UNRWA Situation Report #191 on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

Highlights

The Gaza Strip

• About the peace plan announced by the United States, UNRWA Commissioner-General said it was “A rare window of hope to allow the UN including UNRWA to address famine and suffering of over 2 million people with unspeakable needs”. He further called for “lifting the siege and the ban of entry on UNRWA international personnel and humanitarian supplies so we can support our Palestinian colleagues at such a critical moment”.
• The Nutrition Cluster reported that access to food has worsened due to collapsing markets, cash shortages, and soaring prices. By July 2025, food costs were about 100 higher (9,900%) than during the ceasefire.
• According to a recent assessment by water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) partners, 1 million people are accessing less than the emergency minimum of six litres of drinking water per day. The collapse of essential WASH services continues to deepen the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, with half a million women and girls lacking sufficient menstrual hygiene materials, over 60 per cent of households lack soap and over 40 per cent of families live near uncollected waste.
• According to OCHA estimates, over 200,000 people are estimated to remain in Gaza City, amid ongoing bombardment, deteriorating access to means of survival and a growing number of aid organizations forced to suspend operations.
• UNRWA operations in Gaza City have faced severe disruptions due to the intensification of Israeli military operations, displacement orders, and the large-scale displacement of personnel and their families. Nevertheless, nearly 1,600 UNRWA personnel continue to provide critical services in the area, including through 11 emergency shelters and one medical point, operating at minimum capacity. At the same time, preparedness plans continue to scale up the humanitarian response in Gaza City and across the Gaza Strip in case of ceasefire.

The occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem

• The overall situation remains tense in the West Bank with ongoing Israeli Forces operations and movement restrictions. Operation ‘Iron Wall’ has continued for more than nine months, with approximately 32,000 Palestine Refugees from Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin camps in the northern West Bank remaining forcibly displaced from their homes.
• Israeli settler violence continues at high levels: according to OCHA more than 1,000 settler attacks have taken place in 2025 alone.

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