UNRWA Report 161 on the Crisis in Gaza Strip and West Bank

UNRWA teams distribute essential blankets and other shelter supplies in an UNRWA shelter in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Middle Areas, February 2025. © 2025 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra

Highlights

• Since the start of the ceasefire up to 23 February, UNRWA has delivered critical food assistance to an estimated 2 million people across the Gaza Strip. During the same reporting period, UNRWA teams have provided over 364,000 health consultations and reached more than half a million people with shelter and non-food items.

• Six newborns reportedly died from the extremely cold weather on 24 and 25 February in the Gaza Strip. The heavy drop in temperatures and lack of appropriate housing, families in Gaza are in dire and urgent need of shelter items.

• A third round of the polio vaccination campaign supported by UNRWA, WHO, UNICEF, and other partners started on 22 February 2025 in the Gaza Strip aiming to vaccinate over 591,000 children under ten years of age. With over 1,700 team members, UNRWA constituted around one third of the overall polio response.

• The Israeli Forces large-scale operation that started in Jenin camp and other areas of northern West Bank on 21 January 2025 is now in its fifth consecutive week, making it by far the single longest Israeli Forces operation in the West Bank since the second intifada in the early 2000s.

• On 23 February, the Israeli Minister of Defense released a statement that he had instructed Israeli Forces to remain in Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps for the coming year, and that residents would not be permitted to return. On the same day, the Israeli Forces deployed tanks in the West Bank for the first time since the second intifada.

Key points

The Gaza Strip

• As part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, on 20 and 21 February, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the return by Palestinian armed groups of the remains of four Israeli hostages including an elderly man, a woman and her two children. As reported by OCHA, initially an unidentified body was sent instead of the dead Israeli mother, whose actual  remains were then returned separately. On 22 February, the ICRC facilitated the release of six Israeli hostages. The release of 620 Palestinian detainees scheduled for the same day was postponed by the Israeli authorities, reportedly until Palestinian armed groups cease to carry out release ceremonies.

• A third round of the polio vaccination campaign  supported by UNRWA, WHO, UNICEF, and other partners started on 22 February 2025 in the Gaza Strip aiming to vaccinate over 591,000 children under ten years of age. Between 22 and 25 February, over 586,000 children were vaccinated, reaching 99 per cent of the intended population. With over 1,700 UNRWA team members in 555 mobile and fixed teams, UNRWA reached over 207,000 children with the vaccine and constituted around one third of the overall polio vaccination response.

• Six newborns reportedly died from cold on 24 and 25 February in the Gaza Strip. Amid cold weather and lack of appropriate housing, families in Gaza are in dire and urgent need of shelter items.

• On 25 February, in her address to the Security Council, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process a.i. and Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag stated that “Death, destruction, and multiple displacement has been inflicted upon the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip” and added that “While the first phase of the ceasefire has provided a surge of much-needed relief, far more remains to be done to address over 15 months of deprivation of basic human necessities and above all a loss of human dignity.”

• Thousands of humanitarian trucks – including over 2,100 UNRWA trucks – carrying essential food supplies, shelter items, and medicines have crossed into the Gaza Strip since the start of the ceasefire until 23 February, enabling a significant expansion of the humanitarian response.

• The UN is mobilising on average 600 trucks a day and distributing aid to people in urgent need. This presents operational challenges, including due to reduced warehousing capacity and destroyed infrastructure – among them UNRWA facilities. Thanks to its footprint and extensive staff presence across the Gaza Strip, UNRWA is pivotal in this scale-up of aid distributions within Gaza. The UN will continue to advocate for an increase of commercial sector activity, to reduce the dependency of people on humanitarian handouts. As of 23 February, UNRWA had the equivalent of over 5,400 trucks of aid in different locations (outside of Gaza) ready to be delivered to the Gaza Strip.

• UNRWA teams are on the ground to deliver aid and provide services to a population overwhelmed by 15 months of constant bombardment, forced displacement, and lack of critical resources. Since the start of the ceasefire up to 23 February, UNRWA teams have delivered critical food assistance to around 2 million people and have enough in the pipeline to reach the rest of Gaza’s population. UNRWA and WFP work together to meet the caloric needs of the population.

• UNRWA runs 120 shelters across the Gaza Strip, with around 120,000 displaced people residing there.

• Since the ceasefire, more than half a million people across the five Governorates have received non-food items, including blankets, mattresses, floor mats, clothes, kitchen items, and tarpaulins for rain protection. As of 15 February, over 61,500 families (or nearly 489,000 people) had received bedding kits and over 312,000 people were reached with tarpaulins. As of 24 February, over 12,800 families (or around 64,000 people) had been reached by UNRWA teams with tents since the ceasefire started.

• UNRWA teams continue to provide psychosocial support services and primary health consultations wherever possible.  Since the start of the ceasefire until 23 February 2025, UNRWA health teams have provided over 364,000 health consultations (or around 15,000 per working day), antenatal, post-natal and family planning care for over 24,000 women, dental and oral health services in fixed and mobile clinics reaching over 15,000 patients, and physiotherapy rehabilitation services for over 6,500 patients.

• According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people – or about 90 per cent of the population – across the Gaza Strip were displaced during the war. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more. Since the start of the ceasefire, new population movements have been reported, with people trying to return to whatever is left of their homes. Most homes (92 per cent according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MoPWH) have been either severely damaged or destroyed.

• Between 7 October 2023 and 25 February 2025, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, as stated by OCHA, at least 48,348 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza and 111,761 have been injured.

• OCHA reports that, the MoH in Gaza published the breakdown of 40,717 out of 42,010 fatalities as of 7 October 2024. These reportedly include 13,319 children, 7,216 women, 3,447 elderly, and 16,735 men. Among the child fatalities, 786 children are under one year of age, representing about 6 per cent of killed children whose full identification details have been documented, the MoH further reported. Additionally, as of 7 October 2024, the MoH noted that 35,055 children had lost one or both parents over the past year.

• The total number of UNRWA team members killed since 7 October 2023 is 275.

The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 21 February 2025, 887 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those, 81 Palestinians, including 17 children, were killed in 2025.

• The Israeli Forces large-scale operation that started in Jenin Camp on 21 January 2025 has now exceeded one month in duration, making it by far the single longest Israeli Forces operation in the West Bank since the second intifada in the 2000s. The death toll associated with the operation now stands at 51 Palestinians, among them seven children. Among these was a Palestinian girl shot and killed by the Israeli Forces in Jenin on 21 February. On the same day, both the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz entered Tulkarm Camp with Israeli Forces personnel.

• On 23 February, the Israeli Minister of Defense released a statement that he had instructed Israeli Forces to remain in Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps for the coming year, and that residents would not be permitted to return. On the same day, the Israeli Forces deployed tanks in the West Bank for the first time since the second intifada.

• On 18 February, Israeli officials from the Jerusalem Municipality and the Israeli Ministry of Education approached four UNRWA educational facilities in East Jerusalem. Israeli Forces entered the Kalandia Training Centre without the Agency’s authorization, located immediately adjacent to Qalandiya Camp, accompanied by Jerusalem Municipality officials. The officials ordered the immediate evacuation of this UN premises; however, left afterwards without it taking place.  At around the same time as the unauthorized entry, sound bombs and tear gas were fired by the Israeli Forces in the vicinity of the main street of Qalandiya Camp. On the same day, Israeli Ministry of Education officials accompanied by Israeli police went to three UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem – in Wadi al Joz, Silwan, and Sur Baer They were denied entry by UNRWA staff, based on UN privileges and immunities.

Overall situation

The Gaza Strip

• Between 7 October 2023 and 11 February 2025, according to the MoH in Gaza as stated by OCHA, at least 48,348 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip while 111,761 have been reported injured.

UNRWA response

The Gaza Strip

Health

• According to the Health Cluster, UNRWA remains one of the largest health actors operating in the Gaza Strip, contributing to over half of the people reached with health services since 7 October 2023. Between 7 October 2023 and 16 February 2025, UNRWA provided over 7.6 million medical consultations across the Gaza Strip.

• In addition to medical consultations, UNRWA (in partnership with and supported by other UN agencies, including UNICEF and WHO) continues to vaccinate children. Over 252,000 routine vaccines have been given to children from January 2024. In addition, around 560,000 children under the age of 10 across the Gaza Strip have been vaccinated against polio in the first two rounds of the campaign.

• A third round of the polio vaccination campaign supported by UNRWA, WHO, UNICEF, and other partners started on 22 February 2025 in the Gaza Strip aiming to vaccinate over 591,000 children under 10 years of age. Between 22 and 25 February, over 586,000 children were vaccinated, reaching 99 per cent of the intended population. With over 1,700 personnel organised in 555 mobile and fixed teams, UNRWA reached over 207,000 children with the vaccine and constituted around one third of the overall polio vaccination response.

• Since the start of the ceasefire until 23 February 2025, UNRWA health teams have provided over 364,000 health consultations (or around 15,000 per working day), antenatal, post-natal and family planning care for over 24,000 women, dental and oral health services in fixed and mobile clinics reaching over 15,000 patients, and physiotherapy rehabilitation services for over 6,500 patients.

• As of 23 February, only four out of 22 UNRWA health centres and five additional UNRWA-rented facilities used as temporary health centres were operational in Gaza. Health services are also provided through 115 mobile medical teams working in 50 medical points inside and outside shelters in the middle area, Khan Younis, Al Mawasi and Gaza City. UNRWA health facilities provide primary health care, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, giving out medications, vaccination, antenatal and postnatal health care, laboratory and dental services, physiotherapy and dressings for the injured. The number of operational health facilities changes constantly based on demand, access and security.

• Between 17 and 23 February, an average of 1,080 UNRWA health staff worked in health centres, temporary clinics and medical points across the Gaza Strip, providing 68,925 health consultations during the reporting period.

• UNRWA continued to provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in the middle and Khan Younis areas, with teams of psychiatrists, psychosocial counsellors and supervisors to assist special cases referred from UNRWA health centres and shelters. Between 16 and 23 February, UNRWA teams responded to 3,634 cases in health centres and at medical points through individual consultations, awareness sessions and to address cases of gender-based violence (GBV).  

• Between 17 and 23 February, UNRWA medical teams provided care for 5,140 post-natal and pregnant women at high risk, dental and oral health services in fixed and mobile clinics reaching 3,247 patients, and physiotherapy rehabilitation services for 1,039 patients in health centres and medical points.

• Since the ceasefire started and until 24 February, UNRWA health teams have received nearly 550 pallets of medical supplies including medicines, laboratory and dental supplies, and enough insulin syringes for over 17,000 people for eight months. Most of these supplies will cover UNRWA Health services for two months, and some up to eight months.

Psychosocial Support and Learning

• UNRWA remains the largest provider of emergency learning and psychosocial support (PSS) across the Gaza Strip. Around 660,000 children are out of school due to the war. On 1 August 2024, UNRWA began its first phase response of “Back to Learning” with a focus on mental health activities. This is taking place in 86 Temporary Learning Spaces in 40 UNRWA schools-turned-shelters[2] , with the support of over 900 teachers and up to 600[3]school counsellors. More than 18,000 children, over half of them girls, have benefited from UNRWA’s “Back to Learning” programme so far. Between 17 and 23 February 2025, 6,604 children (1,878 boys, 4,726 girls, including 112 children with disabilities) participated in basic literacy and numeracy activities, PSS sessions and recreational activities including arts, music and sports.

• Building on the onsite learning initiative in the Temporary Learning Shelters, on 1 January 2025, UNRWA launched a new distance learning programme to further mitigate learning loss among displaced children. This enables UNRWA to use a blended approach that combines online with onsite learning, helping Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip to have access to basic literacy and numeracy despite the crisis. To date, 259,409 children (133,051 boys, 126,358 girls) have enrolled in the programme and received basic learning activities delivered by thousands of teachers covering Arabic, English, mathematics, and science.

• UNRWA continues to provide lifesaving PSS services in Gaza. With the support of 240 school counsellors and more than 300 assistant counsellors UNRWA has provided children, youth, and adults in Gaza with psychological first aid, individual and group counselling, fatigue management sessions, recreational activities, Explosive Ordinance Risk Education and protection cash assistance. Since the onset of the war and up to 23 February 2025, around 730,000 displaced people, including over 520,000 children, have benefited from 286,623 PSS sessions and activities. Between 17 and 23 February, a total of 8,128 displaced people accessed these services.  

• Between 7 October 2023 and 23 February 2025, UNRWA’s social work team has provided services to 208,533 displaced people, including psychological first aid, PSS services, family and individual activities, as well as case management. During the same reporting period, protection services were provided to 1,898 survivors of GBV and 3,162 children, including 1,604 unaccompanied children, covering reunification, cash assistance, safe sheltering, medication, dignity kits and non-food items through referrals. The team also supported 22,858 persons with disabilities with PSS; 7,753 of these individuals received assistive devices and rehabilitation services. Awareness sessions on GBV, child protection, disability and special needs, as well as managing social and psychological stressors, were conducted for 154,050 displaced people.

Food Security

• Since the start of the war and until the start of the ceasefire, over 388,000 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached with two rounds of flour; at least 374,000 of those families have received three rounds.

• UNRWA continues to distribute food parcels wherever possible. These include[4]rice, lentils, beans, oil, salt, sugar, milk powder, hummus, halawa, yeast, and canned fish, and are designed to meet the needs of a family of five for two weeks. Up until the start of the ceasefire, at least 1.69 million people have been reached, of whom at least 215,000 people have received two rounds of food parcels since the war started.

• In addition to the distribution of UNRWA food parcels, the Agency distributes food parcels on behalf of other UN organisations, having reached over 1.4 million people before the start of the ceasefire.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• Since October 2023, UNRWA has carried out emergency WASH activities across the Gaza Strip.  The main activities include operating and maintaining water wells and desalination systems and supplying water with water trucks and bottled water. In addition, UNRWA continues to distribute hygiene kits and maintain hygiene in UNRWA shelters and sites through cleaning supplies, community-based solid waste management and pest control.

• Since the start of the ceasefire, UNRWA teams rehabilitated another water well in Jabalia (north) that has the capacity to provide 80 cubic metres of water per hour and is now serving up to 20,000 people in the area.

• Between 17 and 23 February, UNRWA teams with the support of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility have provided 5,500 cubic metres of water per day to displaced people in emergency shelters and other UNRWA facilities.

• UNRWA continues to provide a solid waste collection and transfer service wherever possible. Between 17 and 23 February, over 300 tons of solid waste per day were collected by UNRWA sanitation teams.

• During the same reporting period, UNRWA teams distributed around 3,000 soaps and 2,000 jerrycans.

• Since the start of the ceasefire and until 4 February, UNRWA has reached nearly 475,000 people with clean water. Over the same period, UNRWA has collected over 5,700 tons of solid waste.