Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 22 December 2024 - 4 January 2025

Response

• In December, 4,300 children were admitted for outpatient treatment of acute malnutrition, out of 83,007 children screened. In 2024, 39,296 children have been admitted for treatment, which is more than 78 per cent of the estimated number of children requiring treatment for acute malnutrition during the year.  
• To enhance the quality of the management of wasting and overall performance at 115 Outpatient Treatment Sites across the Strip, the Technical Working Group on the Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment of Acute Malnutrition developed in December an interim guidance for healthcare workers on community management of acute malnutrition (i.e. outpatient nutrition services). 
• In total, four Stabilization Centers for the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition with medical complications remain operational across Gaza – one in Gaza governorate, two in Deir al Balah, and one in Khan Younis. Inpatient treatment guidelines and training tools have been updated. 
• Partners continued to expand the monitoring of the nutrition status of pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), screening nearly 15,000 PBW in December, of whom 1,165 have been admitted for the treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition.  
• WFP and UNICEF partners continued the distribution of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements, High-Energy Biscuits, and other types of supplementary feeding, reaching about 113,000 children and 25,000 PBW in December.  
• A total of 66,064 caregivers of children under two years of age were reached in December with awareness raising and counselling on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices during the distribution of nutritional commodities and through 234 IYCF group sessions.  Eight additional mother-to-mother support groups were also established. 

Challenges

• The frequent forcible displacement of the population and access impediments make it difficult to consistently and comprehensively provide services. Activities by Nutrition Cluster partners in the area east of Salah al-Din Road remain limited due to access constraints. Moreover, it is challenging for partners to re-establish coordination in new displacement sites while ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are informed and involved in the distribution of nutritional supplies and other required follow-up processes. Recurrent displacement of people searching for safety has also made it difficult to monitor cases of malnutrition, especially among children.  
• Privacy for women and girls due to severe overcrowding in shelters remains a challenge, especially for IYCF activities and counselling on breastfeeding. The lack of structures that protect against the cold and rain in the current winter season has also affected the ability to undertake nutrition activities for women and children in safe spaces.  
• The limited entry of food and other supplies exacerbates overcrowding and congestion at nutrition sites given the high scale of needs and the rising number of requests for assistance beyond the eligibility criteria.  

Response

• Between the first and fourth week of December, over 8,000 metric tonnes (MT) of flour were distributed to more than 1.4 million people, representing approximately 80 per cent of the 1.7 million people estimated to be in central and southern Gaza. Each family, regardless of family size, received one 25-kilogramme bag of flour, as part of the emergency flour distribution.   
• Approximately 580,000 cooked meals prepared in 160 kitchens were distributed daily to families across the Strip as of 23 December. During this harsh wintertime, many families rely on one cooked meal from community kitchens as their main source of food intake of the day.  
• As of 6 January, only five out of 20 bakeries supported by WFP were operational across the Strip, all of them in the Gaza governorate. These bakeries rely on continued fuel delivery by partners from southern Gaza to be able to maintain operations. While four bakeries operate at full capacity, a fifth bakery that became functional on 6 January presently operates at 60 per cent capacity. Bread is delivered to selected shelters and community kitchens, where it is distributed alongside cooked meals.  In central and southern Gaza, where eight WFP-supported bakeries remain closed due to flour shortages, partners continue to prioritize household-level flour distribution, with each family receiving at least one 25-kg bag of wheat flour as the stock gradually becomes available. Meanwhile, the seven WFP-supported bakeries in North Gaza and Rafah remain closed due to ongoing hostilities. 
• Food Security partners have put in place a few measures, including free bread distribution alongside cooked meals at community kitchens and the contracting of retailer shops as bread selling points, to mitigate overcrowding and ensure safe access by families should bread production at WFP-subsidized commercial bakeries in central and southern Gaza resume. Such resumption requires at least 1,000 MT of flour to be available at a time and to be regularly replenished in the warehouses whereas current stocks remain limited and are depleted almost daily. The price of a 25-kg bag of flour also needs to decrease, but it remains elevated at US$110-140, compared to $10-16 in September 2024.  
• On 29 December, jointly with the Health Cluster, 50 food parcels were delivered to a small number of healthcare workers and patients who were forced to move from the Kamal Adwan to the Indonesian Hospital two days earlier and have been relying on food stocks left behind following previous forced evacuations, risking their lives while scavenging woods and waste materials as cooking energy to prepare the only meal of the day.  
• In December, partners distributed around 200 MT of animal feed (barley) to 3,800 livestock owners in central and southern Gaza, including owners of donkeys and horses used for water transportation and solid waste management. More animal feed, including fodder concentrate, is expected to be brought into the Strip in the coming weeks. 
• An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis to shed more light on the latest food insecurity and malnutrition situation in the Gaza Strip is scheduled to take place in mid-January. FSS, jointly with the Nutrition Cluster, is mobilizing partners to collect assessment data to contribute to the analysis.  
• To ensure food safety, FSS is engaging with partners operating in community kitchens to ensure their inclusion in the upcoming WASH Cluster-led water quality testing initiative across the Strip. 

Challenges

• Most parts of the North Gaza governorate have remained largely cut off from assistance over the past three months. Drinking water, ready-to-eat food, and power supply are among the most urgent needs, particularly for patients and healthcare workers at the Indonesian and Al Awda Hospitals. 
• Ongoing armed looting continues to jeopardize the delivery of food in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates, while supplies available on the local market remain unaffordable for most people.   
• Over one million people have not received a full monthly food ration since August 2024. In December, food parcel distribution continued to be severely restricted in central and southern Gaza, with partners increasingly stretching the limited resources available to assist more people. 
• More than 50 kitchens in central and southern Gaza providing over 200,000 meals a day are at risk of shutting down in the coming days if no additional supplies are received. In recent weeks, kitchens have already been forced to adjust the meal content and/or reduce the number of meals prepared to cope with the supply shortages.  
• As of 5 January, the main FSS partners in central and southern Gaza had exhausted all food supplies in their warehouses, due to a combination of ongoing looting of incoming humanitarian trucks and denied requests by FSS to transfer food supplies entering through the Erez West crossing in northern Gaza to areas south of Wadi Gaza.  
• FSS continues to advocate for the safe passage of aid and the official entry of commercial goods, which remains restricted, and for them to be separated from humanitarian cargo. 
• Partners reported that the Israeli approval received last week for bringing in potato tubers has been reversed, without any specific reason provided. The sector continues to advocate for the entry of agricultural supplies such as seed kits, organic fertilizers and nylon sheets for greenhouses, through humanitarian and private sector supply chains. Resuming agricultural activities, including small-scale home, community and school gardening, is key to enhancing diet diversity and reducing food gaps in Gaza. 
• Humanitarian partners are not able to gain access to sufficient fuel supplies in Gaza governorate to strengthen response activities, with current fuel deliveries from the south to Gaza city only permitted by the Israeli authorities for the functioning of bakeries and other essential services. FSS and the Shelter Cluster continue to advocate for the entry of cooking gas into the Strip. No cooking gas has been entering northern Gaza for nearly 15 consecutive months, forcing people to rely on burning waste. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, while cooking gas remains generally available, it is sold on the black market at the exorbitant price of NIS 50 ($13.60) per kilogramme, compared to NIS 5.9 ($1.60/kg) prior to October 2023, representing an over 700 per cent increase.  

Response

• Between 22 December and 4 January, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) reported that a daily average of 97,800 cubic metres of water was produced across the Gaza Strip; this includes 59,728 cubic metres of drinking water produced from the two operational seawater desalination plants or supplied through the three Mekorot lines and 38,072 cubic metres produced by municipal ground water wells. 
• Between 16 and 31 December, 29 WASH Cluster partners reported the distribution, by trucking, of a total of 6,950 cubic metres of water per day to 820 water collection points (3,788 cubic metres of drinking water and 3,162 cubic metres of domestic water).  
• WASH Cluster partners, jointly with the CMWU and local municipalities, continue to rehabilitate the severely damaged wastewater infrastructure in Khan Younis. 
• WASH partners have provided the CMWU and local municipalities with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines in support of water network rehabilitation activities.  
• WASH partners have completed solid waste dumpsite technical assessments in Al Zawaida and Al Shalal communities, in Deir al Balah, and are presently evaluating possible options and scenarios for rehabilitation. 
• Rehabilitation works at Al Aqsa solid waste dumping site are nearing completion, with the possibility of extending the works to the nearby damaged wastewater network. 

Challenges

• Constraints on fuel and other supplies, along with security concerns, continue to hamper the operation of key WASH facilities, the entry of WASH items at a sufficient rate, and water distribution. About 50,000 MT of WASH supplies in Jordan and Egypt are currently awaiting entry into the Strip.  
• During the reporting period, WASH Cluster partners received only 14.8 per cent of the daily minimum requirement of 70,000 litres of fuel to meet critical WASH and public health needs, including water production and distribution, sewage management, repair works and solid waste management.   
• The Israeli authorities continue to deny access to water production points in North Gaza and eastern Gaza governorates. Reports indicate that the population in North Gaza has been relying on small, privately-owned water points that do not provide adequate water quantities, nor distribute water effectively.   
• In Gaza governorate, Cluster partners have been repeatedly denied access to five critical WASH facilities to operate them: three water wells in Sabra and one in Beach Camp, which are primary water sources for the population in those locations, and wastewater pumping station No.7 in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood, which is a central pumping station that drains all wastewater collected in the area to a safer outfall.  
• In the Gaza governorate, people newly displaced from North Gaza are sheltering in buildings damaged due to hostilities, where sanitation facilities have been destroyed, forcing them to improvise latrines with improper disposal of waste. A rapid gap analysis conducted by the Cluster shows that there are 156 displacement sites in the governorate in which functional sanitation facilities are lacking or require repairs and maintenance. Technical solutions are extremely challenging to identify and hinge on materials that are currently unavailable in northern Gaza.  
• The inability to drain the flooded wastewater at the Sheikh Radwan Lagoon pumping station in western Gaza city poses a major public health risk. While some minor rehabilitation work for the pumping station has already been completed by a WASH partner, the wastewater transmission pipe from the pumping station to the sea-outfall requires urgent maintenance. Although 700 metres of HDPE pipes are available in Khan Younis, WASH service providers have thus far been unable to transfer them to the Gaza governorate due to requests to undertake this critical maintenance being repeatedly denied by the Israeli authorities. 

Response

• During the reporting period, Shelter Cluster partners assisted approximately 2,020 families with tents and sealing-off materials in central and southern Gaza, and about 200 families in the Gaza governorate in the north. 

  The Cluster also continued to distribute bedding items, reaching about 2,269 households at various displacement sites in the Gaza governorate and 281 families in central and southern Gaza.  

Challenges

• The limited cargo capacity at the crossings, the lengthy coordination requirements imposed by the Israeli authorities to bring shelter items into the Strip and the frequent rejection of such items, alongside the high risk of armed looting continue to severely hamper the scaling up of shelter assistance in Gaza.  
• The necessity since 1 December to prioritize the entry of food supplies over non-food items (NFIs) through the Fence Road, which is the only low risk entry point to deliver aid to central and southern Gaza, has caused a depletion of shelter materials in Gaza’s warehouses as stocks were progressively distributed to affected households without being replenished. This has jeopardized the continuity of the response, despite the critical need to support more people at the height of the winter season. 
• As bombardment and hostilities continue to affect IDP sites and cause damage and destruction to shelters, the lack of materials in stock prevents partners from undertaking the necessary replacements and repairs, further exacerbating the suffering of displaced people across Gaza.  
• Compared with central and southern Gaza, more shelter items presently enter the Gaza governorate after being collected from Erez West crossing, but the Israeli authorities do not generally permit the movement of shelter materials from northern to southern Gaza where 1.7 million people are estimated to reside. No specific reasons have been provided.  

Response

• About 19,000 children’s clothing kits have been distributed by UNICEF and Save the Children across the Gaza Strip, out of a total of 220,000 kits that have already been procured by Child Protection (CP) actors and are currently awaiting entry into the Strip. Distributions have prioritized the most vulnerable groups of children, including newborn babies in hospitals, children in residential care, many of whom have lost their parents, children with disabilities, child survivors of GBV, and children who have been severely affected and displaced by weather conditions. Humanitarian cash assistance provided by UNRWA to families caring for separated children is also being distributed, with this support most often utilized to purchase children’s clothes from local markets, where supplies are limited and prices high.  
• During the reporting period, after months of approval and clearance processes, 545 wheelchairs procured by UNICEF arrived in Gaza and are being distributed to children with disabilities and injured in the conflict through UNICEF and CP partners. As of 4 January, 250 children with disabilities had been reached in central and southern Gaza, and efforts are underway to reach children in need in northern Gaza. This covers only a fraction of needs.  
• Gender-based violence (GBV) partners and service providers have continued to provide Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and dignity kits, as well as other more specialized services for persons at risk of GBV, such as Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), case management, safety and legal aid.  

Challenges

• The protection environment in North Gaza remains dire, with vulnerable people often unable to evacuate due to health conditions and mobility challenges. Critical shortages of food, water and medications persist, compounded by the acute lack of essential NFIs, like tents, tarpaulins, mattresses and cleaning materials, across UNRWA shelters and other IDP sites.  
• In southern Gaza, scarce NFIs and food supplies, particularly flour, have worsened overcrowding and made distribution points unsafe, especially for women and girls, and those with disabilities, female heads of households and elderly women. Women report being forced by men in their households to search for necessities.  
• Continued evacuation orders, the ongoing siege on parts of northern Gaza, as well as poor communication networks are exacerbating child protection risks, including family separation and direct conflict-related violence.   
• CP actors continue to face challenges in bringing winter clothing kits into Gaza, hampering their ability to scale up the distribution of winter items. These include delays in approvals by the Israeli authorities, complex procedures and customs clearance processes in Jordan, Egypt and Israel, and armed looting of aid supplies. Procured supplies that are currently awaiting entry into Gaza include 13,000 kits that have been ready for dispatch from the West Bank for over a month, while more than 11,000 children's clothing kits have been lost due to looting inside Gaza. CP actors estimate that -- if this trend continues -- around 25 per cent of the overall number of procured clothing kits will be lost to looting. Moreover, although clothing kits have been prioritized for entry through the Fence Road, which is the only low risk crossing point to deliver aid to central and southern Gaza, they have remained blocked there for over two weeks, with no clarity on if and when they will be allowed to proceed into the Strip.  
• Shortages in tents are hampering the ability of protection actors to provide safe spaces for the confidential provision of reliable information, guidance and support to vulnerable groups, particularly for case management services for children and survivors of GBV.  

Response

• As of 4 January, Education Cluster partners have established 424 Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs) across Gaza, enabling 105,000 children to access foundational learning.  
• During the reporting period, one Cluster partner, in coordination with UNRWA and ACTED, provided recreational kits to 35 displacement sites in the Khan Younis governorate that were selected through the Neighbourhood Approach (NBA). This is an initiative led by the Site Management Working Group to prioritize neighbourhoods most in need in the delivery of aid. Moreover, due to limited resources in establishing TLSs, the Cluster aims for the NBA to strengthen emerging community-led initiatives, improving support mechanisms and enhancing the quality of response, thereby expanding children’s access to learning and recreational activities. 
• With support from the WASH Cluster, awareness raising sessions on good hygiene practices were carried out at 12 TLSs in eastern Khan Younis governorate, including alternative hygiene practices given shortages in water and hygiene supplies, to mitigate the outbreak and spread of waterborne and communicable diseases, particularly during the rainy season. These sessions directly benefited 15,700 school-aged children and, through a cascading effect, their families.  
• On 1 January, UNRWA launched the registration process for its distance education initiative, accessible via this link, with over 100,000 learners having already signed up on the first registration day, demonstrating strong demand. This initiative complements existing efforts in Gaza’s education sector, including MHPSS and recreational activities in shelters and UNRWA-operated spaces, as well as non-formal learning activities in over 85 TLSs. The program utilizes self-learning materials (SLMs), which were recently published on the UNRWA website (accessible via this link) and which have been reviewed to ensure conflict sensitivity and relevance to the current situation. Core subjects for the first semester, including English, Mathematics, Science and Arabic, have already been published, and preparations for the second semester’s materials are underway. While the process primarily targets UNRWA students, the participation of non-UNRWA learners is encouraged and a system has been put in place to track their attendance. Printed SLMs will be distributed to all learners, prioritizing initially elementary students (Grades 1 to 3), students in the North Gaza and Gaza governorates and students with special needs.  

Challenges

• Currently, only one in six children in Gaza have access to learning opportunities, leaving most children without meaningful engagement and exposing them to numerous protection risks. Reports indicate a rise in early marriage, child labour, and children loitering on the streets, which increases their vulnerability to accidents, physical injuries, and other dangers. 
• Israeli authorities continue to restrict the entry of education supplies into Gaza, from tents to establish new TLSs to textbooks and individual student kits. One Cluster partner has enough supplies for 465,000 children in Jordan but cannot dispatch them to Gaza due to ongoing restrictions, while another partner aiming to expand TLSs has faced impediments in getting the needed approvals from the Israeli authorities. Supplies currently prepositioned in Egypt for entry into Gaza via the Fence Road face additional constraints due to limited truck access. These barriers leave many children without essential learning opportunities, as existing TLSs are insufficient and ill-equipped for harsh winter conditions. 
• The lack of winter clothing among school-aged children continues to hinder efforts to improve access to education. Despite the growing number of TLSs and community-led initiatives, many children lack appropriate clothing, preventing them from regularly attending activities. This jeopardizes their access to critical services provided by partners, including MHPSS and recreational activities, which are essential for supporting their recovery from the traumatic experiences of the war. 
• Weak internet connectivity, a lack of electronic devices, and limited access to power for charging the few items available continue to undermine students' ability to access virtual learning. Although over 200,000 students have enrolled in the Ministry of Education's virtual schools, many are unable to attend classes regularly due to these persistent challenges. 
• As of 24 December, a total of 11,913 students and 481 teachers had been killed, while 19,055 students and 2,569 education personnel had sustained injuries, many of which are life-altering, according to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE). Intensifying advocacy for the protection of learning spaces and the safety of children and educational personnel remains critical. Furthermore, all parties to the conflict must refrain from using educational facilities for military purposes.  

Response

• On 31 December, a convoy of 22 trucks was dispatched from Amman to the Erez West crossing. The Logistics Cluster facilitated 10 of these trucks on behalf of two partners, carrying 148 MT of food and shelter items into Gaza. Between December 2023 and 4 January 2025, the Logistics Cluster facilitated 100 humanitarian inter-agency convoys through the Jordan corridor, dispatching 1,274 trucks carrying 12,646 MT of aid into Gaza on behalf of 26 partners. 
• Operations to collect and transport supplies from the Erez West crossing continue at a rate of 50-60 trucks per day. However, sporadic security incidents resulting in commodity losses continue to occur and the collection of supplies continues to be disrupted by the late granting of access to the crossing by the Israeli authorities.  
• Between December 2023 and 2 January 2025, the Logistics Cluster consolidated 27,332 cubic metres of humanitarian cargo at its consolidation warehouse in Amman, and a total of 58,086 cubic metres at common storage facilities inside Gaza. 
• As of 4 January, 963 trucks for UN and international NGOs are awaiting in Al Arish, Egypt, ready to be dispatched into Gaza.  

Challenges

• Severe access and security constraints, including looting incidents, continue to hinder the ability of the Logistics Cluster to safely and consistently collect and transport humanitarian aid for its partners across the Strip. During the reporting period, no partner cargo could be collected from the Kerem Shalom crossing due to heightened security issues. This has led to increased congestion at the crossing due to the growing backlog of uncollected cargo. 
• At the Kissufim crossing, operations continue to be severely impacted by security challenges, while recent attempts to transport aid along the Philadelphi corridor have also yielded limited success due to ongoing safety constraints. 

Response

• On 26 December, the ETC Cluster received approval from the Israeli authorities to import 15 additional satellite-based tracking devices to support WFP operations and enhance staff safety and security in Gaza. In total, 98 devices have been approved, of which 83 have already been delivered to Gaza for use by 11 UN agencies. 

• For more information on ETC activities, please visit:Palestine: Conflict | Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) (etcluster.org).

Challenges

• The lack of safe access, recurrent evacuation orders and the cancellation of scheduled missions continue to hinder the deployment of shared ETC services and technical support to humanitarian partners.   
• A significant amount of equipment has been damaged or destroyed due to ongoing hostilities, and importing new equipment is restricted and challenging, limiting the delivery of planned ETC services. Telecommunications and internet services are limited to only some parts of the Gaza Strip due to severely damaged telecommunications infrastructure, limited fuel supplies, the unavailability of spare parts, and the lack of safe access for repair and maintenance. 

Protection against sexual abuse and exploitation (PSEA) remains a cross-cutting priority for all clusters. Aid distribution must be delivered with dignity and respect. Any wrongdoing can be reported through SAWA toll-free number 164. SAWA will assist and provide services free of charge and with the utmost confidentiality.