Humanitarian Situation Update #294 | Gaza Strip

The Humanitarian Situation Updates on the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank are both issued every Wednesday/Thursday. The Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. Exceptionally, the next response update will be issued on Wednesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Update on the Gaza Strip will be published on 11 June.

Key Highlights

• The UN calls for investigations into the killing and injury of Palestinians trying to access food through the new militarized distribution hubs in Gaza.
• More than 2,700 children under five years of age were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in the second half of May, reflecting a sharp deterioration, according to the Nutrition Cluster.
• Only 38 per cent of 564 health service points across Gaza are functional, all of them partially, with only one medical point partially functional in North Gaza.
• While more than 640,000 people have been displaced again in the past three months, the Israeli authorities have not allowed the entry of any shelter supplies.
• Since 18 March, more than 40,000 children have lost access to critical services following the suspension of 50 child protection centres.
• Restrictions, hurdles and hostilities have made humanitarian aid deliveries into and across Gaza grossly insufficient, unsafe, unpredictable and inefficient.

Humanitarian Developments

• 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. According to the Site Management Cluster (SMC), as of 3 June, more than 640,000 Palestinians in Gaza were displaced between 18 March and 3 June. Over 202,000 of them have been displaced since mid-May, of whom 54 per cent were in the two northern governorates. With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in makeshift shelters and overcrowded displacement sites. People have been confined to ever-shrinking spaces, with 82 per cent of the Gaza Strip now within Israeli-militarized zones or placed under displacement orders since 18 March. Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups has been reported.
• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 29 May and 4 June, as of noon, 425 Palestinians were killed, and 2,033 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 4 June 2025, the MoH in Gaza reported that at least 54,607 Palestinians were killed and 125,341 Palestinians were injured. This includes 4,335 people killed and 13,300 injured since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March 2025, according to MoH. Between 23 and 31 May, MoH noted that due to access issues, their casualty toll did not include North Gaza governorate. According to the Ministry, the cumulative figure includes 98 fatalities who were retroactively added on 29 May 2025 after their identification details were consolidated and approved by a ministerial committee.
• Between 28 May and 3 June, deadly incidents included the following:
  • On 28 May, at about 2:30, nine members of the same family, including four females, were reportedly killed and 15 others, including a journalist, were injured when a house belonging to the family of the journalist, was hit in As Saftawi area, in North Gaza.
  • On 29 May, at about 8:50, at least 23 Palestinians, including children and at least six females, were reportedly killed and others were injured when two residential buildings were hit in eastern Al Bureij refugee camp. Two men were also reportedly killed when a group of young men subsequently went to the site of the strike. The strikes reportedly destroyed eight residential buildings.
  • On 29 May, at about 14:00, approximately 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others were injured, in a strike that hit a group of people at As Saraya Junction in central Gaza city.
  • On 29 May, at about 0:30, one Palestinian woman was reportedly killed, and several others were injured, when Al Radwan kindergarten housing internally displaced people (IDPs) was hit in Jabalya al Balad, in North Gaza.
  • On 29 May, at about 11:00, seven Palestinians, including a girl, were reportedly killed, and others injured in a strike that hit a group of people in northern Gaza city.
  • On 29 May, at least 13 Palestinians, including children and at least four women, were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in At Tuffah area, in eastern Gaza city. The Palestinian Civil Defense reported that they were unable to retrieve about 30 Palestinians from under the rubble, due to a lack of equipment.
  • On 30 May, at about 2:00, at least seven Palestinians, including five females, were reportedly killed and many others injured when a house was hit in Jabalya Al Nazlah, in North Gaza.
  • On 30 May, at about 15:30, 14 Palestinians, including at least three children and five women, were reportedly killed when an IDP tent was hit in Al Mawasi area, in Khan Younis.
  • On 1 June, at about 11:40, at least six Palestinians, including at least two boys and three women, were reportedly killed and at least 20 others, including children and women, were injured when a four-storey residential building was hit in southern An Nuseirat refugee camp, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 2 June, at about noon, at least 15 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others were injured, when a house was hit in Jabalya al Balad, in North Gaza.
  • On 2 June, at about 15:00, three Palestinians were reportedly killed when a school sheltering IDPs, was hit on Al Birkeh street in Deir al Balah.
  • On 3 June, at about 1:30, at least three Palestinians, including two men and one child, were reportedly killed and at least 20 others were injured when an IDP tent was hit in Al Birkeh area, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 3 June, at about 21:30, seven Palestinians, including children, were reportedly killed and others injured when the seaport area, west of Gaza city, was hit. The area is densely populated with IDPs.
  • On 4 June, at about 8:00, at least 18 Palestinians, including at least 13 females, were reportedly killed when a tent inside a school serving as an IDP shelter was hit in Al Mawasi area of western Khan Younis.
• Between 29 May and 4 June, four Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 4 June 2025, according to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,620 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. This includes 420 soldiers killed, in addition to 2,692 soldiers injured, in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation in October 2023. Of these, 13 soldiers were killed and 108 injured since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March 2025. As of 4 June, 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.

The UN calls for investigations into casualty events linked to non-UN food distributions

• On 2 June, the UN Secretary-General said he was appalled by reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking assistance and called “for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.” The UN Chief underscored that the “unimpeded entry of assistance at scale to meet the enormous needs in Gaza must be restored immediately.” Echoing the call for investigations and accountability, the UN Relief Chief, Tom Fletcher, stated that "no one should risk their life to feed their children.” UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, described these conditions as “a death trap” and a “humiliating system [that] has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that’s all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli Army.” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, emphasized on 3 June that in 2024, the International Court of Justice “issued binding orders on Israel to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, as well as medical supplies and medical care to Palestinians throughout Gaza.”
• On 27 May, the militarized distribution mechanism of food supplies began, through the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), at two points set up in northwestern Rafah and Deir al Balah. Since then, thousands of Palestinians reportedly walked towards these distribution sites to receive food packages, but several shooting incidents resulted in mass casualties. Since 27 May, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has recorded at least 82 Palestinians killed and 506 injured reportedly while trying to reach food distribution points in Rafah and Deir al Balah. The ICRC field hospital in Rafah governorate, which has a capacity of 60 beds, received a mass casualty influx of 179 cases, including women and children, on 1 June and another mass casualty influx of 184 patients on 3 June. In Khan Younis governorate, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams joined the mass casualty response to treat patients with serious injuries at Nasser Hospital, where “[p]atients told MSF they were shot from all sides by drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and Israeli soldiers on the ground.” MSF said that the hospital corridors were filled with patients, and with the blood banks almost empty, medical staff themselves had to donate blood.

Continued attacks on fishers and fishing infrastructure

• According to OHCHR, the targeting of Gaza’s fishers and fishing infrastructure by the Israeli military and blocked access to the sea – combined with the destruction of agricultural land and other food production infrastructure and severe restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies – have contributed directly to the risk of famine and growing protection concerns, creating conditions that threaten the survival of Gaza’s population. OHCHR has found a consistent pattern of Israeli military attacks on fishers in Gaza; between 7 October 2023 and 31 December 2024, OHCHR recorded 28 attacks on fishers and fishing sites. According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), as of 11 December 2024, the Israeli military had killed 200 fishers and their associates out of approximately 6,000 people engaged in the fishing profession before 7 October 2023. Between 1 January and 16 May 2025, OHCHR recorded “28 incidents against Gaza’s fishers, resulting in the killing of 11 fishers, the injury of 34 others, and the brief detention and subsequent release of two fishers.”
• Between October 2023 and April 2024, Gaza's average daily catch dropped to just 7.3 per cent of 2022 levels, causing a US$17.5 million production loss, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). By April 2024, 70 per cent of fishing assets and infrastructure in Gaza, including Gaza’s only seaport, had been damaged. According to OHCHR, “in June 2024, fishers attempted to protect their boats by burying them in the sand in Rafah, but [Israeli forces’] bulldozers unearthed and destroyed them. Remaining boats and equipment at the Rafah landing site were largely destroyed in January 2025 when the Israeli military razed the site in the week prior to the temporary ceasefire.” According to MoA, these incidents have led to the loss of 4,600 tons in annual fish production, and the complete shutdown of fish farms, which previously produced 600 tons annually. Moreover, FAO noted that Gaza’s fish health laboratories were damaged, leaving the MoA unable to conduct the necessary health checks, raising significant health risks from uninspected fish being sold in local markets.

Only 38 per cent of health service points are functional, with only one in North Gaza

• Between 28 May and 1 June, Israeli displacement orders and strikes have affected the functionality of health services across Gaza, overwhelming the already fragile health system and depriving patients of essential medical services, including lifesaving treatment. According to the Health Cluster, as of 4 June, the functionality of health service points has severely declined, with only 38 per cent (212 out of 564) of health service points partially functional. This includes 17 partially functional hospitals out of 36, seven partially functional field hospitals out of 15, 61 partially functional Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) out of 160, and 127 medical points/mobile clinics out of 353.
  • On 29 May, Al Awda Hospital, the last minimally functional hospital in North Gaza, was forcibly evacuated and rendered out of service. According to the hospital’s Director, Mohammad Salha, Israeli forces “informed us that either we evacuate the hospital immediately or they will forcibly evacuate it.” Dr. Salha stated that 82 medical staff and 13 patients were forced to evacuate under extremely difficult conditions. With all roads leading to the hospital blocked or destroyed, ambulances could not reach the hospital and patients had to be carried for over 200 metres before reaching MoH ambulances that transferred them to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, he added. Between 15 and 23 May, the hospital was repeatedly hit and faced critical shortages of medicines. On 24 and 27 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) managed to reach the facility and transferred critical patients to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city.
  • On 1 June, Israeli forces destroyed Noura al-Kaabi Specialist Dialysis Centre, in North Gaza. According to WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, the centre “was serving 40 patients per week in North Gaza” prior to the recent re-escalation of hostilities and its destruction “directly endangers the lives of patients with kidney failure.” The week prior, WHO had moved 20 of the 23 dialysis machines out of the centre to keep them safe.
  • On 4 June, according to MoH, the roof of the administration building at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah was hit. The spokesperson of the hospital said that three strikes hit the hospital, resulting in damages to the water tanks and solar panels. The spokesperson noted that medical staff continue to operate in the hospital.
• Since 20 May, no medical evacuations from Gaza to facilities abroad have taken place. According to WHO, between 10,500 and 12,500 patients, including over 4,000 children, require medical evacuation abroad. Between 1 February and 20 May 2025, 1,963 patients, including 466 cancer patients, and 2,916 companions have been evacuated outside Gaza. This includes 282 patients, including 88 cancer patients, and 393 companions evacuated since 18 March 2025.
• According to MoH in Gaza, 477 patients have died while waiting for their medical evacuation abroad and at least 41 per cent of kidney patients have died since October 2023 due to restricted access to dialysis services. MoH additionally said that an estimated 5,000 cancer patients urgently require medical referral abroad for diagnosis or specialized treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, especially after Gaza’s last functioning cancer treatment facility at the European Gaza Hospital went out of service following intense Israeli airstrikes on 13 May 2025 that resulted in casualties among patients and other civilians and the destruction of critical infrastructure, including oxygen lines and sewage systems. Sixty-four per cent of essential cancer medications are now out of stock, while equipment shortages are limiting diagnostic capacity, according to MoH; 12 out of 19 CT scanners and seven MRI machines have been destroyed. Furthermore, MoH reported that oxygen supply at hospitals has reached a critical point, warning of a catastrophic situation if there is no immediate action to supply hospitals with additional oxygen stations. Out of 34 oxygen stations, 25 have been destroyed and nine remain only partially operational and are insufficient to meet needs, MoH stated. Compounding the crisis are low fuel levels for electricity and the lack of spare parts to operate 49 out of 110 generators at hospitals that remain functional, MoH added.

Shrinking Humanitarian Space

• Since 19 May, after almost 80 days of a full blockade on the entry of aid and any other supplies into Gaza, the Israeli authorities have allowed only a select number of UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to resume the delivery of aid into Gaza and have authorized the entry of only very limited amounts of certain food items, nutrition supplies, some health supplies, and water purification items. The entry of other aid supplies, such as shelter materials (see below), hygiene products, and medical equipment remains blocked. Additionally, the ongoing fuel blockade, now entering its fourth month, is placing life-sustaining services – including health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities – at severe risk. Despite maximum efforts to ration available fuel, partners warn that these services may soon cease in some areas if the entry of fuel is not urgently restored. Additionally, without immediate access to fuel that is already inside Gaza but located in hard-to-reach areas that are either militarized or subject to displacement orders, more critical services are at risk of suspending operations soon.
• The extremely challenging operating environment has made humanitarian aid deliveries to and across Gaza unsafe, unpredictable and inefficient. Both sides of Kerem Shalom crossing are tightly controlled by the Israeli authorities, and the UN has not been permitted to deploy monitors at the site, significantly limiting visibility over the aid pipeline. On 2 June, a fire reportedly broke out on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing; Israeli authorities have reported that some 400 pallets of humanitarian cargo were partly damaged, although due to lack of visibility and oversight at platforms, the UN is unable to verify the extent of the damage. Inside Gaza, roads have been destroyed or damaged and reaching the crossing requires passing through militarized zones that are under active bombardment. Humanitarian teams must adhere to routes that are approved by the Israeli authorities and have faced prolonged delays at multiple Israeli-established holding points leading to and from the crossing inside Gaza. Further hampering aid operations are the constant changes in authorizations and restrictions, including the extremely low number of vetted truck drivers permitted to collect cargo from Kerem Shalom crossing for the transport of humanitarian aid into Gaza. In addition, humanitarian personnel and operations have faced unprecedented levels of insecurity and a very high risk of looting, with partners reporting that most looting incidents are conducted by desperate civilians.
• Between 31 May and 2 June, the Kerem Shalom crossing was largely closed due to the Shavuot and Shabat holidays. Between 19 May and 4 June, over 1,100 truckloads reached the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom crossing, of which about 60 per cent were submitted and cleared for entry (‘manifested’) by the UN (673). Of these, humanitarian organizations have been able to collect slightly more than 400 truckloads for onward distribution to people in Gaza.
• Since 27 May, Israeli authorities have authorised the resumption of humanitarian aid transport from Jordan through the Back-to-Back (B2B) modality, including the use of the Allenby crossing. Only international NGOs that are registered with the State of Israel or that are in process of re-registering would be allowed to process customs clearance. This element, combined with the restrictions on the type of aid authorised, heavily limits those allowed to dispatch humanitarian aid through the Jordan corridor.
• In vast areas across the Gaza Strip, humanitarian teams are required to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities. Between 28 May and 3 June, out of 75 attempts to coordinate planned aid movements across the Gaza Strip, nearly 59 per cent (44) were denied outright by the Israeli authorities, 15 per cent (11) were initially accepted but faced impediments, including blocks or delays on the ground potentially resulting in missions being aborted or partially accomplished, 24 per cent (18) were fully facilitated, and three per cent (two) were withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational, or security reasons. These include 30 attempts to coordinate aid movements in or to northern Gaza, of which 27 per cent (eight) were facilitated, 53 per cent (16) were denied, 17 per cent (five) faced impediments and three per cent (one) were withdrawn. In southern Gaza, out of 45 attempts, 22 per cent (10) were facilitated, 62 per cent (28) were denied, 13 per cent (six) faced impediments and two per cent (one) withdrawn.
• On 30 May, 46 international and Palestinian NGOs working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) published the latest humanitarian access snapshot, covering obstructions and disruptions to their work in delivering humanitarian aid and services between 26 March and 9 May. Of the 40 surveyed NGOs working in Gaza: 93 per cent reported having exhausted or nearly exhausted their aid stocks; 67 per cent said they were unable to reach communities and deliver services in parts of the Strip; 90 per cent reported that Palestinians in Gaza are facing heightened protection concerns; and 89 per cent said that communities have lost access to essential services. The report highlights how increasingly expansive displacement orders and ongoing Israeli military attacks have practically rendered some areas unreachable for the delivery of aid people need to survive, and notes that people are in many cases “unable to move, due to exhaustion, injury, illness, infirmity, disability, contamination with unexploded ordnance, or lack of alternatives.” Additionally, more than half of the surveyed organizations indicated that their staff in Gaza have been forcibly displaced from their homes between 26 March and 9 May (some more than 10 times since October 2023), 33 per cent reported staff injuries or deaths due to military attacks, and more than one-third said that their facilities have been directly or indirectly hit.
• Between 30 May and 4 June, the Israeli military issued three displacement orders for parts of North Gaza, Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates. Combined, the orders cover 189 square kilometres (over half of the Gaza Strip), including one order for Gaza and North Gaza governorates that covers 30 per cent of the Gaza Strip. Since 18 March, the Israeli military issued 35 displacement orders, placing about 277.6 square kilometres under displacement orders (76 per cent of the Gaza Strip). As of 4 June, 82 per cent of the Gaza Strip’s territory is within Israeli-militarized-zones or have been placed under displacement orders (they largely overlap).

No shelter supplies have entered Gaza since 2 March amid growing displacement

• The ongoing crisis in Gaza continues to drive mass displacement under increasingly dire conditions, with families seeking shelter in any available space, including in unsafe or otherwise unsuitable locations. The Shelter Cluster estimates that 1.1 million people in Gaza are in urgent need of emergency shelter assistance. However, since 12 April, tents have been out of stock, while other essential shelter items are nearly depleted. This follows 11 weeks of a full blockade on the entry of any supplies and, since 19 May, the continued ban on the entry of shelter items. Yet, the needs have never been greater, with at least one third of Gaza’s population displaced again in less than two months. Field observations by partners also indicate that about 40 per cent of people displaced have fled without any belongings due to the urgency of the evacuation and the lack of financial means and transportation.
• In Gaza city, extreme overcrowding has forced many families to flee westward to the seaport area or sleep on sidewalks, streets, or any other accessible open area, often without access to clean WASH services. Many roofs, including those structurally unsound, are being utilized as shelter; some families have taken refuge in abandoned or damaged buildings, still standing government facilities, or unfinished structures, clearing rubble to create makeshift living spaces. In southern Gaza, recent displacement orders have affected most of Khan Younis city and parts of Deir al Balah, reducing the already limited space available for families to seek refuge. In Deir al Balah, much of the land is privately owned, further limiting options for the establishment of temporary shelter. This has resulted in a large influx of people into Al -Mawasi area, which is already overwhelmed and overcrowded. According to recent assessments by a Shelter Cluster partner managing 69 displacement sites in Al Mawasi, there has been a 40 per cent increase in population.

Child-headed households and other child protection challenges

• Partners are witnessing a sharp rise in child protection challenges, including an increase in child-headed households pushed into dangerous survival strategies. In many cases, young children have taken on the responsibility of caring for their younger siblings after losing parents due to violence, separation, severe illness, or neglect. These children are carrying overwhelming emotional and physical burdens, often with little or no support. This has pushed children into increasingly precarious situations to help their families survive, including growing reports of children working on the streets, participating in looting or gathering within large crowds in search of food supplies at insecure distribution points. Children with disabilities face especially acute risks as they often lack assistive devices they need to move safely.
• Partners have additionally raised the alarm about the long-term health impacts of the hostilities, particularly on children. According to SOS Children’s Villages, a child protection organization that runs a home for children without parental care in Gaza, children under their care are consistently suffering from respiratory issues and severe flu, especially those under the age of one. The organization observed a recent rise in illnesses, such as acute respiratory infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pneumonia, partly due to the dust and debris of surrounding bombardments. It also highlighted a lack of community awareness about the risks of asbestos exposure, with many families forced to live amid the rubble of destroyed homes.
• Within this context, Child Protection partners continue to deliver critical services, including psychosocial counselling, case management for high-risk cases, and emergency referrals for children in urgent need. However, many organizations lack sufficient staff or funding to meet the growing demand, and the operating environment continues to hamper service delivery. Since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March, nearly 50 child protection centres have been forced to suspend operations – mainly due to the issuance of displacement orders and the displacement of staff – directly affecting at least 40,000 children. Support for children with disabilities remains especially limited because access to assistive devices is absent, there is a shortage of specialized materials and tools to facilitate activities with children, and rehabilitation services are limited. Additionally, the Child Protection Area of Responsibility reports that partners lack adequate food supplies in orphanages, among vulnerable families caring for additional children, and in safe spaces supporting children without parental care.

Sharp deterioration in dietary diversity and the nutritional status of children and pregnant and breastfeeding women

• As of 4 June, about 259,000 daily meals are being prepared by 14 partners at 62 kitchens, down from about 279,000 meals as of 31 May. All bakeries and food parcel distributions remain suspended. The five UN-supported bakeries that resumed operations for three days (22 to 24 May) have been closed since 25 May due to insecurity, including crowd violence, and desperation driven by hunger and acute food shortages. Between 19 May and 3 June, some 4,000 metric tons of wheat flour (160,000 25-kilogramme bags) entered the Strip, most of which was taken from open trucks by desperate people before reaching the designated distribution points or storage facilities. Meanwhile, as spikes in the prices of food continue to be observed, the Food Security Sector (FSS) has noted that the limited entry of flour has not led to stabilization of wheat flour prices or improved market availability and that fluctuations are driven more by market expectations.
• According to the World Food Programme’s (WFP) latest market monitor, food consumption and dietary diversity in Gaza collapsed to critical levels in May, marking one of the worst deteriorations in food diversity and nutrition since October 2023, with key nutritious items like meat, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, and fruit nearly absent from diets. WFP warns that diets across Gaza have become dangerously imbalanced and critically lacking in nutrients, signaling a severe collapse in food diversity and a deepening nutritional crisis. In terms of prices, brief, localized price drops were observed near convoys on 31 May, with a kg of wheat flour sold at 20-30 NIS ($6-9) in Khan Younis and at 45-50 NIS ($13-14) in Deir al Balah. In Gaza city, prices were the highest at 65 NIS/kg ($18), before dropping to 45 NIS/kg ($13) on 1 June. These fluctuations underscore the urgent need for sustained, large-scale deliveries, especially to the north, to stabilize supply, availability and affordability. The market monitor also indicates that over 90 per cent of households in Gaza are now facing severe financial hardship, with widespread cash shortages making it nearly impossible to buy food and two-thirds of households unable to afford even basic necessities. Furthermore, since cooking gas remains largely unavailable and black-market prices are out of reach, families have been forced to resort to unsafe and unhealthy cooking methods, such as using waste materials. In northern Gaza, the proportion of households relying on burning waste for fuel rose from 50 per cent in April to 66 per cent in May. In southern Gaza, this figure increased from 49 to 51 per cent over the same period. Across Gaza, only one per cent of households used cooking gas as a source of fuel in April, while none reported using it in May.
• The nutritional situation of children continues to deteriorate. According to the Nutrition Cluster, preliminary analysis indicates that out of 46,738 children under five years of age who were screened for malnutrition in the second half of May, 2,733 (5.8 per cent) were diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This is up from 4.7 per cent in the first half of May and almost triple the proportion of children diagnosed with malnutrition out of those screened in February 2025, during the ceasefire. Overall, since January, Nutrition Cluster partners detected and enrolled over 16,500 children under five for treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), including 141 cases with complications who needed to be hospitalized. Overall, in May, 7.5 per cent of SAM cases needed hospitalization for complications, compared with only three to four per cent in the preceding two months, showing an increase in number of severe cases. Yet, there are currently only four stabilization centres for the treatment of SAM cases with medical complications in the Gaza Strip, including two in Deir al Balah, one in Khan Younis, and one in Gaza city. Stabilization centres in North Gaza and Rafah have been forced to suspend operations, leaving children in these areas without access to lifesaving treatment. Moreover, analysis of available data for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) confirms that there has been a sharp deterioration in their nutritional status in the last two months; in May, acute malnutrition was detected in 17 per cent of screened PBW in Gaza governorate and in 18 per cent of screened PBW in Deir al Balah, compared with less than 10 per cent in these two governorates in February and March.
• Between 28 May and 2 June, Nutrition Cluster partners reached more than 81,235 children under the age of five – approximately 28 per cent of the target group – with recently received Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (LNS-SQ). The LNS-SQ is a high-calorie, protein-rich, and micronutrient-dense supplement designed to prevent malnutrition, wasting, and stunting in children aged 6-59 months. However, while really needed to limit micronutrient deficiencies and provide additional calories within the context of food insecurity and low dietary diversity, these supplements cannot replace food for the children and only cover about 10 per cent of their daily calorie needs. On 26 May, a dispatch of LNS to northern Gaza was looted, resulting in the loss of approximately 2.6 per cent of the total quantity of LNS that was brought into Gaza, which could have benefited over 1,000 children for one month. On 30 May, a malnutrition treatment site at a field hospital in Az Zawayda, in Deir al Balah, was forced to stop delivering services after 565 boxes of specialized nutritious supplements, intended to support over 1,000 children for one month, were looted. In addition, fifty boxes of ready-to-use therapeutic food, which could have treated more than 80 children with acute malnutrition, have also been lost. In response, the Nutrition Cluster has launched a community messaging campaign to raise awareness and help prevent the looting of life-saving nutrition supplies. Crucially, in the absence of sufficient food distributions, the current supplementary programme alone cannot cover all the nutritional needs of these vulnerable groups. The Nutrition Cluster underscores that a full resumption of large-scale food distribution is urgently needed to prevent a further deterioration of the nutrition situation.

Funding

• As of 5 June 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately $648 million out of the $4 billion (16 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 May 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 128 ongoing projects, totalling $74.2 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (88 per cent) and the West Bank (12 per cent). Of these projects, 63 are being implemented by INGOs, 49 by national NGOs and 16 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.