Humanitarian Situation Update #304 | 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. The next Humanitarian Situation Update on the Gaza Strip will be published on 16 or 17 July.

Key Highlights

• In Gaza, strikes on people sheltering in schools and tents and those seeking food, water and other assistance continue to be reported, resulting in mass casualties.
• Hospitals face imminent shutdown as fuel stocks run out, following a total ban on fuel entry for about 130 days.
• Nearly one in three people are going entire days without eating and more people are at risk of starvation, a new assessment finds.
• First responders, health workers, and aid workers continue to deliver food and other assistance under intolerable conditions, facing hunger, water scarcity and threats to their personal safety – just like everyone else in Gaza.
• Older persons face extreme risks amid ongoing hostilities, often left without protection, essential support, or access to necessities for survival.
• Water scarcity is deepening due to the lack of fuel, spare parts for repairs, ongoing insecurity, and the inaccessibility of most water and sanitation facilities.

Humanitarian Developments

• Over the past week, Israeli forces have continued to carry out heavy bombardment from the air, land and sea across the Gaza Strip, issued additional displacement orders, and expanded ground operations. Strikes on people sheltering in schools and tents and those seeking food, water and other assistance continue to be reported, resulting in mass casualties. Rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups into Israel and fighting between them and Israeli forces have also taken place. Destruction of civilian infrastructure and large-scale displacement have been reported.
• On 3 July, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, stated that the Secretary-General is “appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” where “[m]ultiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians.” With no fuel having entered Gaza for over four months, the UN Chief warned that "the last lifelines for survival are being cut off,” affecting the functioning of incubators, ambulances, water purification and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. He called for “full, safe and sustained humanitarian access so aid can reach people who have been deprived of the basics of life for far too long,” noting that the UN “has a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians – safely and at scale, wherever they are.”
• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 2 and 9 July, 668 Palestinians were killed, and 2,817 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 9 July 2025, the MoH in Gaza reported that at least 57,680 Palestinians were killed, and 137,409 Palestinians were injured. This includes 7,118 people killed and 25,368 injured since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March 2025, according to MoH. The ministry further noted that the number of casualties among people trying to access food supplies has increased to 773 fatalities and more than 5,101 injuries since 27 May 2025.
• Between 1 and 8 July, at least seven schools sheltering internally displaced people (IDPs) were reportedly hit, including some that had already been struck in the previous week. The attacks resulted in the reported killing of 42 people, the injury of others, and the displacement of dozens of families. However, many have returned to some of the damaged schools due to the lack of alternative shelters. For example, on 3 July, at about 1:30, a school designated as an IDP shelter was hit in Al Rimal neighbourhood, in central Gaza city, reportedly killing 11 Palestinians, including five women, and injuring many others. Burned bodies were reportedly among the fatalities. Moreover, on 6 July, at about 14:00, a classroom in an UNRWA school, designated as an IDP shelter, was hit in Ash Shati’ (Beach) Camp, west of Gaza city, reportedly killing 20 Palestinians, including children and at least one woman, and injuring others. The strike caused significant damage to the school’s premises. According to the Education Cluster, in addition to the physical damage, these incidents continue to perpetuate trauma and fear among children, preventing them from participating in learning opportunities, mental health and psychosocial support activities, and other structured play activities delivered in such spaces.
• Medical workers in Gaza are operating under immense pressure, struggling to treat the daily influx of trauma patients amid critical shortages of fuel, medicines, supplies and bed capacity, while themselves facing hunger, insecurity, displacement and risks to their personal safety. On 2 July, a renowned cardiologist and director of the Indonesian Hospital, Dr. Marwan Al Sultan, was killed when a residential building in Gaza city was hit, reportedly killing the doctor along with his wife, sister, daughter, and son-in-law. On 2 July, Healthcare Workers Watch – Palestine reported that the doctor was the 70th health-care worker killed by Israeli forces over a 50-day period. On 5 July, an obstetrics and gynaecology consultant was reportedly killed, along with his three children, when their tent was hit in Al Mawasi, west of Khan Younis. On 4 July, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that a staff member at the Red Cross Field Hospital, in Rafah, was injured by a stray bullet while on duty. In addition, two Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) emergency medical technicians were injured after a nearby area was hit while they were providing emergency care to the wounded in Jabalya Al Balad, in North Gaza. According to PRCS, they narrowly escaped death and were transferred to the PRCS-operated Al-Saraya Field Hospital, in Gaza city. Commenting on the two incidents that resulted in the injury of ICRC and PRCS staff, ICRC noted that they underscore “the perilous security environment in Gaza and the intolerable risks first responders face while trying to reach those who depend on their support.” As of 25 May 2025, MoH reported that about 1,580 health workers had been killed since October 2023.
• Between 2 and 6 July, other incidents resulting in fatalities include:
  • On 2 July, at about 16:00, 16 Palestinians, including children, were reportedly killed and many others injured when a building, designated as an IDP shelter, was hit southeast of Gaza city.
  • On 2 July, at about 19:30, at least nine Palestinians, including three boys and one girl, were reportedly killed when the front of a school was hit in the New Camp of An Nuseirat, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 2 July, at about 22:30, at least 17 Palestinians, including four boys and five females, were reportedly killed and many others injured when IDP tents were hit in Al Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis. Casualties reportedly included a married couple and their four boys, a woman and her son, and a man and his daughter.
  • On 3 July, at about 18:00, at least 21 Palestinians were reportedly killed and dozens were injured due to heavy artillery shelling on Palestinians waiting for food trucks near At Tahlia roundabout, in eastern Khan Younis.
  • On 3 July, at about 23:15, nine Palestinians, including two boys and four females, were reportedly killed and several others injured when an IDP tent was hit west of Khan Younis.
  • On 4 July, at about 14:00, 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was hit in Jabalya, in North Gaza.
  • On 5 July, at about 18:00, six Palestinians, including children, were reportedly killed when a café was hit in western Az Zawaida, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 5 July, at about 14:00, three Palestinians were reportedly killed and about 15 others injured when some people were trying to access water at a desalination plant in Al Rimal neighbourhood, west of Gaza city.
  • On 6 July, at about 2:00, 12 Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a building housing three displaced families was hit in northern Gaza city.
• Between 2 and 9 July, seven Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 9 July 2025, according to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,644 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. This includes 444 soldiers killed, in addition to 2,781 soldiers injured, in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation in October 2023. Of these, 37 soldiers were killed and 197 injured since the re-escalation of hostilities on 18 March 2025. As of 9 July, it is estimated that 50 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including hostages who have been declared dead and whose bodies are being withheld.
• Between 2 and 9 July, the Israeli military issued four displacement orders for parts of Khan Younis and Gaza governorates. Three of the orders, which were issued on 4, 6 and 8 July, affected the same areas in Khan Younis. Combined, the orders cover 12.9 square kilometres. Since 18 March, the Israeli military has issued 54 displacement orders, placing about 297 square kilometres under displacement orders (81 per cent of the Gaza Strip). With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in overcrowded displacement sites, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings, streets and open areas. People have been confined to ever-shrinking spaces; as of 9 July, 86 per cent of the Gaza Strip is within Israeli-militarized zones or placed under displacement orders (they largely overlap) since 18 March.
• In vast areas across the Gaza Strip, humanitarian teams are required to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities. Between 2 and 8 July, out of 69 attempts to coordinate planned aid movements across the Gaza Strip, nearly 30 per cent were denied by Israeli authorities. An additional 17 per cent were initially accepted but faced impediments, including blocks or delays on the ground potentially resulting in missions being aborted or partially accomplished. Another 36 per cent were fully facilitated, and the remaining 17 per cent had to be withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational, or security reasons. All of the above include 18 attempts to coordinate aid movements in or to northern Gaza, of which 50 per cent (nine) were facilitated, 33 per cent (six) were denied, 11 per cent (two) faced impediments, and six per cent (one) were withdrawn. In southern Gaza, out of 51 attempts, 31 per cent (16) were facilitated, 27 per cent (14) were denied, 20 per cent (10) faced impediments and 22 per cent (11) were withdrawn.
• The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE) is preparing to administer the General Secondary Education Examinations (Tawjihi) in the Gaza Strip for the first time since October 2023. A pilot exam for 1,500 students, who were unable to complete their exams for the 2022-2023 academic year due to the escalation in hostilities, is scheduled on 17 July. If a ceasefire takes effect, the exams will be conducted online in three phases to ensure access for all eligible students from the past two academic years. It is estimated that over 76,600 students – some of whom may have been killed or have already left Gaza or dropped out – will sit for the official exams starting on 19 July. The Education Cluster is mapping temporary learning spaces to identify those suitable for administering the exams. To support students’ preparation, the MoE announced that two schools have been designated to offer online catch-up classes starting on 8 July 2025.

Protection Risks Facing Older Persons

• On 24 June, UNRWA issued a publication highlighting the heightened risks facing older persons amid the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, which have left many of them in without protection, support, or even access to the basics required for survival. Limited mobility, chronic health conditions, and the collapse of health and support systems, on which older persons previously depended, all contribute to their vulnerability during hostilities, while frequent forced displacement, chronic shortages of food and clean water, and overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions further exacerbate the risks they face. Restrictions on the import of assistive devices, classified as "dual-use" items by the Israeli authorities, pose additional challenges. One elderly woman in Rafah told UNRWA: “My husband fell ill at night. We just sat and cried... there was no ambulance, no one could hear us.” Older persons told UNRWA of the deep sense of loss they feel as they witness the destruction of everything they built and knew – from family members to homes and neighbourhoods. Repeated displacement and the struggle to survive have strained family units, often leading to the neglect of older relatives. Some reported verbal and psychological abuse, feeling like a burden. During displacement, this neglect leaves them isolated, with risks to their safety and health. As of 15 June 2025, MoH reported that 4,137 older persons (defined as men and women 60 years old or older) had been killed since October 2023. The number of older persons who have died of preventable causes due to a lack of access to basic services remains unknown.

Deteriorating Food Security

• Following his fourth visit to Gaza, the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the World Food Programme (WFP), Carl Skau, stated: “The situation is the worst I’ve seen. Needs are higher than ever, and our ability to respond has never been more constrained. Starvation is spreading – people are dying just trying to find food.” He warned that WFP teams, who are running out of fuel, spare parts and basic communications equipment, were “often caught in crossfire, escorting food convoys through combat zones” and “facing the same dangers and hunger” as all people in Gaza. Calling for the opening of all routes and entry points into Gaza, for safety, and for a lasting ceasefire, he stressed that WFP has “the food, capacity, and readiness to deliver.”
• A recent WFP assessment finds that nearly one in three people is not eating for days and that more people are at risk of starvation. Since late May 2025, when the Israeli authorities started allowing limited amounts of aid into Gaza, most trucks carrying food assistance have been intercepted by hungry civilians. Despite the challenges, for the first time in weeks, food security partners have been able to distribute some food assistance directly, with approximately 13,000 households receiving food assistance between 26 and 30 June. Distribution took place in Gaza city but remained extremely limited given the low volume of stocks that could enter through Zikim crossing. As of 8 July, 260,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered by 11 partners through 84 kitchens, including 100,000 meals in northern Gaza and 160,000 meals in central and southern Gaza. The increased number of operational kitchens does not directly correspond to increased meal production as output largely depends on the size and available supplies at each kitchen. Although these are critical steps in delivering life-saving assistance, the needs remain immense, and the limited aid entering Gaza still falls far short of reaching the entire population of 2.1 million people – half of whom are children. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) brief, which was published on 6 June 2025, warned that the Gaza Strip remains at a critical risk of famine. According to the analysis, large-scale military operations and the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to deliver essential goods and services suggest that the worst-case scenario of Famine (IPC Phase 5) occurring in the projection period between 11 May and 30 September is becoming more likely.
• On 9 July, UNRWA reported that a child under seven months of age who was suffering from severe acute malnutrition and receiving treatment by UNRWA health teams passed away on 8 July. UNRWA added: “She is one of thousands of malnourished children in Gaza. More cases are detected every day.”

Worsening Access to Health Care

• Health facilities in Gaza are overwhelmed by an escalating surge of casualties amid ongoing insecurity and critical shortages of resources, putting both patients and medical staff at grave risk. The ICRC reported that, for weeks, stray bullets have disrupted normal operations at the field hospital, where medical personnel, caretakers, staff and patients regularly rush to areas that are identified as safer within the hospital at the sound of an alarm to avoid being shot. According to ICRC, when shooting occurs, “[w]omen in the maternity ward are forced to move to the floor because they cannot be moved while giving birth” and surgeons and staff continue working with the sound of gunfire around them, knowing that a bullet “could pierce the canvas of the operating theatre at any moment.” Describing the similarly overwhelming situation at Nasser Medical Complex, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated during a visit to the hospital that Nasser Medical Complex “is one massive trauma ward.” The hospital, which normally has a 350-bed capacity, is currently treating about 700 patients. The hospital director and team reported that hundreds of trauma patients have been received over the past four weeks, the majority linked to incidents around militarized distribution sites. Dr. Peeperkorn added that intensive care patients are in every area throughout the hospital due to the lack of space in the original intensive care unit (ICU). In addition, there is a shortage of nearly all critical supplies, especially those related to trauma care.
• On 6 July, the MoH stated that Gaza's laboratories and blood banks are facing a critical shortage of blood units and their components, with demand sharply increasing due to the growing number of severe injuries. Despite the urgent need, the amount of blood being supplied remains far below what is required each month; according to MoH, over the past month alone, 10,000 blood units and their components were dispensed, while only 3,500 units were collected. The Ministry added that efforts to encourage community blood donations have become ineffective, as widespread malnutrition and anaemia have left many people physically unable to donate, underscoring the deepening severity of the health crisis.
• On 8 July, PRCS announced the suspension of operations at Az Zaytoun Medical Clinic that it operates in Gaza city, following shelling in the surrounding area, which posed “a serious threat to the safety of medical teams and patients.” According to PRCS, the clinic had been a critical lifeline for thousands of people, especially as the area grew overcrowded with IDPs following the issuance of displacement orders, and its closure will force thousands of people to walk long distances to access basic medical services and essential vaccinations elsewhere. Since October 2023, 18 PRCS medical clinics have been forced out of service, PRCS stated.
• At a press conference held by MoH on 9 July, Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmiyah, Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza city, warned that the worsening fuel crisis is pushing the health and humanitarian sectors toward total collapse. He emphasized that the crisis is severely affecting hospital operations, desalination plants, and water supply systems. Dr. Abu Selmiyah said that hospitals in Gaza city, particularly Al-Shifa, will imminently cease operations, noting that the hemodialysis unit had already been shut down to preserve electricity for ICUs and operating rooms amid a continued flow of casualties. Dr. Abu Selmiyah reported that 13 ICU patients mostly on ventilators, about 100 babies in incubators, and 350 patients relying on kidney dialysis services are currently at critical risk. Dr. Abu Selmiyah stressed that the hospital is already overwhelmed with hundreds of injured people and will no longer be able to perform surgeries. “Operating rooms will shut down, and we will not be able to treat the large influx of injured people. Our oxygen stations will also stop functioning, and a hospital without oxygen is no longer a hospital,” he concluded.
• On 9 July, Nasser Medical Complex warned of an imminent humanitarian disaster due to a critical fuel shortage, stating that the facility is very close to a complete shutdown as fuel supplies are nearly exhausted. Despite significant efforts to reduce power consumption and restrict electricity to only the most critical departments, including ICUs, operating rooms, neonatal units, and maternity and dialysis services, the hospital’s generators are expected to function for one additional day, according to the hospital. If the power goes out completely, the lives of dozens of patients, particularly those dependent on ventilators, “will be in immediate danger and face certain death,” the hospital emphasized.

Water and Sanitation Crisis

• The continued blockade on the entry of fuel into Gaza and access constraints are severely constraining water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, with devastating impacts on public health. Throughout May and June, WASH Cluster partners received, from available humanitarian supplies, only 25 per cent of the fuel required to sustain effective emergency operations. Meanwhile, as of 4 July, 80 per cent of WASH assets and facilities now fall within the Israeli-militarized zone or in areas that have been placed under displacement orders since 18 March. As a result, multiple water wells have ceased functioning and desalination plants are operating at minimal capacity, which has significantly reduced the volume of water available for distribution. WASH partners estimate that most people are receiving less than the emergency standard of 15 litres per person per day, amounting to a human-made drought crisis. Between 22 June and 5 July, based on available data, 27 WASH Cluster partners distributed a daily average of about 17,000 cubic metres of drinking water through trucking to 1,357 water collection points. Fuel shortages have further limited solid waste collection; on 9 July, the Joint Service Council south of Wadi Gaza suspended waste collection services due to the lack of fuel. Fuel shortages have also restricted sewage pumping to only emergency interventions, primarily in high-risk flood zones such as Ash Sheik Radwan Pond.
• On 7 July, the Mekorot Bani Suhaila water supply line from Israel stopped working at noon due to a malfunction that require repairs. The line had suffered repeated damage and disruptions over time and was most recently restored on 30 June. Yet, the area was placed under a displacement order on 1 July, rendering the line largely inaccessible and has since only allowed for limited water collection. The current halt in water flow via the Bani Suhaila line, which feeds As Satar water tank west of Khan Younis and provides approximately 12,000-14,000 cubic metres of water per day, will severely impact the water supply to the overcrowded, displaced communities in Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Trucks that were transporting water from As Satar water reservoir have now been redirected to the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant (SGDP), which itself has only enough fuel to operate for a limited number of additional days, providing a daily average of about 1,500 cubic metres of drinking water.
• In Gaza city, the municipality announced that large areas of the city are facing water outages due to precarious security conditions that are preventing its teams from accessing and carrying out repairs of the main water distribution valves connected to the Mekorot water line coming from Israel. The municipality also reported that lack of access to As Safa water wells along Salah ad Din Road is preventing their operation and further contributing to the water outages. According to the WASH Cluster, these shortages are having a critical impact on drinking water availability, increasing community tensions and putting safe drinking water out of reach for the most vulnerable groups.
• The WASH and Health clusters warn that water-borne diseases are on the rise, with acute watery diarrhea accounting for 39 per cent of reported illnesses, alongside emerging cases of bloody diarrhea and acute jaundice syndrome reported at overcrowded displacement sites. Key drivers include overcrowded shelters, limited access to clean water, poor sanitation, and rising malnutrition, all of which weaken immune systems and increase vulnerability to disease and morbidity. Ensuring access to food, safe drinking water, and the availability of freely distributed hygiene items through secure and accessible humanitarian corridors is critical to preventing further disease outbreaks, according to the clusters. Despite the immense needs, since the end of phase one of the ceasefire, the Israeli authorities have been denying the entry of hygiene items – including kits and cleaning supplies essential for protecting public health. Recently, Israeli authorities have approved such items, but the details regarding permissible content and authorized entry routes remain unclear. As such, no hygiene items have entered Gaza over the past four months.

Funding

• As of 8 July 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately US$738 million out of the $4 billion (18 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 June 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 122 ongoing projects, totalling $70.1 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 58 are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), 48 by national NGOs and 16 by UN agencies. Notably, 42 out of the 74 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.