In an update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Aid, OCHA, emphasized that attacks on civilian infrastructure have not stopped, “especially in northern Gaza, where the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reports appalling conditions at Kamal Adwan Hospital – and where 61 out of 95 attacks on school buildings since October 6, 2024 took place”.
Flooding has already caused damage to temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip, but humanitarian teams have only been able to provide assistance to 285,000 people to carry out repairs between September and the end of November because supplies of materials to the enclave remain so limited.
“At least 945,000 others now require urgent winterization support to protect them from rain and cold weather,” OCHA said, noting that “outside Gaza, 58,000 sealing kits and over 36,000 tarpaulins await, already procured to cover the needs of around 400,000 peoplebut these would take two months to be brought in at the current rate of 10 shelter trucks entering Gaza per week”.
Truck stop
Aid convoys continue to face “extreme insecurity” once inside Gaza, OCHA warned. “On December 11, a convoy of 70 trucks entering through the Kerem Shalom crossing was fiercely attacked by looters, leading to the loss of almost all food and aid supplies. On the same day, a WFP convoy leaving Kissufim- the transition, also under fire, where four out of five trucks were looted with violence.
Humanitarians have stressed that such attacks are avoidable, pointing to an agreement last Tuesday with Israeli authorities that allowed a UN convoy to use the Philadelphi Corridor – which separates southern Gaza from Egypt – to reach nearly 200,000 people facing critical food shortages.
OCHA reported that between 1 and 16 December, out of 339 planned relief operations across the Gaza Strip requiring coordination with the Israeli authorities, 30 percent (102) were approved, 42 percent (141) were denied, 18 percent (62) were prevented, and 10 percent (34) were canceleddue to logistical and security challenges.
Disease increase
As temperatures drop, the United Nations health agency has reported an increase in infections, including respiratory illnesses, diarrhea and jaundice. By 2024, over 1.2 million respiratory infections were recorded, along with 570,000 cases of acute diarrhea.
These diseases are expected to worsen, especially among children.
UN humanitarians also warned that many displaced people have built shelters on the rubble of destroyed homes in Khan Younis, Ma’an and Bani Suhaila. These structures are fragile and at risk of collapsing in the coming rains.
Besieged in northern Gaza
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid to northern Gaza remains blocked by the Israeli military, which has been conducting a ground offensive since October 6, with clashes reported with Palestinian armed groups.
Despite several attempts, UN aid missions to besieged areas such as Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia have been “largely rejected for more than 10 weeks“, OCHA said.
Immediate action is needed to protect vulnerable populations during the winter, humanitarians insist, especially for women and children who need basic supplies such as warm clothes, diapers and infant formula.
Increasing toll
In the last week, 273 Palestinians were killed and 853 injuredaccording to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. And since the war broke out on October 7, 2023 following Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel, at least 45,059 Palestinians have been killed with 107,041 injured.
Referring to the Israeli military, OCHA noted that between October 7, 2023 and December 17, 2024, more than 1,586 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killedthe majority on 7 October 2023 and its immediate aftermath. This number includes 386 soldiers killed in Gaza or along the border with Israel and 2,488 wounded since the beginning of the ground operation.
That’s it an estimated 100 Israelis and foreign nationals remain hostages in Gaza, including those who have been declared dead and whose bodies have not been released.
