Humanitarian Situation in Gaza Remains Critical Six Months After Ceasefire
UN agencies report continued civilian casualties, widespread displacement and severe shortages of food, shelter and medical supplies in Gaza despite a ceasefire declared a year ago.
UN agencies said that civilian casualties have continued in Gaza after the ceasefire announced a year earlier. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that by 19 October, eight children had been killed and 20 injured in six days, and that the overall Palestinian death toll had reached 1,522 with 5,421 injured, according to figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
A British government humanitarian assessment released in September 2026 estimated that between 77 % and 92 % of residential units in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed, leaving up to 90 % of the population displaced. About 2.1 million people remain in the territory, many living in overcrowded conditions and dependent on humanitarian assistance.
OCHA estimated in October that roughly 950 000 displaced individuals were in locations at medium or high risk of flooding, including more than 400 000 at high risk. Humanitarian shelter assistance was available for only about 18 % of the 294 250 families identified as needing it.
Food security remains precarious. An OCHA report noted a decline in daily cooked-meal production from approximately 695 000 to 614 000 meals due to funding constraints, with monthly food distributions covering only about half of minimum caloric requirements. Nearly half of households surveyed in September reported having gone to bed hungry at least once in the previous month.
UNICEF reported that more than 340 children had been killed and over 600 injured since the ceasefire began, with around 800 000 children displaced and an estimated 60 000 having lost one or both parents.
Humanitarian organisations and UN bodies have called for unrestricted access to deliver aid, removal of restrictions on relief supplies, and accountability for violations of international law. They stress that protection, adequate food, medical supplies, safe shelter and the restoration of essential services are necessary for the civilian population’s survival and recovery.