OCHA: Humanitarians support storm-affected families in Gaza amid dire conditions

19 November 2025

OCHA warns that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely dire, despite ongoing efforts by the UN and its partners to reach people in need wherever they are.*

Humanitarians continue to carry out assessments and provide assistance to families affected by last week’s rainstorm. According to the latest estimate, over 18,600 households were impacted: Thousands lost their shelters, had their belongings damaged, or were again displaced. This number continues to increase as partners complete additional assessments to gauge the extent of the damage caused by the storm.

With winter drawing near, partners working on shelter warn that the volume of items entering Gaza is not sufficient to meet people’s immense needs. Since the start of September – when shelter supplies were allowed to enter Gaza again following a six-month ban – the UN, its partners and Member States have been able to bring in fewer than 60,000 tents, 346,000 tarpaulins and 309,000 bedding items. This is at a time when hundreds of thousands of people require urgent shelter support as winter approaches.

As part of the ongoing winterization response, partners focusing on child protection have distributed 48,000 children’s winter clothing kits across the Strip since the ceasefire came into effect.

Meanwhile, partners leading on water and sanitation report that in the past two days, they have managed to distribute diapers, towels, jerry cans and other critical items to meet the hygiene needs of 400,000 people. However, they warn that sanitation and hygiene conditions in Gaza are deplorable, with no wastewater treatment capacity in the Strip due to widespread destruction of infrastructure after two years of war.

In northern Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan ponds in Jabalya are once again at risk of overflowing, with partners only able to provide short-term solutions by draining the sewage into the sea. The dilapidated state of Gaza’s sanitation systems puts public health at risk, including by raising the threat of bacterial infections spreading through contact with contaminated waste or water.

Meanwhile, partners working on nutrition note a gradual decline in the number of patients admitted for malnutrition treatment over the past two months, with about 9,280 cases admitted in October compared to over 11,740 cases in September. However, last month’s numbers are still nearly four times higher than they were in January, during the previous ceasefire.

OCHA continues to call for items that are currently restricted from entry into Gaza, including equipment to rehabilitate critical infrastructure, to be allowed into the Strip. OCHA also reiterates the need for NGOs to be permitted to bring assistance into Gaza, and for the opening of additional crossings into and routes inside the Strip to enable the UN and its partners to reach people in need faster and more efficiently.