Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Ongoing Military Operations and Health System Collapse – OCHA

24 September 2025

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, said today that the children of Gaza are “trapped in a graveyard,” having been bombed, maimed, starved, burned alive, buried in the rubble of their homes, and separated from their parents.

“We must join world leaders, including President Trump yesterday, in calling for a ceasefire,” he said during an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week.

Fletcher stressed that humanitarians must be given access to reach Gaza’s women, children and older people, who “cannot eat statements of concern.”

He stressed that accountability must be pursued and noted that the suffering of children is not confined to Gaza, with children in Israel among those killed and taken hostage on 7 October 2023. In the West Bank, children also face escalating levels of violence.

OCHA reports that Israeli military operations have continued across the Gaza Strip, including in several neighbourhoods in Gaza city, where people were reportedly killed and injured and infrastructure damaged.

Today, the Ministry of Health warned that fuel is urgently needed for hospital generators in Gaza. Despite ongoing challenges, the Ministry said that Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city has managed to keep functioning, albeit only partially.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that escalating violence near the Al-Rantisi and Ophthalmic Hospitals in Gaza city has rendered those facilities non-functional, unsafe and inaccessible – forcing patients and staff to flee for safety.  WHO warned that “with hundreds of thousands of people still in Gaza city and health facilities shutting down, more lives will be lost.”

Since the start of the year – and as of 15 September – WHO has recorded 145 attacks on healthcare in Gaza, with more than 100 healthcare workers killed.

Meanwhile, partners report that people continue to be displaced from Gaza city southward to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. On Monday, some 20,000 people – many traveling on foot – passed by the monitoring points operated by humanitarian partners in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. The UN and its partners have distributed some bread and water to displaced people as they continued their journey.

Humanitarians continue to do whatever they can to reach people in need across the Gaza Strip – both in the north and the south.

In the past two days, partners provided psychosocial assistance to more than 500 children in the south, including opportunities for play and emotional support. Partners report that 70 per cent of children are having trouble sleeping, and nearly one in five are withdrawn or silent.

As of Monday, more than half a million daily meals were prepared and delivered through over 100 community kitchens, mostly in the south.

In the past few days, partners working in protection have established temporary collective shelters for women and girls with disabilities and are doing their best to provide them with assistance.

Aid workers themselves are also facing displacement and trauma, with some living and working in the same location.

Related items:

• UN Relief Chief warns that Gaza’s children are “trapped in a graveyard”
• Remarks by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at the UNGA Side-Event “Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza”