OCHA: UN, partners step up support for children in Gaza as winter looms

2 December 2025

OCHA reports that as winter approaches, the humanitarian community in the Gaza Strip continues working to scale up the delivery of assistance to people in need, including children, who have suffered immensely over the past two years.*

In the past two months, partners have provided tens of thousands of critical items to help prepare for colder weather – including shoes, clothes, blankets and towels – to children across the Strip. That is alongside the distribution of other essential supplies.

During the last 10 days of November, 160 activity tents were distributed, enabling thousands of children to access mental health and psychosocial support activities and case management services.

Last week, partners in Gaza city, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis continued to reach thousands of people with psychosocial support, legal counselling, and education on the risks posed by explosive ordnance.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that its team led the medical evacuation of 18 patients and 54 companions from Gaza for treatment abroad. WHO noted that more than 16,500 patients still need life-saving care that is not available in Gaza.

The UN continues to call for the opening of all available border crossings and corridors – including so that patients can seek treatment in the West Bank – and stresses the need for unimpeded access for international emergency medical teams to enter Gaza.

Over the past 24 hours, the UN has continued to receive reports of air strikes, shelling and gunfire in all five governorates of the Gaza Strip. Yesterday, OCHA helped coordinate the rescue of injured people in the At Tufah neighbourhood of Gaza city, following a distress call received from the area by Civil Defense teams.

Meanwhile in the West Bank, OCHA remains concerned about the impact of operations by Israeli forces in the northern governorates of Tubas and Jenin in recent days – amid reports of displacement, insecurity, destruction of water networks, and the closure of several commercial structures.

In the past two days alone, nearly two dozen Palestinian families have been displaced from their homes, which were turned into military observation posts.