Public Health Situation Analysis (PHSA) on Hostilities in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) - 11 May 2026

Summary Of Crisis and Key Findings

Six months on from the announcement of the ceasefire in Gaza, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is being forgotten as the world’s attention shifts elsewhere in the Middle East, despite conditions within Gaza deteriorating at an alarming pace.

As of early May 2026, Israeli forces continued to maintain a high level of activity, with reports indicating that tanks advanced in the Jabalia area (within the “orange line” - a buffer area near the “Yellow Line” of Israeli control where the authorities require coordinated movements for humanitarian operations).

By the end of April, the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire agreement reached 824 according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, with continued Israeli use of weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated civilian areas, causing mass casualties. Since 7 October 2023, the Israeli military has consistently targeted law enforcement and civil administration structures and officials in Gaza, compounding the breakdown of public order and civil life.

Despite an increase in humanitarian aid since the declaration of a ceasefire on 10 October 2025, needs on the ground are not being met at scale.6 While major impediments persist, aid entry into Gaza surged considerably between 14 and 20 April, compared with the previous week, attributable, inter alia, to the reopening of Zikim Crossing.7 Since 7 October 2023, Israel’s intermittent closure of crossings, restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid, and continued ban on the entry of essential supplies have produced chronic shortages of food, medicine, and basic goods across Gaza.

However, UN and partner aid inflows declined by 37% between the first and second three-month periods following the 10 October 2025 ceasefire agreement – coinciding with reduced crossing operations, increased cargo returns, scanning malfunctions and other impediments.

In Gaza, two years of escalated hostilities have reversed development by an estimated 77 years, according to a new joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. 10 The assessment estimates that the total recovery and reconstruction needs will reach US$71.4 billion over the next decade, reflecting catastrophic levels of infrastructure damage and destruction.

Gaza’s healthcare system has all but collapsed with 94% of Gaza’s hospitals destroyed or damaged. According to the Ministry of Health, 47% of essential medicines were at zero stock in Gaza (as of 30 April 2026), which is severely limiting the ability to treat patients with life-threatening conditions, including those requiring intensive care and cancer treatment. Hospitals are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and increasingly unable to provide adequate care.

There are continued reports of environmental hazards, including pests and rodents, affecting residential areas across the Gaza Strip. WHO warns that 81% of shelters for displaced people in Gaza are infested with pests or rodents. 13 Lack of chemical supplies for pest and rodent control remains a critical constraint to addressing the problem, as does a lack of lubricant oil that may reduce generator-supported waste and sewage operations in the near term and thereby increase public health risks.

The situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate. According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 30 March 2026, 1079 Palestinians – at least 235 of them children – were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Thirty-three of them have been killed since the beginning of 2026.15 Ongoing military operations, arrests and settler-related incidents continue to heighten humanitarian concerns, particularly in northern governorates where movement restrictions and infrastructure damage affect access to services and livelihoods.

More broadly, oPt has endured a protracted cycle of conflict, hunger and despair for over five decades. In 2023, this cycle reached unprecedented new peaks as tensions escalated in the occupied Gaza Strip and the West Bank on 7 October, resulting in civilian fatalities, widespread destruction, massive displacement, rising food prices and a declining currency.

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