UNRWA Situation Report #155 on the Crisis in Gaza West Bank

A displaced woman and child live in a makeshift tent amid cold weather in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, January 2025. UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra

Highlights

• According to an analysis published by Save the Children, an average of 475 children every month – or 15 children a day – have sustained potentially lifelong disabilities due to the use of explosive weapons in the Gaza Strip in 2024.

• The fuel crisis continues to constitute a serious threat to the continuation of essential humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip.

• On 9 January, The Lancet published a study estimating that 64,260 people were killed in the Gaza Strip between 7 October 2023 and 30 June 2024. However, the study’s “findings underestimate the full impact of the military operation in Gaza, as they do not account for non-trauma-related deaths resulting from health service disruption, food insecurity, and inadequate water and sanitation.” Based on the study’s findings, the Gaza Ministry of Health would have under-reported mortality by 41 per cent during the same reporting period.

Key points

The Gaza Strip

• Strikes by the Israeli Forces continued, with aerial, land and maritime bombardments across the Gaza Strip, resulting in civilian casualties and the destruction of residential buildings and public infrastructure. Rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups towards Israel has taken place.  

• In northern Gaza, for more than 100 days now, the Israeli Forces have been carrying out a ground offensive with a tight siege. Intense military operations are ongoing amid a near total lack of humanitarian aid entering the area, in addition to severe communications and internet disruptions. Some parts of the North Gaza governorate have been under a tightened siege for more than three months. Access remains extremely challenging and humanitarian actors’ ongoing attempts to deliver aid to the area continues to be largely prevented by the Israeli Forces. This is leaving thousands of people without access to food, water, electricity or health care, as mass casualty incidents continue.

• The fuel crisis continues to constitute a serious threat to the delivery of essential humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip. According to OCHA, the Health Cluster reports that all partially operational hospitals have exhausted their reserve fuel stocks and are relying on fuel delivered daily by partners to safeguard the most critical services. Meanwhile, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services risk coming to a halt due to the lack of fuel.

• According to an analysis published by Save the Children on 14 January, an average of 475 children every month – or 15 children a day – sustained potentially lifelong disabilities, including severely injured limbs and hearing impairments, due to the use of explosive weapons in the Gaza Strip in 2024.

• On 9 January, The Lancet published a study estimating that 64,260 people were killed  in the Gaza Strip between 7 October 2023 and 30 June 2024. However, the study’s “findings underestimate the full impact of the military operation in Gaza, as they do not account for non-trauma-related deaths resulting from health service disruption, food insecurity, and inadequate water and sanitation.” According to the study, out of the 28,257 deaths for which age and sex data are available, 16,699 (or around 59 per cent) were women, children, and older people. Based on the study’s findings, the Gaza Ministry of Health would have under-reported mortality by 41 per cent during the same reporting period.

• On 13 January, the Site Management Working Group published an analysis covering the period between 4 November and 16 December 2024 and assessing a total of 565 displaced persons sites in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. According to the assessment, Key Informants (KIs) reported that in 75 per cent of the sites, no humanitarian assistance had been received, in 87 per cent of the sites nobody or only a few people had access to sufficient food and in 51 per cent of the sites nobody or only few people had access to enough drinking water. In 82 per cent of the sites, KIs reported having access to health facilities.

• As of January 2025, tens of thousands of families continue to live in at least 80 UNRWA shelters. Many are displaced around them.*

• On 12 January, the Israeli Forces issued an evacuation order impacting the Nuseirat area. Three UNRWA installations are located in the affected area, while an additional 14 UNRWA installations are located in its close proximity.

• According to OCHA, as of 14 January, around 80.5 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under active evacuation orders from the Israeli authorities.

• According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people – or about 90 per cent of the population – across the Gaza Strip are displaced. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more.

• Between 7 October 2023 and 14 January 2025, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, as stated by OCHA, at least 46,645 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza and 110,012 have been injured.

• OCHA reports that, the MoH in Gaza published the breakdown of 40,717 out of 42,010 fatalities as of 7 October 2024. These reportedly include 13,319 children, 7,216 women, 3,447 elderly, and 16,735 men. Among the child fatalities, 786 children are under one year of age, representing about 6 per cent of killed children whose full identification details have been documented, the MoH further reported. Additionally, as of 7 October 2024, the MoH noted that 35,055 children had lost one or both parents over the past year.

• As of 9 January, the total number of UNRWA team members killed since 7 October 2023 is 266.

• Several challenges continue to stand in the way of collecting much needed humanitarian supplies from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing point in southern Gaza. These include deteriorating public order, war and insecurity, damaged infrastructure, fuel shortages and access restrictions.

• Between 1 and 5 January, UN agencies monitored the collection of 255 humanitarian trucks from Gaza Strip crossings, excluding fuel. This represents a daily average of only 51 humanitarian trucks, well below the pre-war average of 500 trucks (all types of supplies), per working day.

• OCHA reported that, of the 204 humanitarian movements coordinated with Israeli authorities across Gaza from 1 to 13 January 2025, 70 were denied access, 31 faced impediments, 20 cancelled due to logistical and security challenges and 83 facilitated.

• Out of the 32 aid movements which needed to pass through the Israeli military-controlled Al Rashid or Salah Ad Din checkpoints to reach areas north of Wadi Gaza, between 1 and 13 January, 12 were denied, seven faced impediments, four were cancelled and nine were facilitated. These include ten attempts to reach the besieged area in North Gaza, of which eight were denied and two withdrawn.

• OCHA reported that coordinated aid missions to areas in Rafah governorate, which has been under an ongoing Israeli military operation since May 2024, have faced similar challenges, with 15 out of the 22 coordinated requests submitted to Israeli authorities denied between 1 and 13 January. This excludes 16 coordinated movements to Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, of which two were impeded, five cancelled and nine facilitated.

• The latest information on supplies entering Gaza can be accessed through the link below:  

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 8 January 2025, 816 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those, 498 Palestinians were killed in 2024.

• UNICEF reports that 182 Palestinian children and another three Israeli children have been killed and 1,235 Palestinian children injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October 2023.

• Between 9 and 12 January there was one Palestinian killed in the West Bank: a Palestinian was killed in Jenin Camp on 9 January in the context of clashes between Palestinian Security Forces (PSF) and Palestinian armed actors which continued throughout the reporting period. At least two other Palestinians were injured in the operation, with eight Palestinians detained by the PSF between 9 and 12 January. UNRWA operations in Jenin Camp remain suspended since early December.

• After an Israeli settler was reported injured on 12 January as the result of an alleged stone throwing by Palestinians, the Israeli Forces conducted a search operation in Haris village near Salfit, detaining an estimated 100 Palestinians. One Palestinian was injured and transferred to a hospital, and the Israeli Forces closed the iron gate at the entrance of the village, restricting access.

Overall situation

The Gaza Strip

• Between 7 October 2023 and 14 January 2025, according to the MoH in Gaza as stated by OCHA, at least 46,645 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip while 110,012 have been reported injured.

    Humanitarian access and protection of civilians

• UNRWA is working to verify the details of incidents that reportedly impact UNRWA premises. Further information will be provided once it becomes available*.

• Six new armed conflict-related incidents have been reported impacting UNRWA installations and displaced people sheltering there, including UNRWA personnel:

o On 12 January, the Israeli Forces reportedly hit an UNRWA contracted truck transporting humanitarian aid in the Shouka/Kerem Shalom area damaging the vehicle. No casualties were reported.

o On 10 January, an Israeli Forces drone reportedly struck a location near an UNRWA school in Khan Younis. One displaced person sheltering in the school was reportedly killed while he was filling water next to the school. Another person was reportedly slightly injured inside the school. No damage to the school was reported.

o [Late report] On 8 January, an Israeli Forces drone reportedly directly struck a tent inside an UNRWA school in Nuseirat Camp, causing minor damage. No casualties were reported inside the school.

o [Late report] On 8 January, the Israeli Forces reportedly conducted a strike in the vicinity of an UNRWA health centre in Deir al-Balah Camp. It was reported that four Palestinians were killed, and others were injured outside the installation. Minor damage to the windows of the health centre was also reported.

o [Late report] On 7 January, the Israeli Forces reportedly struck a location near a gate of an UNRWA school in Khan Younis. Three people were reported killed outside the school, including a displaced person sheltering at the school. Several others were reportedly injured outside the school.

o [Late report] On 7 January, the Israeli Forces reportedly conducted a strike in the vicinity of an UNRWA office in Al-Maghazi Camp, causing minor damage to the building and to an UNRWA vehicle. No casualties were reported.

UNRWA response

The Gaza Strip

Health

• According to the Health Cluster, UNRWA remains one of the largest health actors operating in the Gaza Strip, contributing to over half of the people reached with health services since 7 October 2023. Between 7 October 2023 and 5 January 2024, UNRWA provided over 7.1 million medical consultations across the Gaza Strip.

• In addition to medical consultations, UNRWA (in partnership with and support from other UN agencies, including UNICEF and WHO) continues to immunize children. Over 237,000 routine vaccines have been administered to children from January 2024. In addition, around 560,000 children under the age of 10 across the Gaza Strip have been vaccinated against polio.

• As of 11 January, only three out of 22 UNRWA health centres and four additional UNRWA-rented facilities used as temporary health centres were operational in Gaza. Health services are also provided through 91 mobile medical teams working in 52 medical points inside and outside shelters in the middle area, Khan Younis, Al Mawasi and Gaza City. UNRWA health facilities provide primary health care, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, giving out medications, vaccination, antenatal and postnatal health care, laboratory and dental services, physiotherapy and dressings for the injured. The number of operational health facilities changes constantly based on demand, access and security.

• To date, 1,074 UNRWA health staff continued to work in health centres, temporary clinics and medical points across the Gaza Strip, providing 16,091 health consultations on that day.

• UNRWA continued to provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in the middle and Khan Younis areas, with teams of psychiatrists, psychosocial counsellors and supervisors to assist special cases referred from UNRWA health centres and shelters. On 11 January, UNRWA teams responded to 506 cases in health centres and at medical points through individual consultations, awareness sessions and to address cases of gender-based violence (GBV).  

• On 11 January, UNRWA medical teams provided care for 1,095 post-natal and pregnant women at high risk.

• On 11 January, UNRWA teams provided dental and oral health services in fixed and mobile clinics, reaching 591 patients.

• On 11 January, 330 patients received physiotherapy rehabilitation services in health centres and medical points.

• UNRWA laboratory services continue to be limited due to little availability of stocks of most laboratory supplies. Laboratory equipment requires maintenance or replacement.

Psychosocial Support and Learning

• UNRWA remains the largest provider of emergency learning and psychosocial support (PSS) across the Gaza Strip. Around 660,000 children are out of school due to the war. On 1 August 2024, UNRWA began its first phase response of “Back to Learning” with a focus on mental health activities. This is taking place in 86 Temporary Learning Spaces in 40 UNRWA schools-turned-shelters[2], with the support of over 950 teachers and up to 750[3] school counsellors. More than 18,000 children, over half of them girls, have benefited from UNRWA’s “Back to Learning” programme so far. Between 6 and 12 January 2025, 9,586 children (3,806 boys, 5,680 girls, including 300 children with disabilities) participated in basic literacy and numeracy activities, PSS sessions and recreational activities including arts, music and sports.

• UNRWA continues to provide lifesaving PSS services in Gaza, including psychological first aid, individual and group counselling, fatigue management sessions, recreational activities, Explosive Ordinance Risk Education and protection cash assistance, reaching children, youth and adults.

• Since the onset of the conflict and up to 12 January, around 730,000 displaced people, including over 520,000 children, have benefited from 280,767 PSS sessions and activities. Between 6 and 12 January, a total of 5,584 displaced people accessed these services.

• Between 7 October 2023 and 13 January 2025, UNRWA’s social work team has provided services to 202,825 displaced people, including psychological first aid, PSS services, family and individual activities, as well as case management. During the same reporting period, protection services were provided to 1,898 survivors of GBV and 3,052 children, including 1,494 unaccompanied children, covering reunification, cash assistance, safe sheltering, medication, dignity kits and non-food items through referrals. The team also supported 22,160 persons with disabilities with PSS; 7,753 of these individuals received assistive devices and rehabilitation services. Awareness sessions on GBV, child protection, disability and special needs, as well as managing social and psychological stressors, were conducted for 152,512 displaced people.

Food Security

• As of 10 January 2024, over 388,000 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached with two rounds of flour; over 374,000 of those families have received three rounds.

• UNRWA continues to distribute food parcels wherever possible. These include[4] rice, chickpeas, lentils, beans, oil, salt, sugar, milk powder, hummus, canned meat and canned fish, and are designed to cover approximately 90 per cent of daily calorific needs per quarter. To date, around 1.69 million people have been reached, of whom at least 215,000 people have received two rounds of food parcels since the war started.

• In addition to the distribution of UNRWA food parcels, the Agency distributes food parcels on behalf of other UN organisations, reaching over 1.4 million people.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• Since October 2023, UNRWA has carried out emergency WASH activities across the Gaza Strip.  The main activities include operating and maintaining water wells and desalination systems and supplying water with water trucks and bottled water. In addition, UNRWA continues to distribute hygiene kits and maintain hygiene in UNRWA shelters and sites by providing cleaning supplies, community-based solid waste management and pest control.

• UNRWA continues to be one of the largest WASH actors in the Gaza Strip. Between August and mid-November, UNRWA accounted for around 44 per cent of water, sanitation and hygiene activities reported in the Gaza Strip, Including access to water (56 per cent), access to sanitation and solid waste management (42 per cent), and flood mitigation and prevention (66 per cent).

• In the second half of December, around 50,000 cubic metres of water – both potable and domestic – were distributed by UNRWA across the Gaza Strip. Moreover, an UNRWA water well in Gaza city was rehabilitated.

• Winterization efforts are ongoing in southern Gaza and the middle area, with around 250 manholes cleaned in the second half of December. Sixty-six cleaning and pest and rodent control measures were completed. Moreover, during the same period, UNRWA conducted 90 hygiene promotion sessions and distributed over 500 litres of cleaning liquids for shelters across the Gaza Strip.

• UNRWA continues to provide a solid waste collection and transfer service in southern Gaza and the middle area. Over the second half of December, around 4,000 tons of solid waste have been collected and transported to temporary dumping sites.

(UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. 

Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.

UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development. It does this through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance.  UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.)