OCHA: Gaza city offensive intensifies

05 September 2025

OCHA says that the ongoing offensive on Gaza city has further intensified today, with unbearable impacts on civilians and the facilities they depend on to survive.

Earlier today, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to execute attacks against them. Initial information collected by OCHA indicates that tents sheltering displaced people were damaged nearby. OCHA is also concerned by the announcement that more high-rise buildings will be attacked soon.

These developments are forcing increasing numbers of people to flee, in a place where just about everyone has already been displaced, often many times, and famine has just been confirmed. In the north, people are simply exhausted. They cannot afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost more than US$1,000.

Between Wednesday and yesterday, partners tracking population movements in Gaza recorded nearly 3,000 movements from the north to the south – mostly from Gaza city. That brings the total since 14 August to nearly 41,000.

Meanwhile, OCHA reports that in more and more parts of the Strip, Israeli authorities require any movement of humanitarian personnel to be coordinated with them in advance. On Wednesday and yesterday, humanitarian teams attempted to coordinate 29 such movements, but 19 of them were either denied outright or initially approved but then significantly delayed or otherwise impeded on the ground. Only nine were facilitated, and one had to be cancelled by the organizers.

Despite the impediments, teams were able to collect some fuel and supplies related to water, sanitation and hygiene from Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, and transfer some other items within the Gaza Strip. Humanitarians could also repair a road in Rafah that is needed to improve cargo flow in the south – and they were able to assess the conditions and needs of displaced people in North Gaza.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) distributed critical nutritional supplies to support hospitalized infants and patients at Al Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis. These included 4,900 units of infant and high-protein formula and 2,000 feeding components.

In a social media post, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that these supplies are vital for premature and hospitalized newborns who cannot be breastfed due to medical conditions, as well as for patients requiring specialized nutritional support.

To respond to famine and malnutrition at scale, humanitarians working in Gaza continue to call for scaled-up, sustained and safe access – so that enough food and medicines can enter the Strip and reach those who need them. Sustained and unimpeded access directly to the north, including Gaza city, is also critically important.

West Bank: Over 2,780 Palestinians injured by Israeli forces or settlers this year

OCHA reports that since January, more than 2,780 Palestinians in the West Bank have been injured by Israeli forces or settlers – a 39 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. This includes nearly 500 people injured by Israeli settlers – a two-fold rise over this same timeframe in 2024.

As of Monday, OCHA has also documented the demolition of more than 1,150 structures across the West Bank this year for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. This is a 44 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. As a result of these demolitions, nearly 1,300 Palestinians were displaced and more than 37,000 were otherwise affected.