Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 8-21 December 2024

Response

• In the first half of December, 1,791 children were admitted for outpatient treatment of acute malnutrition and 22 others for inpatient treatment, out of 27,500 screened children. Cumulatively, 36,216 children have been admitted for treatment since the beginning of 2024, representing more than 72 per cent of the Cluster estimate of the number of children requiring treatment for acute malnutrition in 2024. Since last July, the number of admissions has increased to an average of 4,770 cases per month, reflecting both a further deterioration in the nutritional situation in the Gaza Strip and the scaling up of the programme, with an increased ability of partners to detect and enroll acutely malnourished children, particularly Khan Younis, Deir al Balah and Gaza governorates where the majority of the population live. Partners have also expanded the screening of pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), with nearly 70,000 PBW screened between July and December 2024, 5,200 of whom have been admitted for the treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). 
• Despite the limited entry of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (LNS), WFP and UNICEF partners have continued distributing different types of supplementary feeding, reaching at least 34,000 children and 9,500 PBW during the first two weeks of December. The distribution of nutrition commodities is always accompanied by awareness raising and counselling on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices.

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 by people in search of safety has also made it difficult to monitor cases of malnutrition, especially in children.
• Limited truck deliveries and the unstable pipeline of nutrition commodities continue to hamper response activities. On the other hand, many areas lack the infrastructure to enable the storage of sufficient quantities of nutrition supplies, including LNS, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and Ready-to-Use Infant Formula (RUIF).
• Nutrition and food supplies remain insufficient to meet needs, leading to overcrowding and congestion at distribution points as people seek support.

Response

• As of mid-December, approximately 600,000 cooked meals prepared in 160 kitchens were distributed daily to families in Gaza, Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah governorates, representing a 28 per cent increase compared to late November.  In Gaza city, Food Security Sector (FSS) partners have scaled up meal production after receiving more supplies. In central and southern Gaza, the number of meals provided has also increased as one key partner resumed operations after a temporary pause in early December following a fatal security incident affecting its staff. However, overcrowding at community kitchens continues, and partners have been forced to adjust the meal content to reach more people amid persistent supply challenges. Many people in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah governorates rely on distributed cooked meals as their main source of food intake.
• During the month of November, Cluster partners distributed food parcels to about 1.3 million people in Gaza, Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates; however, availability of supplies meant that most families received reduced rations for ten days.  
• As of 21 December, four out of 19 bakeries supported by WFP were operational at full capacity, all of them in the Gaza governorate and reliant on fuel delivered by partners from southern Gaza. One of these bakeries fell within the area slated for evacuation by the Israeli military on 12 December and was forced to close for two days. Bread delivery to selected shelters and community kitchens for distribution along with cooked meals has continued in Gaza governorate. 
• In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, where eight WFP-supported bakeries remain closed due to flour shortages and concerns related to overcrowding, partners continue prioritizing household-level flour distribution, with each family receiving at least one 25-kg bag of wheat flour as the stock gradually becomes available.
• In the first two weeks of December, partners distributed approximately 120 metric tonnes of animal feed to 2,500 households in southern and central Gaza, contributing to local production of fresh food such as meat and dairy products which are critical for a nutritious diet, especially for children.
• On 20 December, an aid convoy comprising seven trucks of wheat flour and food parcels and two trucks of bottled water reached the besieged Beit Hanoun area in North Gaza, with supplies distributed to an estimated 800 people.
• FSS continues to advocate for the entry of agricultural supplies, including through the private sector. The resumption of agricultural activities, including small-scale home, community, and school gardening, is vital to enhance dietary diversity and mitigate the impact of existing food shortages in Gaza. 
• FSS, jointly with the Shelter Cluster, continues to advocate for the entry of greater quantities of fuel, including cooking gas, into the Strip and for the use of improved cookstoves.

Challenges

• Access impediments and ongoing looting continue to severely jeopardize the delivery of food in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates, while supplies available on the local market are unaffordable for most people. The fact that people lost their lives while queuing for bread at overcrowded bakeries underscores the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, with vulnerable people facing mounting obstacles in meeting their basic needs.  
• Over one million people have not received a full monthly food ration since August due to supply shortages. In December, partners have again been forced to reduce food rations, stretching the limited resources available to reach more people.
• Most parts of the North Gaza governorate have remained cut off from humanitarian assistance for more than 77 days. Overall, since the intensification of hostilities in North Gaza on 6 October 2024, FSS partners have made more than 100 attempts to deliver food to besieged areas of the governorate, of which 97 per cent were denied.
• Since the beginning of December, approximately 4,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour have been distributed to just over 600,000 people, representing only 35 per cent of the estimated 1.7 million people currently present in central and southern Gaza. As of mid-December 2024, partners need 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour to be able to distribute one bag of flour to all families in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah governorates; if no additional amounts are received, further deterioration in food insecurity may occur, along with increased community mistrust towards humanitarian workers.  
• The limited transfer of fuel from southern to northern Gaza threatens the continued operations of bakeries and other life-saving services in Gaza governorate, where partners are endeavoring to scale up the humanitarian response to address the needs of families displaced from North Gaza.
• Food supplies stranded outside Gaza face the risk of spoilage and infestation, and some of them are nearing expiration dates.  
• Partners report that recent requests to import seed kits, tubers, fertilizers and nylon sheets for greenhouses have been denied by the Israeli authorities.
• The lack of cash liquidity, the high cost of restocking, and the near total halt of commercial supplies continue to pose significant challenges to the ability of more than two-thirds of shop owners to operate.
• A recent market monitoring report by FSS for the first half of December highlighted that severe financial constraints and skyrocketing prices remain a primary obstacle to market access, with over 90 per cent of households citing a lack of money as the dominant barrier, particularly given the limited adoption of digital payment solutions along local traders. Moreover, high flour prices are preventing partners from reopening bakeries in central Gaza in a safe manner. According to daily market observations, as of mid-December, flour prices remain elevated at US$160-190 per bag, compared to $10-16 in September 2024.
• As temperatures drops, there is a growing reliance on burning waste to cook in northern Gaza, where cooking gas has not been entering for more than 14 consecutive months. While cooking gas remains available in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, it is sold at inflated prices on the black market, over 700 per cent higher than pre-crisis levels. This continues to hinder proper food preparation and the intake of nutritious food, exacerbates health and protection risks, and causes environmental hazards.  The price of firewood has also increased by more than 300 per cent compared to pre-crisis levels, making it very costly to operate community kitchens.

Response

• Between 8 and 20 December, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) reported that, on average, a total of 94,207 cubic metres of water was produced daily across the Gaza Strip, less than a quarter of water supply prior to October 2023. Of this quantity, a daily average of 54,508 cubic metres was produced from the two operational seawater desalination plants and the three Mekorot supply lines. Municipal ground water wells produced an average of 39,699 cubic metres.
• During the reporting period, WASH Cluster partners received only 11.7 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.
• Between 1 and 15 December, 26 WASH Cluster partners reported the distribution, by trucking, of a total of 8,002 cubic metres of water per day to 874 water collection points (4,490 cubic metres of drinking water and 3,512 cubic metres of domestic water). Persistent shortages of fuel supply, along with security concerns, continue to hinder water distribution in Gaza city.
• Chemical consumables needed for water disinfection and the operation of seawater desalination plants, including chlorine, anti-scaling agents and caustic soda, are currently being received and delivered across Gaza.
• Four water trucks, each with a 23,000-litre capacity, and two sewage vacuum trucks of the same capacity were delivered to the CMWU on 14 December.
• A total of 95 rigid plastic tanks, with capacities ranging from one to five cubic metres, entered Gaza and were delivered to CMWU on 19 December.
• Rehabilitation of the Sheikh Radwan lagoon and pumping station in western Gaza city is now nearing completion, after the Cluster secured the entry of 20 dewatering pumps and their generators on 13 December, enabling winterization and flooding mitigation and management activities.
• During the reporting period, WASH Cluster partners completed the installation and rehabilitation of WASH facilities at 16 IDP shelters in the Gaza governorate, and continued to undertake similar rehabilitation works at 14 additional shelters in Gaza city.

Challenges

• Access constraints are hampering the entry of WASH items into Gaza at a sufficient rate, with 50,000 metric tons of WASH supplies currently in Jordan and Egypt and awaiting entry into the Strip.
• Constraints on the entry of fuel supplies for the operation of key WASH facilities continue, coupled with denials of access to re-supply water production points in the North Gaza governorate and areas in eastern Gaza governorate. Reports indicate that people in North Gaza are now relying on small, privately-owned water points that do not provide adequate water quantities.
• Damaged sanitation facilities and inadequate WASH management in shelters in northern Gaza, coupled with the constrained WASH response capacity of partners and response actors, have led to open defecation, unsanitary conditions, and significant public health risks.

Response

• Partners continue to carry out Protection Monitoring, completing 56 key informant interviews and 10 focus group discussions in 43 neighbourhoods and 14 municipalities during the reporting period. Since the roll-out of the Protection Monitoring System [PMS] in August 2024, 140 trained emergency protection responders completed 1,044 key informant interviews and 66 focus group discussions, during which they monitored protection cases, disseminated information on available services, and made critical referrals for urgent cases.  
• Gender-based violence (GBV) service providers in Gaza provided 55,556 services in November and over 637,000 in total since January 2024. Most of this support entailed the provision of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) or dignity kits, but also other specialized services for persons at risk of GBV, such as Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), case management, safety and legal aid.
• With the support of the MHPSS Technical Working Group, the GBV Risk Mitigation Task Force (RMTF) was activated and trained in Phycological First Aid (PFA). The RMTF has begun training women groups in displacement sites and shelters on community safety planning, ensuring they have a safe access to protection services.  
• During the reporting period, a total of 864 dignity kits were distributed to partners in Gaza city, for onward delivery to some of the most vulnerable cases. An additional 372 dignity kits were delivered south of Wadi Gaza.
• During the reporting period, Child Protection (CP) partners disseminated a Guidance Note and Quality Checklist for community-based protection and MHPSS activities. The document provides basic guidance on establishing Child Friendly/Safe Spaces (either temporary, semi-permanent, permanent, or mobile structures), while considering the challenges and operational constraints that prevent partners from fully observing recommended global standards in this regard.
• During the reporting period, Save the Children finalized an Assessment on Culturally Appropriate Care Arrangements for Unaccompanied Children in Gaza. The main conclusions include: a) prioritize family-based care as the foundation of culturally appropriate solutions; b) support small-scale, high-quality residential care as a temporary option; c) prevent harm by avoiding new investment in orphanage-style institutions; and d) build systems that balance immediate needs with long-term care reform. 
• Partners continue to distribute available winter clothes and shotes to children despite the immense difficulties in bringing supplies into Gaza, their limited availability on the local market, and looting incidents.
• During the reporting period, UNRWA’s protection teams conducted 27 observation missions in shelters and IDP sites across Khan Younis and Deir al Balah governorates, including Al Mawasi; carried out 14 focus group discussions and 10 key informant interviews; and continued monitoring aid distribution and following up on vulnerable cases. The teams also delivered BBC Lifeline podcast activities to 1,451 children and carried out awareness raising sessions in UNRWA shelters and IDP sites on explosive ordnance (178 people reached), gender-based violence (180 people), prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (183 people), and child protection (47 people). 
• During the reporting period, UNRWA provided 48 male Palestinian detainees who were released at the Kerem Shalom crossing with accommodation in UNRWA shelters, mattresses, blankets, food parcels, and hygiene and dignity kits. UNRWA is coordinating with partners to conduct referrals to additional service providers. 

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 IDP sites. The governorate remains largely inaccessible to partners who are based elsewhere in Gaza; while minimal GBV services were provided through the end of November by relying on local specialists or providing remote services, this has now become extremely challenging.
• Continued evacuation orders, the ongoing siege on parts of North Gaza, as well as poor communication networks are exacerbating child protection risks, including family separation and direct conflict-related violence.  
• Scarce NFIs and food supplies, particularly flour, in southern Gaza have 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 within their households to search for necessities. 
• The limited entry of supplies into Gaza, exacerbated by an increase in looting incidents, are hampering response activities. For example, dignity kits available for distribution fall far short of meeting the monthly needs of an estimated 700,000 menstruating women and girls in Gaza. Furthermore, there is a lack of winter-appropriate spaces to conduct MHPSS activities in collective shelters, which are mostly carried out either in tents or open spaces at present.

Response

• During the reporting period, one Education Cluster partner received and distributed 40 tents that have been used to establish or expand Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs) in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. These tents had remained stranded at the Kerem Shalom crossing for nearly three months due to continuous looting incidents hampering the collection and distribution of aid. As of the end of November, Education Cluster partners had established 424 TLSs, allowing 104,000 school-aged children to access foundational learning.  
• A recent assessment by the Education Cluster, based on satellite imagery collected on 1 December, reveals that over 95 per cent of school buildings in Gaza have sustained some level of damage. Nearly 88 per cent of schools (496 out of 564) have been “directly hit” or “damaged” and will require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again. Among these, 55 per cent (275) are government schools, 33 per cent (161) UNRWA schools, and 12 per cent (57) private schools. The increase in damage is largely due to a rise in the number of directly hit schools, particularly in the North Gaza governorate, where 11 out of 18 schools newly classified as “directly hit” over the past three months are located. Prior to October 2023, “direct hit” or “damaged” schools served approximately 542,959 students and employed more than 20,320 teachers, which represented, respectively, about 88 and 87 per cent of the total student population and teaching staff in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, 41 schools are now assessed as “likely damaged,” with at least one damaged site identified within 30 to 70 meters of these school buildings, suggesting that these educational structures have likely sustained moderate damage.
• The Education Cluster continues to call for collective advocacy to recognize Education as a vital part of humanitarian response efforts and ensure the availability of necessary educational supplies, such as tents, basic stationery, and printed teaching and learning materials. The Cluster also urges all stakeholders to highlight the impact of school destruction in various fora, aiming to mobilize the necessary resources and support for the Education response now and during recovery efforts.

Challenges

• Continued evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military are severely limiting the scale up of the Education response. The evacuation order of 18 December in Al Bureij refugee camp impacted one TLS, depriving approximately 100 children of access to learning. Overall, 19 TLSs have been affected by evacuation orders in recent months, disrupting access for over 2,000 learners and 55 teachers.
• During the reporting period, at least 13 incidents involving attacks on schools were recorded, alongside a tragic incident in which a teacher was killed. These events perpetuate fear and trauma among parents, children, and teachers. As 17 December, a total of 11,893 students and 466 teachers had been killed, while 18,713 students and 2,539 education personnel had sustained injuries, many of which are life-altering and will have lasting impacts, 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. 
• Access to essential supplies remains critically obstructed. With the near-total destruction of education infrastructure, learning will, for the foreseeable future, depend on alternative spaces like tents, which need to be established. While some Cluster partners have sufficient supplies on standby outside Gaza, the denial of entry for these resources, coupled with ongoing looting incidents, is severely hindering response efforts. Additionally, as basic stationery and teaching aids cannot be sourced locally in Gaza, the denial of entry of printed curricular materials continues to be a significant barrier to the Education response. While MoEHE is delivering formal education through a virtual school programme, and UNRWA plans to launch a similar initiative on 1 January 2025, access to internet services, electronic devices for learners, and a reliable power supply to charge such devices are significant impediments. 

Response

• Between 8 and 18 December, the Logistics Cluster facilitated the dispatch of five direct convoys comprising 61 trucks from Amman to the Erez West crossing on behalf of eight partners. These trucks carried 526 metric tonnes of food, WASH, shelter and protection items.  As of 18 December, the Logistics Cluster facilitated a total of 96 humanitarian inter-agency convoys through the Jordan corridor, dispatching 1,236 trucks carrying 12,207 metric tonnes of aid into Gaza on behalf of 26 partners. 
• Operations to collect and transport supplies from the Erez West crossing are ongoing, although sporadic security incidents resulting in commodity losses continue to occur. 
• On 12 December, the Cluster completed the third round of the Gaza Humanitarian Storage Capacity survey, with 32 organizations providing information on the status of 125 warehouses. Of these, only 32 warehouses were reported as operational, while the other 93 are non-functional, 84 per cent of them due to infrastructural damage.  
• Between December 2023 and 21 December 2024, the Logistics Cluster consolidated 26,399 cubic meters of humanitarian cargo at its consolidation warehouse in Amman, and a total of 56,366 cubic meters at common storage facilities inside Gaza. 
• As of 21 December, 984 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/Karem Abu Salem crossing due to ongoing security issues, with congestion having now increased at the crossing due to the limited number of trucks being collected from inside Gaza.  
• At the Kissufim crossing, severe security constraints are hampering operations. On 11 December, a significant security incident occurred during the collection of a partner’s cargo. 
• The recent tests on the Philadelphi corridor have seen limited success due to severe security constraints.

Response

• During the reporting period, the ETC Cluster, jointly with the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), trained 17 UN personnel from six UN agencies in Gaza on the use of Very High Frequency (VHF) radios and satellite-based devices. As of 11 December, 17 sessions were conducted, training 240 UN personnel across 14 UN agencies in Gaza (226) and Jerusalem (14).

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

Challenges

• 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, 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.
• Insufficient funding has limited the ETC Cluster’s capacity to address immediate communications 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.