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CONTEXT
Humanitarian and health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) have severely deteriorated since October 2023, with more than 2.9 million people now requiring humanitarian health assistance.
Two years of conflict have devastated the Gaza Strip. Although the ceasefire announced on 10 October 2025 has reduced traumatic injuries and created some opportunities for health sector rehabilitation, bureaucratic impediments and access restrictions continue to hinder humanitarian operations and needs still exceed the capacity of the current response and health system. As of December 2025, over 71 000 people have been killed and more than 171 000 people have been injured, of whom 25% have suffered life-changing injuries. Nearly the entire population of 2.1 million people has been repeatedly displaced, with the majority now confined to less than half of the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Strip’s health system has been systematically degraded by sustained attacks, with all 36 hospitals and the majority of primary health care centres damaged. Since October 2023, over 930 attacks on health have been recorded. Currently, only half of all hospitals are partially functional, with many operating beyond capacity. Just 48% of primary health care centres remain operational. An estimated 81% of all structures across the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed.
Famine was declared in parts of the Gaza Strip in August 2025, with 421 malnutrition-related deaths reported during the year. While the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis confirms that no areas are currently classified as experiencing famine and the ceasefire has improved food deliveries, progress remains fragile. An estimated 1.6 million people are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in the Gaza Strip until mid-April 2026.
The risk of disease outbreaks remains high due to inadequate housing, poor water and sanitation conditions, overcrowding and limited access to health services. The massive scale of injuries, including over 5000 amputations, continues to strain surgical and rehabilitation services. More than 18 500 injured and chronically ill patients currently require medical treatment that is not available in the Gaza Strip due to the lack of specialized services and are awaiting medical evacuation. Non-communicable diseases, which represented the largest burden of disease before October 2023, have gone underdiagnosed and undertreated due to limitations in available diagnostics and treatments. The mental health toll of the conflict is profound, with an estimated one million people in need of mental health and psychosocial support.
According to the Ministry of Health, 51% of essential medicines are currently at zero stock in the Gaza Strip. While the volume of medical supplies entering the Gaza Strip has improved since the ceasefire, extensive clearance procedures, including restrictions on items considered dual-use, continue to delay the delivery of critical medical equipment. The delivery of an appropriately scaled health response depends on a conducive operating environment, including timely entry of supplies and equipment at scale, an easing of dual-use categorization and the removal of bureaucratic impediments and access restrictions.
The situation in the West Bank remains deeply concerning. Violence, including settler attacks, demolitions and evictions, have increased, alongside displacement linked to militarized operations, particularly in the northern West Bank. Between October 2023 and December 2025, more than 1100 Palestinians were killed and over 920 attacks on health care were recorded. Increasing access restrictions continue to fragment Palestinian territory and hinder the movement of patients and ambulances. One in five households reports that, at least once since October 2023, their children were unable to access needed health care or medicines. The long-standing fiscal crisis facing the Palestinian Authority continues to affect service delivery, with disruptions to health worker salaries, stock-outs of essential medicines and primary care, outpatient specialty clinics and hospitals operating at reduced capacity. Currently, 63% of primary health care centres are partially functional, opening an average of one day per week, down from six days prior to 2023. Mental health and psychosocial needs are acute, particularly among children and youth.