Attachments
CHILDREN IN THE GAZA STRIP CONTINUE TO FACE EXTREME HEALTH RISKS DESPITE SOME IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THE START OF THE 10 OCTOBER 2025 CEASEFIRE
Health Situation Update
• Since 7 October 2023 until 3 February 2026, 71,803 Palestinians have been reported killed in the Gaza Strip, including at least 21,289 children. Additionally, 171,230 Palestinians were reported injured, including 44,500 children. Since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October 2025 until the end of the year, 529 Palestinians were reported killed, including more than 120 children, and 1,184 Palestinians were reported injured. Children continue to be killed and injured during air strikes and fire along the so-called “Yellow line”.
• At least 11 children have reportedly died from hypothermia this winter, including a two-month-old baby and a oneyear-old child, underscoring the deadly impact of exposure to cold conditions without adequate shelter.
• No hospital is fully functional in the Gaza Strip, while 50 per cent (18/36) of hospitals are partially functional. Among primary healthcare centres, 1.5 per cent (3/200) are fully functional and 46.5 per cent (93/200) are partially functional.
• Respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhoea, and skin infections are the most common illnesses. Respiratory infections are rising, including severe cases requiring hospitalization.
• Preterm and low birthweight deliveries have sharply increased, with hospitals seeing roughly one in five newborns requiring intensive neonatal and thermal care, as maternal malnutrition, chronic stress and limited antenatal care worsen pregnancy outcomes.
• Humanitarian health missions inside the Gaza Strip continue to face regular access restrictions, mission denials, damaged road networks, limited warehouse capacity, and restrictions on bringing in basic supplies and medical equipment, such as respirators, ventilators, incubators.
• The extensive damage to the infrastructure related to water, sanitation and waste management, the restrictions in bringing in supplies, the resulting poor hygiene conditions worsened considerably by harsh winter conditions are leaving almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip exposed and vulnerable to public health risks.