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General updates - as of 31 Oct 2025
• A ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on 10 October 2025. Since then, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has reported 226 deaths and 594 injuries in Gazans, in addition to 499 bodies retrieved from under the rubble, as of 1 November . This brings the cumulative toll since October 2023 to 68 858 deaths and 170 664 injuries.
• Unsafe shelter conditions and unexploded ordnance continue to pose significant health risks for families returning to their homes. According to OCHA, between 10 and 30 October, two explosive incidents in Khan Younis resulted in six injuries. On 25 October, the Palestinian Civil Defense reported that a 9-year-old girl was killed and three others were injured when a damaged building collapsed on its residents.
• Surge in displacement movements from south to north Gaza (524 536 movements between 10 and 31 October, according to the Site Management Cluster ), is driving increased needs and requiring a scale up of the health response in the north.
◦ Despite the ceasefire, many health facilities remain out of service, due to infrastructure damage, inaccessibility, and loss of equipment and supplies.
◦ Four hospitals have resumed partial operations in Gaza City (i.e. Haifa, Rantissi Pediatric, St. John Eye and the MOH Ophthalmic), bringing the total number of partially functioning hospitals in Gaza City to 12. These facilities are currently serving both Gaza and North Gaza governorates, although half remain only partially accessible due to debris and damage to surrounding roads.
◦ Ten additional primary healthcare centres and six medical points have also become operational, across the Gaza Strip.
◦ No hospitals are currently operational in North Gaza, with health services in the governorate being provided through a single primary healthcare center.
◦ Seven of the 36 hospitals are located beyond the ceasefire line: the Algerian and European Gaza Hospitals in Khan Younis; the Indonesian and Beit Hanoun Hospitals in North Gaza; and Al-Helal Al-Emirati, Al-Najjar, and Kuwait Specialized Hospitals in Rafah. Beit Hanoun and Kuwait Specialized Hospitals have been destroyed, while the remaining five facilities remain inaccessible beyond the yellow line. Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia is also inaccessible, despite being situated approximately 100 meters inside the ceasefire line, due to insecurity.
◦ The MOH is developing an Early Recovery Plan (covering the next 6-12 months), aimed at restoring and strengthening the health system. The plan focuses on:
- Providing essential life-saving services in areas of return for internally displaced persons (IDPs);
- Expanding the provision of essential health services across all health facilities in the Gaza Strip;
- Ensuring availability of medical supplies and other logistical needs;
- Strengthening the resilience of health personnel; and
- Strengthening health system governance throughout the emergency and recovery phases.
◦ To support early recovery efforts, a damage assessment committee was established by the MOH, technically supported by WHO, to evaluate the condition of health facilities and identify priority interventions required to restore and strengthen the health system’s capacity.
◦ Reorganization and shifting of services among health providers are planned to ensure complementarity and continuity of health service delivery. For instance, following its role as the primary trauma centre for North Gaza during the hostilities, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital is expected to gradually transition back to its pre-conflict function within the Gazan health system, focusing on oncology and other specialized care. El-Shifa Hospital and PRCS Al-Saraya field hospital will be scaled up to serve as the main trauma care centres, in the coming period.
• A WHO analysis estimates that nearly 42 000 patients in the Gaza Strip are living with life-changing injuries, one in four of these injuries are in children. Rehabilitation needs extend beyond trauma and include pre-existing disabilities, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), malnutrition, secondary complications, and impacts of disease outbreaks. The volume and complexity of rehabilitation needs are increasing, while service availability has decreased by 62%, resulting in waitlists of up to one year, severely limiting timely access to care.
• Between Oct 2023 and 31 Oct 2025, WHO has supported the medical evacuation of 7987 patients abroad from the Gaza Strip, including 5533 children (69%). The Rafah Crossing remains closed for medical evacuations, with only 146 patients evacuated through the Kerem Shalom Crossing between 10 and 31 October 2025. The MOH estimates that more than 16 500 patients in the Gaza Strip currently require medical evacuation (including around 4000 children). Since July 2024, some 931 patients have died while awaiting evacuation, according to the MoH.
• Nutrition services are provided at seven Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) Stabilization Centres (SCs) across the Gaza Strip, with a total of 70 beds. Two SAM SC are operational in Gaza City at Rantissi and Patient Friends Hospitals, two in Deir Al-Balah at the IMC Field Hospital and Al-Awda Nusseirat Hospital, and three in Khan Younis at Nasser and Al-Khair Hospitals and Al-Qarara Field Facility.
• Infectious disease threats persist, driven by overcrowding, poor WASH conditions, and malnutrition-related weakened immunity:
◦ Acute respiratory infections and acute watery diarrhea remain the most frequently reported conditions, accounting for 64% and 35% respectively of all morbidities in week 44 (26 Oct. - 1 Nov.).
◦ Between June and October 2025, a total of 132 suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases has been reported, with a noticeable decline over the past EPI weeks. Over 100 patients continue to experience residual weaknesses that require ongoing rehabilitation.
◦ Three workers at separate community kitchens have tested positive for Hepatitis A, prompting a multi-sectoral investigation involving health, WASH, and food security partners.
• The MoH reported severe shortages in essential medications and supplies in October 2025, with zero stock levels at 55% and 66%, respectively. Of the 622 essential medicines, 343 have less than a one-month supply, impacting chemotherapy and blood diseases (74%), primary care (64%), maternal and child health (55%), and kidney transplantation and hemodialysis services (50%). Meanwhile, 710 of 1006 essential consumables are out of stock, critically affecting open-heart and catheterization (100%), orthopedic (99%), ophthalmic (91%), dentistry (70%), and hemodialysis services (67%).