Humanitarian Situation Update #321 | 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 17 or 18 September. 

Key Highlights

• Nearly one million people estimated to be in Gaza city, where famine has been confirmed, are facing daily bombardment and compromised access to means of survival after the Israeli military placed the entire city under a displacement order. 
• With no safe place left, the UN and its humanitarian partners call for a ceasefire, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the sustained expansion of humanitarian access throughout the Gaza Strip. 
• The number of aid workers killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 rises to 540.  
• Some humanitarian facilities in Gaza city have been forced to halt services and many others risk shutdown, including temporary learning spaces and those offering sexual and reproductive health services to women and girls.  

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, particularly in Gaza and North Gaza governorates. Strikes on residential buildings, tents and schools sheltering internally displaced people (IDPs), and people seeking aid have continued to be reported. Rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups into Israel and fighting with Israeli forces have taken place. Combined with displacement orders, Israeli military ground operations and bombardment have continued to be especially intensive in Gaza city, driving additional waves of displacement (see more information below).  
• In a statement on 7 September, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, expressed grave concern over Israel’s latest displacement order against Palestinians in Gaza city, which came after famine was confirmed in the territory and amid an Israeli intensified military offensive. He warned that the “narrow window – until the end of September – to prevent famine from spreading to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis…is now closing fast,” stressing that “death, destruction, starvation and displacement of Palestinian civilians are the result of choices that defy international law and ignore the international community.” The UN relief chief called for unimpeded humanitarian access, the protection of civilians, implementation of the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures, the release of hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians, and an immediate ceasefire.  
• In a speech on 8 September, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk denounced Israel’s commission of “war crime upon war crime” and expressed his horror at the “open use of genocidal rhetoric” by senior Israeli officials. He decried the lack of action by the international community and asked: “Where are the decisive steps to prevent genocide?” He called on countries to do more, urging a halt to “the flow to Israel of arms that risk violating the laws of war.” He warned against inaction and called on the international community to “oppose Israel’s planned military takeover of Gaza.”  
• On 10 September, the UN and its humanitarian partners issued a statement on the “dangerous escalation in Gaza city, where Israeli forces have stepped up their operations and ordered everyone to move south.” Noting that Israeli authorities have issued these orders “without effective steps to ensure the safety of those forced to move” and directed people to an area in the south where neither the size nor the scale of provided services is fit to support those already there, let alone new arrivals, they concluded. “Nearly one million people are now left with no safe or viable options – neither the north nor the south offers safety.” They underscored the commitment of the humanitarian community to “remain in Gaza city for as long as [they] can” and stated that they “will remain across the Strip, doing all [they] can to bring aid and deliver lifesaving services.” They demanded that civilians and civilian infrastructure be protected, and humanitarian access be “expanded and sustained to include direct routes to both the north and the south.” 
• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 3 and 10 September, 499 Palestinians were killed, and 2,258 were injured. This brings the casualty toll among Palestinians since 7 October 2023, as reported by MoH, to 64,656 fatalities and 163,503 injuries. According to MoH, the total number includes 401 fatalities who were retroactively added on 4 September 2025 after their identification details were approved by a ministerial committee. MoH further noted that the number of casualties among people trying to access aid supplies has increased to 2,456 fatalities and more than 17,861 injuries.  
• According to the Israeli military, between 3 and 10 September, as of noon, four Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. This brings the casualty toll among Israeli soldiers since the beginning of the Israeli ground operation in October 2023 to 460 fatalities and 2,892 injuries, according to the Israeli military. According to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,660 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. As of 10 September, it is estimated that 48 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including hostages who have been declared dead and whose bodies are being withheld. 
• Over the past week, two aid workers were reported killed in the Gaza Strip, both in Gaza city. On 7 September, the offices of Aisha Association for Woman and Child Protection was hit, resulting in the killing of one male staff, a pregnant woman, and a child. In addition, many injuries among those present inside and around the premises were reported. In a separate incident on the same day, Tamer Institute for Community Education announced the killing of one of their female staff, working as a case management supervisor, along with her child when their home was hit. This has brought the number of aid workers killed since October 2023 to 540, including 175 women and 365 men. The total includes 373 UN staff and team members, 54 staff and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), four staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 109 aid workers with national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 
• Key incidents resulting in fatalities among people seeking aid over the past week included:  
  • On 3 September, between 15:30 and 19:45, at least ten Palestinians were reportedly killed and dozens injured while waiting for supply trucks along the Morag corridor, south of Khan Younis.  
  • On 4 September, at about 13:00, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed near a militarized distribution site in northern Rafah.  
  • On 6 September, at about 20:30, 13 Palestinians were reportedly killed and dozens injured while waiting for aid in As Sudaniya area, in western North Gaza. 
  • On 7 September, at about 17:30, five Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured while waiting for supply trucks in As Sudaniya area, in western North Gaza. 
  • On 8 September, at about 15:15, six Palestinians, including three males, were reportedly killed and 15 others injured while waiting for supply trucks along the Morag corridor, south of Khan Younis. 
  • On 9 September, between 8:30 and 9:15, at least five Palestinians were reportedly killed near the militarized distribution point southwest of Khan Younis. 
• According to records of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), since the establishment of the militarized supply sites system in the Gaza Strip on 27 May and as of 9 September, at least 2,256 people seeking assistance have been killed. This includes 1,172 near militarized supply sites and 1,084 along convoy supply routes. Younger men and older boys continue to comprise the vast majority of deaths and injuries, with most casualties reportedly the result of live fire.  
• On 8 September, the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) stated that the Israeli authorities continue to deny some of the movements of its teams, obstructing their access to people trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes and their ability to carry out other humanitarian interventions. It reported that in August alone, 10 urgent appeals were submitted to the Israeli authorities via international organizations, but timely coordination was regularly denied. PCD added that since 6 September, it had been seeking approval to reach a family trapped under rubble in Bani Suhaila, in Khan Younis, after their home was hit; the mission was approved by Israeli authorities on 10 September, PCD later reported. 
• According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), August witnessed an unprecedented level of attacks against Palestinian journalists, with 15 journalists killed, of whom three were female journalists. Of the total, 11 journalists were killed in two incidents at Nasser Medical Complex and near Al Shifa Hospital. In addition, at least nine journalists were injured in August, mostly due to direct strikes that resulted in limb amputations or paralysis. Overall, PJS reported that out of 247 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, 31 were female journalists, including six while on duty. 
• Gaza's health-care system continues to be overwhelmed by the influx of mass casualties, limited medical stocks and supplies, and a shortage of medical equipment and blood units. On 7 September, the MoH in Gaza issued an urgent call for blood donations at hospitals and the central blood bank to save the lives of patients and injured people. According to the Health Cluster, the last shipment of blood to Gaza was on 4 August and included 6,000 units that were consumed within 20 days. It is estimated that the daily need is about 350 units. Moreover, two health cluster partners have been carrying out blood donation campaigns. However, amid starvation, the spread of disease and growing displacement, a decline in the number of donors has been reported by cluster partners. 
• The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warns of catastrophic consequences of the Gaza city offensive on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for women and girls. UNFPA emphasizes that the health system is collapsing and could lose half of its remaining capacity if hostilities continue; UNFPA added that four hospitals providing obstetric and newborn care and 23 primary healthcare centres and medical points delivering outpatient SRH services in Gaza city are at imminent risk of shutdown. Facilities in the south are already operating above capacity and cannot absorb the growing influx of patients from the north. Access to care is increasingly constrained as families must travel long distances on damaged roads, while limited fuel supplies have crippled ambulances, private transport, and hospital operations. With hospitals overwhelmed or unreachable, more women are giving birth in unsafe conditions, such as shelters and streets. In the first seven months of 2025, more than 465 deliveries took place outside hospitals, some attended only by paramedics and many without any medical support, with June and July recording the highest numbers. To help sustain services, UNFPA and two partners supported the opening of a new Field Maternity Hospital by Al-Awda Health and Community Association on 31 August, which now provides maternity follow-up and family planning services; the facility has 23-bed inpatient capacity, seven delivery beds, and operating theatres equipped for caesarean sections (C-sections) and gynaecological surgeries. In parallel, on 24 August, UNFPA delivered six trucks with 765 reproductive health kits into Gaza for distribution to health partners, supporting an estimated 212,000 SRH services in the coming months, including clean delivery kits for 22,000 pregnant women, contraceptives for 83,000 women, and supplies to treat reproductive tract and sexually transmitted infections for 107,000 people. 
• Delays and impediments to humanitarian movements continue. Missions that are approved still take hours to complete and teams have been compelled to wait on roads that are often dangerous or congested. Between 3 and 9 September, out of 120 attempts to coordinate planned movements with Israeli authorities across the Gaza Strip, 50 were facilitated (42 per cent), 33 were impeded (28 per cent), 22 (18 per cent) were denied and 15 (12 per cent) had to be withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational, or security reasons. Facilitated movements included two missions to transfer fuel to Gaza city and two missions to collect medical supplies from Kerem Shalom crossing. Denied movements included staff movements and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-related missions, including for water trucking and solid waste removal. Among the 33 impeded missions, 13 were fully accomplished despite the impediments, including missions to collect supplies from Kerem Shalom crossing and staff rotations. Three missions were not accomplished, including a mission to transfer a crusher machine and the remaining 17 missions were partially accomplished, including two missions to collect fuel from Kerem Shalom crossing. Overall, 13 out of the 120 movements involved fuel collection and transfer, 21 involved the collection of other supplies from Gaza’s crossings, nine were staff movements and rotations, and 77 aimed to support other ongoing humanitarian operations. 
• On 10 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) and PRCS supported the evacuation of 128 people from the Gaza Strip, including 30 patients and 98 companions, to receive treatment abroad. Among them were several cancer patients and injured people. According to WHO, over 15,800 critical patients require medical evacuation abroad. 
• While the school year in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) officially commenced on 8 September, the Education Cluster reports that in-person, formal education remains on hold in the Gaza Strip. Formal education in Gaza will be limited to distance learning programmes managed by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); an estimated 370,000 students are currently enrolled while facing severe challenges due to ongoing hostilities, displacement, and severe disruptions to telecommunications and internet services. Students from the 2023-2024 cohort have also begun this week taking the General Secondary School Examinations (Tawjihi) through a mobile application administered by MoE. Non-formal education initiatives continue by cluster partners through Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS), with about 705 TLS established in the first eight months of 2025 by 52 cluster partners, including four UN agencies, 21 international NGOs (INGOs) and 27 national NGOs (NNGOs). During this period, nearly 260,000 children attended TLS, of whom about 144,000 completed at least three months of in-person learning; in other words, only about 22 per cent of school-aged children completed at least three months of in-person learning so far in 2025. 

Intensification of the Israeli Military Offensive in Gaza City

• On 5 September, the Israeli military announced that it will start targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza city and issued over the ensuing days displacement orders against three specific buildings. On 6 September, the Israeli military announced that Al Mawasi, in Khan Younis, is a “humanitarian area,” where residents of Gaza city should evacuate to via Al Rashid Road, and that efforts will be made to provide better humanitarian services in the area; this area comprises about 12 per cent of the Gaza Strip. On 9 September, and for the first time since the Israeli authorities announced preparations for taking control of Gaza city on 8 August 2025, the Israeli military ordered all the residents of Gaza city, from the Old City and At Tuffah in the east to the sea in the west, to evacuate immediately via Al Rashid (coastal) road to Al Mawasi area.  
• Over the past week, the Israeli military issued evacuation notices to people in residential buildings and schools sheltering IDPs across Gaza city ahead of strikes on them or in their vicinity. For example, on 8 September, at about 20:50, the Israeli military reportedly issued a warning to residents of As Salam residential tower, in Ar Rimal area in central Gaza city, to evacuate before carrying out a strike on the tower, which is reportedly surrounded by hundreds of IDP tents. On the same night, the Israeli military reportedly issued a warning to people sheltering in Al Mustaqbal School and four residential buildings that are in the same block as As Salam Tower to evacuate, and one of the houses was reportedly struck at about 22:45 but no information is available on whether there were casualties.  
• On 9 September, PCD reported that in the preceding 72 hours, five high-rise buildings comprising 209 apartments and more than 350 IDP tents were bombed in Gaza city, resulting in the estimated displacement of nearly 7,600 people, including women, children and elderly people. Furthermore, on the same day, the PCD spokesperson said that their capacities are extremely limited, as they are operating with minimal resources and lack sufficient equipment to respond amid escalating attacks. They warned that without adequate support, they will be unable to provide lifesaving services, leaving people trapped under the rubble without any means of rescue. 
• Between 5 and 8 September, at least the following five high-rise buildings were reportedly destroyed:  
  • On 5 September, a 12-storey building was destroyed in north of Ar Rimal, in central Gaza city, injuring an unknown number of Palestinians, including due to flying debris, and reportedly leaving dozens of Palestinians displaced. The building was reportedly surrounded by thousands of IDP tents when struck. 
  • On 6 September, two displacement orders were issued for two high-rise buildings in Gaza city and the surrounding blocks and IDP tents. These orders covered 1.8 kilometres in two neighbourhoods. One of the buildings consisted of two adjacent 13-storey towers containing at least 100 residential apartments. On the same day, the building was destroyed, resulting in the displacement of at least 100 families who had lived there. The second building was hit and destroyed on 7 September, resulting in the reported killing of one person and the injury of others.  
  • On 8 September, a displacement order was issued for a 12-storey commercial building and the surrounding blocks and IDP tents, near Al Azahar University in Ar Rimal, in central Gaza city. The order covered one square kilometre in one neighbourhood. On the same day, the building was hit and destroyed, causing severe damage to the area. 
  • On 8 September, a 15-storey residential building was hit in Ar Rimal, in central Gaza City (see reference to As Salam tower above). The strike reportedly caused debris to fly long distances and resulted in extensive destruction in the vicinity. 
• In other cases, casualties were reported in strikes on IDP tents, residential buildings, schools and other facilities sheltering IDPs, and a market in different parts of Gaza city, including the following key incidents:  
  • On 3 September, at about 13:00, seven Palestinians, including five males, were reportedly killed and another 18 were injured in Ash Sheikh Radwan market, in northern Gaza city. 
  • On 3 September, at about 14:30, 10 Palestinian males were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in northern Gaza city.  
  • On 3 September, at about 15:15, seven Palestinians, including a female and a couple, were reportedly killed and a child was injured when a residential building was hit in Ash Sheikh Radwan, in northern Gaza city. 
  • On 3 September, at midnight, at least five Palestinians were reportedly killed and at least 15 others, including five children, were injured when several IDP tents were hit in An Nasr area, in western Gaza city. Three fires reportedly erupted. 
  • On 4 September, at about 0:30, five Palestinians, including four children, were reportedly killed when an IDP tent was hit in Tel Al Hawa, in southwestern Gaza city. 
  • On 4 September, at about 09:20, at least eight Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Ash Shujai’yyeh, in eastern Gaza city. 
  • On 4 September, at about 14:00, 11 Palestinian males including seven from one family and four from another family, were reportedly killed and around 50 others, mostly women and children, were injured when at least four houses were hit in At Tuffah area, in northeastern Gaza city. A residential block had reportedly been ordered to evacuate and when residents returned to check on their homes, the same block was reportedly hit again.  
  • On 6 September, at about 12:00, eight Palestinians, including four children were reportedly killed and others injured when an apartment was hit in Ash Sheikh Radwan, in northern Gaza city. 
  • On 7 September, at about 02:00, eight Palestinians, including children, were reportedly killed and others injured when a school, reportedly sheltering IDPs, was hit in central Gaza city.   
  • On 7 September, at about 02:00, nine Palestinians, including four boys, were reportedly killed and others injured when an IDP tent was hit, in western Gaza city. 
  • On 7 September, at about 17:15, 15 Palestinians, including children, were reportedly injured when the Al Jazeera Club, specializing in sports for people with disabilities, and sheltering IDPs from around 80 families was hit in central Gaza city. The occupants of the Club were reportedly ordered to evacuate prior to the hit. 
  • On 8 September, at about 01:40, at least two people (brothers) were reportedly killed, and an unknown number of people were injured, when a residential apartment was hit in Ar Rimal, in central Gaza city.  
  • On 8 September, between 15:00 and 16:00, three Palestinians, including two women, were reportedly killed and 20 others injured when at least one residential building and other locations were hit, in the northeast and central areas of Gaza city. 
  • On 9 September, at about 03:00, casualties were reported when a residential building was hit near Al Qawqa roundabout in Ash Shati’ (Beach) Camp, in northwestern Gaza city, with about 25 people believed to be under the rubble. At about 14:00, PCD reported that they managed to retrieve the bodies of two people and rescue two injured persons from under the rubble of this building.    
• The intensification of strikes on Gaza city has inflicted severe damage on some humanitarian facilities and disrupted the operations and delivery of essential services, such as in the following cases: 
  • On 8 September, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported that a medical point run by Ard El Insan (AEI), which partners with MAP on nutrition projects, had been forced out of service after being damaged, reportedly by a nearby attack, hindering the provision of lifesaving services. MAP’s Gaza Director said: “What we are seeing in Gaza city is not collateral damage; it is the predictable and preventable result of deliberate Israeli policies and actions that harm civilians and healthcare in violation of international humanitarian law.” 
  • On 7 September, the Prosthetics and Paralysis Center of Gaza Municipality was reported to have been severely damaged by an Israeli strike on a nearby residential building, forcing the suspension of operations until urgent repairs are completed. The strike damaged parts of the infrastructure, operational equipment, and several rooms and sections of the centre, halting the delivery of vital humanitarian services to amputees and paralysis patients who depend on prosthetics and assistive devices to regain mobility and live with dignity. 
  • On 9 September, the main offices of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) located in one of the targeted high-rise buildings was destroyed.  
  • On 9 September, Médecins du Monde (MdM) stated that a building that was hit the previous day was located a few metres from one of their clinics in Gaza city. While no casualties among staff and patients were reported, the facility sustained severe damage, rendering it out of service. MdM reported that no alert or request for evacuation had been directly transmitted to the teams. MdM stated that the security situation no longer allows them to continue their activities in Gaza city and was therefore forced to suspend its operations for an indefinite period in this area by closing its two clinics. This will deprive 600 patients from the care they need.  
• In general, the displacement order for Gaza city is threatening humanitarian operations carried out by hundreds of partners to serve nearly one million Palestinian residents. According to the Health and Nutrition clusters, some health partners have suspended activities at primary health care centres, while 12 out of 49 outpatient therapeutic sites have halted services amid ongoing airstrikes in Gaza city. In addition, at least two community kitchens suspended operations, and three others had to relocate within the city. The intensified Israeli military operation has also forced protection cluster partners, including child protection actors, to suspend operations in premises located near high-rise buildings targeted by airstrikes. According to WHO, about half of all functional hospitals are in Gaza city; this includes 36 per cent of all hospital beds and 50 per cent of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds across the Strip. “The crippled health system cannot afford to lose any of these remaining facilities,” warned WHO’s Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.  
• As the Israeli military offensive on Gaza city is underway, the Education Cluster reports that schools sheltering IDPs continue to be hit (see incidents above) and is concerned that 95 TLS in northern Gaza (including 89 in Gaza city and six in North Gaza), serving about 25,000 children, may be at imminent risk of closure due to displacement orders issued by the Israeli military and ongoing insecurity, which would further disrupt efforts to provide emergency education services. As of 8 September, only 297 TLS remained functional, serving more than 112,000 students, with the rest either destroyed, closed due to funding constraints, or were forced to temporarily pause their activities due to insecurity and displacement orders.  Since 7 October 2023 and as of 10 July 2025, 97 per cent of school buildings in the Gaza Strip have sustained some level of damage, the majority (92 per cent) requiring clearance of explosive contamination and either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation to be functional again.  
• On 9 September, following the issuance of displacement orders by the Israeli military in Gaza city, UNRWA’s Commissioner General Philippe Lazarrini stated: “Gaza is being emptied from its starving population [who is] forced to move into the so-called ‘humanitarian’ area of Mawasi. There is no safe place in Gaza, let alone a humanitarian zone.” 
• With winter approaching, Israeli military operations in Gaza city intensifying, and famine at risk of spreading from Gaza city to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, an inter-cluster preparedness and operational plan has been activated by the UN and its partners. The initially three-month plan outlines activities to scale up operations in Gaza city in the face of large-scale population movements, looming famine, the onset of winter rains, and the massive gap in essential services. While conceived as a preparedness plan, humanitarian partners warn that its implementation is severely constrained by restricted access, the limited entry of supplies and the volatile security environment. 

Displacement and Shelter Crisis

• The Israeli military order to empty Gaza city follows many rounds of displacement forced by hostilities and the issuance of displacement orders. It also comes as hostilities intensify, and amid massive destruction to housing and displacement sites. "This is not an evacuation. The directive amounts to forcible transfer, an atrocity crime under international law. Families are being driven out of Gaza City into small, confined areas, under the constant threat of deportation beyond Gaza itself,” said Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). “This is not about protecting civilians, it is about stripping them of their homes, their communities, and their right to remain on their land," he added. Already by October 2024, over 90 per cent of Gaza’s population were estimated to have been displaced for an average of six times, and some up to an alarming 19 times. 
• According to the Site Management Cluster (SMC), the majority of over 122,385 displacement movements recorded since 14 August originated from Gaza city and 60 per cent (over 73,500 movements) were recorded from northern to southern Gaza Strip via Al Rashid (coastal) Road, including about 25,000 movements observed since 7 September. On 9 September, SMC partners established two reception/counting points on Al Rashid Road, where they have been providing displaced people with water, high-energy biscuits, and referrals for protection services including to unaccompanied minors. Partners have observed some return movements from central and southern Gaza to the north, with returnees citing severe overcrowding in displacement sites in southern Gaza. Thousands of people have also been displaced to the western parts of Gaza city along the shoreline and have set up tents in the area. According to the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), the expansion of tented areas along the coast raises serious risks of flooding and waterborne disease, particularly as displaced communities concentrate in low-lying shoreline areas with poor drainage and no adequate shelter materials.  
• Overall, families in Gaza have nowhere to go, with displacement sites severely overcrowded and living conditions unsafe and undignified. The SMC notes that the average living space in displacement sites is only 0.5 square metres per person, which is far below the Sphere Standard of 3.5 square metres. Even when families find space, they often lack tents or shelter items, as tented areas themselves continue to be bombed (see above). For those considering to move, the related costs are alone a major deterrent: partners estimate the cost of transport within a single governorate at about ILS 950 (US$280) and up to ILS 4,000 (US$1,200) for transportation between governorates. For families with disabilities, these costs rise to ILS 1,330 (US$390) within governorates and ILS 5,600 ($1,700) between governorates. 
• Repeated waves of forced displacement result in the loss or abandonment of essential shelter items, which further contribute to creating a repetitive cycle of demand for shelter assistance. According to the Shelter Cluster, as of August 2025, 1.4 million people are in need of emergency shelter items, while about 1.45 million people are estimated to require essential household items. Yet, despite the recent entry of some shelter items into the Gaza Strip, the needs far surpass available supplies; since mid-August, when Israeli authorities lifted the ban on the entry of shelter materials, only about 1,400 tents have so far been collected from the crossings through UN coordination, which is nowhere near meeting the emergency shelter needs across Gaza, according to the Shelter Cluster. The Shelter Cluster estimates that at the current rate of entry, even if 30 per cent of all cargo were allocated to shelter, it would still take five months to meet needs, roughly the same as the lifespan of the shelter materials, after which they would need to be replaced. In a position paper by the Shelter Cluster, the cluster emphasized: “Shelter actors will operate under clear principles: assistance based solely on need, delivery across all areas, including northern Gaza, and solutions that remain temporary and transitional, linked to durable housing, land, and property solutions that uphold displaced families’ right to return to their homes in Gaza.’’ 
• The burden of repeated displacement falls disproportionately on the most vulnerable, including the elderly, people with disability and pregnant women, according to the Site Management and Shelter clusters. On 9 September, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that many women in areas designated by the Israeli authorities as combat zones, such as Gaza city – are scheduled for C-sections in the coming days and weeks, yet bombardment and the challenges of safe movement have left them trapped in areas with no safe access to hospitals. When these women go into labour, they are faced with life-threatening risks. 
• Highlighting the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in the OPT, including the Gaza Strip, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) noted that forced displacement and the need to flee dangerous areas are particularly difficult for those sustaining war-related injuries and people with disabilities, many of whom have lost their assistive devices and are unable to afford the pricy cost of transportation (see above). In June 2025, Humanity and Inclusion (HI) estimated that about 6,000 prosthetic devices were needed, including many for children. During the first week of September, WHO said that 572 wheelchairs, including 260 for children, have entered Gaza and will be distributed to hospitals and partners in Gaza to cover urgent needs, including in relation to mass casualty management and rehabilitation. Moreover, many persons with disabilities are unable to evacuate during bombardments because warnings are issued in formats they cannot access. 

Famine, Food Insecurity and Restricted Access to Markets 

• The amount of aid entering the Strip is still drastically insufficient to meet the scale of needs almost three weeks after a famine was declared in Gaza. On 5 September, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain, stressed that more aid needs to get into Gaza at scale and continually as this would also relieve the panic facing people who are uncertain about whether they would have access to food. This would also allow the Food Security Sector (FSS) partners to restart the community-based distribution system and re-open the UN-supported bakeries.  Flooding Gaza with enough assistance and making sure it reaches the entire population is the only way to turn around a catastrophic hunger trajectory, which requires political will, WFP Palestine Country Director, Antoine Renard, recently underscored: “If there is the political will, the situation can flip from one day to the next… There are no logistical issues, no lack of capacity, no lack of funding. The goods are there, ready to serve the population.” 
• According to monitoring data by the UN 2720 mechanism, over 5,700 metric tons (MT) of humanitarian food supplies were collected from Gaza’s crossings through UN coordination in the first nine days of September. This is about 32 per cent of the daily minimum of 2,000 MT required across the Strip to meet basic food needs, according to FSS.  As of 9 September, 19 FSS partners prepared 519,000 individual meals every day at 110 community kitchens across Gaza, including about 170,000 meals in the north and 349,000 meals in southern and central Gaza. This is compared with 468,000 daily meals prepared and distributed by partners as of 30 August. FSS partners are trying to keep the kitchens running to serve the people in need wherever they are, amid a very risky and unpredictable security situation. Following the issuance of a displacement order for Gaza city by the Israeli military on 9 September, at least two kitchens have seized operations, and three others had to relocate within the city. 
• People’s access to markets and nutritious food across the Gaza Strip remains restricted, according to WFP’s monthly market monitoring report covering August 2025. While access to food across the Gaza Strip slightly improved for some households, most households are still facing extreme difficulties and forced to adopt negative coping mechanisms, such as skipping meals, eating smaller portions, or restricting adults’ food intake to prioritize children. Furthermore, 50 per cent of surveyed households reported having worse access to food in August compared with July, and about 39 per cent reported going an entire day without eating at least once during the past 30 days. Other key report findings include the following: 
  • While a larger volume of humanitarian and commercial supplies has triggered a significant drop in the prices of some items, such as wheat flour and sugar, in August compared with July, the prices of other items have increased again in the last week of August due to the very limits amounts available – this was the case, for example, with dry onions and tomatoes, which went altogether missing from markets in Gaza city in the last days of August. Moreover, commercial goods that are entering tend to be those that can bring a large profit margin (e.g. processed cheese and salty snacks), rather than vegetables, dairy products and other items that have a high nutritious value. By August 2025, food diversity in Gaza reached one of its lowest points, with diets reduced almost entirely to cereals and pulses, while dairy products, vegetables, fruits, and proteins had disappeared from household consumption. The only exception was frozen chicken, which was allowed into the Gaza Strip at the start of the third week of August for the first time in over six months and was being reportedly sold at ILS 130 (US$39) per kilogramme in Deir al Balah and ILS 120 (US$36) per kilogramme in Gaza city. 
  • Between 64 and 76 per cent of households across Gaza’s governorates reported being unable to access markets, primarily due to a lack of cash (94 per cent) and soaring food prices (60 per cent). Moreover, an alarming 77 per cent of households reported facing safety risks while trying to obtain food. The report also highlights a continuing cash liquidity crisis that is disrupting market operations, with 74 per cent of shops unable to restock or pay suppliers. This is despite a reported decrease in digital payment and withdrawal fees by 30–35 per cent, down from 50 per cent at some point in July. Furthermore, markets continue to lack essential items, including cooking gas, which remains nearly unavailable. This has forced two-thirds of households to burn waste for food preparation.  
• According to MoH in Gaza, as of 10 September, 404 malnutrition-related deaths, including 141 children, were documented since October 2023. Updated data breakdowns published by MoH on 27 August indicate that of the total, four malnutrition-related deaths were documented in 2023, 49 deaths in 2024, and 260 in between January and 27 August 2025. 

Funding

• As of 10 September 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately $985 million out of the $4 billion (24 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 August 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 104 ongoing projects, totalling $62.3 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 48 are being implemented by INGOs, 42 by national NGOs and 14 by UN agencies. Notably, 35 out of the 62 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.