Palestine* (original) (raw)

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, since 7 October 2023, at least 52,928 Palestinians have been killed and more than 119,846 have been injured. Over 15,000 recorded fatalities are children. One quarter of those injured are estimated to have sustained life-changing damage, mostly to their limbs, and will require medium to long-term rehabilitation. More than 2 million Palestinians are without protection, food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare, education, electricity, and fuel.

Over 1.9 million people (over 90% of the population) have been repeatedly and forcibly displaced amid intensified Israeli bombardments, including on tents, hospitals and schools, ongoing ground confrontations, and recurrent forced displacement orders.

Intense military operations continue to severely damage civilian infrastructures and restricted access to essential services. An estimated of 21% of the population has disabilities, including thousands of children who have lost one or both legs, further exacerbating vulnerabilities. Persons with disabilities face additional barriers due to the lack of structured support and assistive devices. Widespread child and family separations have resulted in at least 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children and 35,000 children losing one or both parents.

Israeli strikes on hospitals and fuel shortages have crippled an already decimated healthcare system, leaving thousands of critically ill patients, including women and newborns, without access to life-saving treatment as medical evacuations remain dangerously delayed.

The entire population faces acute food insecurity, with nearly a quarter (470,000 people) experiencing catastrophe conditions (IPC phase 5) and over half (1 million) facing emergency conditions (IPC phase 4) driven by insufficient food intake, disrupted health and nutrition services, and critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) gaps. Most children are enduring extreme food deprivation, compounded by poor access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

Protection risks remain extremely high, with widespread loss of life among frontline humanitarian workers and escalating threats to civilians, particularly children who continue to face heightened protection concerns, especially those with disabilities, including psycho-social distress, deprivation of basic services, emotional abuse and family separation. Conflict-related injuries among children are increasing, with many resulting in long-term physical and mental impairments.

WASH conditions in Gaza are collapsing, with most households lacking safe water, hygiene items, and sanitation, leading to rising cases of acute diarrhoea and increasing the risk of wider disease outbreaks.

Nearly 89% of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with most requiring full reconstruction or major repairs. This has disrupted education across government, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and private schools, many of which also served as shelters. In total, over 547,000 students and 20,500 teachers have been affected. The prolonged lack of access to education heightens protection risks for children including child labour, early marriage, and physical harm.

Agriculture, fishing and animal farming have collapsed entirely, while persistent challenges such as unexploded ordnance, widespread debris, and the breakdown of essential services, continue to obstruct recovery and safe movement.

The security situation for civilians and aid workers continues to be extremely fragile with humanitarian aid missions facing a complex operating environment. At least 430 aid workers have been killed since October 2023.

The humanitarian situation in the West Bank continues to significantly worsen. This is due to:

• rapid settlement expansion and legalisation heightening the risk of de facto annexation;
• Israeli military operations, including intensified airstrikes systematically targeting the northern West Bank;
• intensified search and arrest operations, resulting in the detention of at least 10,154 Palestinians held in deplorable conditions;
• persistent Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities with at least 1,804 settler attacks in the West Bank and over 844 people displaced in the context of these attacks since 1 January 2024;
• confrontations between Israeli forces, settlers, and Palestinians since 1 January 2024, which have resulted in the killing of more than 600 Palestinians – including 109 children;
• increasingly restricted access to education through school closures and raids, with closure orders for UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem severely impacting the education of hundreds of students.

Humanitarian needs are rising due to escalating violence, forced displacement, and severe restrictions on access to essential services such as healthcare and education, while insecurity and movement restrictions continue to hinder humanitarian access.

Since January 2025, more than 44,000 individuals have been forcibly displaced. Close to 38,700 individuals were displaced during military operations resulting in massive damage to civilian and public infrastructure, particularly in Area A and B, including refugee camps. Over 1,666 individuals have been displaced due to home demolitions by Israeli authorities in Area C and East Jerusalem and 844 individuals have been displaced due to settler violence particularly targeting vulnerable rural and herding communities.

As in any other conflict, international humanitarian law must be respected in full to protect civilians and grant unhindered and safe access for humanitarian aid.