Humanitarian Situation Update #280 | Gaza Strip

The Humanitarian Situation Update is issued by OCHA Occupied Palestinian Territory twice a week. The Gaza Strip is covered on Tuesdays and the West Bank on Thursdays. The Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Update for the West Bank will be issued on 17 April.

Key Highlights

• Intensive military operations, displacement orders, the blockade on the entry of all aid and commercial supplies and shrinking humanitarian space are driving what is likely the worst humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
• Water insecurity deepens, with over half of water and sanitation facilities inaccessible, drastically reducing access to drinking water, undermining basic hygiene and compromising public health.
• Food consumption and dietary diversity in Gaza have sharply deteriorated, recent food security analysis indicates.
• Strikes on two hospitals disrupt the provision of health care in an already decimated health system and heighten calls for the protection of the wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities in line with international humanitarian law.
• The lack of heavy machinery and equipment hinder rescue efforts of the wounded and missing while casualties continue to fall due to continued bombardment by Israeli forces, including on tents for displaced people.

Humanitarian Developments

• The Gaza Strip is now likely facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the 18 months since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023. Humanitarian operations have been stifled by a combination of expanded military activity, the Israeli government’s blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies (now in its seventh week), killing of aid workers and attacks on their premises, and severe movement restrictions within Gaza. Since 18 March, and for a month, Israeli forces have escalated bombardment from the air, land and sea across the Gaza Strip and expanded ground operations, resulting in hundreds of casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and large-scale displacement. Massive destruction of residential buildings, agriculture structures and other facilities as well as strikes on tents of internally displaced people (IDPs) and health facilities have been reported. As of 9 April, over 401,000 people are estimated to have been displaced again, according to the Site Management Cluster (SMC), with no safe place to go.
• In a statement that expressed alarm at the strike by Israeli forces on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza city on 13 April (see additional details below) that dealt “a severe blow to an already devastated healthcare system in the Strip,” the Spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General emphasized: “[U]nder international humanitarian law, if the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population, and shall facilitate them by all the means at its disposal. This is reflected in a number of Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2730 (2024) and 2417 (2018), which strongly condemn the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival.” In the same statement, the Secretary-General reiterated “that the United Nations will not participate in any aid delivery arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”
• On 12 April, the Israeli Minister of Defense announced that the Israeli military has fully encircled Rafah governorate and completed its control over the “Morag” corridor, named after an Israeli settlement that was dismantled in 2005 along with 20 other settlements as part of Israel’s ‘Disengagement Plan.’ The corridor separates Khan Younis and Rafah governorates and divides the Gaza Strip from east to west over a span of 12 kilometres, effectively creating an “Israeli security zone” on roughly 20 per cent of the Gaza Strip between the Egyptian border and Khan Younis. The Israeli Defence Chief added that large parts of Gaza have become part of Israel’s “security zones” and hundreds of thousands of residents have already been evacuated from the fighting zones. On 31 March, the Israeli military issued a displacement order that covers nearly all of Rafah governorate and later launched a large-scale ground operation in the area. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were reportedly in Rafah, with no access to humanitarian aid, and tens of thousands have reportedly been displaced from the governorate under very difficult conditions amid ongoing attacks.
• According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 8 and 15 April, as of noon, 190 Palestinians were killed and 655 were injured. Many bodies remain under the rubble of destroyed structures, according to MoH. Since 19 January, when the first phase of the ceasefire took effect, and as of 15 April, a total of 911 bodies were retrieved from across the Gaza Strip, the MoH reported. Between 7 October 2023 and 15 April 2025, the MoH in Gaza reported that at least 51,000 Palestinians have been killed and 116,343 Palestinians injured. This includes 1,630 people killed and 4,302 injured since the escalation of hostilities on 18 March, according to MoH.
• On 7 April, Juzoor for Health and Social Development reported that two of its staff, a doctor and a nurse, were killed in Gaza city as they were leaving a medical point where they had been working that is supported by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Condemning the killing, IRC’s Country Director said: “Health workers are risking their lives every day to provide care to people living under bombardment and cut off from humanitarian aid.” On 13 April, and in reference to the incident where 15 aid workers were killed in Rafah, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that it was informed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that the missing paramedic is being held in detention by the Israeli authorities. PRCS called for the immediate release of the paramedic, who was detained while on duty with eight of his colleagues who were killed. In total, since 7 October 2023, at least 417 aid workers, including 294 UN staff, have been killed in Gaza.
• Between 8 and 14 April, other incidents resulting in fatalities were reported across the Gaza Strip, including the following:
  • On 7 April, at about 23:00, nine Palestinians, including three boys, two girls and three women, were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Al Barakah area in southwestern Deir al Balah.
  • On 8 April, at about 20:15, six Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were reportedly killed and 12 others were injured when an IDP tent was hit northwestern Rafah.
  • On 9 April, at about 10:00, at least 29 Palestinians, including children and women, were reportedly killed and some 50 others injured when a residential building was hit in Ash Shuja’iyyeh neighbourhood in eastern Gaza city.
  • On 9 and 10 April, during the noon hours, local media reported that 15 members of one family, including women and children, remained trapped under the rubble of a residential building struck on 3 April in Ash Shuja’iyyeh in eastern Gaza city. According to the reports, some of the people who were still alive issued urgent rescue appeals to humanitarian organizations. The movement in the area is reportedly restricted due to Israeli military activity.
  • On 11 April, at about 03:30, 10 Palestinians of one family, including seven children and two women, were reportedly killed and others, including children, injured when a residential building was hit in Al-Mahata neighbourhood, in central Khan Younis.
  • On 13 April, at about 08:00, seven Palestinian males including six brothers, including a 12-year-old boy, were reportedly killed when a vehicle they were riding was hit on Al Rashid Road, west of Deir al Balah.
  • On 15 April, at about 10:00, one staff of the Kuwaiti field hospital, in Al Mawasi area in western Khan Younis, was reportedly killed and nine others among the medical staff and patients were injured when the back entrance of the hospital was hit. The hospital administration condemned the attack and affirmed in a statement that medical staff will continue to perform their humanitarian duty.
• Between 7 October 2023 and 15 April 2025, according to Israeli forces and official Israeli sources cited in the media, more than 1,607 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. This includes 407 soldiers killed, in addition to 2,599 soldiers injured, in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation in October 2023. As of 15 April, it is estimated that 59 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including hostages who have been declared dead and whose bodies are being withheld.
• On 10 April, according to media sources, Israeli forces reportedly released 10 Palestinian male detainees, including four who are above 60 years of age, through Kerem Shalom crossing. All of them were reportedly transferred to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah for medical examination.
• The Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) in Gaza continues to face severe challenges that obstruct the provision of lifesaving services. On 13 April, PCD stated that since 18 March, many people who have been trapped under the rubble of their houses that were hit by Israeli forces have died due to the lack of equipment. Rescue equipment, including heavy machinery, have been denied entry into the Gaza Strip, PCD added. Moreover, in Gaza and North Gaza governorates, PCD teams are facing growing challenges in putting off fires after the Mekorot waterline stopped functioning on 3 April, according to the PCD spokesperson.
• On 13 April, Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza city was hit by two strikes that destroyed the emergency building of the hospital and caused severe damage to additional hospital facilities. Prior to the strikes, the Israeli military reportedly issued an evacuation order, forcing medical staff and patients to evacuate. While no immediate casualties were reported, a child reportedly died due to the disruption of medical care during the evacuation process. According to the MoH General Director, Dr. Munir Al Bursh, the reception department, laboratory and pharmacy were all destroyed, while the church that hosted many patients sustained damage. MoH stated that the hospital has been rendered out of service temporarily and all services were directed to three other hospitals, including a field hospital in Gaza city.
• Following the strikes on Al Ahli Hospital, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, stressed that attacks on health care must stop. He noted that the hospital was forced to move 50 patients to other hospitals, while 40 critical patients could not be moved, and that the hospital is unable to receive new patients pending repairs. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported that staff and patients were given little time to evacuate, and with no place to go to, they were left lying on the streets near the hospital. A physiotherapy specialist working at the same hospital told MAP that the destroyed laboratory was the only one in Gaza that provided a range of tests that are otherwise unavailable at any other hospital. Emergency and reception services were shared between Al Ahli Hospital and Al Shifa hospitals, with Al Ahli hospital taking the lead as it was the only hospital equipped with a computerized tomography (CT) scanner. These services have now entirely ceased, increasing pressure on Al Shifa Hospital, which is already operating with a smaller capacity, the specialist added. The Diocese of Jerusalem strongly condemned the attacks on Al Ahli Hospital, which is run by the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, stating that this is the fifth attack on the hospital since October 2023, and called for all such attacks to stop. Under international humanitarian law, the wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected.
• On 9 April, WHO supported the medical evacuation of 18 patients from Gaza via Kerem Shalom crossing for treatment in Norway, Malta, Luxembourg, and Romania, along with 29 companions. No medical evacuations were reported between 27 March and 8 April. Between 1 February and 9 April, 1,823 patients, including 689 children, were evacuated along with 2,742 companions to receive specialized care outside Gaza. WHO reported that far too few patients are able to leave Gaza for urgent care following the closure of Rafah crossing since 18 March and the suspension of daily medical evacuations. About 10,500 to 12,500 patients in Gaza remain in urgent need of medical evacuation, according to WHO.

Shrinking Humanitarian Space

• Between 18 March and 14 April, the Israeli military issued at least 20 displacement orders, placing about 142.7 square kilometres, or 39 per cent of the Gaza Strip, under active displacement orders. In addition to areas placed under displacement orders, the Israeli authorities have requested the UN to coordinate and notify movements to the “no-go” zone along Gaza’s perimeter and along Wadi Gaza where Israeli forces have re-deployed since 20 March, which makes up about 50 per cent of the Gaza Strip. In total, about 69 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under active displacement orders, within the “no-go” zone or both. According to the SMC, over 401,000 people are estimated to have been displaced between 18 March and 9 April. Between 8 and 14 April, six displacement orders were issued by the Israeli military across the Gaza Strip, with one order issued twice on two consecutive days.
• “The increasing issuance by Israeli Forces of ‘evacuation orders’ – which are, in effect, displacement orders – have resulted in the forcible transfer of Palestinian [sic] in Gaza into ever shrinking spaces where they have little or no access to lifesaving services, including water, food and shelter, and where they continue to be subject to attacks,” stated Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR). According to OHCHR, “the nature and scope of the evacuation [displacement] orders raise serious concerns that Israel intends permanently to remove the civilian population from these areas in order to create a ‘buffer zone’.” Since 18 March, OHCHR recorded at least 23 incidents of strikes on IDP tents in Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, where Israeli military orders instructed civilians to relocate, and a large percentage of overall fatalities recorded by the Office were children and women. “In some 36 strikes about which the UN Human Rights Office corroborated information, the fatalities recorded so far were only women and children,” the OHCHR spokesperson added. “In light of the cumulative impact of Israeli Forces’ conduct in Gaza, the Office is seriously concerned that Israel appears to be inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group in Gaza,” the OHCHR spokesperson warned.
• Between 8 and 14 April, out of 49 planned aid movements across the Gaza Strip that were coordinated with the Israeli authorities, 23 were denied, one faced impediments, 21 were facilitated, and four were cancelled. Out of 20 planned humanitarian assistance movements in or to northern Gaza that were coordinated with the Israeli authorities, 12 were facilitated, six were denied, one faced impediments, and one was cancelled. These include 19 aid missions that needed to pass through the Israeli-controlled Wadi Gaza area between southern and northern Gaza. Of these, 11 were facilitated by the Israeli authorities through Al Rashid Road while six others were denied, one faced impediments, and one was cancelled. In southern Gaza, out of the 29 planned humanitarian assistance movements, nine were facilitated, 17 were denied and three were cancelled.
• Prior to the attack on Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza city, WHO had attempted for two days to reach this hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza governorate, but missions were denied. According to WHO, hospitals are in dire need as medical supplies are running dangerously low—both in health facilities and WHO’s warehouses—while shrinking humanitarian access obstructs WHO’s ability to resupply the hospitals and prevents patients from receiving lifesaving care. WHO, being the largest supplier of medicines and medical equipment to Gaza, warned that without the ability to replenish medical stocks due to the ongoing blockade on aid entry to Gaza, the health crisis will worsen, and more lives will be lost. Describing the situation at Al Ahli Hospital, Dr. Samer Atar, a surgeon at the hospital, told WHO that doctors are operating beyond capacity and patients, mostly children and women, keep coming, creating a situation that is becoming increasingly difficult to accommodate. "You walk along the hospital grounds, there's no dignity, it's just patients on the floor or outside on beds exposed to the public. It's not ideal and it's not great for health care,” he added. Dr. Atar highlighted that surgeries are performed with questionable sterility due to a lack of surgical gowns, drapes and gloves, and in some cases, doctors rely on gloves only, which is not adequate for patients—especially when dealing with open wounds, bones that are at risk of infection and potential future amputations. Due to the lack of medical resources, surgeries are taking more time than needed and “simple fractures often have to get fixed inadequately due to the lack of resources and supplies and this will lead to permanent disability for patients that survive life-saving measures,” the doctor noted.
• As of the second week of April, over one million individual meals are being prepared daily at approximately 175 community kitchens supported by more than 20 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners that are sharing the remaining limited food commodities available in the Gaza Strip. However, FSS emphasizes that one cooked meal per day is far from sufficient to meet a person’s daily minimum caloric intake and dietary diversity needs—particularly as humanitarian aid is the primary food source for 80 per cent of households across all governorates.* According to recent market monitoring data and food security analysis in April, food consumption in Gaza has sharply deteriorated due to the blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid and other critical supplies, now in its seventh week, and the renewed escalation of hostilities since 18 March. Consumption of key food groups—such as meat, poultry, dairy, vegetables, and fruits—remains critically low. In most locations, meat and eggs consumption are nearly absent from diets, while dairy products are very limited in the north and almost non-existent in the south. This has significantly undermined dietary diversity, with the most severe impacts reported in the southern governorates during the first week of April, overturning the modest improvements observed in February during the ceasefire. In its latest annual report for the State of Palestine, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) underscores: “WFP’s experience in Gaza reinforced that operational capacity cannot replace a secure environment where stakeholders uphold humanitarian principles…Humanitarian operations depend on strong external cooperation to ensure effective food assistance.”
• The Nutrition Cluster warns that the rapid deterioration of the nutrition situation is already visible. In March alone, 3,696 children were newly admitted for acute malnutrition, out of 91,769 children screened—marking a sharp increase compared with February, when 2,027 children were admitted from a total of 83,823 screened. Furthermore, the escalation of hostilities since 18 March has severely undermined partners’ operational capacity to deliver 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. This is placing additional strain on nutrition programmes, as demand for remaining supplies rises while replenishment remains impossible due to the blockade on the entry of aid supplies since 2 March. In March, the number of children who received blanket supplementary feeding – medium-quantity, lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS-MQ) – decreased by more than 70 per cent, from 84,509 children reached in February to only 22,382 children. This represents less than 10 per cent of the Nutrition Cluster's target of all 290,000 children between 6 and 59 months.
• In March, the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) Cluster conducted the monthly Light-Touch monitoring survey, which relied on the WISE methodology to assess water insecurity in the Gaza Strip. The survey found that 91 per cent of assessed households experienced water insecurity between the end of February and the beginning of March, with moderate to high levels of water insecurity being mostly prevalent in North Gaza governorate (94 per cent), followed by Rafah (92 per cent), Gaza (91 per cent), Khan Younis (90 per cent) and Deir al Balah (88 per cent). Decreased water quantity and water points were the main two reasons for worsened access to both drinking and domestic water in Gaza, according to the survey. The WASH cluster also indicated that water accessibility is largely affected by water losses in the damaged distribution network, which is estimated at 50 to 65 per cent.
• Intensive military activity, the issuance of displacement orders, and a range of access constraints, including significantly reduced access to water and sanitation infrastructure, have systematically compromised sanitation conditions, access to water and public health throughout the Gaza Strip. According to the WASH Cluster, 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 the two main landfills, 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). Among others, this has limited the ability of WASH partners to carry out essential repairs on damaged facilities and networks, including two out of three Mekorot water supply lines that supply 34,000 cubic metres of good-quality water and have been non-functional—the northern pipeline has been non-functional since 3 April 2025 and the Deir al Balah pipeline has been non-functional since January 2025. Moreover, partners have been forced to ration the allocation of fuel supplies, which are limited due to the blockade, among a range of priorities, including the pumping and treatment of water, water trucking, and sewage pumping.
• Widespread water insecurity in Gaza is fueling a severe survival crisis with far-reaching public health and protection consequences. Water is essential for survival, yet access to safe water has become dangerously limited. This scarcity is not only undermining basic hygiene and drinking water needs but also disrupting every aspect of daily life. For women, the burden is especially acute. Limited access to water and sanitation severely compromises menstrual hygiene, dignity, and health, increasing the risk of infections and social stigma. With over 90 per cent of households reporting water insecurity, families are being forced into impossible choices: rationing drinking water, skipping hygiene practices, and sacrificing safety in the struggle to survive. The continued collapse of WASH infrastructure is driving communities deeper into vulnerability, compounding the risks of waterborne diseases, and undermining human dignity.

Funding

• As of 15 April 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately US$534 million out of the $4.07 billion (14 per cent) requested to meet the most critical humanitarian needs of three million out of 3.3 million people identified as requiring assistance in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2025, under the 2025 Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Nearly 88 per cent of the requested funds are for humanitarian response in Gaza, with just over 12 per cent for the West Bank. Moreover, during March 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) managed 110 ongoing projects, totalling $67.6 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (89 per cent) and the West Bank (11 per cent). Of these projects, 56 are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), 42 by national NGOs and 12 by UN agencies. Notably, 43 out of the 68 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN are being implemented in collaboration with national NGOs. For more information, please see OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service webpage and the oPt HF webpage.

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