More than 470,000 people have moved north inside Gaza since the ceasefire started, many returning to destroyed neighborhoods where unstable buildings and unexploded bombs pose deadly threats, UN News reported. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says water, food, and basic services are still in critically short supply as aid workers race to meet surging demand.
Aid continues entering Gaza, with over 300 truckloads collected from the Kerem Shalom crossing between Friday and Saturday. The shipments included thousands of pallets of wheat flour, canned food, rice, and hot meal supplies, along with medical equipment, tents, tarpaulins, and winter clothing. Hygiene kits, post-partum kits, and shelter materials also arrived on Sunday, while the UN Office for Project Services distributed roughly 329,000 liters of diesel to keep hospitals, telecommunications, and food operations running.
Humanitarian partners working with 170 community kitchens have provided more than one million hot meals, mostly in southern and central Gaza. In Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, 15 UN-supported bakeries are producing tens of thousands of bundles of bread daily, distributed free to shelters and communities. Teams are also working to reduce risks from unexploded ordnance left over from the Israeli offensive. Over the weekend, nearly 3,200 people in central and southern Gaza received safety briefings. Since October 2023, there have been 150 explosive ordnance incidents causing casualties, including among children.
Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, violence linked to the olive harvest season continues. OCHA reported more than 85 settler attacks on Palestinian farmers and their land since harvesting began on October 9, injuring over 110 people and damaging more than 3,000 trees across 50 villages. Seventeen attacks happened last week alone, mostly in the Ramallah area. The UN warns that Gaza’s humanitarian needs remain overwhelming, with families risking everything to return home despite shortages of food, water, and shelter.
