Despite limited improvements in aid delivery, Gaza remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis as families return to devastated neighbourhoods where unstable buildings and unexploded ordnance pose lethal dangers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that water, food, and essential services are still in desperate shortage, even as aid partners work to meet growing needs amid widespread destruction.
Over 300 truckloads of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Friday and Saturday. The cargo included wheat flour, canned food, rice, medical equipment, tents, and winter clothing. Additional deliveries of hygiene kits, post-partum kits, and shelter materials were also confirmed. The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) distributed nearly 329,000 litres of diesel to sustain critical operations in hospitals, telecommunications, and food production facilities.
Humanitarian agencies, supported by 170 community kitchens, have served over one million hot meals across southern and central Gaza. Fifteen UN-supported bakeries in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City continue to produce tens of thousands of bread bundles daily, distributed free to displaced families and shelters. Meanwhile, teams are scaling up efforts to clear unexploded ordnance left from the conflict, with nearly 3,200 people receiving safety briefings over the weekend. Since October 2023, at least 150 explosive ordnance incidents have been recorded, causing multiple casualties, including among children.
In the occupied West Bank, OCHA reported a surge in settler-related violence amid the olive harvest season. Since 9 October, over 85 attacks have injured more than 110 Palestinian farmers and damaged over 3,000 olive trees across 50 villages, primarily in the Ramallah area. These incidents have disrupted livelihoods and heightened fears among farming communities.
Despite continued aid inflows, the UN stresses that Gaza’s humanitarian needs remain overwhelming. Families face life-threatening shortages of food, clean water, and shelter as they return to the ruins of their homes, struggling to survive in one of the most challenging crises in recent memory.
