Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 30 March - 12 April 2025

Response

• Between 30 March and 12 April, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) reported an average daily production of 110,558 cubic metres of water across the Gaza Strip. Of this, about 24 per cent (26,067 cubic metres) was produced by one operational seawater desalination plant or supplied through the only operational Mekorot pipeline from Israel. The remaining 76 per cent (84,491 cubic metres) were produced by municipal groundwater wells. However, the quality of groundwater remains poor due to high salinity. Additionally, the WASH Cluster estimates that between 50 to 65 per cent of water produced is lost due to leaks in the damaged distribution network before reaching users.
• As of 12 April, WASH Cluster partners reported that over 1,357 water collection points are operational across the Gaza Strip. More than 94 per cent of these points support water trucking activities, which deliver a daily average of 16,550 cubic metres of drinking water and 14,178 cubic metres of domestic water by 27 partners.
• During the reporting period, WASH Cluster partners continued to carry out essential interventions across the Gaza Strip, including water trucking, distribution of hygiene supplies, waste collection and installation of latrines. Where access and availability of material allowed, partners also carried out ad-hoc repairs of water and sewage networks. Governorate-level response included:
  • In Rafah, one municipal water desalination plant is operational to address critical shortages caused by extensive damage to water facilities and restricted access to water infrastructure located in the "no-go" zone. 
  • In Khan Younis, 19 partners reported trucking 4,506 cubic metres of drinking water and 4,782 cubic metres of domestic water to 369 locations, including displacement sites, schools-turned shelters, and humanitarian service delivery points. Partners also distributed 8,700 hygiene supplies. Additionally, 140 metric tons of waste was collected, 100 metric tons of waste was transferred to temporary dumping sites, and 64 household latrines were installed in two displacement sites.
  • In Deir al Balah, 16 partners reported trucking 6,166 cubic metres of drinking water and 2,483 cubic metres of domestic water to 157 locations, including displacement sites, schools-turned shelters, health-care facilities and humanitarian service delivery points. 
  • In Gaza governorate, 22 partners reported trucking 4,346 cubic metres of drinking water and 1,450 cubic metres of domestic water to 591 locations, including displacement sites, schools-turned shelters, and humanitarian service delivery points. Partners also carried out about 3,000 hygiene promotion sessions at the household level.
  • In North Gaza governorate, 14 partners reported trucking 1,149 cubic metres of drinking water and 5,495 cubic metres of domestic water to 221 locations, including displacement sites.

Challenges

• Since 18 March, intensified Israeli military activity and successive waves of forced displacement have rendered large parts of Gaza unsafe or inaccessible. This has systematically reduced access to critical WASH infrastructure and severely limited the ability of WASH partners to deliver essential services and carry out repairs on damaged facilities and networks. As of 13 April, over 50 per cent of WASH facilities have been impacted by displacement orders and the imposition of the “no-go” zone, with more than 320 facilities rendered inaccessible; these include over 50 per cent of groundwater wells (170 out of 336), desalination plants (25 out of 46), sewage pump stations (34 out of 67) and lagoons or stormwater basins (16 out of 29) and over 60 per cent of temporary waste dump sites (43 out of 72) and water reservoirs (35 out of 52). The two main landfills, the Sufa landfill in southern Gaza and the Juhor al Dik landfill in northern Gaza, have remained inaccessible since October 2023.
• During the reporting period, Israeli authorities rejected all submitted coordination requests to facilitate safe repair works of the northern Gaza Mekorot supply line (Al Muntar), which has been non-functional since 3 April 2025, and the Deir al Balah Mekerot line (Bani Saeed) in central Gaza, which has been non-functional since January 2025. The successful repairs of these two key pipelines would restore the supply of up to 34 million litres per day of good-quality water, significantly improving access to safe drinking water.
• Fuel rationing, resulting from the ongoing blockade on the entry of all humanitarian and commercial supplies, has forced WASH Cluster partners to make critical operational decisions. This has included prioritizing the delivery of limited fuel supplies among the pumping and treatment of water, trucking to distribute water, and sewage pumping—all of which are essential to safeguarding public health. At the same time, the blockade has prevented the entry of critical items necessary for water, sewage and solid waste management systems, including generators, spare parts, water production equipment, chemicals, laboratory equipment and construction materials.

Response

• On 4 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a mission to Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals in Gaza city to deploy an emergency medical team (EMT), assess the trauma pathway in northern Gaza, and provide technical support to the national EMT at Al Shifa's emergency department. An assessment of WHO's current warehouse capacity and related logistic needs to support the health system in Gaza city was also carried out.
• On 9 April, WHO supported the medical evacuation of 18 patients, including 16 children, along with 29 companions via Kerem Shalom Crossing to Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, and Romania. Only three medical evacuations have taken place since 18 March, all through Kerem Shalom Crossing, while all such evacuations through Rafah Crossing have since been halted.
• During the reporting period, several health facilities resumed service provision. Al Durra Children's Hospital in Gaza city began operating following the completion of rehabilitation works. The hospital now has a capacity of 80 beds and six Intensive Care Units (ICU) beds for pediatric care. Moreover, three health facilities supported by humanitarian partners resumed services following temporary suspensions due to insecurity: a PHC in Al Zaytoun area of Gaza city; Ma’en health centre in eastern Khan Younis; and Sheikh Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics in North Gaza governorate, which has partially resumed services, offering prosthetics and orthotics care as well as in-patient (for maximum two weeks) and outpatient medical rehabilitation services.
• During the reporting period, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - Belgium opened a Level-2 primary health care center (PHC) in Gaza Governorate, providing general consultations, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) care, wound care, physiotherapy, and outpatient nutrition services.

Challenges

• The intensification of hostilities and the issuance of displacement orders have forced several health facilities to suspend or relocate services. In Rafah, where there is an ongoing ground military operation, no PHCs are currently functional and all PRCS branches, including the PRCS field hospital, have suspended operations. During the reporting period, PRCS has moved its emergency medical services (EMS) from Rafah to the UK-Med field hospital in Al Mawasi in Khan Younis, where ambulance dispatches are now coordinated.
• Insecurity and intensive military activity are restricting people’s access to health service points, especially in Rafah. At present, no health facility in Rafah can perform caesarean sections or provide surgical care for obstetric complications. The only basic emergency obstetric and newborn care is available at the Rafah field hospital, which is situated near areas slated for evacuation.
• Medical and humanitarian staff in Gaza continue to operate under extremely precarious conditions, including coming under attack. On 7 April, two health care workers were killed as they were leaving a health facility in Gaza city.
• Restrictions on the movement of supplies between southern and northern Gaza via the “Netzarim corridor,” is limiting the ability to urgently replenish health facilities in northern Gaza with available medical supplies.
• The blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid and other critical supplies has had a detrimental impact on the availability of essential medicines, particularly for managing trauma cases, safe labour and delivery, NCDs, anesthetics for pain management and surgical interventions. For example, 87 per cent of the medical consumable items required for orthopedic surgeries and 99 per cent of medicines used for cardiac catheterization are currently out of stock. The Rota vaccine for children has been fully depleted. In addition, there is an urgent need for medical equipment to support maternal and newborn care, laboratory diagnostics, and medical oxygen production. A critical shortage of blood units has also been reported. WHO has requested 4,500 blood units (sufficient for approximately one month) to be transported from the West Bank to Gaza, but the request remains pending. Moreover, spare parts for urgent repairs of both ambulances and generators along with fuel (benzene) for ambulances are in short supply. There are no functional repeaters for Very High Frequency (VHF) radios to support the coordination of ambulance dispatch operations, forcing PRCS dispatch communications to be conducted via mobile phones. In addition to humanitarian supplies and equipment, the deployment of emergency medical teams to provide specialized medical care remains challenging, with a 40-50 per cent rejection rate since March 2025. As of 15 April, there are 21 EMTs, including two national and 19 international, in the Gaza Strip; these include four in Gaza governorate, one in North Gaza, six in Deir al Balah, nine in Khan Younis, and one in Rafah.

Response

• In March, only 22,382 children received blanket supplementary feeding—medium-quantity, lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS-MQ), compared with 84,509 children reached in February. This represents less than 10 per cent of the Nutrition Cluster's target of all 290,000 children between 6 and 59 months. By the end of March, available stocks of supplementary feeding for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) were sufficient to only cover 70 per cent of needs for one month. During the same period, 32,635 children received nutrients, vitamins and minerals supplementation, through small-quantity LNS.
• The degradation of the nutrition situation is already evident, with a total of 3,696 new admissions of children for acute malnutrition in March, out of 91,769 children screened. This marks a significant increase compared to February, when 2,027 children were admitted out of 83,823 children screened.
• Since the beginning of the year, more than 3,000 breastfeeding women have received one-to-one counselling sessions on advanced breastfeeding support, including 864 in March alone.

Challenges

• The escalation of hostilities since 18 March has severely disrupted the provision of nutrition services. As of 8 April, less than 60 per cent of about 173 outpatient treatment sites remain operational, with multiple displacement orders since then further undermining service continuity.
• Depleted food supplies, soaring prices, lack of cooking fuel, and deteriorating water and sanitation conditions are reducing food intake, increasing the risk of food and water-borne diseases and worsening the nutrition situation. This is also placing an additional strain on nutrition programmes, as demand for the remaining supplies rises while replenishment remains impossible due to the blockade on the entry of aid supplies since 2 March.

Response

• During the reporting period, protection partners continued to monitor and identify protection risks and needs across Gaza, facilitating access to specialized care for the most critical cases through both a referral system and direct services, such as the provision of hygiene items* from a central storage facility (a protection warehouse). Furthermore, during the same period, the protection monitoring system was further developed with partners to strengthen the identification of protection risks, prevention and response mechanisms.
• During the reporting period, Child Protection (CP) actors:
  • Distributed 25 tents to caregivers and families caring for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) in coordination with the Shelter Cluster.
  • Provided 1,500 clothing kits to families caring for unaccompanied and separated children who have been displaced from Rafah.
  • Continued to provide psychosocial first aid and psychosocial support services (PSS), and carry out case management, in line with the CP emergency response plan.
  • Conducted about six sessions on explosive ordnance risk education (EORE), with a focus on child protection, reaching 123 children and their parents. In total, since the beginning of April, about 20,000 EORE awareness materials were distributed, and 2,000 awareness sessions were conducted at UNRWA collective shelters and surrounding displacement sites.
• During the reporting period, gender-based violence (GBV) actors:
  • Delivered remote case management and PSS to families across the Gaza Strip, except Rafah, although not all GBV actors have been able to resume activities. New guidelines for GBV case management were also developed.
  • Updated the GBV referral pathway to reflect changes in service providers’ availability due to changing operational realities, which will be reviewed monthly.
  • Distributed, along with the sexual and reproductive health partners, menstrual hygiene management kits to 200 vulnerable women and girls in Khan Younis governorate.
• During the reporting period, Mine Action (MA) activities were largely suspended due to the security situation. UNMAS maintained between four to six explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officers in Gaza (depending on rotational staff movements) to support prioritized activities. Since January 2025, 21 incidents involving unexploded ordnance (UXO) have been reported to the incident tracking database, resulting in six fatalities and 85 injuries, including 22 children.
• Under the Housing Land and Property (HLP) Technical Working Group (TWG), the HLP records and documentation archive was updated. Moreover, awareness material to promote the safekeeping of documents and the guidance note for humanitarian actors working with IDPs residing on private land was published.
• During the reporting period, UNRWA protection teams carried out protection monitoring at 26 shelters and IDP sites, alongside 30 key informant interviews and 12 focus group discussions, and continued to facilitate referrals to specialized services. During this period, 48 new critical cases were identified and supported and over 280 food parcels were distributed to people with critical protection needs across shelters in Deir al Balah. Moreover, more than 20 awareness-raising sessions on child protection, GBV and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) were conducted, reaching more than 370 women, girls, men and boys. Additionally, women’s committees have been established at shelters in Gaza city to promote women's participation in decision-making processes related to humanitarian aid delivery and ensure that their specific needs are addressed and their rights upheld.

Challenges

• Ongoing bombardment, displacements orders and the blockade on the entry of supplies into Gaza for six consecutive weeks have significantly worsened protection risks for the civilian population, including its one million children, who are again at risk of family separation. A high number of children have been killed and injured during the hostilities. The ongoing violence and dwindling aid supplies have also contributed to extreme levels of stress among children, caregivers and host families. These developments have severely affected protection services. For example, the risk of mass casualty incidents among children is preventing group-based PSS activities. At the same time, the lack of fuel is further hindering the movement of protection actors and their ability to reach affected communities.
• Since the renewed escalation of hostilities on 18 March, one in four women and girl's safe spaces have shut down, leaving GBV survivors without access to life-saving protection services. In addition, the displacement of several GBV partners has further curtailed capacity for service delivery across Gaza.
• Overcrowded UNRWA shelters in Gaza city continue to receive displaced families, further overstretching staff capacity, resources and the limited aid supplies that remain in stock. Some families have resorted to installing tents on the rooftops of UNRWA designated emergency shelters (DES), raising serious safety concerns, particularly for children.
• Mass displacement from the southern governorates into Deir al Balah have increased pressure on services in the governorate and contributed to increased looting and incidents of violence, particularly affecting women and elderly persons.

Response

• During the reporting period, attendance in temporary learning spaces (TLS) fluctuated, with only about 30 per cent of learners who attended learning sessions during the ceasefire period still able to access some form of in-person education across the Gaza Strip.
• During the reporting period, Education Cluster partners agreed to maintain the use of shifts and rotation schedules to maximize access to learning, whereby each child receives a minimum of 2.5 hours of teaching per day, at least three days per week. Partners also agreed to prioritize in-person learning for grades 1 to 4, while encouraging remote learning through the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's (MoEHE) e-school platform and UNRWA’s self-learning materials for grades where in-person instruction is not feasible.
• Members of the Education Cluster are prioritizing the delivery of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) sessions to children, including in sites in Gaza city and North Gaza outside of learning spaces. These initiatives aim to raise awareness and reduce the risk of injury or death caused by EO.
• During the reporting period, the Education Cluster completed the eighth damage assessment exercise, using satellite imagery to evaluate the extent of destruction to education infrastructure. The findings are stark: 95.2 per cent of educational facilities have sustained damage, with 88.5 per cent requiring major rehabilitation or complete reconstruction. This devastation has impacted more than 550,000 students who were enrolled in these schools prior to October 2023, along with 20,474 teachers.

Challenges

• The escalation of hostilities and issuance of displacement orders since 18 March have triggered large-scale displacement and jeopardized the short-lived efforts to restore in-person learning activities for out-of-school children that had only recently resumed during the ceasefire. At least 52 government schools and 60 TLS, which accommodated approximately 50,000 learners during the ceasefire, have been impacted by displacement orders. Many of 186 governmental schools that were re-opened during the ceasefire and provided learning opportunities to about 115,000 students – including some operating in moderately damaged buildings— have been used as IDP shelters since 18 March, although number of schools turned to shelters remain unclear. Ongoing forced displacement is also expected to further reduce attendance at approximately 150 TLS that remain functional. Meanwhile, all schools remain closed for in-person formal education.
• The Ministry of Education (MoE) postponed the Tawjihi exams for the 2023-2024 cohort, which had been initially scheduled for mid-April 2025, due to ongoing insecurity and intensive military activity. In addition, key logistical preparations remain pending, most notably, the required tablets for students to take the exams remain stuck in the West Bank.
• The findings from the damage assessment report underscore the urgent need for substantial resources to support the education in emergencies (EiE) response. Given the scale of destruction, the response will need to extend well into the recovery phase to restore the functionality of the educational system.

Response

• Since the escalation of hostilities on 18 March, the SMC has been monitoring population movements across Gaza to inform response planning and coordination. Between 30 March and 12 April, four Population Movement Monitoring Flash Updates were published, with the most recent indicating that over 400,000 people have been newly displaced across the Gaza Strip. During the reporting period, SMC partners have reported that at least 86 displacement sites have received new IDPs.
• SMC partners are working to re-establish static and mobile reception points to provide limited food, water and other essential services to support people during their displacement journey, if additional waves of large population movements take place.

Challenges

• Access constraints and widespread insecurity have resulted in incomplete displacement data and reliance on a combination of social media monitoring, remote partner updates, and communications with key informants.
• There have been reports of skin diseases among IDPs at some displacement sites in Al Mawasi area in western Khan Younis. With limited access to water and sanitation services, there are concerns that these cases may worsen significantly and potentially spread to other displacement sites.

Response

• Following the escalation of hostilities on 18 March, Shelter Cluster partners have prioritized reaching the most vulnerable households among the newly displaced by responding to urgent referral requests received through other clusters and working groups. The focus has also been on supporting existing displacement sites that are absorbing new waves of displaced people, instead of establishing new sites. This approach aims to prevent further fragmentation of services, reduce protection risks associated with informal site creation, and promote a more efficient use of already overstretched resources.
• During the reporting period, Shelter Cluster partners continued to deliver shelter and non-food items (NFIs) from available, albeit very limited, stocks to the most vulnerable households across the Gaza Strip. Between 1 and 12 April, partners distributed about 15,560 blankets, 6,500 clothing kits, 1,350 pillows, 1,750 mats, 1,580 mattresses, 4,050 kitchen sets, and 2,210 torches (searchlights) to increase safety and accessibility. Moreover, partners provided more than 13,025 people with tarpaulins and sealing-off kits and distributed about 3,760 tents across the Gaza Strip. These figures only relate to shelter materials provided by or facilitated through UN coordination.

Challenges

• Insecurity, the blockade on the entry of supplies since 2 March, and the issuance of displacement orders are significantly affecting partners’ capacities and straining response efforts. Many staff members have themselves been displaced, critical shelter and NFI stocks have been largely depleted, and access to newly displaced people is increasingly constrained. As of 12 April, tents are out of stock and partners have been unable to access about 10,000 tarpaulins that remain in storage in Rafah, where there is an ongoing military ground operation.
• Needs are rapidly growing, with over 400,000 people displaced as of 9 April, according to the Site Management Cluster (SMC). Based on SMC documentation, the Shelter Cluster estimates that nearly half of people who returned to their areas of origin during the ceasefire were displaced again over the past month. In most cases, people were unable to carry their belongings. As a result, and despite aid deliveries, unmet shelter needs persist throughout the Gaza Strip, with about 1.8 million people estimated to require emergency shelter assistance and essential household items.
• Extreme scarcity, insecurity, and desperation among affected people are driving a rise in looting incidents, reflecting the growing struggle for survival in Gaza. Since 18 March, partners have reported the loss of about 900 tents due to looting, further straining an already fragile response.
• Total reliance on humanitarian aid, the lack of a fully functioning market, and prohibitively expensive shelter items that remain available in limited quantities on the market are further constraining response efforts.
• Most shelter items, such as tents, have a short lifespan of just three to six months, creating a repetitive cycle of demand for shelter assistance. This cycle is further compounded by the multiple waves of forced displacement, which often result in the loss or abandonment of shelter items.

Response

• During the reporting period, the Logistics Cluster launched a survey to better understand customs challenges facing humanitarian partners in Gaza and identify priority areas for support.

Challenges

• Logistics Cluster’s operations continue to be largely suspended due to the blockade on the entry of all humanitarian aid and other essential goods into Gaza, with a significant backlog of cargo accumulating in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt. In Jordan, warehouses are at full capacity, preventing the prepositioning of additional cargo. In Egypt, as of 6 April, 1,416 truckloads of cargo in partners’ pipelines are awaiting dispatch, according to the Egyptian Red Crescent Society. This prolonged disruption is resulting in substantial additional costs for Logistics Cluster partners.
• The scarcity of essential goods in Gaza has contributed to a rise in looting incidents, affecting both the transport of cargo and storage facilities.
• There is currently no more stock stored in any Logistic Cluster warehouse in Gaza, as all cargo has been dispatched to partners for their onward transport, storage or distribution, while no new cargo is arriving through the crossings.

Response

• During the reporting period, the ETC, in conjunction with UNDSS, continued to support operations and logistical needs of humanitarian missions, including inter alia managing the use of satellite-based tracking devices in Gaza by UN agencies to ensure accurate mission tracking, reporting, and coordination.
• For more information on ETC activities, please visit:Palestine: Conflict | Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) (etcluster.org).

Challenges

• Extensive infrastructural damage in hostilities and the lack of equipment for repairs and maintenance continue to severely limit telecommunications and internet services across Gaza. ETC partners report that telecommunications equipment has been further damaged or destroyed since the renewed escalation of hostilities on 18 March in both northern and southern Gaza, with Rafah being one of the most affected governorates.
• Only limited fuel reserves are available to sustain the operation of generators and other critical telecommunications infrastructure.
• The blockade since 2 March on the entry of aid supplies and other critical goods, including telecommunications and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment, and access constraints have restricted the ability of the ETC Cluster to deliver critical services across Gaza, such as expansion of VHF radio coverage and internet connectivity. During the reporting period, escalating hostilities and insecurity have prevented the planned relocation of the Very High Frequency (VHF) repeater from Deir al Balah to Al Mawasi in Khan Younis, hampering UN operations.
• Insufficient funding has limited the Cluster's capacity to address immediate critical communication needs for humanitarian responders in Gaza. The Cluster continues to appeal to potential donors for funding.

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.

To promote accountability to affected people, the online Humanitarian Service Directory provides information on aid services, helplines, and key messages, and is available via hyperlink and QR code to increase accessibility and accountability.

* Asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.