Humanitarian Situation Update #338 | 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 Wednesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Update on the Gaza Strip will be published on 12 or 13 November.

Key Highlights

• Hundreds of thousands of families face the onset of winter without essential protection from the elements, the Shelter Cluster warns.
• Only four per cent of Gaza’s cropland is undamaged and accessible, recent geospatial analysis indicates.
• Relief items rejected for entry into Gaza include educational supplies and fresh meat, which Israeli authorities deem to fall outside the scope of humanitarian aid.
• UN agencies and partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Gaza, are launching an integrated catch-up campaign for routine immunization, nutrition and growth monitoring, targeting 44,000 children.
• Since 10 October, Cash Working Group partners distributed Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance to over 55,000 households.

Context Overview

• Over the past week, daily detonations of residential buildings were reported in multiple areas where the Israeli military remains deployed, especially in eastern Khan Younis and eastern Gaza city. Israeli military strikes near or east of the so-called “Yellow Line” under the ceasefire agreement continue to be reported, resulting in casualties, especially in Gaza city, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates. Access to humanitarian assets and agricultural land beyond the “Yellow Line” remains barred. The installation of yellow-painted concrete blocks to demarcate the “Yellow Line” have been reported in different parts of Strip, as ordered by the Israeli Minister of Defence. Access to the sea remains prohibited and the detention of Palestinian fishers at sea continues to be reported, including the reported detention of five fishers by Israeli forces on 4 November.
• In a media interview on 5 November, the UN Secretary-General said that the UN is still facing obstacles in delivering humanitarian aid. He noted that “humanitarian aid has improved and increased significantly but [the UN is] far from [having] what is necessary to eliminate famine quickly and to create the conditions for the people in Gaza to have the very, very minimum that is necessary for dignity in life.”
• Between 29 October and 4 November, according to official Israeli sources, the bodies of six deceased hostages were returned from Gaza to Israeli authorities, bringing the overall number of returned bodies of Israeli hostages to 21. According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, on 1 November and 5 November, the bodies of 90 Palestinians were returned to the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of released bodies to 285, of which only 84 were identified.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, between 29 October and 5 November, 14 Palestinians were killed, one died of wounds sustained earlier, 24 were injured and 31 bodies were recovered from under the rubble. This brings the casualty toll among Palestinians since 7 October 2023, as reported by MoH, to 68,875 fatalities and 170,679 injuries. According to the MoH, the total number includes 193 fatalities who were retroactively added between 24 and 31 October after their identification details were approved by a ministerial committee. MoH reported that since the ceasefire, 241 Palestinians were killed, 609 were injured and 513 bodies were retrieved from under the rubble.
• According to the Israeli military, between 29 October and 5 November, as of noon, no Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. The casualty toll among Israeli soldiers since the beginning of the Israeli ground operation in October 2023 stands at 471 fatalities and 2,978 injuries. According to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,671 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. As of noon on 5 November 2025, it is estimated that the bodies of seven deceased hostages remain in the Gaza Strip.
• Between 10 October and 4 November, more than 680,000 movements of people were recorded by the Site Management Cluster (SMC) partners, including more than 553,000 movements crossing from southern to northern Gaza, primarily through Ar Rashid Road (67 per cent). During the same period, more than 113,000 movements of people were recorded from western to eastern Khan Younis. While most movements immediately following the ceasefire were undertaken by individuals to assess conditions in return locations, this was followed by a notable increase in families returning to their communities in search of safety and stability. Through SMC population monitoring, available updates indicate that about 39,000 people are present in 60 displacement sites in Gaza city and North Gaza while over one million IDPs are estimated to be present in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah governorates, mainly in makeshift sites. Between 20 and 23 October, 84 per cent of 703 randomly selected IDP households in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis reported that they intend to stay in their current displacement sites while 16 per cent expressed an intention to leave. According to SMC, these figures reflect a strong preference among IDPs to remain in place due to widespread destruction, lack of alternatives, and continued uncertainty about safety and services in areas of origin.

Humanitarian Access

• According to the UN2720 Mechanism, between 10 October and 3 November, the UN and its partners collected from Gaza’s crossings more than 32,500 metric tons (MT) of aid. The entry of humanitarian aid continues to be limited to only two crossings (Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim), with no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza since 12 September. Pipeline supplies approved and cleared by the Israeli authorities (217,000 MT) are positioned across the region, including Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, and the West Bank, and include 50,000 MT of aid that are part of the Jordan direct route corridor (Government-to-Government), which has not restarted since 18 September, when two Israeli soldiers were killed at Allenby Bridge by a Jordanian truck driver transporting cargo for the Gaza Strip.
• According to the UN2720 Mechanism, pipeline supplies that are not cleared for entry by Israeli authorities mainly include those submitted by local and international NGOs on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza or those that are rejected by Israeli authorities based on the type of item. For example, some supplies, such as fresh meat or educational supplies, are considered to fall outside the “humanitarian” category, while others are classified as “dual-use” items – goods that are considered useable for either civilian or military purposes – ranging from vehicles and their spare parts to solar panels, some types of mobile latrines, x-ray machines, and generators. Since 10 October 2025, 107 requests for the entry of relief materials were rejected by Israeli authorities, including 11 requests between 29 October and 3 November. These include 54 requests that were denied entry by Israeli authorities on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza.
• Coordination with Israeli authorities continues to be required for humanitarian convoy movements in Gaza, to crossings as well as in or near other areas where the Israeli military remains deployed. Between 29 October and 3 November, humanitarian organizations coordinated 48 missions with the Israeli authorities, of which 26 were facilitated, four were cancelled, 13 were impeded and five were denied. Movements included, among others, 29 movements to collect cargo from the two operational crossings, one search-and-rescue mission, three road repair, assessment and clearing missions, and four movements related to the crossing of humanitarian personnel.
• Since 27 October, Israeli authorities have routed collected aid movements through the Philadelphi Corridor and Ar Rasheed Road. According to the Logistics Cluster, this congested route has exposed trucks to operational challenges, such as extended convoy durations and heightened risk of opportunistic looting, while limiting the size of the convoys. Combined, the challenges meant that the daily necessary volume of aid could not be collected from the crossings. Between 11 October and 3 November (following the ceasefire), only four per cent of aid supplies collected from Gaza’s crossings were intercepted, compared with about 80 per cent between 19 May and 9 October.
• Sufficient and strategically located warehouse capacity is vital to sustain the 60-day response plan and maintain supply chain continuity. According to a recent Logistics Cluster Gaza Partners Warehouse Mapping Survey covering October, 25 organizations reported on 70 warehouses across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip. Of these, 55 warehouses are operational and comprise 40 per cent of the total reported area capacity, while 15 warehouses that comprise 60 per cent of the total area capacity are non-operational due to access restrictions and/or infrastructure damage. Geographically, Deir Al Balah holds the largest share of operational space (28,634 square metres), followed by Khan Younis (16,200 square metres) and Gaza city (11,018 square metres). Partners in North Gaza and Rafah report severely limited or no functional warehouse capacity, reflecting the heavy toll of access challenges and physical damage on storage infrastructure. The mapping survey revealed that 52 per cent of humanitarian partners who participated in the survey are currently in need of more storage capacity, including 10 partners in northern Gaza, seven in central Gaza, and six in southern Gaza.
• On 5 November, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) highlighted that only a fraction of needed shelter materials has entered Gaza, warning that aid actors “have a very short chance to protect families from the winter rains and cold.” Calling for swift and unimpeded access, NRC noted the urgency to bring into Gaza heavy machinery to clear rubble and explosive remnants of war to facilitate even temporary shelter installations and ensure that people can safely return to their communities. According to the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), satellite imagery from 8 July indicates that debris generated by the conflict increased to more than 61 million metric tonnes. According to the Gaza Debris Management Working Group, debris removal necessitates the sustained entry of heavy machinery, spare parts, reliable and stable supplies of fuel, and access to land appropriate for debris storage and processing.
• As winter approaches, the SMC estimates that majority of displaced people remain in overcrowded, makeshift sites, many of which were established spontaneously in open or unsafe areas. Three weeks into the ceasefire, the UN-coordinated entry of shelter materials, particularly tents, into Gaza continues to face major limitations. These include a restricted number of authorized shelter partners and limited approvals for shelter items. According to the Shelter Cluster, the limited entry of shelter supplies is undermining the implementation of the winterization plan developed by the Cluster and its partners. If facilitated, the entry of all shelter materials currently in the pipeline would enable partners to meet most of the needs of the 1.45 million people requiring emergency shelter assistance. While some shelter materials have entered through bilateral donations and the commercial sector, as of 5 November, only 5,400 tents, 160,000 tarpaulins and 17,000 blankets have entered through UN coordination. Shelter operations are gradually resuming in northern Gaza, where six partners have re-established presence and began distributing tents and tarpaulins. So far, Shelter Cluster partners have distributed more than 3,700 tents, covering the needs of over 30,000 people across the Gaza Strip. Similarly, distribution of 120,000 tarpaulins is ongoing, with 16,000 already distributed. This is far from sufficient, the Shelter Cluster reports, warning that hundreds of thousands of families face the coming winter without desperately needed protection from the elements.

Access to Water and Sanitation Services

• Efforts to improve access to water across the Gaza Strip continue to face major obstacles. Service provision remains critically disrupted due to extensive damage to water infrastructure, limited incoming supplies, and persistent shortages of spare parts required to operate generators and desalination units. According to the Palestinian Water Authority, more than 85 per cent of vital water facilities have been damaged since October 2023, while groundwater well production stands at only 25 per cent of its previous capacity due to extensive damage and limited accessibility. According to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster, Gaza’s seven wastewater treatment plants are currently out of service and out of 73 sewage pumping stations, 20 have been destroyed and 27 have sustained partial damage. Moreover, efforts to repair and maintain drainage networks ahead of the winter season, particularly in flood-prone areas near displacement sites, are hampered by a lack of essential materials to conduct the necessary repairs.
• To improve water accessibility, the WASH Cluster indicated that 44 partners are currently distributing drinking water, mainly through water trucking, via approximately 1,900 water points across the Gaza Strip. Distribution efforts have been scaled up in North Gaza governorate, where six partners are supplying water at 100 points, and in Gaza governorate, where 23 partners are supplying water at more than 658 points.
• According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), severe restrictions on the entry of spare parts, tools, and maintenance equipment, including generators, batteries and lubricants, have significantly hindered their ability to repair WASH facilities in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of UNRWA vehicles and equipment units, including water tankers and jetting vehicles, remain uncleared for entry into Gaza by Israeli authorities, and the limited availability of related supplies on local markets constrains maintenance capacity. Coupled with destruction of UNRWA water wells, including in emergency displacement shelters, water production remains relatively limited and has increased dependence on emergency water trucking. UNRWA provides about 1,400 cubic metres of water daily in Gaza city and North Gaza. It warns that the continued provision of minimal WASH services is becoming increasingly unsustainable due to critical shortages of fuel and spare parts for fleet operations and limited capacity to repair and maintain WASH infrastructure.
• On 2 November, the public health laboratory at Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza city resumed water testing activities, partially restoring water quality monitoring in the area. Overall, according to the WASH Cluster, six field laboratories are currently functional, including three in Gaza city and three in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, conducting basic parameter testing. Water quality monitoring remains severely limited due to extensive damage to testing facilities and restricted access to essential equipment and consumables entering the Gaza Strip. According to the WASH Cluster, the loss of this capacity has significantly limited the ability to monitor and manage water safety.

Access to Health Care

• According to a joint press release published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 5 November, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UNRWA, WHO and partners, in collaboration with the MoH in Gaza, are launching an integrated catch-up campaign for routine immunization, nutrition, and growth monitoring in the Gaza Strip to reach 44,000 children cut off from essential life-saving services. An estimated one in five children under three years of age are either zero-dose or have missed vaccinations, putting them at risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. The campaign will be implemented in three rounds to provide three doses of Pentavalent, Polio, Rota, and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines, and two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine, with the first round scheduled to take place from 9 to 18 November. Vaccinations will take place at 149 health facilities and 10 mobile units across the Gaza Strip, with rehabilitation work ongoing for another 35 points by UNICEF and WHO. In addition, UNICEF and partners will screen children for malnutrition and refer identified cases for treatment.
• According to WHO, prior to October 2023, Gaza had 54 immunization facilities and a 98 per cent vaccination coverage rate. Today, 31 facilities are no longer operational due to damage or destruction, and routine vaccination coverage has dropped below 70 per cent. The onset of harsh winter conditions makes the vaccination campaign even more urgent, as preventable childhood diseases spread across the Gaza Strip, WHO noted. Phase two and three, providing second and third doses of vaccines, are planned for December 2025 and January 2026. “After two years of relentless violence that claimed the lives of more than 20,000 children in the Gaza Strip, we finally have an opportunity to protect those who survived,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine.
• On 3 November, MoH in Gaza announced the inauguration of the Hind Al Daghma Specialized Kidney Center at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which had sustained severe damage. According to Dr. Marwan Abu Sa’da, MoH Director General of International Cooperation and Projects, patients with kidney failure are among the most affected groups due to the destruction of specialized centres, such as Noura Al Kaabi Dialysis Center in North Gaza and the dialysis department at Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza city, noting that kidney patients have faced serious challenges in accessing treatment and that 40 per cent of kidney failure patients since October 2023 have died. According to WHO data, since the beginning of 2025, 59 patients with renal disorder were medically evacuated from the Gaza Strip, including 31 children, 20 men and eight women.
• Screening and imaging services in Gaza continue to be compromised due to the lack of machines and equipment critical for the diagnosis of serious illness and acute trauma cases. Currently, there are no functioning magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines in the Gaza Strip. In addition, only four out of 18 computed tomography (CT) scanners are functional, according to UNRWA. At UNRWA health centres, only one x-ray machine, located at An Nuseirat Health Centre in Deir al Balah, remains functional, out of seven X-ray machines that were functional before the war. As a result, many diseases cannot be accurately diagnosed, leaving patients undiagnosed and untreated. According to UNRWA, the limited screening and imaging capacity triggered a dramatic increase in referrals and excessive workload on the few functional machines, causing frequent breakdowns and maintenance issues. In addition, patients face long waiting times, delaying disease diagnoses.
• Over the past week, 50 patients were medically evacuated from the Gaza Strip. On 29 October, WHO facilitated the medical evacuation of 30 patients, including 17 children, nine women and four men, in addition to 60 companions. On 30 October, WHO completed another medical evacuation of 19 children and one adult patient from Gaza, of whom four children will receive cancer treatment at the St. Jude Research programme. This brings the total number of patients evacuated since 1 October 2025 to 146 patients, including 88 children, 30 men and 28 women. However, over 16,500 patients still need urgent specialised care unavailable inside the Strip.

Access to Emergency Food Aid, Agricultural Assets and Markets

• Three weeks into the ceasefire, Food Security Sector (FSS) partners are distributing every day about 150,000 bread bundles and 1.2 million meals. With the resumption of food parcel distributions on 13 October for the first time since April, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed food parcels to one million people in October, with one food parcel distributed per family. In the first three days of November, according to FSS, approximately 66,000 people (13,200 households) have been assisted with two food parcels per family through 46 distribution points across the Gaza Strip, including 10 in northern Gaza. Still, the quantity of food assistance brought into Gaza remains insufficient, WFP warns, calling for the opening of all crossings, especially those in northern Gaza, and for more access to key roads inside Gaza to push back hunger and expand operations to the required level.
• Combined with additional improvements in access to emergency food aid, there is an urgent need to rehabilitate local food systems, including vegetable and fruit production and animal rearing, to reduce food gaps in Gaza and enhance dietary diversity, FSS emphasizes. To support the resumption of agricultural activities, the entry of agricultural inputs, such as seed kits, organic fertilizers and nylon sheets, through both humanitarian and private sector channels and safe access of fishers to the sea are critically required, but many agricultural inputs continue to be denied entry into Gaza by Israeli authorities and access to the sea remains prohibited, according to FSS. Since 15 October, FSS partners have supplied about 1,700 animal herders in Deir al Balah with fodder to sustain surviving livestock and enable the resumption of local production of milk and dairy products.
• One of the main challenges facing local food systems is the widespread damage to agricultural land, alongside severe soil contamination with war remnants. Two years of war have damaged most of the agricultural resources in the Gaza Strip, where, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agriculture accounted for about 10 per cent of Gaza’s economy prior to October 2023 and over 560,000 people depended in whole or in part on crop production, herding, or fishing for their livelihoods. Recent geospatial analysis by FAO and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) indicates that only 13 per cent of cropland in the Gaza Strip has not been damaged, of which the majority remains inaccessible in areas where the Israeli military remains deployed (over 50 per cent of the Gaza Strip). In addition, about 79 per cent of greenhouse areas, 87 per cent of agricultural wells, and 86 per cent of agricultural infrastructure have been damaged. Nearly 89 per cent of orchard trees (especially olive trees) have been damaged, of which 75 per cent have been destroyed, particularly in the North Gaza, Gaza and Khan Younis governorates. Between April and September 2025, the highest increase in damage to agricultural infrastructure was observed in poultry farms, followed by home barns, sheep farms and agricultural warehouses. Among the five governorates, Rafah shows the highest level of inaccessibility of agricultural infrastructure and the northern governorates are the most severely damaged. At present, out of more than 2,200 agricultural wells, less than nine per cent are not damaged and accessible, which negatively impacts Gaza’s capacity to sustain crop and livestock production.
• Following the ceasefire, access to undamaged land that is available for cultivation has improved: Of the estimated 15 square kilometres of cropland, four per cent is now not damaged and accessible (about six out of 15 square kilometres), compared with 1.5 per cent prior to the ceasefire. Overall, 37 per cent of Gaza’s cropland (both damaged and undamaged) is now accessible, compared with 8.6 per cent prior to the ceasefire, and can potentially be rehabilitated. According to FAO, this offers an opportunity to restore local food production and strengthen livelihoods. “As satellite imagery shows, the scale of agricultural land destruction in Gaza has severely undermined the area’s ability to produce food,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol. “However, the ceasefire has opened a window of opportunity. Urgent support is needed to rehabilitate agricultural land and infrastructure, enable farmers to resume fresh food production, and rebuild the fisheries and livestock sectors, as restoring these systems is essential to protecting livelihoods and ensuring families can feed themselves,” she added.
• Access to markets and food consumption have slightly improved, according to WFP’s monthly market monitoring report for October, and further improvements are anticipated if the inflow of food aid and commercial trucks continues. Half of surveyed households reported improved physical access to food in the first two weeks of October, 27 per cent reported no changes, and 23 per cent reported having worse access (mainly in the north). With the ceasefire announcement, a drop in prices of most food items was already observed in the second week October. Moreover, during the first half of October, households consumed an average of two meals per day, up from one meal in July, although one in five households still ate only one meal daily. Compared with pre-October 2023, food consumption has remained poor, especially in relation to protein sources, vegetables and fruits.
• A REACH assessment conducted between 20 and 27 October found that markets across the Gaza Strip continue to operate under strained conditions, constrained by damage, overcrowding, and low purchasing power. According to the Cash Working Group (CWG), cash circulation and financial access have witnessed a slight improvement since the ceasefire, with an improved security environment and expanded coverage of cash-out agents. As of early November, about 155 cash-out agents were operational across the Gaza Strip, compared with 95 in September, including 65 in Khan Younis, 40 in Deir al Balah, 35 in Gaza city, and 15 in North Gaza. This wider coverage has eased congestion and facilitated smoother access to transfers. On average, physical cash-out commission rates are at 18–22 per cent while digital withdrawal and payment fees are at 20–24 per cent down from 35–45 per cent prior to the ceasefire, reflecting improved cash circulation and expanding financial service capacity.
• Between 10 October and 3 November, CWG partners distributed Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) to over 55,000 households, compared with 40,000 in September. Each household received 1,250 NIS (approximately US$378) in digital payments, in line with the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) transfer value. Cumulatively, over 270,000 households in the Gaza Strip have received at least one MPCA transfer in 2025, and more than 403,000 households since October 2023. According to post-distribution monitoring conducted by CWG partners between 10 and 24 October, households continue to spend MPCA primarily on food (grains, vegetables, pulses), followed by debt repayment, hygiene items, and medicines.
• According to the Protection Cluster, cash programming is a response modality that enables people in Gaza to meet their specific needs with dignity and choice. In addition to strengthening households’ ability to access basic goods, cash programming helps reduce reliance on negative coping mechanisms, such as debt, child labour, or early marriage. During Israeli military operations in North Gaza, vulnerable community members and households faced increased risks due to the high cost of safe and accessible transport, particularly affecting persons with disabilities and older people with mobility challenges. Cash for protection interventions enabled families to flee insecurity and to meet their basic needs in their displacement areas. Based on this intervention, an inter-cluster referral pathway was established for vulnerable protection cases to receive cash assistance.

Funding

• As of 5 November 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately $1.46 billion out of the $4 billion (36 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 under the 2025 Flash Appeal for the OPT. Nearly 88 per cent of the requested funds is for the humanitarian response in Gaza, with just over 12 per cent for the West Bank. During October 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 135 ongoing projects, totalling $77.7 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 63 are being implemented by international NGOs, 56 by national NGOs and 16 by UN agencies. Notably, 69 out of the 79 projects implemented by international NGOs 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.