{"id":314744,"date":"2026-01-14T14:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&#038;p=314744"},"modified":"2026-01-23T08:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:14:23","slug":"unrwa-situation-report-203-on-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-the-gaza-strip-and-the-occupied-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/unrwa-situation-report-203-on-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-the-gaza-strip-and-the-occupied-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem\/","title":{"rendered":"±¬ÁÏÍøRWA Situation Report #203 on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>All information updated for 24 December 2025 &#8211; 6 January 2026 [1]<br \/>\nDays 807 &#8211; 820 since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Agency-wide<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On 29 December 2025, Israeli parliament passed new legislation seeking to further impede ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s ability to operate and to carry out its mandated activities. The legislation cuts off water, electricity, fuel, and communications from ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA facilities and grants the government of Israel authority to expropriate ±¬ÁÏÍø properties in East Jerusalem, including ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s headquarters and its main vocational training centre. Furthermore, the bill explicitly excludes ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA from Israeli law enacting Israel\u2019s obligations under the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/ethics\/assets\/pdfs\/Convention%20of%20Privileges-Immunities%20of%20the%20±¬ÁÏÍø.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations<\/a>. Emphasizing that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA is an integral part of the United Nations,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sg\/en\/content\/sg\/statements\/2025-12-31\/statement-attributable-the-spokesperson-for-the-secretary-general-the-adoption-of-amendments-the-law-cease-unrwa-operations-the-knesset-of-israel?_gl=1%2Adva1k1%2A_ga%2AMTU1NjAxNjI4MS4xNzUyMTMwMjI2%2A_ga_TK9BQL5X7Z%2AczE3Njc2MDU0MzYkbzMwJGcxJHQxNzY3NjA4OTY1JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..%2A_ga_S5EKZKSB78%2AczE3Njc2MDU0MzYkbzIwJGcxJHQxNzY3NjA5MTQzJGo2MCRsMCRoMA..\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Secretary-General<\/a>\u00a0noted Israel\u2019s obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and recalled the advisory opinion issued on 22 October 2025 by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.icj-cij.org\/case\/196\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Court of Justice<\/a>, reiterating Israel\u2019s obligation to ensure full respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations, including ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA and its personnel, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s Commissioner-General also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/newsroom\/official-statements\/unrwa-commissioner-general-new-anti%E2%80%91unrwa-legislation-passed-israeli-Parliament\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condemned<\/a>\u00a0this measure as a \u201cclear violation of the State of Israel\u2019s obligations under international law\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Gaza Strip<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On 30 December, the Israeli authorities announced a plan to suspend the operation of multiple international NGOs. In a statement,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/content\/statement-humanitarian-country-team-occupied-palestinian-territory-international-ngos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Humanitarian Country Team in the oPt<\/a>, representing ±¬ÁÏÍø agencies, and over 200 local and international humanitarian partners, urged Israeli authorities to reconsider the announcement, stressing that international NGOs are essential for life-saving aid delivery. ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s Commissioner-General also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/newsroom\/official-statements\/unrwa-commissioner-general-israeli-restrictions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condemned<\/a>\u00a0the new Israeli measures, saying they \u201cwere part of a troubling pattern of disregard for international humanitarian law and increasing impediments to aid operations&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>As reported by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/content\/humanitarian-situation-update-351-gaza-strip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OCHA<\/a>, recent rainstorms since 26 December have triggered flash flooding, particularly affecting people living in low-lying areas, coastal zones. Seawater has once again inundated tents housing displaced families, including in the Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, rendering many shelters uninhabitable. Displaced families remain inside damaged structures due to the lack of alternative shelter. In ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s collective emergency shelters, over 3,400 people have been affected, with almost 900 tents impacted.<\/li>\n<li>The Israeli military remains deployed in more than half of the Gaza Strip, beyond the so-called \u201cYellow Line,\u201d which remains largely unmarked on the ground and where access to humanitarian facilities and assets, public infrastructure and agricultural land remain severely restricted or prohibited. Airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire continued to be reported across the Gaza Strip, with most incidents occurring in the vicinity of the \u201cYellow Line,\u201d resulting in casualties. Over the reporting period, the \u201cYellow Line\u201d was pushed westwards in Gaza City, reflecting a broader pattern observed in several parts of the Gaza Strip and further constraining access to ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA installations.<\/li>\n<li>Fuel delivery into Gaza has been limited and inconsistent during the reporting period, directly and significantly affecting ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s operations and the overall humanitarian response. ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA is a direct service provider, needing fuel to operate generators across a large number of shelters, and health clinics among others. Over the reporting period, ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA had to ration available fuel, prioritising consumption to sustain life-saving activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The West Bank including East Jerusalem<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Further demolitions took place inside Nur Shams Camp following the rejection by the Israeli Supreme Court on 24 December of a legal petition to halt the execution of a demolition order for 25 buildings. The demolitions occurred simultaneously with a new cash-for-rent distribution by ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA to support households forcibly displaced from Nur Shams, Tulkarm, and Jenin camps in the northern West Bank.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Key points<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Gaza Strip<\/p>\n<p>Fatalities and injuries<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Between 7 October 2023 and 29 December 2025, according to the MoH in Gaza, as stated by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/content\/humanitarian-situation-update-351-gaza-strip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OCHA,<\/a>\u00a071,266 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip and another 171,222, injured. Since the ceasefire, 414 Palestinians have been killed, 1,145 injured and 680 bodies have been retrieved from under the rubble, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).<\/li>\n<li>±¬ÁÏÍøRWA has recorded 382 colleagues killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict (309 ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA personnel, in addition to 73 persons who were supporting ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA activities<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/resources\/reports\/unrwa-situation-report-203-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem#_ftn1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">[2]<\/a>), as of 5 January 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Health crisis<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only half of hospitals and less than half of primary healthcare centres are currently partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. Only four out of the 22 ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA health clinics operational before the war are currently operating, in addition to four temporary health centres.<\/li>\n<li>According to the latest\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/occupied-palestinian-territory\/gaza-health-cluster-bulletin-november-2025\">Gaza Health Cluster Bulletin<\/a>, the most common morbidities remain Acute Watery Diarrheal and Acute Respiratory Tract Infections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Education crisis<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/content\/humanitarian-situation-update-347-gaza-strip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Education Cluster,<\/a>\u00a0extensive damage to school infrastructure has forced a reliance on temporary learning spaces (TLS), with efforts ongoing to expand learning services. Education Cluster partners (including ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA), with support from 5,180 teachers, are currently serving about 220,950 students in TLS, or about 34 per cent of school-aged children in Gaza.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Displacement, Site management<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>±¬ÁÏÍøRWA continues to monitor the movement of displaced persons and displacement sites. As of 21 December, 79,000 displaced people were estimated to be living in ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA collective emergency shelters and the surrounding areas, including in 85 displacement sites managed by the Agency.<\/li>\n<li>Currently,\u00a0<strong>117<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>±¬ÁÏÍøRWA facilities<\/strong>\u00a0are located within the Israeli militarised zone behind the so-called \u201cYellow Line\u201d and in areas where access is subject to Israeli approval\/coordination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Operational implications and humanitarian response<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Around 11,500 Palestinian ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA personnel continue to provide services and assistance to Gaza\u2019s entire population in need. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA continues to play a central role with over 4,000 ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA Palestinian personnel providing education, health, and other services to Palestine Refugees.<\/li>\n<li>All ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA international staff are prevented from entering the occupied Palestinian territory (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem). This follows the implementation of laws passed by the Israeli parliament on 28 October 2024<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/resources\/reports\/unrwa-situation-report-203-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem#_ftn1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">[3]<\/a>\u00a0that purport to prohibit ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s operations in areas that Israel considers its sovereign territory, including occupied East Jerusalem, and seek to bar any contact by Israeli officials with ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA.\u00a0<strong>The Israeli Authorities have not granted the Agency\u2019s international staff visas or permits to enter the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, since the end of January 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The Israeli Authorities have since March 2025 been blocking ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA from directly bringing humanitarian personnel and aid into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, pre-positioned outside Gaza, ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA has enough food parcels, flour, and shelter supplies for hundreds of thousands of people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ochaopt.org\/data\/casualties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OCHA<\/a>, between 7 October 2023 and 1 January 2026, 1,046 Palestinians \u2013 at least 229 of them children \u2013 were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Late on 24 December, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition to halt the demolition of some 25 buildings inside Nur Shams Camp in the northern West Bank. The demolitions subsequently commenced on 31 December. The camp, alongside Tulkarm and Jenin camps, has been completely emptied of residents for nearly a year because of the Israeli forces\u2019 \u201cIron Wall\u201d operation, which started in January 2025. The Director of ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA Affairs in the West Bank\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GRFriedrich\/status\/2005717463569457418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">released a statement<\/a>\u00a0condemning these further demolitions as a violation of international law.<\/li>\n<li>On 29 December, the Israeli parliament passed an amendment to anti-±¬ÁÏÍøRWA laws cutting off water, electricity, fuel, and communications from ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA and granting the Israeli government authority to expropriate ±¬ÁÏÍø property in East Jerusalem, including both the ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA West Bank Field Office compound in Sheikh Jarrah and the Kalandia Training Centre. The ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA Commissioner-General\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/newsroom\/official-statements\/unrwa-commissioner-general-new-anti%E2%80%91unrwa-legislation-passed-israeli-Parliament\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">described the vote<\/a>\u00a0as \u201ca direct affront to the mandate granted to the Agency by the ±¬ÁÏÍø General Assembly.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>During the final week of December, ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA distributed cash-for-rent assistance to more than 1,600 forcibly displaced families from Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps. Many households in the northern West Bank have experienced repeated displacement over recent years, significantly increasing their vulnerability and protection risks.<\/li>\n<li>On 31 December, the Israeli Civil Administration granted preliminary approval for the construction of 126 housing units in the re-established Israeli settlement of Sa Nur in the northern West Bank. Sa Nur is among the settlements previously dismantled as part of the 2005 Disengagement Plan. This comes against the backdrop of an earlier announcement by the Israeli government in December establishing or formalising 19 Israeli settlements in the West Bank.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All information updated for 24 December 2025 &#8211; 6 January 2026 [1] Days 807 &#8211; 820 since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip Highlights Agency-wide On 29 December 2025, Israeli parliament passed new legislation seeking to further impede ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s ability to operate and to carry out its mandated activities. The legislation cuts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/unrwa-situation-report-203-on-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-the-gaza-strip-and-the-occupied-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2929],"document-source":[1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[5449,1829,2265,2033,2441,2005,2533,6869,5200,2613,1961,1745,2729,2097,6891,6251],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-314744","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-situation-report","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance-to-the-palestinian-people","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-children","document-subject-education-and-culture","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-hospitals","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-internally-displaced-persons","document-subject-jerusalem","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-shelter","document-subject-social-issues","document-subject-unrwa","document-subject-west-bank","entity-united-nations-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314746,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314744\/revisions\/314746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=314744"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=314744"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=314744"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=314744"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=314744"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=314744"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=314744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}