OCHA: UN, partners help communities in Gaza prepare for winter 

24 November 2025

OCHA warns that hostilities continue to be reported in various parts of the Gaza Strip, causing destruction, displacement and casualties among civilians, including children. On Saturday, multiple Israeli strikes were reported in Gaza city, Deir al Balah and An Nuseirat. The strikes came after Israeli ground forces reportedly came under fire in Rafah.

The UN and its partners remain focused on preparing for the winter, as well as ensuring that the most vulnerable communities are able to receive essential assistance. Partners managing displacement sites note that living conditions are extremely dire across the Strip. The estimated 214,000 people living in coastal, flood-prone or structurally unsafe areas are among the most vulnerable.

The humanitarian community is working together to get aid to people safely, quickly and with dignity.

As part of the preparations ahead of winter, between Thursday and Saturday, partners reached 7,100 families with shelter assistance, including 900 tents, 5,100 tarps and 2,300 blankets. However, they note that they could only bring 32 trucks with shelter supplies into Gaza between Sunday and Wednesday last week, as NGO registration requirements continue to hamper partners’ ability to bring in assistance.

Meanwhile, partners leading the malnutrition response in Gaza report that they continue to focus on early detection and treatment of acute cases. Last week, UNICEF dispatched 4,000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food – enough to provide treatment for the current caseload of 10,000 patients for one month. Currently, total treatment stocks are sufficient to last through March of next year.

Work also continues on improving access to healthcare across Gaza. Partners leading the health response report that they managed to access the European Hospital in Rafah – which is not functional – in order to transfer vital equipment to functioning facilities in northern Gaza. This was the first successful attempt to access the hospital since October, as requests to reach it were repeatedly denied by the Israeli authorities.

To help people cope and supplement basic assistance, partners working on providing cash support note that since the ceasefire and as of last Wednesday, 93,000 families received cash distributions, with the support of more than a dozen partners.

Partners working on emergency telecommunications report that on Saturday, a team of technicians finally managed to access the area in northern Gaza near Erez crossing to repair a fibre optic cable that was severed in early November. Previous attempts to coordinate access to the site for repairs were denied by Israeli authorities.

OCHA continues to stress that civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected. OCHA also calls for unimpeded, safe and sustained access throughout Gaza, to reach civilians in need wherever they are.*