Humanitarian Situation Update #288 | Gaza Strip

The Humanitarian Situation Updates on the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank are both issued every Wednesday. The Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Updates will be published on 21 May.

Key Highlights

• The blockade, new displacement orders, and ongoing bombardments, including on tents, hospitals and schools, continue to drive a growing number of casualties, displacement and extreme levels of deprivation across Gaza.
• In a briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation and the protection of aid workers in Gaza, the UN Relief Chief, Tom Fletcher, called for decisive action to prevent genocide in Gaza.
• Strikes on the two main hospitals in Khan Younis have further crippled an already decimated health care system, triggering renewed calls for the protection of civilians, including medical personnel, and medical facilities in line with international humanitarian law.
• Three quarters of the population in Gaza are projected to face emergency or catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity under a reasonable worst-case scenario of a protracted and large-scale military operation and continuation of the full blockade. Under this scenario, key indicators of food insecurity, acute malnutrition and mortality would surpass the IPC famine thresholds.

Humanitarian Developments

• Since 2 March 2025, and for the past 74 days, Israeli authorities have imposed a full blockade on Gaza, bringing to a near-standstill humanitarian efforts to protect and assist civilians through the provision of commodities. In parallel, since 18 March 2025, Israeli forces have escalated bombardment from the air, land and sea across the Gaza Strip and expanded ground operations. This has resulted in hundreds of casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and large-scale displacement. With no safe place to go, over 436,000 people are estimated to have been displaced again since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March and as of 13 May, according to the Site Management Cluster (SMC). People have been confined to ever-shrinking spaces, with 71 per cent of the Gaza Strip now within Israeli-militarized zones or were placed under displacement orders since 18 March. Strikes on residential buildings, tents for internally displaced people (IDPs) and hospitals have been reported, alongside detonation of buildings. Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups has been reported.
• In his briefing to the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation and the protection of aid workers in Gaza on 13 May 2025, Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, stated that the UN has “briefed this Council in great detail on the extensive civilian harm that [humanitarians] witness daily: death, injury, destruction, hunger, disease, torture, other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, repeated displacement, on a large scale. [Humanitarians] have described the deliberate obstruction of aid operations and the systematic dismantling of Palestinian life, and that which sustains it, in Gaza.” He called on Security Council members to demand that this situation ends, stop arming it, and insist on accountability. He called on the Israeli authorities to stop killing and injuring civilians, lift the blockade, and let humanitarians save lives. He called on Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups to release all hostages immediately and unconditionally and to stop putting civilians at risk during military operations.
• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 7 and 14 May, as of noon, 275 Palestinians were killed and 949 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 14 May 2025, the MoH in Gaza reported that at least 52,928 Palestinians were killed and 119,846 Palestinians were injured. This includes 2,799 people killed and 7,805 injured since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March 2025, according to MoH.
• Attacks on aid workers and medical personnel in Gaza continue to be reported. On 4 May, a volunteer pharmacist with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund was killed along with her entire family in Gaza city. On 7 May, another health professional (midwife) working for Al Awda Health and Community Association was killed, along with her family, when their house was struck in North Gaza. Since 7 October 2023, at least 430 aid workers, including 305 UN staff, have been killed. This includes 151 female and 276 male aid workers, as of the end of April 2025. Moreover, MoH has reported that more than 1,400 healthcare workers have been killed. Calling on the international community to take immediate action to protect Gaza’s healthcare workers, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said that “Gaza’s health system is being systematically dismantled, making it impossible to sustain Palestinian life in Gaza.” A surgeon told MAP: “Nowhere is safe. (…) My message is the same one we’ve been repeating for more than a year and a half: medical teams who continue to care for patients and remain at their posts under these devastating conditions must be protected.”
• Hospitals continue to come under attack. On 13 May, Israeli forces hit both Nasser and the European Gaza hospitals, the two main hospitals in Khan Younis. The director of field hospitals at the MoH, Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, reported that this is the second attack on Nasser Hospital within two months. It rendered 40 inpatient beds and 10 intensive care unit beds out of service. The hospital’s director informed WHO that two people were killed and 12 others, including patients and medical staff, were injured. A journalist was targeted and killed in the attack while he was receiving treatment in his hospital bed following an injury he sustained when a tent for journalists was previously hit. On the same day, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Suzanna Tkalec, visited the hospital, where she spoke with staff and a team of international doctors; she stressed that these attacks are unacceptable and must stop and that healthcare facilities and those serving them must always be protected. On the same day, Israeli forces targeted the European Gaza Hospital with a series of airstrikes, hitting the internal yards and the hospital’s surroundings. Nineteen people, including five females, were reportedly killed and more than 40 were injured, including four journalists. The spokesman of the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) reported that the rescue teams have retrieved 28 fatalities. He added that two members of their team were injured when they were subsequently targeted while trying to rescue injured people from a residential house near the hospital. The team had to withdraw from the house without being able to help injured people who were trapped inside. Following the attack, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) operating at the hospital had to suspend the outpatient consultations and reduce the number of MSF staff in the facility.
• Between 7 October 2023 and 7 May 2025, WHO documented 686 health attacks in the Gaza Strip, affecting 122 health facilities and 180 ambulances. These include several incidents that have been reported since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March, which led to the destruction of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, damage to the surgical ward at Nasser hospital, damage to the intensive care unit (ICU) department and the solar panels at Al-Durrah Hospital that rendered it out of service, and destruction of the emergency building and other facilities at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Furthermore, according to WHO, at least 38 health service points are located within designated evacuation zones, with 110 more within a one-kilometer radius, threatening access to health care across the Strip. In Rafah, there are no functioning primary or secondary health care services; only limited health care services are provided by the ICRC and UAE field hospitals and two medical points, with access constrained by security risks.
• On five occasions between 7 and 12 May, three schools sheltering IDPs were reportedly hit in Gaza city and North Gaza governorate. One school turned shelter in Gaza city was hit three times on 7 and 8 May, resulting in the reported killing of 21 people and the injury of many others. On 10 May, another school was hit in Gaza city, resulting in the reported killing of two people. On 12 May, a school sheltering IDPs was hit in North Gaza, resulting in the reported killing of 16 people, including six children. According to the latest assessment by the Education Cluster, 62 per cent of school buildings that have been used by IDPs as shelters were directly hit (see below).
• Between 7 and 14 May, other incidents resulting in fatalities were reported across the Gaza Strip, including the following:
  • On 7 May, at about 17:00, five Palestinians, including a child, were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza.
  • On 7 May, at about 23:00, five Palestinians, including a child, were reportedly killed and five others injured, while others were reportedly missing, when a residential building was hit southwest of Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza. During the rescue operations, a paramedic was reportedly injured after part of the building collapsed.
  • On 8 May, at about 18:23, four Palestinians, including a girl and a boy, were reportedly killed and at least 20 others injured when a shop inside a family house was hit near Salah Al Deen Road in An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 9 May, at about 01:41, three Palestinians, including a boy and a woman, were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was hit in eastern An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 11 May, at about 00:55, four Palestinians (a married couple and their two children) were reportedly killed when an IDP tent was hit in eastern Khan Younis.
  • On 12 May, at midnight, three Palestinians (a married couple and their child) were reportedly killed when an IDP tent was hit in Jabalya, in North Gaza.
  • On 14 May, at about 01:30, 19 people, including nine women and nine children, were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Jabalya refugee camp, in North Gaza.
  • On 14 May, at about 01:30, 15 people, including nine children and three women, were reportedly killed when two apartments were hit in Jabalya refugee camp, in North Gaza.
  • On 14 May, at about 02:15, nine Palestinians, including a married couple, their two sons and two daughters and three of their grandchildren, were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was hit in Al Fukhkhari area, in eastern Khan Younis.
• Between 8 and 14 May, two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 14 May 2025, according to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,614 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. This includes 414 soldiers killed, in addition to 2,663 soldiers injured, in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation in October 2023. These include seven soldiers killed and 77 injured since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March 2025.
• On 12 May, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the transfer of a hostage from Gaza to Israeli authorities. This was the first release operation since the ceasefire ended on 1 March. During the ceasefire, between 19 January and 1 March 2025, 25 Israeli and five Thai hostages, the bodies of eight Israeli hostages, two of whom were children, and 1,777 Palestinian detainees were released. As of 14 May, it is estimated that 58 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including hostages who have been declared dead and whose bodies are being withheld.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) snapshot on the Gaza Strip, which was published on 12 May, the entire population of 2.1 million people is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between 11 May and the end of September 2025, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation, noting that the results mark a significant deterioration compared with the previous IPC analysis of October 2024. “With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible- It is increasingly likely,” the IPC warned. Key findings and projections of the IPC analysis are summarized below:
  • The analysis explains that renewed military operations following the ceasefire, widespread displacement, collapsed food systems and the ongoing blockade have further disrupted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, health, water and sanitation services, and caused additional damage to remaining essential infrastructure. The analysis highlights that, based on recent data, many households are resorting to extreme coping strategies: “A third reported collecting garbage to sell for food, while a quarter indicated that no valuable garbage remains.”
  • The analysis projects that between 11 May and the end of September 2025, the entire population of Gaza is facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (IPC 3 and above), including over a million people (54 per cent) expected to be in the emergency phase (IPC Phase 4) and 470,000 people (22 per cent) facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 5).
  • The analysis projects that 71,000 children aged 6 to 59 months and nearly 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to require urgent treatment for acute malnutrition between April 2025 and March 2026. It highlights that Gaza, North Gaza and Rafah governorates are anticipated to be in Phase 4 (critical) for acute malnutrition while Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates will reach Phase 3 (serious). According to the analysis, contributing factors for acute malnutrition include inadequate dietary intake, severely limited access to health and nutrition services, and critical gaps in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
  • The analysis provides insights into potential famine under the reasonable worst-case-scenario where food insecurity, acute malnutrition and mortality would surpass the IPC Phase 5 (famine) thresholds: “In a scenario of a protracted and large-scale military operation and continuation of the humanitarian and commercial blockade, there would be a critical lack of access to supplies and services that are essential to survival. This scenario would likely result in further mass displacement within and across governorates. The vast majority of people in the Gaza Strip would not have access to food, water, shelter, and medicine. This would exacerbate civil unrest and competition over remaining scarce resources, further eroding whatever limited community coping and support mechanisms remain. The remaining health services would fully collapse due to lack of personnel and supplies, including for the treatment of acute malnutrition and provision of vaccines needed to prevent disease outbreaks. Lack of treatment options for communicable and non-communicable diseases would lead to the rapid deterioration of the health and nutrition status of the population. Lack of clean water, collapse of the solid waste system and overcrowding, would worsen health conditions and increase morbidity among children and adults.”
  • To prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into famine, the IPC Global Initiative calls for: an immediate and sustained cessation of hostilities; unhindered and sustained humanitarian access; the protection of civilians, aid workers and civilian infrastructure; the provision of life-saving aid through multi-sectoral integrated interventions - including food, nutrition, health WASH, and livelihood assistance; and the at-scale restoration of commercial supply, essential services, market systems and local food production systems.
• Commenting on the IPC snapshot, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed: “The risk of famine does not arrive suddenly. It unfolds in places where access to food is blocked, where health systems are decimated, and where children are left without the bare minimum to survive. Hunger and acute malnutrition are a daily reality for children across the Gaza Strip,” adding that they have “repeatedly warned of this trajectory and call again on all parties to prevent a catastrophe.” Similarly, the UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) Executive Director, Cindy McCain, highlighted that “[f]amilies in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border. We can’t get it to them because of the renewed conflict and the total ban on humanitarian aid imposed in early March,” urging the international community to act to bring aid into Gaza because if “we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people.” The World Health Organization (WHO) additionally underlined that the long-term impact of malnutrition “can last a lifetime in the form of stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and poor health,” warning that “[w]ithout enough nutritious food, clean water, and access to health care, an entire generation will be permanently affected.”
• With alarming deterioration in food insecurity and looming famine, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urged immediate access to save livelihoods and food production. “The international community must act now. The immediate restoration of access to humanitarian and commercial supplies at scale is critical. Every delay deepens hunger and accelerates starvation, bringing us closer to famine,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. Since October 2023, the commercial production of livestock has largely been destroyed, with only limited household-level production for self-consumption remaining that is vital for households' food security, as it provides the last accessible source of milk, eggs and meat. FAO has estimated that the number of sheep is down to 36 per cent, goats to 39 per cent, cattle to 3.8 per cent, layers and broilers to 1.4 per cent, and working animals to 79.5 per cent. However, following the ban on all humanitarian and commercial supplies on 2 March, an additional 20 to 30 per cent of livestock are predicted to have perished. FAO underscores that without feed and veterinary kits, this will not only result in further loss of critical food sources, but untreated animals also pose serious public health risks by becoming vectors for disease. FAO notes that a new FAO-UNOSAT assessment is currently under way and early indications suggest a further reduction in usable agricultural land, leaving little space to preserve or restore livelihoods. As highlighted by the IPC, food assistance alone will not prevent famine, underscoring the importance of a multi-sectoral and integrated humanitarian response, including nutrition, health, WASH assistance and restoring, at scale, local food production, markets and commercial supply.
• According to a new assessment by the Education Cluster, which relies on satellite imagery collected on 4 April 2025, nearly 88.8 per cent of school buildings in the Gaza Strip (501 out of 564) have been directly hit or damaged and are estimated to require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again. The assessment found that 406 (72 per cent) school buildings were directly hit and 95 (16.8 per cent) were damaged since 7 October 2023. Fifty per cent (279) of the directly hit and damaged schools are government schools, 29 per cent (162) are UNRWA schools, and 11 per cent (60) are private schools. Moreover, 62 per cent of school buildings that have been used by IDPs as shelters were directly hit. Schools that were directly hit or damaged served over 547,000 students and had more than 20,500 teachers before October 2023, which represented about 88.4 per cent of the total student population and teaching staff in the Gaza Strip.

Shrinking Humanitarian Space

• As of 14 May, about 249,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered by 16 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners through about 65 kitchens across the Gaza Strip. This is a reduction of about 160,000 meals compared with the production level on 11 May, due to closure of 19 additional kitchens. Overall, since 25 April, when 1,080,000 meals were produced and delivered daily by 180 kitchens, there has been a 75-per-cent reduction in meal production across the Gaza Strip, with around 115 kitchens having been forced to shut down due to the lack of supplies. This number is rising by the day.
• The nutritional situation of children in Gaza continues to rapidly deteriorate, with no entry of specialized nutrition supplies and limited or no possibility for humanitarians to deliver nutrition and other services. In April, Nutrition Cluster partners screened close to 60,000 children and identified 2,500 cases of acute malnutrition, including 169 with severe acute malnutrition. Compared to February 2025, the proportion of children identified with acute malnutrition out of those screened almost doubled, indicating the dire situation. Similarly, 27 children with severe acute malnutrition with medical complications were admitted in April to three stabilization centers, compared to 14 cases admitted in March. The three stabilization centers are in Gaza city, Khan Younis and Deir al Balah governorates, leaving thousands of children in North Gaza and Rafah without access to these critical services. Shrinking humanitarian space and access constraints further impede malnutrition detection efforts, with outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP) sites reduced by 25 per cent compared to February, leaving only 87 OTP sites operational across Gaza. Furthermore, in April, the number of detection screenings decreased by about 26 per cent for children and 20 per cent for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) compared with March, when 92,404 children and 30,358 PBW were screened. Meanwhile, Nutrition cluster partners are reporting that they are out of stock of specialized nutrition supplements for the prevention of malnutrition. These multiple malnutrition prevention interventions (supplementation, micronutrients, complementary feeding) are critical within the context of intensified hunger and malnutrition. According to the Nutrition Cluster, more than 92 per cent of children aged 6 and 23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women are not meeting their nutrient requirements due to the lack of minimum dietary diversity.
• In vast areas across the Gaza Strip, humanitarian teams are still required to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities. Between 7 and 13 May, out of 53 attempts to coordinate planned aid movements across the Gaza Strip, 31 were denied outright by the Israeli authorities, one was initially accepted but faced impediments, including blocks or delays on the ground potentially resulting in missions being aborted or partially accomplished, 20 were fully facilitated, and one was withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational, or security reasons. These include 20 attempts for coordinated aid movements in or to northern Gaza, of which 12 were facilitated, seven were denied, and one withdrawn. In southern Gaza, out of the 33 attempts for coordinated aid movements, eight were facilitated, 24 were denied and one faced impediments.
• On 13 May, one displacement order was issued by the Israeli military for parts of North Gaza governorate covering approximately 5.2 square kilometres in eight neighbourhoods, following Palestinian rocket fire. According to the SMC, there are 38 displacement sites in the area affected by the order, of which 25 sites are in areas that were previously placed under displacement orders. In addition, humanitarian facilities are located in the affected area, including four water wells, two wastewater pumping stations, one desalination plant, one stormwater basin, six temporary learning spaces (TLS) serving about 700 children, and two hospitals, among others. Overall, between 18 March and 13 May, the Israeli military issued at least 23 displacement orders, placing about 146 square kilometres, or 41 per cent of the Gaza Strip, under displacement orders. Another displacement order was issued on 14 May.
• Only one patient was medically evacuated outside Gaza since 22 April, bringing to 123 the total number of patients who were medically evacuated abroad since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March. In comparison, between 1 February and 17 March 2025, during the ceasefire, 1,702 patients were evacuated to receive medical treatment abroad, according to WHO. Since October 2023, over 7,230 patients have been evacuated from Gaza, but more than 10,500 patients, including over 4,000 children, remain in urgent need of medical evacuation.
• The MoH in Gaza has issued urgent warnings about a catastrophic collapse in the healthcare system, particularly affecting eye care services. According to Dr. Abdelsalam Sabah, Director of Gaza’s Ophthalmology Hospital, approximately 1,500 people have lost their eyesight due to war-related injuries, and another 4,000 are at imminent risk of blindness due to severe shortages of essential medicines and surgical equipment. Dr. Sabah further warned that the health sector is facing a critical shortage of consumables and medical devices necessary for eye surgeries, leading to an almost total breakdown of surgical services, especially for retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and internal bleeding. The Ophthalmology Hospital is struggling with a severe lack of surgical consumables and equipment, with only three worn-out surgical scissors that are repeatedly reused, drastically increasing risks to patients and preventing effective treatment. Many eye injuries caused by explosions require specialized materials, such as hyaluronic acid and fine sutures, which are nearly depleted. Dr. Sabah added that if the current situation persists, the hospital will soon be unable to provide any type of surgical services.
• The broader health system is similarly strained due to critical shortages of essential medications and medical supplies. According to MoH, 43 per cent of essential drugs are currently out of stock, a six-per-cent increase compared to the previous month, while 64 per cent of medical consumables have been depleted. Emergency, surgical, and intensive care departments are operating with severely depleted supplies, amid rising numbers of critically injured patients. Patients with chronic and severe conditions, such as kidney failure, cancer, blood disorders and heart disease, are the most affected by shortages, MoH reported, warning of the risk of a complete halt to healthcare services due to the denied entry of urgent pharmaceutical supplies.
• Hospitals are also struggling to cope with critical shortages of medical equipment, MoH reported. These include mobile X-ray machines, anesthesia devices, and surgical instruments needed for specialized surgeries in orthopedics, vascular care, ophthalmology and general surgery. Hospital wards are overwhelmed by a shortage of medical beds, assistive devices, and space to accommodate the growing number of patients. Stocks of vital medical gases like carbon dioxide, ethylene, and oxides are fully depleted, and essential surgical fabrics, bed linens, and burial shrouds are unavailable. Moreover, infection control measures have been severely compromised due to shortages of hygiene supplies, such as concentrated chlorine and cleaning enzymes. Medical teams working tirelessly around the clock also face shortages of food and nutritional support, further undermining their capacity to provide care.

Funding

• As of 14 May 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately US$637.6 million out of the $4.07 billion (15.7 per cent) requested to meet the most critical humanitarian needs of three million out of 3.3 million people identified as requiring assistance in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2025, under the 2025 Flash Appeal for the OPT. Nearly 88 per cent of the requested funds are for humanitarian response in Gaza, with just over 12 per cent for the West Bank. Moreover, during April 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 128 ongoing projects, totalling $74.3 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (88 per cent) and the West Bank (12 per cent). Of these projects, 64 are being implemented by INGOs, 49 by national NGOs and 15 by UN agencies. Notably, 47 out of the 79 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN are being implemented in collaboration with national NGOs. For more information, please see OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service webpage and the oPt HF webpage.

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