OCHA update: Hostilities claim more lives in Gaza

16 June 2025

OCHA reports that over the past few days, attacks on civilians in Gaza have continued, including the reported killing and injury of people seeking food or other aid.

Partners working on child protection say several children were also temporarily separated from their families due to mass movements around militarized distribution points. As they were reunited with their families, partners are working to help reduce risks for children near these distribution points.

Over the weekend, telecommunication cables in Gaza were repaired, allowing Internet services to resume. That was made possible as the Israeli authorities facilitated the access of teams sent by telecommunication companies to fix damaged cables, after multiple access denials over weeks. Partners report that today, there was another outage in central and southern Gaza, after which they also coordinated urgent repairs and succeeded in restoring connectivity.

Humanitarian partners continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.

The UN Population Fund says pregnant mothers are living on a fraction of the food they need to survive. A growing number of mothers suffer from malnutrition – and one in three expectant mothers experiences a high-risk pregnancy at a time when half of essential maternal health medicines are no longer in stock.

The UN and its partners are working to provide support with whatever supplies remain available. Last week, a daily average of 200,000 meals were delivered through 44 community kitchens. Meanwhile, partners warn that prices continue to skyrocket. Last week in Gaza city, a 25-kilogram bag of four was sold for 1,600 shekels, the equivalent of US$450.

OCHA underscores that life-saving aid must reach people in need in line with humanitarian principles, and humanitarians must be allowed to do their work. More essential supplies must be allowed to enter.

Meanwhile, fuel stocks have reached critically low levels. More fuel is urgently needed for essential services, such as providing adequate supplies of water. In the south of Gaza, supplies of diesel – which are needed to operate equipment and machinery – have almost run out.

Today, Israeli authorities once again denied an attempt to coordinate the collection of some fuel supplies from Rafah. Partners are rationing the stocks they have as they continue attempting to coordinate access.

OCHA warns that humanitarian, communications and banking activities may halt very soon unless the supply of fuel resumes immediately or the UN is enabled by the Israeli authorities to retrieve available stocks from areas inside Gaza that require coordination.

Israeli authorities continue to deny many humanitarian movements within the Strip. Today, seven out of 17 attempts to coordinate such movements were denied, including for operations as critical as trucking water and removing solid waste.

On Saturday, the UN and its partners managed to collect nearly 100 truckloads from the Kerem Shalom crossing, carrying wheat flour and other food supplies. Meanwhile, the UN and its partners continue sending more supplies to Kerem Shalom, where the Israeli authorities are channeling these aid shipments. Yesterday, humanitarians sent more than 50 truckloads to the crossing – and that is just those that Israeli authorities approved, out of a longer list of supplies that the UN and its partners had submitted. Heavy restrictions still apply on what and how much may be brought in.

Meanwhile, ongoing displacement orders continue to increase people’s shelter needs and drive further overcrowding at displacement sites in Gaza. For more than 100 days, the Israeli authorities have banned the entry of any shelter materials. OCHA stresses that these materials require frequent replenishment, as they wear out quickly or may be left behind when people are forced into renewed displacement.