Assistance to the Palestinian people : Report of the Secretary-General (A/80/86-E/2025/71)

Assistance to the Palestinian people

Report of the Secretary-General

Summary

The present report, submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/141, contains an assessment of the assistance received by the Palestinian people during the reporting period (1 April 2024–31 March 2025). It provides a description of the efforts made by the United Nations, in cooperation with the Government of the State of Palestine, donors and civil society, to support the Palestinian people and institutions.

The continued hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the attack by Hamas and other armed groups in Israel on 7 October 2023, together with increased violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have had a significant impact on assistance efforts.

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/141, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it, at its eightieth session, through the Economic and Social Council, a report on the implementation of the resolution, containing an assessment of the assistance received by the Palestinian people, as well as an assessment of the needs still unmet and specific proposals for responding effectively to them. The reporting period is from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
2. The horrific attack by Hamas and other armed groups in Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent large-scale Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in unprecedented loss of life and destruction. Meanwhile, violence increased alarmingly in the occupied West Bank.
3. The United Nations and humanitarian partners scaled up life-saving humanitarian assistance across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The 2024 flash appeal, covering the period from April to December 2024, was for $2.8 billion and was funded to $2.55 billion, or 74 per cent. In the 2025 flash appeal, total humanitarian needs exceeding $6.6 billion were identified for 3.3 million Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The appeal is for $4 billion to address the most urgent needs, with $3.6 billion for the Gaza Strip alone. As at 31 March, it was funded at less than 5 per cent.
4. In their interim rapid damage and needs assessment, the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union estimated that, from 7 October 2023 to 7 October 2024, there was $49 billion in damage and losses and identified $53.2 billion in recovery and reconstruction needs for Gaza and the West Bank over the next decade.
5. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023–2025 for the State of Palestine, which was signed with the Palestinian Authority in December 2022, has been reprioritized to enhance focus on service delivery, emergency jobs and employment, to strengthen livelihoods and to support core reforms and functions of the Authority. On 25 September 2024, the United Nations country team and the humanitarian country team developed a United Nations early recovery approach and action plan for Gaza, which detailed early recovery priorities and minimum conditions needed to scale up early recovery. Building on this and the interim rapid damage and needs assessment, the United Nations country team, in cooperation with the European Union and the World Bank, started the development of a Gaza recovery framework to support the Palestinian Authority in developing a Palestinian-owned implementation recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza.
6. The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority ad interim continued intensified international and regional engagements to promote regional de-escalation, support ceasefire and hostage release deals and their implementation and help advance governance and security frameworks that will allow for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza. The United Nations continued to urge Israelis and Palestinians to take concrete actions in pursuit of the vision of a two-State solution, in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements.

II. Overview of the current situation

A. Political context

7. The hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip continued. The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, saw intensified violence, with a significant rise in the intensity of large Israeli security operations, settler violence and Palestinian attacks against Israelis. Meanwhile, long-standing negative trends continued, including settlement expansion, forcible displacement, demolitions, movement restrictions, fiscal and legitimacy crises facing the Palestinian Authority and the continued absence of a political process to resolve the conflict, in line with the two-State solution. A ceasefire and hostage release deal by the parties mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States of America was in place from 19 January until 18 March. The deal resulted in a ceasefire, the scaling up of humanitarian assistance, the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including the remains of eight Israelis killed on 7 October 2023 or while in captivity by Hamas, and the release of 1,135 Palestinian prisoners or detainees from Israeli prisons. Five Thai nationals were also released through a separate agreement. On 18 March, without an agreement to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, Israel resumed air strikes in Gaza, and hostilities reignited, including Israeli ground troop redeployments throughout the Gaza Strip and rocket fire from Gaza. Bombardments have continued, causing further casualties, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza. At least 65 per cent of Gaza is either within the buffer zone or under military displacement orders, which has led to repeated forcible displacement.
8. Since 7 October 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, 50,114 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and 113,704 injured during hostilities. According to Israeli sources, more than 1,720 Israelis and foreign nationals, including at least 310 women and 57 children, have been killed in hostilities with Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza since 7 October. Israeli sources also reported that 59 hostages of the 251 abducted on 7 October 2023 are still being held captive by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups inside Gaza. At least 407 aid workers, including 284 United Nations staff, have been killed since October 2023.
9. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli settlement expansion continued unabated. In East Jerusalem, plans advanced for 8,060 housing units, an increase from 7,920 in the prior period. In Area C, plans advanced reached 14,080 units, up from 13,150 from the prior reporting period. Israeli authorities declared more than 12,700 dunums in the Jordan Valley as State land, the largest such appropriation since the 1993 Oslo Accords. Simultaneously, demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures, with the citing of lack of permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, continued to increase, resulting in the demolition, seizure or forced demolition of 1,382 structures, 138 of which were donor-funded, displacing 1,642 persons, including 778 children.
10. On 18 July, the Israel Defense Forces Central Command signed a military order granting the military commander in the area authority over planning and construction in certain parts of Area B of the West Bank, which had been transferred to the Palestinian Authority, effectively amending an order from 1995 that implemented the Oslo Accords. On 19 July, the International Court of Justice rendered its advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, stating, inter alia, that “the State of Israel’s “continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful” and that the “State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible”.
11. On 21 January, the largest operation by Israel in the occupied West Bank since 2002 began and has since expanded throughout the northern West Bank in what Israeli authorities described as a counter-terrorism operation. This has included the continued use of air strikes and the deployment of tanks, for the first time since 2002, and the demolition of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, displacing 40,000 people. Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps have been nearly emptied of their residents, with widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure, including homes. In Area C, settlement expansion, settler violence and demolitions continued, in some cases displacing Palestinians from their homes or preventing access to their land. Expanded movement and access restrictions severely restricted Palestinian access to work, healthcare and essential services. Settler attacks – in some cases in the presence or with the participation of Israeli soldiers – destroyed property and burned homes. A total of 469 Palestinians (including 76 children) were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli sources reported 42 Israelis killed (including 3 children and 18 women) in attacks by Palestinians.
12. On 23 April 2024, the Palestinian Government, led by the Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, announced a package of reforms intended, inter alia, to address transparency and accountability, combat corruption and enhance the justice sector and the rule of law. Subsequently, on 28 October, the Prime Minister’s office published a comprehensive overview of the first phase of its National Program for Development and Reform, aimed at enhancing public institutions, upholding the rule of law, fostering good governance and achieving comprehensive economic development.
13. On 27 November 2024, the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, issued a constitutional declaration, intended to address the vacuum in case of vacancy of the presidency. The declaration stipulates that “the Chairman of the Palestinian National Council shall temporarily assume the functions of the chairmanship of the Palestinian Authority for a period of no more than 90 days. During this period, free and direct elections shall be held to elect a new president as per the Palestinian Elections Law.”
14. On 10 February, President Abbas issued a decree cancelling financial payments to families of Palestinians killed during or imprisoned following attacks on Israelis. The decree specified that social welfare support based on need will be provided to families through a separate entity.

B. Humanitarian and socioeconomic context

Economic and fiscal developments

15. Largely owing to movement and access restrictions, the Palestinian economy is estimated to have incurred losses exceeding $5 billion in 2024, representing a 28 per cent decline in gross domestic product (GDP). With a loss of more than 360,000 jobs, unemployment across the Occupied Palestinian Territory increased to 51 per cent. The collapse of the economy in Gaza has resulted in a rise in unemployment to more than 80 per cent in Gaza. Driven largely by fluctuating food prices, the overall consumer price index increased by 238 per cent in 2024 in Gaza. As a result of the ongoing war and near-total restriction on the entry of all commercial and most humanitarian goods into Gaza, the entire population of Gaza is now considered to be in poverty and in need of humanitarian assistance. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, there was a 19 per cent decline in economic activity and an increase in unemployment to 35 per cent. Some 150,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, lost their jobs, many as a result of the suspension of permits for Palestinians to work in Israel.
16. The Palestinian Authority’s financing gap for 2024 was projected to reach nearly $2 billion, or nearly 20 per cent, of GDP. Deductions by Israel on the clearance revenues that it collects on behalf of the Authority are estimated to total $1.97 billion since 2019, including more than $525 million in deductions since October 2023, which Israel stated were intended to be transferred to Gaza for civil servant salaries and expenditures. The reduction in other sources of domestic revenues, due to declining economic activity, has also contributed to the Authority’s growing deficit. While external budget support to the Authority increased in 2024, it was not sufficient to address its growing deficit, which resulted both in the inability of the Authority to pay full salaries to civil servants or pay suppliers and increased domestic borrowing. Total debt to civil servants, the private sector and the banking sector has increased by 25 per cent since October 2023 and is estimated to be more than $4 billion. The Authority’s development and operational spending is nearly at zero. Most public institutions, including schools and health clinics, are operating at a reduced capacity.

Humanitarian developments

17. As at 31 March 2025, 3.3 million Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, remained in need of humanitarian aid. Phase One of the Gaza ceasefire offered the opportunity for a rapid scale-up of humanitarian operations and flow of aid into Gaza, improving access to food, water, healthcare, shelter, cash assistance and psychosocial support. However, the gains were quickly reversed as a result of the resumption of hostilities on 18 March 2025 and the blocking by Israel of all aid and commercial supplies since 2 March, which severely restricted humanitarian operations.
18. Food insecurity has risen sharply in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. By late 2024, an estimated 86 per cent of the population of Gaza faced high levels of acute food insecurity, with a significant portion at emergency and catastrophe levels. The risk of famine remained critically high. In the occupied West Bank, preliminary estimates indicated that approximately 700,000 people, or 21 per cent of the population, were vulnerable to food insecurity by December 2024, a 17 per cent increase compared with early 2024.
19. Gaza has experienced unprecedented destruction of infrastructure, productive assets and essential services. The health and water systems are on the brink of collapse, with massive damage to distribution networks and the destruction of more than 80 per cent of key water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. The energy sector, sewage and wastewater management and solid waste systems have collapsed owing to extensive damage, inaccessibility and a lack of critical operating resources. More than 90 per cent of homes and at least 81 per cent of the total road network have been damaged or destroyed. Nearly the entire population has been displaced multiple times. Continuous military displacement orders, ongoing hostilities and military operations severely disrupted humanitarian operations, while repeated displacements have eroded people’s ability to cope and further restricted access to food, water and medicine. More than 50 million tons of debris, which will take from three to six years to clear, have been generated, containing human remains, explosive ordnance, asbestos and other hazardous materials. The energy crisis has deepened, with main power plant in Gaza non-operational since 11 October 2023.
20. Protection concerns remained central to humanitarian operations. Priority protection risks included death or serious injury, explosive ordnance contamination and family separation, with an estimated 17,000 children in Gaza left unaccompanied. Nearly all 1.2 million children need mental health and psychosocial support. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 15,613 children have reportedly been killed. Thousands have been injured, and many live in unprecedented circumstances with debilitating injuries and disabilities. Since October 2023, Palestinian women and girls have endured immense hardships, with thousands of casualties. An estimated 13,900 Palestinian women have been widowed. Displacement into overcrowded shelters and informal settlements has exacerbated gender-based violence risks, including sexual exploitation and abuse. A massive gap remains in gender-based violence response and service provision, in particular in Gaza.

Movement, humanitarian access and operational space

21. Humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are highly constrained by physical and administrative barriers to the movement of personnel and goods, including checkpoints, explosive ordnance, logistical challenges, visa denials and restrictions on the registration and operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing humanitarian assistance. This is coupled with intensive military activity, severe security risks, Israeli restrictions on United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operations, the killing of aid workers and attacks on their premises, which stifle aid delivery and coordination. At the same time, amid scarcity of items and attacks on law enforcement structures in Gaza, the breakdown of public order fuelled a surge in the looting of aid trucks, in particular in the second half of 2024, and has posed risks to aid convoys and staff and impeded Palestinians’ access to lifesaving assistance. The humanitarian sector has also been affected by cash liquidity shortages following the collapse of the formal economy in Gaza and widespread damage to banking infrastructure. The situation has significantly worsened since 2 March, when the Government of Israel imposed a blockade on the entry of all aid and commercial supplies into the Gaza Strip. The deployment of emergency medical teams to provide specialized medical care continued to be challenging, reaching a rejection rate of up to 39 per cent since the collapse of the ceasefire.
22. As at 31 March, more than 15 per cent of Gaza had been placed under active military displacement orders, while about half of the territory, along its perimeter and in areas surrounding Wadi Gaza, where Israeli forces had re-deployed since 20 March, was designated a “no-go” zone. These are areas in which Israeli authorities have requested the United Nations to coordinate and notify movements. During the reporting period, of 5,320 planned aid movements through the Gaza Strip, 2,397 (45 per cent) were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 1,524 (29 per cent) were denied, and the rest either faced impediments or were cancelled owing to security or logistical challenges.
23. To enhance the safety of humanitarian personnel, sites and operations, the humanitarian notification system led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs informs parties to the hostilities about the locations of humanitarian sites and movements. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) facilitated the removal of 35,727 tons of emergency debris to facilitate humanitarian movements and access to essential services. The Mine Action Service provided 471 explosive hazard assessments for routes and sites of United Nations and humanitarian actors, with 348 sites assessed as low risk and recommended for use for humanitarian assistance.

Barrier

24. The United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, established pursuant to General Assembly resolution ES-10/17, continued its outreach and claim intake activities to “serve as a record, in documentary form, of the damage caused to all natural and legal persons concerned as a result of the construction of the wall by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem”. Since the establishment of the Register of Damage in December 2007, more than 74,100 claims and more than 1.5 million supporting documents have been collated in all nine governorates and 269 of the 299 Palestinian communities affected by the constructed section of the wall.

III. United Nations response

A. Human and social development

25. The United Nations continued to coordinate and deliver humanitarian and development assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, pivoting most of its work after October 2023 to respond to the immense needs resulting from the ongoing hostilities.

Education

26. United Nations agencies enhanced access to quality and inclusive education across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. UNRWA, operating nearly a third of schools in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, provided primary education to 47,157 students (28,544 girls and 18,613 boys) in 96 schools and vocational training to 1,124 young people in the West Bank and completed the construction of two new schools. Despite the disruption of education for 660,000 children in Gaza, including 300,000 Palestinian refugees attending 183 UNRWA schools, UNRWA resumed technical and vocational education and training for 1,607 students in November 2024, combining virtual and in-person training. It provided psychosocial support to learners and staff.
27. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported 53,780 children (28,230 girls) through summer camps integrating learning and child-friendly spaces, reached 11,075 students through 193 science, technology, engineering and mathematics clubs and trained 623 teaching staff in self-care.
28. The United Nations Office for Project Support (UNOPS) began the construction of a new vocational school in Yatta for 240 students, while the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) strengthened the capacities of 45 higher education students in the West Bank to facilitate peer-to-peer mental health and psychosocial support for 1,350 beneficiaries. It distributed 182 psychosocial kits and trained 270 young people and 32 institutions in digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
29. In East Jerusalem, UNDP improved education, establishing 10 market-driven technical and vocational education and training streams in four schools, benefiting 240 students and deploying solar energy systems in 16 schools, improving access to quality education for more than 4,200 students.

Health

30. United Nations agencies collectively strengthened health systems and improved access to essential health services across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with a focus on universal health coverage, reproductive health and emergency preparedness.
31. In the West Bank, UNRWA provided 879,258 health consultations in 43 healthcare facilities. The Agency provided more than 4.6 million health consultations in Gaza through 10 health centres, temporary clinics and up to 64 medical points.
32. The World Health Organization (WHO) promoted universal health coverage, led efforts to promote health system reform, monitoring barriers to healthcare access, updating key policies, including the five-year national mental health strategy, gender-based violence protocols and cancer strategies. It also enhanced health information systems and supported reforms in primary care and health financing. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) developed drug emergency protocols and trained 36 youth professionals in drug detection and prevention. WHO, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) jointly supported the Ministry of Health in scaling up sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health services, especially in Gaza.
33. UNFPA trained more than 600 healthcare providers and youth educators in sexual and reproductive health, reaching nearly 25,422 youth with services. UNICEF provided strategic guidance for neonatal care, trained 410 healthcare providers in emergency care protocols and delivered medical supplies and vaccines, reaching more than 129,000 children under 5.
34. In the West Bank, UNDP strengthened 36 health facilities through the deployment of health workers, equipped 22 health facilities with medical supplies and operationalized two mobile clinics. It also implemented a digital patient care evaluation system across 21 hospitals, conducting 12,911 evaluations and rolling out malpractice insurance, and activated 14 local hospital boards.
35. UNOPS renovated the Palestine Medical Complex and Qabatiya Medical Centre and supported the Augusta Victoria Hospital pharmacy, benefiting 8,000 patients annually.

Water and sanitation

36. UNRWA delivered essential WASH services in 19 refugee camps in the West Bank, managing 47,352 tons of waste with 179 staff. In Gaza, it reached more than half the population with water, sanitation and hygiene support, distributing 200,000 family hygiene kits, conducting more than 800 cleaning campaigns and cleaning more than 1,000 manholes for winterization.
37. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supported 1,050 herders in the West Bank with water tanks, enhancing their resilience to water scarcity, ensuring sustained livestock health and reducing the burden of long-distance water collection, in particular in drought-prone areas.
38. UNDP advanced the roll-out of an online bulk water supply monitoring system in the West Bank, enabling early detection of leakages. In collaboration with the Palestinian Water Authority, UNDP supported advancements in transboundary wastewater management, installing wastewater collection systems and flow measurement stations that enabled the Palestinian Water Authority to verify financial deductions from Palestinian Authority tax customs clearances collected by Israel.
39. UNICEF supported Palestinian Water Authority workshops to strengthen capacities in WASH service delivery, monitoring and coordination and trained Ministry of Health staff on the WHO Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool for risk-based healthcare management.

Employment

40. United Nations agencies supported livelihoods and economic resilience across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with a strong focus on youth, women and persons with disabilities.
41. UNRWA, employing 12,283 staff in Gaza, provided 3,000–5,000 cash-for-work opportunities in Gaza and subcontracted more than 1,350 people for logistics and engineering, prioritizing women’s participation to boost household income and self-reliance. UNDP supported 1,254 micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (32 per cent female-led) with technical, digital, legal and financial services and created dignified short-term jobs for 3,276 individuals.
42. The International Labour Organization (ILO) strengthened labour and enterprise systems by establishing advocacy units within the private and trade union sectors, promoting legal aid and policy reforms. It also developed training for childcare professionals and trained 18 young women. FAO trained 206 young graduates (106 female) and provided six-month internships, supported 23 green startups and developed vocational programmes benefiting 77 young people, including 67 women.
43. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) provided capacity-building and cash assistance to 1,276 individuals, including 68 persons with disabilities, and organized a study visit to Jordan for the Ministry of National Economy to advance women’s economic empowerment.
44. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) supported the Palestinian Business Prosperity Center, offering targeted technical assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance value chains, competitiveness and formal employment in Palestine

Targeted social protection

45. UNRWA supported vulnerable populations in the West Bank and Gaza. In the West Bank, it provided cash assistance to 6,252 poor families, with 2,000 on a waiting list owing to funding limitations. It also assisted more than 2,000 unaccompanied and separated children, reunifying 500 and supporting 1,500 vulnerable children. In Gaza, UNRWA implemented an unaccompanied and separated children approach, including prevention, case management and protection monitoring to improve programme coordination.
46. In the West Bank, the World Food Programme (WFP) expanded supplementary assistance to 190,019 Palestinian Authority social assistance recipients, a 189 per cent increase from 2023. In addition, WFP launched a cash for prevention of malnutrition programme. A total of 3,118 households with pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 5 in high-risk areas received cash-based assistance for nutrition. WFP also implemented social and behaviour change activities related to infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition. These efforts supported immediate food access while reinforcing national systems for sustainable and inclusive social protection.
47. UNICEF strengthened national resilience through shock-responsive social protection, child rights and local governance. UNICEF also facilitated consultations for the next report of Palestine for the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Culture

48. UNESCO led restoration efforts at the Riwaya Museum in Bethlehem and, with FAO, safeguarded agro-cultural landscapes in Battir and Husan while preparing for the rehabilitation of agricultural terraces. It also launched a traditional crafts initiative and trained 15 young people in heritage protection. Since October 2023, UNESCO and the United Nations Satellite Centre of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research assessed 126 cultural sites in Gaza and verified damage to 83 of those sites.
49. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) engaged 2,000 young people in historical awareness activities in East Jerusalem, conducted a cultural heritage training programme in the Old City and trained 30 volunteers in site management.
50. FAO developed a participatory marketing strategy for the Battir World Heritage Site to boost local food production and value chains. UNFPA supported 205 young people in leading heritage and cultural tourism initiatives, which engaged 1,961 additional beneficiaries across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Food security and agriculture

51. FAO improved food security and climate resilience by assessing 16 wholesale markets, rehabilitating two in Tulkarm and Nablus, and launching an agribusiness investment programme. It supported 1,097 farmers with cash grants to cultivate 8,400 dunums of land, installed seven meteorological stations and piloted six climate-smart innovations. FAO also equipped nine women-led cooperatives with solar energy systems.
52. WFP supported climate-resilient agricultural interventions for 6,350 vulnerable households in the West Bank, helping smallholder farmers enhance food production and withstand climate and conflict-related shocks. These interventions included the provision of greenhouses, home gardens, hydroponics, beekeeping, animal sheds and the rehabilitation of irrigation systems. WFP also strengthened the capacities of 31 agricultural cooperatives, benefiting more than 860 individuals, mainly in Hebron and Bethlehem.
53. ILO supported 1,467 farmers in Jericho and the Jordan Valley with technical support and inputs, enhancing production efficiency and product quality. ILO also trained 116 farmers on safety, hygiene and modern equipment use.
54. UNICEF provided strategic support to the Ministry of Health for updating guidelines for community-based management of acute malnutrition.
55. UNIDO supported the establishment of the Palestinian Center for Agricultural Technology Transfer, which will serve as a centre of excellence for training and technology transfer in the agriculture and agro-industry.

Human rights, women, children and youth

56. United Nations agencies continued to advance human rights, protection and inclusion efforts across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. OHCHR promoted human rights, including through more than 20 campaigns reaching 7 million people and the training of 500 emergency protection responders. UNODC trained 127 youth professionals and reached 1,826 young people and 177 families. UN-Women provided legal aid to 1,593 women, multisectoral protection to 59,732 individuals and justice services to more than 17,404 Palestinians.
57. UNESCO supported psychosocial well-being through art therapy for 5,259 children and 3,290 caregivers and mental health and psychosocial support for 1,200 children and 240 caregivers and created a peer network reaching 814 young people. UNDP, UN-Women and UNICEF provided legal aid to 13,517 individuals and legal awareness to 21,054 Palestinians through the joint project Sawasya III. UNDP supported women’s political participation and youth engagement, reaching 91,800 people through community centres and restoring higher education access for 71,600 students.
58. UNRWA provided counselling for 526 protection cases, supported 3,556 individuals through its gender programme and 2,510 through its disability programme. The Agency established 52 women’s committees, distributed more than 500,000 dignity kits and provided emergency employment to 2,261 women. In addition, UNRWA reached more than 24,000 women with sexual and reproductive health services.
59. UNFPA reached 5,549 adolescents with educational sessions and mobilized more than 3,500 young volunteers, who delivered more than 300 initiatives for more than 400,000 displaced people. UNICEF aided 704 children with legal services, expanded protection from sexual exploitation and abuse efforts, reaching 650,000 people, and scaled a digital complaints system processing 15,000 cases monthly and reaching 120,000 with information.

Environment, housing and urban development

60. UN-Habitat enhanced spatial planning, land rights and public spaces throughout the West Bank, benefiting more than 180,000 people. It supported spatial planning for more than 50 communities in Area C. With government endorsement, the National Urban Policy was advanced to guide sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat also rehabilitated 11 public spaces, trained 1,582 people on public space safety and initiated a public-private partnership to improve urban spaces, ultimately benefiting 1.2 million people.
61. UNDP expanded access to renewable energy by deploying 2,249 kW of solar energy systems in 41 rural West Bank communities and by launching a programme for 50 local government units. A $1.1 million pilot solar project in As Samū benefited 30,829 people accessing clean energy. UNDP also piloted a circular dairy farming model in Jericho and, through the Investment Programme for Resilience, enhanced inclusive community-based social infrastructure services for 189,755 people.
62. In the West Bank, UNIDO supported sustainable industrial development by promoting resource-efficient and cleaner production. It implemented 119 efficiency measures, saving energy, water and materials, and cutting 7,913 tons of CO₂, translating to $2.5 million in economic benefits. UNIDO also trained industry professionals and academics, integrating resource-efficient and cleaner production into two major universities and engaging financiers to support green industry investments. Through its Global CleanTech Innovation Programme, UNIDO enabled CO₂ reductions of 13,475 tons and energy savings of 8,066 MWh annually and supported 17 business expansions.

B. United Nations system emergency assistance

Emergency agriculture support

63. FAO distributed 1,075 tons of barley fodder and 922 tons of feed to 4,800 herders and 460 donkey owners in Gaza, along with veterinary kits for 2,400 beneficiaries. In the West Bank, 1,050 herders received water tanks, 160 received animal shelters, and 600 received health and hygiene materials. In addition, 2,600 herders received drought-tolerant seeds, 600 were provided with dairy processing tools, and 2.8 million animal vaccines were delivered to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Emergency food support

64. In Gaza, from 19 January to the end of February alone, UNRWA reached approximately 1.3 million people with flour and 2 million people with food parcels.
65. WFP, in partnership with UNRWA, scaled up emergency food assistance in response to escalating humanitarian needs. In the West Bank, WFP and UNRWA provided in-kind food assistance to approximately 39,845 individuals from Bedouin and herding communities in Area C, the majority of whom were Palestine refugees. WFP continued to transition from cash-based transfers to in-kind assistance.
66. WFP supported 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza, it prioritized food distributions, hot meals and bread assistance. WFP has reached 180,000 Palestinians with cash assistance since June 2024, when the assistance began.
67. In Gaza, through a partnership, UN-Women and WFP reached 14,716 women-headed households – benefiting more than 73,500 people – with tailored food support. WFP also supported 18 bakeries throughout 2024, facilitating daily bread production that benefited more than 160,000 people. Community kitchens supported by WFP delivered up to 500,000 hot meals per day. In addition, WFP scaled up nutrition support for children under 5 years old and pregnant and breastfeeding women, cumulatively reaching 131,158 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 306,809 children under 5 with medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements.
68. In Gaza, UNICEF and partners conducted more than 500,000 malnutrition screenings, treating 33,000 acutely malnourished children, including 7,000 severe cases. In addition, 72,000 children received micronutrient powder, and 48,600 mothers received iron folate and micronutrient supplements. UNICEF also trained 500 service providers on infant and young child feeding in emergency and community-based management of acute malnutrition.

Emergency education support

69. UNRWA addressed two school years marked by educational disruption by implementing flexible teaching and continuous assessments. Mental health and psychosocial support reached 80 per cent of school-aged children in Gaza. In January 2025, UNRWA launched a distance learning programme, enrolling 259,409 children, with 70 per cent participation. It also provided in-person learning to more than 47,000 students in 439 temporary learning spaces across 51 schools and shelters.
70. UNRWA postponed the start of the 2024/2025 school year for more than 5,800 students in the northern West Bank owing to military operations, while schools in Jenin camp closed on 9 December 2024 owing to Israeli and Palestinian security operations, resulting in the loss of 48 learning days. UNRWA distributed self-learning materials to 1,600 children in Jenin schools.
71. UNDP supported 50 temporary learning centres with school equipment produced by local businesses in Gaza.
72. In Gaza, UNICEF provided formal and non-formal education to more than 70,000 children through 75 learning centres, provided incentive payments to 2,500 staff and trained 1,082 adolescents as learning facilitators. It also supported 58,527 grade 12 students in Gaza in preparing for their national exams.

Emergency health support

73. WHO led the coordination of the health response in Gaza, conducting 111 field missions out of 279 planned, delivering medical supplies for 42 million treatments and providing 9.9 million litres of fuel to health facilities. It evacuated 1,959 patients and supported 2.2 million consultations through emergency medical teams. WHO rehabilitated 11 priority health facilities and began work on 10 additional facilities, including 5 hospitals and 5 primary care centres, while establishing 11 temporary clinics.
74. WHO, UNRWA and UNICEF addressed a polio outbreak with three vaccination rounds, immunizing more than 560,000 children. The first round reached 559,161 children, and the final round reached 602,795 children. UNRWA vaccinated 213,481 children. UNICEF trained and deployed more than 850 community mobilizers, reaching approximately 1,000,000 people through outreach. In addition, UNICEF delivered 966,300 routine vaccine doses, protecting 134,283 children under 18 months.
75. UNRWA adapted its healthcare services in response to health centre closures in the context of large-scale operations by security forces in the West Bank. The Qabatiya Health Point expanded to support Jenin patients, and mobile health teams provided primary care to displaced families after the closure of healthcare centres in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams. These teams operated from two temporary health centres in Qabatiya-Jenin and Dhannabah-Tulkarm, along with nine alternative health points, serving an average of 615 patients daily as at April.
76. UNFPA provided sexual and reproductive health services to 370,015 people (358,404 female, 11,611 male), supported 50 health facilities and distributed 1,037 reproductive health kits to 162,106 people (150,506 female, 11,600 male). Of these, 156,106 beneficiaries were in Gaza and 6,000 in the West Bank. In Gaza, UNFPA supported 12 hospitals, including six containerized units, delivering maternal and sexual and reproductive health services to 91,200 women and facilitating 24,950 deliveries.
77. UNFPA deployed 100 midwives and health teams to primary health centres, reaching 81,416 women and girls. It provided helpline assistance to 4,071 women, distributed 9,146 post-partum kits and subsidized sexual and reproductive healthcare for 1,197 women. In the West Bank, five mobile clinics supported by UNFPA provided sexual and reproductive health services to 28,944 people, including gender-based violence detection and breast cancer screenings. In Gaza, UNFPA trained 199 non-gender-based violence service providers and 331 front-line workers on mental health and psychosocial support. It supported 16 safe spaces, reaching 321,933 people with cash and gender-based violence services and distributed 55,615 dignity kits, 15,390 menstrual hygiene kits, 46,189 sanitary napkins, 128,500 winter supplies, 15,134 shelter kits and 5,928 adolescent kits.
78. UN-Habitat established two multi-service centres in Gaza, providing psychological, recreational and health services to internally displaced persons.
79. UNICEF provided vitamin A supplements to 448,425 children. In 2024, UNICEF delivered primary health interventions in 15 primary healthcare facilities, reaching 585,300. UNICEF also supported 44 medical facilities with essential medical supplies and equipment, deployed seven mobile teams and trained 4,450 health workers on maternal and newborn health. In the area of disability inclusion, UNICEF piloted the use of 3D technology for prosthetics and provided 545 wheelchairs.
80. In Gaza, the Mine Action Service delivered explosive ordnance risk education to 340,788 people and reached 2.2 million through media campaigns. It conducted 38 hazard assessments, declaring 25 schools as low risk. It also trained 568 United Nations and humanitarian staff and 816 explosive ordnance risk education facilitators, who delivered risk education sessions in shelters and distribution points. An additional 76 risk educators were trained to expand outreach.

Emergency housing support

81. In the West Bank, UNRWA provided cash assistance to 8,784 individuals whose homes were demolished by Israeli authorities and delivered emergency response services to 39,842 additional individuals. In Gaza, UNRWA operated 120 shelters housing tens of thousands of families.
82. UN-Habitat provided winterization assistance to 40,000 internally displaced persons in Gaza, including flood protection measures and plastic sheet distribution to 160 families. UNOPS procured and distributed 3,194 emergency bedding kits, benefiting 22,221 individuals in Gaza, in collaboration with UNRWA.

Emergency income generation

83. United Nations agencies continued to provide emergency livelihoods in Gaza and the West Bank. UNRWA provided cash-for-work for 11,334 beneficiaries. ILO created immediate employment for 1,395 vulnerable workers, focusing on at-risk youth and labour rights. UNDP created emergency employment for 2,063 people (591 female) in Gaza, supported more than 4,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through help desks and restored market linkages for 14 West Bank food companies to aid Gaza. UNICEF reached 1 million people – including 588,000 children – through digital cash assistance, distributing $45 million. Monthly transfers supported 120,000 individuals, prioritizing vulnerable groups.

Emergency water and sanitation support

84. In Gaza, UNRWA rehabilitated water wells, providing 80 million litres of water monthly to 600,000 people, and removed 7,000 tons of waste monthly, benefiting 972,000 people. In addition, UNRWA deployed 121 sanitation labourers in West Bank camps, repairing infrastructure and supplying essential items.
85. In Gaza, UN-Habitat provided solar-powered water distillation, securing clean drinking water for 35,000 internally displaced persons. UNDP supported water trucking for 75,000 people in Gaza, removed 270,000 tons of waste and rehabilitated dumping sites. WHO deployed portable water testing labs, conducting more than 2,000 contamination tests to monitor water quality.
86. In Gaza City, UNICEF delivered dewatering pumps, benefiting 250,000 people. In the West Bank, it delivered supplies to the Palestinian Water Authority, reaching more than 50 per cent of the population. In addition, UNICEF facilitated emergency water trucking, reaching 1.8 million people monthly. It also supported water system repairs, provided 6 million litres of fuel for water facilities and restored a desalination plant. UNICEF reached 900,000 people monthly through sanitation services, supported 56 institutional WASH facilities and managed sewage network maintenance, reaching 400,000 people.

Emergency child protection

87. UNICEF scaled up child protection activities, providing 163,032 children (55 per cent girls) with individual and group interventions and structured activities and supporting 90,604 caregivers (54 per cent female). UNICEF, with UNRWA and the Technical Working Group on Unaccompanied and Separated Children, developed tools and procedures for accountable identification, documentation, tracing and reunification and reunified 54 children with families. Approximately 200,730 children (55 per cent girls) received prevention risk education to mitigate explosive ordnance risks. In addition, UNICEF provided winter clothing to approximately 247,000 children.

C. United Nations system support to Palestinian institutions

88. UNDP, through its Transparency, Evidence, Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Accountability project, deployed technical advisers, supported national recovery planning and introduced digital solutions to enhance public service delivery and knowledge-sharing.
89. WFP continued to strengthen the capacity of Palestinian institutions in food security analysis and social protection. WFP supported the Ministry of Social Development in collecting data in emergencies and the enhancement of food security monitoring systems and the integration of food security indicators into the national social registry, which had registered more than 141,000 households by the end of 2024. More than 360,000 households have been registered, expanding the reach and responsiveness of the national safety net.
90. FAO strengthened agricultural resilience by enhancing plant protection, food safety and veterinary services through system development, capacity-building and updated strategies. It also delivered essential food security data to inform planning.
91. ILO focused on labour market resilience and social protection, delivering social allowances, enhancing emergency assistance systems and conducting critical labour market assessments. UNCTAD contributed to fiscal and economic management by reinstating debt management systems and creating an online business registry to support private sector development.
92. In the justice and security sectors, UNODC advanced police forensic capabilities and anti-corruption efforts, while UN-Women supported services for women survivors of violence and helped improve gender-responsive policies. The Sawasya III programme – jointly implemented by UNDP, UN-Women and UNICEF – digitized court management systems to enhance access to justice. OHCHR expanded its technical support for human rights compliance and helped national institutions meet international treaty obligations, including through training with the Ministry of Social Development on the implementation of and follow-up on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and a training session for prison staff on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture.
93. The Mine Action Service trained 11 staff from the Palestine Mine Action Center on explosive ordnance risk education.
94. UNESCO worked with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to refine strategic plans and supported the Ministry of Culture in implementing cultural heritage conventions.
95. UNOPS ensured critical logistics, delivering millions of litres of fuel for humanitarian operations in Gaza and maintaining fuel stations to sustain essential services.

D. Private sector development

96. In the West Bank, UNRWA delivered 1,796 microfinance loans to support income-generating opportunities for Palestinian refugees and marginalized surrounding communities, totalling $2,617,514, with 791 loans ($1,134,887) going to Palestine refugees.
97. UNDP provided technical and financial management services to 70,000 micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises and facilitated concessional financing for more than 5,000 businesses. UNDP also supported more than 1,200 artisans (75 per cent female) with resilience grants and technical assistance.
98. UNIDO supported a new specialized centre assisting industries to adopt sustainable energy measures and innovative technological upgrades, conducted 32 energy audits in industrial enterprises and enhanced the energy resilience of 148 enterprises.

E. Coordination of United Nations assistance

99. The United Nations system has significantly enhanced its coordination and response mechanisms to address the alarming humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, focusing on strengthening national systems, coherence, ensuring effective aid delivery and promoting inclusion.
100. Under the leadership of the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, coordination of United Nations entities and with donors and partners was further strengthened. The United Nations country team maintained close cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, supporting the establishment of a Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to lead Gaza recovery and reconstruction planning and improve the overall coordination of development assistance. The United Nations country team supported the newly established Ministry of State for Relief Affairs to establish a joint operations room to better coordinate with the humanitarian response in Gaza. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs enhanced access coordination through the humanitarian notification system, training, the development of standard operating procedures and civil-military coordination.
101. The 2720 Mechanism, established in line with Security Council resolution 2720 (2023), coordinated the delivery of 85,568 tons of humanitarian aid, of which 79 per cent was delivered through the Jordan corridor. The Access Support Unit facilitated the movement of personnel and provided access to incident assistance, managing the entry and exit of 4,200 personnel, and provided advisory support to United Nations and non-governmental organization (NGO) missions.

IV. Donor response to the crisis

Budgetary and fiscal support

102. Following more than a decade of declining donor support to the Palestinian Authority, the total external financing of the total expenditures and net lending to the Palestinian Authority increased from 7 per cent, or approximately $345 million, in 2023 to 16 per cent, or $770 million, in 2024. Overall, the increase in external financing represents less than half of the deductions by Israel of Palestinian clearance revenue transfers in 2024.

Donor coordination

103. Working sessions for members of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of the International Assistance to Palestinians, were held on specific thematic issues. The meeting of the Committee held in September 2024 was without the participation of Israel. The United Nations led the development of a comprehensive early recovery strategy for Gaza and presented it at the meeting. To further strengthen donor coordination, several coordination meetings were held with the United Nations.

V. Unmet needs

104. Despite progress during the ceasefire, humanitarian needs in Gaza remain overwhelming. Water and sanitation are lacking, and hundreds of thousands need shelter. Forty-three per cent of hospitals and 57 per cent of primary healthcare centres are non-functional. Ninety-two per cent of young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women lack adequate nutrition. Approximately 25 per cent are living with life-altering injuries and disabilities. Livelihoods are destroyed, one third of school-aged children lack education, and telecommunications and Internet services are severely disrupted.
105. According to the interim rapid damage and needs assessment, it is estimated that $53.2 billion is needed for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza over the next decade, with $20 billion required in the first three years. Meeting these funding and financing needs will require the mobilization of the widest possible coalition of donors and partners, including diverse instruments and private sector sources of financing. Substantial improvements in the entry of reconstruction materials into Gaza will also be needed.
106. UNRWA faces a severe financial crisis, having carried over $35 million in liabilities from 2024, and it now has a 26 per cent funding shortfall. With anticipated funding reductions in 2025, the Agency is managing cash flow monthly, having placed more than 600 staff on unpaid leave, and may suspend more salaries and services. Urgent financial support, early fund disbursement and a review of withheld funding are vital for the Agency’s survival and to prevent a degradation of United Nations humanitarian capacity. UNRWA serves as a critical hub for humanitarian coordination, is the backbone of the United Nations humanitarian operations in Gaza and is vital to the humanitarian response there. It is essential that UNRWA receive strong political and financial support from Member States.

VI. Challenges

107. The situation continues to generate unprecedented suffering and humanitarian needs. The delivery of assistance to Palestinians remains severely constrained by the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, which have created a high-risk environment, significantly impeding safe and timely aid delivery, alongside the block on humanitarian aid. An immediate ceasefire is critical to avert further suffering among the civilian population. All remaining hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. All obstacles to the effective delivery of lifesaving aid must be removed.
108. Widespread humanitarian needs continue to rise, exacerbated by severe access restrictions, persistent security concerns and chronic funding shortfalls. The highly dangerous operational environment has resulted in the unprecedented loss of United Nations personnel and further jeopardized the continuity and effectiveness of humanitarian and development efforts.
109. In Gaza, dangerous security conditions, logistical constraints and shifting donor requirements further undermine the continuity and scale of aid operations. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the work of the United Nations is constrained by Israeli restrictions and recurrent security operations. Notably, new Israeli legislation has imposed additional limitations on UNRWA activities that would prevent it from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
110. The ongoing hostilities and the absence of a political process to end the occupation and achieve a viable two-State solution, compounded by continued settlement expansion, demolitions and evictions, restrictions on access and movement, violence and the continuation of a protracted military occupation, continue to impede the development of the State of Palestine, significantly hamper Palestinians’ ability to exercise their fundamental human rights and contribute to the current humanitarian crisis.

VII. Conclusion

111. During the reporting period, the United Nations continued to face an operational context with unprecedented challenges and a staggering increase in the scale of life-saving assistance needs; notably, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of famine, according to the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, of 12 May. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation.
112. The Organization will continue to coordinate and deliver humanitarian and development assistance throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, while working towards the realization of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003), 1850 (2008), 1860 (2009) and 2334 (2016), an end to the occupation that began in 1967 and the establishment of an independent, sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous Palestinian State, of which Gaza is an integral part, existing side by side with Israel in peace, within secure and recognized borders and with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.