Gaza humanitarian crisis
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Gaza war and genocide. The crisis includes both an ongoing famine and a healthcare collapse. At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies. This siege resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down the desalination plants that provide drinking water. Doctors warned of disease outbreaks spreading due to overcrowded hospitals. According to a United Nations special committee, Amnesty International, and other experts and human rights organisations, Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian people during its ongoing invasion and bombing of the Gaza Strip.
Heavy bombardment by Israeli airstrikes caused catastrophic damage to Gaza’s infrastructure, further deepening the crisis. The Gaza Health Ministry reported over 4,000 children killed in the war's first month. UN Secretary General António Guterres stated Gaza had "become a graveyard for children." In May 2024, the USAID head Samantha Power stated that conditions in Gaza were "worse than ever before".
Organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, and a joint statement by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, and World Food Programme have warned of a dire humanitarian collapse. In early March 2025, Israel began a complete blockade of all food and supplies going into Gaza, ending only in late May with limited distribution by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Since then, many aid-seekers have been killed or wounded while trying to obtain food.
As of August 2025, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projections show 100% of the population are experiencing "high levels of acute food insecurity", and 32% are projected to face Phase 5 catastrophic levels by September 30, 2025. On 22 August 2025, the IPC said that famine is taking place in one of the five governorates in the Gaza Strip: specifically, the Gaza Governorate which includes Gaza City. The IPC added that, within the next month, famine was likely to occur in the Deir al-Balah Governorate and Khan Yunis Governorate. The IPC had insufficient data on the North Gaza Governorate for a classification but concluded that conditions were likely similar or worse than in the Gaza Governorate. Within the next 6 weeks as of 16 August, the number of people in IPC Phase 5 is expected to rise from 500,000 to over 640,000.
Food and water
Famine
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on 10 October 2025. Under the ceasefire terms, Israel was to permit up to 600 humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza each day. Since then, the limit has been reduced to 300, with Israeli officials attributing the change to delays in recovering the bodies of Israeli hostages believed to be buried beneath rubble from Israeli strikes. Data from the UN2720 Monitoring and Tracking Dashboard, which records the movement of humanitarian convoys entering Gaza, showed that between 10 and 16 October, only 216 trucks reached their intended destinations within Gaza.Water supply
Before the war, Gaza purchased a small share of its water from Israel. Israel's blockade of water pipelines exacerbated water supply issues in the Gaza Strip, which already had a near lack of fit-to-drink aquifers. On 12 October, the United Nations said that Israeli actions had caused water shortages affecting 650,000 people. On 14 October, UNRWA announced Gaza no longer had clean drinking water, and two million people were at risk of death.On 16 October, Israel claimed to have provided water near southern Khan Younis, but the Gaza Interior Ministry denied this. By the same time, residents were drinking seawater and brackish water from farm wells, raising fears of waterborne diseases. Doctors and hospital staff drank IV solution. By 17 October, the UN stated Gaza's last seawater desalination plant had shut down. The Guardian stated fears were growing people had begun to die from dehydration. On 18 October, Israel announced it would not allow fuel to enter Gaza. The UNRWA stated fuel was needed to resume water pump operations. Some Gazans purchased water from private vendors who purified water with solar panels. On 19 October, the UN reported Gazans were surviving on a daily average of three liters of water each. The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 50 to 100 liters per day. On 22 October, the UN stated Gazans had resorted to drinking dirty water.
In November 2023, the UN stated many still relied on "brackish or saline ground water," if they were drinking any water at all. On 6 November, OCHA stated continued water shortages were raising fears of dehydration. UNRWA announced on 15 November that due to the lack of fuel, 70 percent of Gaza would no longer have access to clean water. On 17 November, Oxfam stated Gaza's water supply was at seventeen percent of its pre-siege capacity. On 27 November, residents in northern Gaza received their first aid delivery of clean water since the war began.
Doctors Without Borders stated on 18 December 2023 the water system in Gaza had collapsed. UNICEF reported children in southern Gaza were receiving 1.5 liters of water a day, while the minimum amount for survival is 3 liters per day. As of December 6, the sole water desalination facility in northern Gaza was inoperative, while the pipeline that delivers water from Israel to the north remained shut, thereby heightening the likelihood of dehydration and waterborne illnesses due to the consumption of unsafe water sources. The impact on hospitals has been severe, as only one out of the 24 hospitals in northern Gaza is operational and capable of accepting new patients, albeit with limited services, as of December 14. On 13 December, Israel began pumping seawater into tunnels reportedly used by Hamas. Experts warned this would irreversibly damage Gaza's water aquifers and clearwater supply. The IDF acknowledged it was flooding the tunnels on 30 January.
In January 2024, the Israeli army destroyed Gaza City’s main reservoirs, Al-Balad and Al-Rimal. The director of ambulance and emergency centres for Gaza stated on 20 January that the "struggle for water is a daily torment". The UNOCHA director for Gaza stated, "We can only meet a third of the population’s need for clean drinking water."
In February 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization stated water was at 7 percent of pre-October levels. In May 2024, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility reported, "The entire water supply and sewage management systems are nearing total collapse because the damage is so extensive". UNOCHA stated some displaced people were surviving on 3 percent of minimum daily water needs. UNICEF made a deal with Israel in June 2024 to restore a desalination plant.
In July 2024, the Israeli military stated it had allowed power to be restored to a desalination plant in Gaza. Children in Al-Mawasi were waiting six to eight hours a day looking for water, with officials stating facilities serving as many as 700,000 people were out of service. By August 2024, UNRWA warned that Gaza's water crisis had grown more severe, with people only receiving about half of the required liters of water per day. Children were reported to be drinking from puddles due to the lack of available drinking water.
Disease
Physical health and disease
Public health experts warned of the outbreak and spread of disease in Gaza. According to Oxfam and the United Nations, Gaza's lack of clean water and sanitation would trigger a rise in cholera and other deadly infectious diseases. Oxfam stated Gaza's sewage pumping stations and wastewater treatment facilities had ceased operations, so the buildup of solid waste and unburied bodies were likely vectors of disease. Due to the lack of clean drinking water, Gaza residents were drinking water contaminated with sewage, seawater, and farm water, another major source of disease. Richard Brennan, regional emergency director at WHO, stated, "The conditions are ripe for the spread of a number of diarrhoeal and skin diseases".Doctors also warned of overcrowded conditions at schools and hospitals. Dr. Nahed Abu Taaema stated overcrowded shelters were "a prime breeding ground for disease to spread". Abu Taaema reported a rise in rashes, lung infections, and stomach issues. On 24 October, the Gaza Health Ministry recorded 3,150 cases of disease from drinking contaminated water, mostly among children. The lack of medical supplies was another reported issue, as the World Health Organization reported a sanitation crisis in hospitals, with some struggling to sanitize surgical equipment. Dr. Iyad Issa Abu Zaher stated, "The outbreak of disease is inevitable". UNRWA schools, where an estimated 600,000 Gazans were sheltering, reported outbreaks of scabies and chicken pox, as well as a lack of basic hygiene for women menstruating. On 27 October, Action Against Hunger warned people were developing kidney failure due to the consumption of salt water and dehydration.
On 6 November, OCHA stated individuals with disabilities were suffering disproportionately due to the lack of accommodations in most shelters. UNRWA announced cases of respiratory infections, diarrhoea and chicken pox had been reported at its shelters. On 10 November, WHO stated infectious diseases, including diarrhea and chickenpox, were soaring across the Gaza Strip. OCHA stated accumulated waste in the streets risked the spread of airborne diseases and infestations of insects and rats. Doctors reported that due to a lack of fresh water and iodine, patients wounds were often infested with maggots.
Raw sewage overflowed in the streets, creating a health and environmental disaster. On 8 November, the World Health Organization stated that since the start of the conflict, 33,551 cases of diarrhea had been reported, 8,944 cases of scabies and lice, 1,005 cases of chickenpox, 12,635 cases of skin rash and 54,866 cases of upper respiratory infections. On 17 November, WHO updated these numbers, stating there were 70,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and over 44,000 cases of diarrhea, which were significantly higher than expected. UNICEF warned the worsening sanitation situation threatened a mass disease outbreak.
On 28 November, WHO stated more Palestinians risked dying from disease than bombings. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warned of an impending humanitarian "tsunami" as people succumbed to disease and the deprivation of sanitation and clean water. A Hepatitis A outbreak was reported by the United Nations on 3 December. The UN reported disease outbreaks in southern Gaza shelters. Volker Türk warned of unsanitary conditions amidst mass displacement in southern Gaza. On 7 December, the World Health Organization reported increases in acute respiratory infections, scabies, jaundice, and diarrhea. On 13 December, 360,000 cases of infectious diseases were reported in shelters. On 20 December, WHO reported Gaza was experiencing "soaring rates of infectious disease outbreaks".
On 29 December, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported 180,000 cases of upper respiratory infections, 136,400 cases of diarrhoea, 55,400 cases of lice and scabies, 5,330 cases of chickenpox, 42,700 cases of skin rash, and 4,722 cases of impetigo. Flooding in Gaza spread sewage water, raising fears of the spread of disease. On 19 January, Yahya Al-Sarraj, the mayor of Gaza City, stated more than 50,000 tons of trash had accumulated in the city, further leading to the spread of disease. Parents reported children falling sick after being exposed to raw sewage.
In his address to the UN Security Council on 31 January 2024, Martin Griffiths, the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordination, provided a comprehensive overview of the challenges currently confronting numerous individuals in Gaza. According to our latest estimates, approximately 75 percent of the entire population has been displaced. The living conditions they endure are deplorable and deteriorating with each passing day. The makeshift tent camps, established by refugees and displaced people, are being inundated by heavy rains, compelling children, parents, and the elderly to seek shelter in the mud. The issue of food insecurity continues to escalate, while access to clean water remains almost entirely unattainable. Given the limited availability of public health support, preventable diseases are rampant and will persistently propagate. On 4 March, the Gaza Health Ministry stated they had recorded about one million cases of infectious diseases.
The situation in Gaza is worsening, leading to the spread of diseases due to the lack of clean water and insufficient sewage facilities. According to the United Nations, the people in Gaza are facing a shortage of water and hygiene materials, which is negatively impacting their overall well-being and physical health. Additionally, the accumulation of solid waste in public areas, hospitals, IDP shelters, and other locations is a major concern as it poses significant risks to public health. The uncollected waste, amounting to tens of thousands of tons, is exacerbating these risks. In April 2024, the Gaza Media Office stated environmental contamination in northern Gaza had reached "unprecedented levels" due to "mountains of waste and hundreds of mass graves". In May 2024, the UN stated, "Mosquitoes, flies and rats are spreading, and so are diseases." Oxfam reported the threat of disease outbreaks due to an accumulation of "human waste and rivers of sewage in the streets".
In July 2024, poliovirus was detected in Gaza's sewage water. On 29 July, The Gaza Health Ministry officially declared a polio epidemic in the Gaza Strip.
According to a letter sent to President Joseph R. Biden, Vice President Kamala D. Harris, and others on October 2, 2024 by 99 American healthcare workers who have served in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and cited in a study from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, at least 5,000 people in Gaza have died due to a lack of access to care for chronic diseases according to a conservative estimate.