, scanning capacity remains limited, with only 40 to 60 aid containers scanned per day - below the communicated and desirable target of between 80 and 100. Overall, between 14 and 19 April, only 48 per cent of UN and partner truckloads manifested via Ashdod offloaded at Kerem Shalom or Zikim due a low scanning throughout. The offloading rate via Egypt remained stable at 73 per cent, while 91 per cent of the trucks manifested from Israel (excluding Ashdod port) and 100 per cent of those from the West Bank offloaded at Kerem Shalom.

The Logistics Cluster has expanded common storage capacity inside Gaza to over 15,500 square metres across 12 warehouses, strengthening partners’ ability to manage incoming supplies.

All data presented so far in this section, on incoming supplies, refers to humanitarian cargo tracked by the UN 2720 mechanism; as such, it does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.

For more information on incoming supplies, see the online UN 2720 Mechanism Dashboard.

With regards to the commercial sector, data shared by the Gaza Chamber of Commerce with the Cash Working Group suggests that between 13 and 19 April, a total of 843 truckloads of commercial goods were collected into the Strip – more than double the quantity collected the week prior. Of the 843 trucks, the majority comprised food supplies, 75 carried shelter items, 52 hygiene supplies, 25 cooking gas and one solid fuel, while over 23 per cent comprised items classified as “other,” including soft drinks, biscuits, chips, noodles, spices, jellies and sweets, instant coffee, nuts, chocolate-hazelnut spread, flavored milk, caramel cream and breadcrumbs.

Prices have started declining, indicating a market correction since the spikes registered at the beginning of the regional escalation when all crossings were temporarily closed. However, they remain significantly higher than prior to October 2023 levels, and elevated even compared with the period between the 10 October 2025 ceasefire declaration and the beginning of the regional escalation on 28 February 2026.

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

Fuel Supply

Between 16 and 21 April, UNOPS facilitated the entry of just over 500,000 litres of diesel into Gaza and distributed over 800,000 litres (including from stocks that entered before that period) in support of humanitarian operations.

Funding

Sources: Financial Tracking System and oPt HF

Annexes

Annex 1: Humanitarian Operations in the Gaza Strip by Cluster

This section covers 14 to 19 April unless otherwise specified.

Food Security

Between 1 and 19 April, Food Security partners provided general food assistance at the household level to more than 154,000 families (approximately 600,000 people) as part of the April monthly distribution cycle. Each family received two parcels, one 25-kilogram flour bag and 2.5 kilograms of high energy biscuits, covering 75 per cent of minimum caloric needs. Additional caloric needs are covered through other modalities.
As of 15 April, partners continued to prepare and serve almost 1.14 million meals every day through 122 kitchens. This includes 799,000 daily meals produced in northern Gaza and 830,000 meals in the south. Partners are working to focus more on delivery to hard-to-reach and underserved areas. Compared with late March, daily meal production has decreased by 24 per cent, largely due to the scale-down of some partners' activities in light of the diversification of aid modalities for the sector.
Every day, at least 290 metric tons of bread, representing 35 per cent of the estimated bread needs in the Gaza Strip, are produced with the support of Food Security partners. This bread is either distributed free of charge or sold at subsidized prices across the Strip. Production is carried out in collaboration with more than 30 commercial bakeries, as well as partners’ own baking facilities and community ovens.
Food Security partners, as well as bilateral government actors, continue distributing flour to enable families to bake bread at home. However, to sustainably improve bread availability across the Strip, humanitarian-supported bread production and flour distribution alone are insufficient. Commercial flour must be allowed to enter Gaza at scale to enable commercial bakeries to produce bread for sale on the local market.
Another round of animal feed distribution began on 15 April. As of 18 April, approximately 1,100 of the 2,200 targeted herders had been assisted, each receiving three 50-kilogram bags of feed, while distributions are ongoing.

Nutrition

Between 1 and 15 April, based on initial partner reporting, Nutrition Cluster partners screened 40,819 children aged 6–59 months for acute malnutrition, of whom 1,580 (four per cent) were admitted for treatment. This includes 261 children (0.64 per cent) diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
During the same timeframe, 34 children aged 6–59 months were admitted to stabilization centres for the treatment of SAM with medical complications, alongside 39 infants under six months of age at risk of poor growth, while 924 other infants were newly enrolled to receive ready-to-use infant formula.
Between 1 and 15 April, partners screened 30,358 pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), of whom 997 (three per cent) were admitted for acute malnutrition treatment.
Provision of preventive nutrition services continued at scale. From 1 and 15 April, partners supported 6,436 malnourished PBW through the targeted supplementary feeding programme, while blanket supplementary feeding reached 86,323 children aged 6–59 months and 30,647 PBW with medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements. These were delivered through a network of 281 active distribution sites.
Some 30,886 PBW and other caregivers received either group or individual counselling on infant and young child feeding in emergencies.

Health

As of 17 April, 273 health service points, representing just above 43 per cent of all mapped facilities functional prior to October 2023, were operational across the Gaza Strip, the majority only partially. These include 19 hospitals, 13 field hospitals, 117 primary health-care centres and 124 medical points. Geographically, services availability is highest in Deir al Balah (92), followed by Gaza governorate (86), Khan Younis (79), North Gaza (10), and Rafah (6).
Service delivery remained high, with health partners providing an average of approximately 276,000 consultations per week between 1 and 21 April, up from around 271,000 per week in March, indicating sustained demand despite ongoing operational constraints.

For more information, see the online Heath Cluster Dashboard.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Total water production in Gaza has remained stable, despite reduced supply through the Deir al Balah (Bani Saeed) Mekorot line from Israel and low production from the Deir al Balah Seawater Desalination Plant (short-term and low volume plant).
Critical concerns remain regarding energy availability for water production. Shortages of fuel, lubricating oil, consumables, and spare parts pose a serious risk of shutdown for critical generators that provide life-saving water services across Gaza.

On WASH operations addressing health risks associated with pests and rodents, see a dedicated section above.

Shelter

Between 14 and 19 April, Shelter Cluster partners provided life-saving shelter and NFI assistance through in-kind and voucher-based modalities to 9,120 households across the Gaza Strip. Distributions included 1,592 tarpaulins, 2,907 bedding kits, 179 sealing-off kits, 9,742 mattresses, eight kitchen sets, as well as 798 clothing kits delivered through cash and voucher assistance.
Partners continued supporting households affected by the March rainfall through the Rapid Joint Distribution Mechanism, providing 570 families with emergency shelter and essential household items, including 315 tarpaulins and 465 clothing kits.
The Shelter Cluster finalized and published the Social Vulnerability Scoring Tool, developed jointly with the Protection Cluster, to strengthen prioritization based on intersectional vulnerabilities and complement technical shelter assessments.
Pipeline constraints due to administrative impediments continue to significantly limit the response, with delays in the approval of critical materials such as solar lights, timber for framing kits, and tools. These items are essential to scale up priority interventions, including shelter repairs, upgrades of makeshift structures, and support to early recovery efforts.

For more information, see the Shelter Cluster website.

Protection

Between 14 and 19 April, partners offered protection services to almost 14,000 people. Services expanded gradually across displacement sites, particularly in North Gaza, using a mix of fixed-site support, shelters, community spaces, and mobile outreach to adapt to access and security constraints. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) remained a core focus, reaching over 5,000 people through psychological first aid (PFA), support groups, and counseling. Specialized case management assisted more than 120 people with complex needs. Partners provided disability-inclusive services such as assistive device provisions and safe space programming to over 450 people, and legal assistance to more than 400, while community engagement activities to sensitize households on protection risks reached over 600 people through safe spaces and outreach initiatives.
Protection-linked intersectoral assistance continued during the reporting period, with approximately 580 households receiving cash assistance, more than 1,800 received relief and in-kind distributions, and over 1,700 received vouchers to purchase clothing. These interventions reflect the integration of protection services with material assistance to address immediate needs and reduce exposure to protection risks.
As part of the response for Palestinian returnees through Egypt, the Protection Desk team in Khan Younis supported 337 returnees between 14 and 19 April, bringing the total number of returnees assisted since the reopening of the Rafah Crossing on 2 February to 1,545.
Protection monitoring activities continued, with partners conducting 20 focus group discussions and 200 key informant interviews across 15 neighbourhoods, reaching approximately 2,320 people. Findings indicate that protection risks remain driven by deteriorating shelter conditions, unsafe WASH facilities, and increasing barriers to accessing food and essential services, particularly for elderly people and persons with disabilities.

For more information, see the online Protection Cluster dashboard.

Child Protection

Between 14 and 19 April, child protection partners provided about 10,000 children and caregivers with structured group MHPSS sessions, individual counselling, mind-body therapy, expressive arts, recreational and resilience-building activities, speech therapy, and family-based psychosocial support. In addition, over 500 people received specialized counselling and consultations, including PFA and targeted support for high-risk children.
Over 320 children facing heightened protection risks received targeted case management support, including identification, assessment, and referrals to specialized services such as health and education.
Over 7,000 children received in-kind assistance, including hygiene kits, clothing, and recreational kits to support well-being and engagement. At least 50 children received child protection cash or voucher assistance, provided as targeted support to address urgent protection needs and reduce reliance on negative coping mechanisms, such as child marriage and child labour.
Community-based explosive ordnance risk education reached more than 5,700 people, while child protection awareness sessions benefited over 1,600 people. Activities also included parenting sessions, safety messaging, youth engagement initiatives, child safety walks, and safety mapping exercises, with at least 100 children participating in structured activities to identify and mitigate protection risks within displacement settings.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

Between 14 and 19 April, partners addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) focused on capacity-building activities. These included a workplan review and validation workshop with 48 participants from 33 organizations, a one-day Case Management Task Force session with 19 members from 10 organizations on managing complex GBV cases, and three two-day trainings on MHPSS and GBV, reaching over 60 participants in Gaza city, Deir al Balah, and Khan Younis.
The GBV Area of Responsibility delivered a session to Food Security Sector members on identifying GBV risks within food assistance activities.
In terms of service delivery, partners reached over 10,000 people through 68 women and girls’ safe spaces, two designated emergency shelters, and 11 additional service delivery points across the Strip. Services included group MHPSS sessions, individual GBV case management with cash for protection assistance, and dignity kit distributions. Several cases were identified through hotlines and referrals from other sectors. Partners reported an increase in GBV incidents in displacement sites, including life threatening physical violence. Women and girls remain highly vulnerable due to economic stress, displacement, and poor living conditions at the sites.
Regarding emerging needs, partners reported high demand from women and girls for economic empowerment and psychosocial support activities. Ongoing challenges include movement restrictions affecting frontline service providers and people in need, as well as the high cost of materials required to facilitate activities in women and girls’ safe spaces.

Mine Action

Between 14 and 19 April, partners conducted 104 explosive hazard assessments in support of debris removal and other partner activities, and six emergency response team missions.
Explosive ordnance risk education activities continued between 9 and 16 April, reaching almost 11,900 people in Gaza city, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
Between 14 and 19 April, the incident tracking database recorded one accident that involved explosive ordnance, leading to one Palestinian killed. Since the beginning of the year, 21 accidents have been recorded, leading to 36 Palestinians injured and four killed.

Education

Between 14 and 19 April, partners distributed 212 cartons of school supplies across eight temporary learning spaces (TLSs) - two in Deir al Balah and six in North Gaza - benefiting 8,480 children. In addition, education partners provided early childhood development kits to two TLSs in Deir al Balah, supporting 350 pre-school children, while 450 children received recreational kits to promote structured play activities.
To expand access to learning, partners installed 36 high-performance tents across six TLSs – two in accessible areas of Rafah and four in southern Khan Younis. These improved learning spaces are expected to increase student attendance, as they offer better protection from harsh weather, particularly with the onset of summer heat.
Despite these efforts, access to learning materials remains severely constrained. Since 11 April, no educational supplies have entered Gaza. Combined with overcrowded learning spaces and limited instructional time, these constraints are exacerbating learning poverty, with many enrolled children unable to acquire foundational skills, including reading and comprehension.
Funding shortfalls continue to limit the expansion of learning opportunities, including the provision of teacher incentives and remuneration, which are essential to scaling up education services.
Access to water within TLSs is becoming increasingly problematic. Limited water storage capacity continues to adversely affect the learning environment and overall conditions within these spaces.

For more information, see the online Education Cluster page.

Emergency Telecommunications

The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), in partnership with the Palestinian NGO Network, launched the Humanitarian Hub Connectivity Portal, improving humanitarian access to internet connectivity, particularly in northern Gaza. In addition, the ETC contributed to and coordinated the rollout of Radio Insan (First Response Radio) across several coordination platforms.

Annex 2: Key Incidents in the West Bank, 14-20 April 2026

On 14 April, a Palestinian family of eight, including three children, was forcibly displaced from their community near Ad Dhahiriya, in Hebron governorate, after being subjected to repeated harassment and threats by Israeli settlers believed to be from a nearby settlement outpost, leaving behind their residential shelters and animal structures.
On 14 April, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian families in Khirbet al Marajem community near Duma village in Nablus governorate. According to the local community sources, a group of armed settlers attacked two houses, broke the security camera, electricity cable, and water pipes. There were no injuries reported.
On 16 April, Israeli forces killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian child during a five-hour raid by Israeli forces in Beit Duqqu village, in Jerusalem governorate, where they closed the village’s entrances. Palestinians threw stones and Israeli forces fired live ammunition, sound and tear gas canisters. Two Palestinians were injured, including the child, who was taken into Israeli custody and later pronounced dead. Three Palestinians were arrested.
On 17 April, Israeli settlers believed to be from an Israeli settlement outpost nearby attacked houses in Asira al Qibliya village, in Nablus governorate. Settlers threw inflammable material at a three-story house, partially damaging and burning the storage door and an electric generator, and set fire to two parked vehicles.
On 17 April, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian house in Beitin village, in Ramallah governorate, injuring an elderly Palestinian man and causing property damage. According to local sources, a group of Israeli settlers broke into a house at the entrance of the village and assaulted the elderly couple residing there. The man was beaten with sticks and stones, sustaining chest and leg injuries, including fractures. Settlers also damaged two windows, destroyed a cement-block wall surrounding the house, and threw stones at a family-owned parked vehicle, damaging its windshield.
On 18 April, Israeli forces killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian man near the Israeli settlement of Negohot, in Hebron governorate. Israeli forces stated that the man was inside the Israeli settlement with a knife.
On 18 April, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian house, burned a vehicle, and damaged another house during an attack in Turmusa'yya village, in Ramallah governorate. According to local sources, Israeli settlers, believed to be from nearby settlement outposts, entered the outskirts of the village and threw flammable materials into an uninhabited house and a nearby parked vehicle, setting both ablaze. Later, settlers attacked another inhabited house, damaging the main gate motor and breaking two windows. They also sprayed threatening revenge graffiti on the walls of the houses. No injuries were reported.
On 19 April, Israeli settlers believed to be from Evyatar settlement outpost attempted to set fire to an ambulance near Beita town, in Nablus governorate. According to the affected paramedical staff and video footage, while the ambulance was travelling on the main road, a group of masked Israeli settlers approached it and threw flammable material and stones, damaging the windshield, one side mirror, and the front exterior of the vehicle. No injuries were reported.
On 20 April, a group of masked Israeli settlers, believed to be from Evyatar settlement outpost, attacked a Palestinian house and vandalized vehicles in Beita town, in Nablus governorate. According to local sources, some settler, including armed individuals, entered the eastern part of the town and attacked a Palestinian house, damaging the outer gate of the yard and vandalizing a vehicle parked inside using stones and wooden sticks. Later the same day, another group of settlers entered the southern side of the town and attacked three Palestinian houses. The settlers threw stones at the houses, vandalized an electricity pole – disrupting power to approximately 10 Palestinian homes – and damaged two water connections belonging to two of the affected houses before withdrawing from the area.

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

Humanitarian Situation Report | 23 April 2026