OCHA: UN, partners prioritize winter support for families in Gaza

17 December 2025

OCHA reports that the UN and its humanitarian partners in Gaza continue to focus their efforts on providing assistance to prepare for the winter to the most vulnerable families across the Strip.

OCHA estimates that nearly 55,000 families have been affected so far by the most recent rains across Gaza, with their belongings and shelters damaged or destroyed in the storm.

The rainstorm has also damaged dozens of child-friendly spaces, disrupting or suspending activities related to child protection. The disruption has impacted approximately 30,000 children across Gaza. Urgent repairs are needed to ensure that these activities can resume without delay.

Over the past three days, partners working to address gender-based violence report that they delivered 3,000 dignity kits to vulnerable women and girls across the Strip.

Partners leading efforts to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene report that repairs are ongoing in multiple locations to reduce the overflow of sewage in the streets and improve public health. Teams are working to fix a sewage pipeline in Saeed Al Aas Street and the Nafaq area in Gaza city, as well as the Wafia and Hamad sewage pump stations in Khan Younis.

In terms of water supply, 38,000 people sheltering at displacement sites in Al Mawasi are now able to collect water from community water tanks that have been directly connected to these sites, thanks to efforts by the UN and its partners. The second phase of this project, which will reach another 40,000 people, is now underway. This initiative makes water collection easier and safer and reduces the burden of using water trucks.

However, OCHA warns that ongoing impediments continue to hamper humanitarians’ efforts to more quickly scale up the response.