OCHA: Hostilities disrupt critical services in Gaza

22 April 2025

OCHA reports that hostilities in the Gaza Strip continue, with a devastating toll on civilians and critical infrastructure. Earlier today, local authorities reported attacks by Israeli forces that struck several heavy machinery vehicles across Gaza, halting solid waste and rubble removal services.

Despite the ongoing hostilities and aid blockade, the UN and humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to support people throughout the Strip. In Gaza city yesterday, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Suzanna Tkalec, led a mission to Al Shifa Hospital, where she and partners viewed work underway to install a desalination plant to serve dialysis patients at the facility.

Partners report that several people suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza have been admitted to hospitals for treatment this week, with cases on the rise.

Despite extremely low supplies, some 180 community kitchens in the Strip continue to operate each day. However, many of these kitchens are at imminent risk of shutting down since stocks are being depleted. Due to a lack of cooking gas, families are resorting to burning plastic to cook their meals.

OCHA warns that access to fuel is a major concern. There are modest quantities available in Rafah and the north of Gaza, but they cannot be accessed due to displacement orders and location in the “no-go” zones – areas where humanitarian partners are required to coordinate their movements with Israeli authorities.

Meanwhile, OCHA reports that humanitarian partners have rehabilitated a temporary dumping site in Al Bureij. This will help reduce health risks and diseases among vulnerable populations there and in the wider Deir al Balah area.