Humanitarian Situation Update #327 | 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 8 or 9 October.

Key Highlights

• People in Gaza city are facing deteriorating access to means of survival amid intensified bombardment, collapsing lifelines, and a growing number of aid organizations forced to suspend operations.
• Cooked meal provision in northern Gaza has dropped by 70 per cent, with only eight kitchens currently operational, the Food Security Sector reports.
• One million people are accessing less than the emergency minimum of six litres of drinking water per day, according to a recent assessment by water, sanitation and hygiene partners.
• The UN and its partners continue to face physical and bureaucratic impediments, preventing them from providing lifesaving assistance at scale in the Gaza Strip.
• Attacks on or near hospitals and other health facilities continue to be reported.
• Environmental damage in the Gaza Strip has dramatically worsened since June 2024, according to the UN Environment Programme.

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 Deir al Balah governorates. Israeli strikes on residential buildings, tents sheltering internally displaced people (IDPs) and people seeking aid have continued to be reported, alongside reports of controlled detonations. Fighting between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli forces was also reported. Rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups into Israel was reported on 29 September and 1 October, most of which reportedly fell short inside Gaza or were intercepted. On 1 October, the Israeli military announced that Ar Rashid (coastal) Road will be closed for movement from the southern area, as of noon local time, noting that it remained open for movements from Gaza city towards the south. Access to North Gaza remains severely restricted and protection partners report significant disruption to communication channels across the governorate, hindering efforts to verify information and assess the gravity of the situation for civilians who remain in the area.
• On 29 September, the UN Human Rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR) expressed dismay “that the Israeli military is destroying Gaza City, forcing Palestinians to flee,” stating that while the mass displacement of IDPs from Gaza city into Deir al Balah continued, the Israeli military “intensified strikes on the northwestern part of the [Deir al Balah] governorate, covering An Nuseirat and Az Zawaida areas.” Between 24 and 28 September, the Office recorded at least 12 incidents in the An Nuseirat and Az Zawayda areas, in Deir al Balah, which reportedly killed “at least 89 Palestinians, most of whom appear to be civilians including many children and women.” The incidents included strikes on IDP tents, houses, and a crowded market. In addition, between 1 August and 23 September, OHCHR recorded 14 attacks against people gathering firewood, especially in northern Deir al Balah; the attacks reportedly killed 21 Palestinians, including at least one child. The Office stated that the “Israeli military reportedly launched airstrikes from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), artillery shelling, and live gunfire against those gathering firewood” and noted that “the use of live ammunition against Palestinians collecting firewood, appear to amount to attacks directed at civilians, demonstrably not directly participating in hostilities, and also suggest a policy of preventing Palestinians from accessing the necessities of life.”
• On 30 September, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, welcomed the announcement by the US President in relation to a ceasefire plan, noting that the “priority must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict” and that “the UN remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting all efforts that promote peace, stability [and] a more hopeful future for the people of Palestine [and] Israel and across the region.” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said that the plan opens new possibilities for humanitarians to deliver life-saving aid at the scale desperately needed by civilians, as well as for hostages to finally come home. “We are ready and eager to work – in a practical and principled way – to seize this moment for peace,” he added. Highlighting the centrality of education of more than 660,000 children in Gaza to any agreement to end the war, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, emphasized that “[b]ringing them back to learning should be a collective priority to promote lasting peace [and] stability.”
• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 24 September and 1 October, 429 Palestinians were killed, and 1,556 were injured. This brings the casualty toll among Palestinians since 7 October 2023, as reported by MoH, to 66,148 fatalities and 168,716 injuries. According to MoH, the total number includes 300 fatalities who were retroactively added on 27 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 reached 2,580 fatalities and more than 18,930 injuries since 27 May 2025. Moreover, according to MoH in Gaza, as of 1 October, 455 malnutrition-related deaths, including 151 children, were documented since October 2023.
• According to the Israeli military, between 24 September and 1 October, as of noon, one Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza. This brings the casualty toll among Israeli soldiers since the beginning of the Israeli ground operation in October 2023 to 466 fatalities and 2,939 injuries, according to the Israeli military. According to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,666 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. As of 1 October 2025, 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.
• On 30 September, a photojournalist was killed in an airstrike in Deir al Balah. The Palestinian Journalists Protection Center (PJPC) condemned the killing of the photojournalist, who was displaced from northern to southern Gaza four days earlier. On 26 September, marking the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) had reported that since October 2023, more than 252 journalists have been killed (including one in the West Bank), with dozens more injured, missing, arrested, or forcibly displaced. The syndicate said that over 670 homes belonging to journalists have been destroyed, and more than 1,000 journalists have been forced to flee multiple times. It stressed that Palestinian journalists continue to operate in conditions devoid of basic professional or humanitarian protections, facing constant threats of death and detention.
• On 1 October, the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) reported that seven of its rescue and firefighting officers were injured and one was killed in an Israeli strike while evacuating casualties at a school sheltering displaced families in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza city. This marks the 27th reported Israeli attack on PCD teams in the field since 7 October 2023, PCD reported.
• The following are other key incidents resulting in fatalities across the Gaza Strip over the past week, mainly in Gaza city and Deir al Balah:
  • On 26 September, at about 13:40, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed when an IDP tent was hit in Deir al Balah.
  • On 27 September, at about 8:10, at least 11 Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was struck in At Tuffah, in Gaza city.
  • On 27 September, at about 15:55, at least eight Palestinians from the same family, including four children, were reportedly killed and many others injured when a centre housing IDPs was hit in Ad Daraj, in Gaza city.
  • On 27 September, at about 17:20, at least 17 Palestinians were reportedly killed, including at least two boys and one woman, and dozens of others were injured when a crowded market was hit, near Abu Dala Mall in An Nuseirat Camp, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 28 September, at about 1:00, at least 13 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in southeastern An Nuseirat, in Deir al Balah.
  • On 28 September, six Palestinians were reportedly killed when fire was opened toward Palestinians waiting for supply trucks along the Morag route, south of Khan Younis.
  • On 29 September, at about 8:50, at least 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a strike hit the vicinity of a UN facility sheltering IDPs in An Nasr, in Gaza city.
  • On 30 September, at about 4:30, seven Palestinians, including a woman and her six children, were killed and others injured when a residential building was hit in western Deir al Balah.
  • On 30 September, at about 10:00, 17 Palestinians, including at least four boys, were reportedly killed and 33 others were injured when fire was opened towards people seeking food near the militarized supply site in Wadi Gaza.
  • On 1 October, at about 3:45, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Ad Daraj, in central Gaza city.
  • On 1 October, at about 11:30, five Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a water truck was struck in western Gaza city.
• On 29 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) supported the evacuation of 14 patients and 38 companions from Gaza to Jordan and 15 other patients and 65 companions to Italy. This brings the total number of patients evacuated from Gaza since October 2023 to 7,841 while about 15,600 critical patients still require medical evacuation. For more patients to be able to be medically evacuated, WHO notes that the following are needed: restoring the medical corridor to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (the most cost-effective route); securing more receiving-country offers; increasing the use of medical evacuation corridors through Egypt and Jordan; and overcoming security challenges, fuel shortages, closures of crossings and daily exit limits.

Constrained Humanitarian Space

• UNRWA operations in Gaza city have faced severe disruptions due to the intensification of Israeli military operations, displacement orders, and the large-scale displacement of staff and their families. The absolute majority of shelter, water and sanitation and health facilities managed by UNRWA in Gaza city have now been evacuated, damaged or rendered inaccessible. Despite the challenges, nearly 2,000 out of 12,000 UNRWA personnel continue to provide critical services in the city, including at 11 designated emergency shelters hosting about 2,000 families that remain operational in Gaza city while the remaining 30 shelters have been evacuated or become inaccessible. At the functional shelters, UNRWA also operates water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, contingent on the availability of fuel. Only one UNRWA medical point remains functional in the city, representing one of the few facilities that still provide primary health care services in the area; like other humanitarian actors in Gaza city, UNRWA estimates that its capacity to deliver essential primary health-care services has declined by over 95 per cent compared with August prior to the ground invasion.
• On 26 September, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced that they were forced to suspend their medical activities in Gaza city due to the intensification of Israeli military operations, which escalated risks for both staff and patients. MSF described the dire situation, noting: ‘’Those who are able to leave face an impossible choice: either remain in Gaza City under intense military operations and the deterioration of law and order, or abandon what’s left of their houses, their belongings, and their memories, to move to areas where humanitarian conditions are rapidly collapsing.‘’
• On 1 October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced the temporary suspension of operations at their offices in Gaza city and the relocation of staff to ICRC offices in southern Gaza due to the intensification of military operations in Gaza city. ICRC warned that people in Gaza city are facing “harrowing humanitarian conditions,” stating that their teams “will continue to strive to provide support to civilians in Gaza city, whenever circumstances allow” from their offices in central and southern Gaza and that they “remain committed to returning to Gaza city as soon as conditions allow.”
• The UN and its partners continue to face physical and bureaucratic impediments preventing them from providing lifesaving assistance at scale in the Gaza Strip. Complex authorization and inspection procedures, limited clearance capacity at various crossings, often unpredictable rejection of entry of pre-cleared cargo types, and denials or impediments to humanitarian movements by Israeli authorities hinder operations. Inside Gaza, humanitarian cargo faces a very high risk of looting – including by armed groups. At present, only 15 humanitarian partners have been authorized by Israeli authorities to manifest humanitarian trucks through UN Logistics Cluster coordination via the Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and West Bank aid routes. Following the killing of two Israeli soldiers at Allenby Bridge by a Jordanian truck driver transporting cargo for the Gaza Strip on 18 September, no Government-to-Government convoys were authorized by Israeli authorities, while two Back-to Back convoys carrying shelter items have since been authorized, offloading supplies at Kerem Shalom crossing on 29 and 30 September. The closure of Zikim crossing since 12 September by the Israeli authorities has resulted in the humanitarian community losing direct access to northern Gaza. The Israeli authorities have opened Kissufim crossing since 15 September as an alternative entry point; however, the World Food Programme (WFP) notes that Kissufim does not provide adequate access to northern Gaza due to its limited capacity and insecurity (around the crossing inside Gaza), disrupting cargo collection and preventing additional deliveries. Zikim was a lifeline to directly channel aid into northern Gaza, the Logistics Cluster reports. Furthermore, the West Bank route remains highly constrained, limited to food from one humanitarian partner and health supplies from UN agencies. Lengthy inspections cause delays and can prevent same-day offloading of supplies at Kerem Shalom crossing. At the same time, Israeli authorities continue to reject most trucks coming from the Egypt route from the manifest or have them returned from the crossing in recent weeks, citing congestion at the crossing.
• Delays and impediments to humanitarian movements persist, including for missions between southern and northern Gaza. Even when approved by Israeli authorities, missions often take hours to complete, with teams forced to use heavily congested roads. Between 24 and 30 September, out of 120 attempts to coordinate planned movements with Israeli authorities across the Gaza Strip, 47 were facilitated (39 per cent), 15 were impeded (12 per cent), 50 were denied (42 per cent) and eight had to be withdrawn by the organizers for logistical, operational, or security reasons (seven per cent). In September, the denial rate of humanitarian missions spiked, with 26 per cent (126 out of 478) of missions denied; more than triple the eight per cent (28 out of 356) recorded in August and compared with a denial rate of 20 per cent in July (69 out of 341). Since the closure of Zikim crossing on 12 September and until 30 September, the denial rate of movements in and to northern Gaza has increased to 52 per cent, up from 15 per cent in the preceding two weeks, between 28 August and 11 September. Denied missions in and to northern Gaza involved water trucking, the retrieval of critical life-saving equipment, and visits to hospitals.
• On 23 September, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned that recovery from the environmental damage in Gaza could take decades. UNEP underlined that the environmental situation in Gaza has worsened dramatically across almost all indicators since the last assessment in June 2024, highlighting that freshwater supplies are severely limited and much of what remains is polluted. The collapse of sewage treatment infrastructure, the destruction of piped systems, and the reliance on cesspits for sanitation have likely increased contamination of the aquifer that supplies most of Gaza’s water, while marine and coastal areas are also suspected to be contaminated. Moreover, since 2023, the Gaza Strip has lost 97 per cent of its tree crops, 95 per cent of its shrubland, and 82 per cent of its annual crops, making food production at scale impossible. Some 78 per cent of Gaza’s estimated 250,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, generating 61 million tonnes of debris, of which about 15 per cent may be contaminated with asbestos, industrial waste, or heavy metals. ‘’The situation is going from bad to worse, if this continues, it will leave a legacy of environmental destruction that could affect the health and wellbeing of generations of Gaza residents,’’ said UNEP.
• Since October 2023, Mine Action (MA) partners have documented 132 Explosive Ordnance (EO) incidents that killed 47 people, including at least 14 children, and injured 249 people, including at least 71 children. Over the same period, MA partners reported coming across 508 EO items in the Gaza Strip, which they say are a threat to civilian life, dignity, and recovery efforts. Despite severe access restrictions, repeated telecommunication cuts and displacement of staff, MA partners continue to mark and cordon off areas where EO items are identified and to deliver training sessions on Explosive Ordnance Risk Education and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (EORECPP), with more than 20,000 people reached between 14 and 27 September. These include newly displaced people at reception points on Ar Rashid Road and IDPs who have newly arrived in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. In North Gaza and Gaza city, there has been a reduced presence of MA partners over the past month due to displacement orders and the intensification of military operations, and partners who remain in the area are focusing on mixed media and digital awareness raising. The Protection Cluster notes, however, that risk taking behaviour continues to expose vulnerable communities to EO due to the dire humanitarian conditions, with people forced to shelter in areas that are considered high risk, to dig in rubble to search for survivors, and to scavenge for food, firewood or other essentials in places that are likely to be contaminated with EO.

Strained Services to IDPs

• Combined with displacement orders, Israeli military ground operations and bombardment have continued to drive additional waves of displacement, particularly from Gaza city. Since 18 March, the Site Management Cluster (SMC) has recorded more than 1,200,000 displacement movements (each movement represents one person but people are counted more than once when they have been displaced multiple times). Since mid-August, when hostilities have intensified in northern Gaza and caused massive destruction to residential buildings and displacement sites, people have continued to flee in search of safety, with over 450,000 movements recorded, about 404,000 of which were movements from northern to southern Gaza, mainly to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. On the still heavily congested Ar Rashid Road, about 15 per cent of movements observed between 20 and 27 September were reportedly people forced to travel long hours on foot, the SMC reports. According to the Protection Cluster, the financial burden of displacement has forced some families to sell their essential belongings to cover transportation costs, while those unable to afford transport had to walk, posing extreme difficulties for persons and families with mobility challenges. One of the women who made the long walk with her family from Gaza city to the south told the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF): ‘’When our tent was hit and the shelling surrounded us, we had to leave with nothing… We need clothes, shoes, food… winter clothes, blankets and bedding… I have been displaced three times… we are exhausted.”
• It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza city and North Gaza governorate. According to the SMC, as of 27 September, 73 displacement sites have been forced to close in northern Gaza and only 40 sites remain in the area, compared with 95 displacement sites in July. Humanitarian partners’ ability to provide services in these remaining sites is rapidly shrinking, as many organizations have been forced to relocate or suspend operations due to displacement orders and insecurity. The Shelter Cluster reports that many in Gaza city are sleeping in the open without any form of shelter. The last distribution by Shelter Cluster partners in the area took place between 10 and 20 September, when more than 1,100 tarpaulins were distributed to some 700 newly displaced households within Gaza city.
• Over the past week, the Protection Cluster noted continued operational challenges in delivering services, especially in northern Gaza. Many protection activities remain suspended, due to heavy bombardments and the displacement of hundreds of staff with their families. The destruction of offices, safe spaces, and administrative facilities, coupled with fuel shortages, transport constraints, and the lack of tents and essential items, have further undermined operations. As of 2 October 2025, only two Protection partner organizations remain operational in Gaza city, all at a reduced scale. This is down from 30 partners providing services through approximately 1,030 service points in July 2025. The Protection Cluster calls for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all areas of Gaza, including the north, so that essential services can be restored and shelter, food, hygiene items, and child protection supplies can urgently reach people in need across the Strip.
• In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates, between 27 and 30 September, SMC partners reported the arrival of 127,000 people across 357 displacement sites for which information has been updated, bringing the overall population at these sites to more than half a million people. These include about 50,000 at 46 UNRWA designated emergency shelters, of which 20 were reactivated in September and provide shelter to about 15,000 IDPs. The SMC reported challenges in updating site information due to the rapid and uncoordinated establishment of makeshift sites, which are often difficult to access, and the mounting strain facing site focal points who have become increasingly unable to sustain regular reporting.
• Humanitarian partners continue to expand services in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis to address growing needs associated with the continued influx of IDPs from northern Gaza. This has included inter alia the expansion, where possible, of health, water and sanitation and protection services as well as the provision of shelter materials and cooked meals. For example, in Khan Younis, UNRWA recently rehabilitated nine medical points, alongside the Japanese Health Centre and Hamad Health Centre, more than doubling the number of functioning health facilities in the area, and continues to rehabilitate shelters and medical facilities to meet the expanding needs of displaced families. Yet, the humanitarian situation remains critical: families in southern Gaza are squeezed into overcrowded schools, makeshift tents along the coast, or are sleeping in the open, amid rubble. Between 14 and 27 September, Shelter Cluster partners distributed tarpaulin sheets to about 380 households (nearly 2,000 people) and 336 tents to newly displaced households in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, amounts that fall short of meeting the needs of the 1.5 million people currently in need of shelter assistance. The Shelter Cluster highlights that the shortage in shelter materials and the lack of adequate space are exposing families to severe hardship and are detrimental for their survival and public health as the winter season approaches. The Protection Cluster similarly notes that, upon arrival in the south, IDPs face severe overcrowding, lack of privacy and safety, poor sanitation, heightened risk of child-family separation, and limited access to protection activities due to ongoing attacks and increased threats from EO.

Food Insecurity

• The amounts of food aid entering the Gaza Strip, including through UN coordination, remain inadequate and are far below the quantities that entered Gaza during the ceasefire between 19 January and 1 March 2025. However, and while the majority of aid collected through UN coordination continues to be looted or taken off the back of the trucks by people en route, relatively larger quantities of food aid collected from Gaza’s crossings through UN coordination have reached their destinations in September compared with August. According to monitoring data by the UN 2720 mechanism, more than 5,000 metric tons (MT) of food supplies reached their destinations in September out of about 22,000 MT collected. In comparison, over 2,600 MT of food aid reached their destinations inside Gaza in August, out of over 36,000 MT collected. Moreover, according to data published by the Israeli authorities, the number of truckloads of food entering Gaza through all delivery routes by land, and via humanitarian, bilateral and private sector channels, amounted to over 6,500 truckloads in September, compared with more than 10,500 truckloads of food that entered Gaza in February, during the ceasefire.
• The ability of humanitarian partners to respond effectively to the food security situation in Gaza continues to be limited by the lack of an enabling environment for humanitarian activities, including continued bombardment, displacement orders, and access constraints. Moreover, as noted by OHCHR in August, repeated attacks on the civilian police and other Palestinians attempting to provide security to humanitarian convoys, have contributed to the collapse of public order and safety and the disorder around supply convoys, as the population was desperate to access food in the face of deepening starvation.
• Since the Israeli authorities closed the Zikim Crossing on 12 September, Food Security Sector (FSS) partners have generally been unable to bring any food aid to northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain and where a famine was confirmed on 22 August. There has been a 70 per cent decline in the provision of cooked meals by partners in northern Gaza; as of 30 September, only eight kitchens remained active, producing about 45,000 meals daily, down from 155,000 daily meals by 29 kitchens, as of 30 August. Capacity to produce bread has also been very limited, with most bakeries relocating assets to southern Gaza in recent days. Partners continue to sustain support for some 50 communal ovens that allow people to bring their own dough to bake in Gaza city. These ovens operate in about 15 shelters and provide critical support amid the absence of cooking fuel.
• Limited supplies due to access impediments, restricted humanitarian space and the collapse in public order and safety have continued to prevent the resumption of general food distribution at the household level by the UN and its partners across the Gaza Strip and inhibited efforts by aid actors to target the most vulnerable households. Recent research by the Women’s Refugee Commission indicated that women and girls face particular obstacles in obtaining food under these conditions, while a study by Humanity and Inclusion highlighted that lack of home delivery options, long queues, and distant distribution sites exclude persons with disabilities, particularly those without caregivers.
• Access to nutritious food also remains a key concern, according to FSS partners. Meat, vegetables and dairy products, which are normally supplied through commercial channels, remain largely unavailable or unaffordable, FSS reports. Like most commodities, the prices of fresh produce, such as potatoes and dry onions, fluctuate daily, according to WFP’s recent market monitoring report, and there is very minimal local production of fresh produce currently available. Digital payments have provided some relief to about 28,200 households who were reached by partners in August and September, according to the Cash Working Group; yet, WFP notes that price volatility continues to disrupt market stability, “making it difficult for households to afford basic goods and for retailers to maintain adequate stock.” About 57 per cent of surveyed households in September indicated that high food prices prevented them from affording even basic items, WFP highlighted. Overall, FSS continues to report an urgent need for the further expansion of the entry of nutritious food through the commercial sector, including fresh produce and fortified food items, to help meet growing needs.
• For those who secure food, preparing it has become increasingly challenging. Cooking gas has been prevented from entering the Gaza Strip since 2 March 2025, and is no longer available in local markets, while firewood is becoming unaffordable and risky to collect (see above). As a result, nearly two-thirds of households resorted to burning waste to prepare food in September, WFP reported, exacerbating health, safety and environmental risks. FSS partners report that challenges are especially acute for newly displaced people in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, where they are responding by expanding cooked meal provision.

Challenges Facing the Health-Care System

• On 28 October, Al-Helou maternity hospital in Gaza city sustained damage due to nearby strikes, causing panic and fear among patients and medical staff, but no injuries were reported. Citing MoH staff, MSF reported that at the time of the incident, there were 12 newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit, five patients in internal medicine department, and two obstetric patients in the hospital, among others. On 29 September, OHCHR stated that “Israel’s military attacks on and around hospitals in Gaza city are leaving sick and injured civilians with nowhere to turn to for life-saving care, as escalating attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are leading to countless casualties,” noting that it recorded at least 17 attacks on or near health facilities across Gaza city between 16 and 28 September. On 29 September, at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, a nurse was critically injured by a gunshot to the head while performing his duties inside the hospital.
• Neonatal care across the Gaza Strip is critically strained amid severe supply shortages and escalating insecurity, with facilities operating far beyond their intended capacity. The Head of the Neonatal Unit at Nasser, Dr. Hatem Duhair, reported that the neonatal unit is functioning under catastrophic conditions; the facility was designed to accommodate 17 infants, but is caring for 26, with numbers expected to increase. In some cases, two newborns are sharing a single incubator, and additional incubators have been placed between existing units to manage the high caseload. Dr. Duhair added that only five ventilators are available for all 26 infants, forcing medical teams to prioritize which infants receive life-saving support, including those in need of urgent surgery. Dr. Duhair noted that the increase in births is directly linked to the influx of displaced families from northern Gaza, placing further strain on already overstretched resources. The neonatal unit is currently operating at 150 to 170 per cent of its designed capacity, while the overflow nursery designed for nine infants is now hosting 30, he added.
• Medicine and medical consumables in the Gaza Strip are at crisis levels. On 25 September, MoH in Gaza reported that 54 per cent of essential drugs and 66 per cent of medical consumables were at zero-stock levels. In emergency departments, the situation is particularly alarming, with 45 per cent of items unavailable, including surgical supplies, critically affecting life-saving procedures. The MoH is also facing severe shortages of blood units, blood bags and transfusion sets, with supplies expected to run out imminently.
• A surge in cases of infectious diseases is a growing concern. According to the Health Cluster, over 1,300 suspected cases of meningitis (primarily viral) have been reported between May and September 2025, with no deaths to date. In parallel, since June 2025, 122 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) have been recorded, along with 16 associated deaths; these included 19 GBS cases and three deaths reported in September, the Health Cluster reported. The response to GBS is severely constrained by the limited availability of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma filters, which are essential for treatment. The Health Cluster noted that the last shipment of Plasma filters entered Gaza in mid-September while the IVIG is planned to enter in early October 2025.

Access to Water and Sanitation Services

• The provision of WASH services in Gaza city has been significantly scaled down due to safety concerns, access constraints, the relocation of water trucks and some partners to southern Gaza where needs have increased, and growing displacement and congestion in the western part of Gaza city that have limited the ability of partners to conduct multiple trips to truck water or collect waste. Fifteen WASH Cluster partners are currently supporting water trucking through seven private desalination plants and primary solid waste collection by humanitarian partners has stopped, also because of lack of access to the temporary dump site at Feras Market. UNRWA reported that it had to suspend all WASH activities outside designated emergency shelters in Gaza city, including water trucking, solid waste removal and the maintenance of the UNRWA main well in the north. Water supply through the Israeli Mekorot pipeline into Gaza city was also cut for five days due to damage and resumed on 26 September when repairs were completed. Additionally, damage to the sewage pressure line in Al Samer on 24 September led to diverting sewage to the Sheikh Radwan lagoon, which remains at high risk of flooding the surrounding area.
• In southern Gaza, WASH partners have been expanding services, where possible, to meet growing needs. Twenty partners are supporting water trucking and, compared with the first two weeks of September, primary waste collection has increased by 30 per cent and secondary waste collection from collection points to temporary dump sites has doubled to 900 cubic metres per day. Moreover, water supply through the UAE-funded seawater desalination plant on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing has increased, supplying drinking water to Al Mawasi area, where network lines to water storage tanks are planned to reduce the trucking burden. Nevertheless, power cuts due to damages to the power lines serving the South Gaza Desalination Plant have resulted in the loss of about 25 per cent of the plant’s production capacity in September.
• Between 17 August and 5 September, WASH partners conducted the third household WASH assessment to provide an updated snapshot of WASH conditions in Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates. According to the assessment, for two years, families in Gaza have had to survive on emergency water rations, based on the minimum humanitarian standard of 15 litres per person per day – the bare minimum for drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene – down from approximately 80 to 85 litres of water per person per day available prior to 7 October 2023, which enabled relatively adequate drinking, cooking, bathing, laundry, and hygiene. The assessment indicates some improvements in access to drinking and domestic water, which have been achieved by WASH partners since January 2025. However, currently, one million people (49 per cent of the population) still do not access six litres of drinking water per day and 500,000 people (28 per cent) cannot access nine litres of domestic water daily. Other key assessment findings include the following:
  • Sanitation conditions remain dire. No one currently has access to safely managed sanitation, compared with 85 per cent connected to sewer systems and treatment facilities before October 2023. Over 1.2 million people (57 per cent) are exposed to sewage or fecal matter within 10 metres of their homes, posing severe health risks. Only half of households have access to basic private sanitation while the rest rely on shared or unsafe facilities, compromising health and dignity.
  • Access to hygiene products is critically low: 63 per cent of households (1.3 million people) lack soap, mainly due to high prices. Nearly 500,000 women and girls lack adequate menstrual hygiene materials, severely affecting their health, dignity and mobility. Since 18 March, no sanitation items have entered Gaza, and hygiene items were blocked until late July. Although small private sector imports resumed in mid-August, availability remains very limited.
  • Solid waste management in Gaza has sharply deteriorated due to prolonged conflict and restricted access. Collection services have been severely disrupted by fuel shortages, lack of spare parts, and inaccessible landfills. As a result, 42 per cent of families live near uncollected waste, leaving approximately 900,000 people exposed to garbage accumulation in residential areas. The collapse of waste management has created ideal conditions for disease vectors. No vector control interventions have been implemented in over two years, allowing pests and parasites to thrive. Consequently, 64 per cent of households report infestations of lice and mites, and 57 per cent report skin conditions such as rashes and scabies – conditions that are directly linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding, and waste exposure.

Funding

• As of 1 October 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately $1.14 billion out of the $4 billion (28 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 September 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 95 ongoing projects, totalling $57.1 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 43 are being implemented by INGOs, 38 by national NGOs and 14 by UN agencies. Notably, 32 out of the 57 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN are being implemented in collaboration with national NGOs. For more information, please see OCHA’s Financial Tracking Servicewebpage and the oPt HF webpage.