Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 25 May - 7 June 2025

UN officials visit a neonatal unit at Al Helou Hospital in Gaza city, where generators powered by fuel keep life-saving equipment running. These services are at risk of shutting down unless more fuel is allowed into Gaza. Photo by OCHA/Olga Cherevko

[dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_col xs='12' sm='12' md='' lg='not-set'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Period: 25 May - 7 June 2025

The information below is provided every other week by Clusters and select Technical Working Groups operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). For an overview of priority needs and activities by cluster, please see the Flash Appeal.

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_col xs='12' sm='12' md='' lg='not-set'][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='12' md='not-set' lg='12' xl='not-set' class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Food Security Sector (FSS)

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='not-set' md='not-set' lg='not-set' xl='not-set' class='ml-5 pl-4' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Response

Since 19 May, and as of the morning of 10 June*, partners have brought in only around 5,600 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat flour, or about 224,000 25-kilogramme bags. Most of this assistance was offloaded by hungry people, and in some cases by armed criminals, before reaching warehouses or designated distribution points. FSS estimates that 8,000–10,000 MT is required to provide at least one bag of wheat flour to every household in Gaza to address needs, which would also help stabilize markets before resuming household distributions.*
During the reporting period, partners attempted to deliver food from southern to northern Gaza. In three of the recent convoys that were facilitated, food supplies were offloaded by hungry people mostly coming from the north*, along the road in Netzarim area.
As of 9 June, 258,000 meals were prepared and delivered by 15 cluster partners through 62 kitchens. This represents a 76 per cent reduction from the 1.07 million meals distributed daily by 180 kitchens at the end of April.

Challenges

Limited access to crossings, long delays in movement approvals (sometimes up to 36 hours or even beyond), constantly shifting, insecure convoy routes, intensified military operations, and a breakdown of public order and safety continue to severely constrain operations to collect food stocks from Kerem Shalom crossing and are placing community members, humanitarian staff, drivers and trucks at significant risk. To ensure a sustained and scaled-up flow of food assistance into Gaza, it is urgent to have multiple entry points simultaneously open, including at least one crossing for the north (e.g. Zikim) and one for the south (e.g. Kerem Shalom), to reduce the number of holding points, shorten waiting times for cargo collection, and expand the list of vetted drivers to allow for rotations and multiple movements.
With 82 per cent of Gaza within an Israeli-militarized zone and/or under displacement orders, access is becoming increasingly difficult, and people are increasingly offloading the limited aid that is coming through directly from trucks. In some cases, armed actors are intercepting moving supplies.
If the entry of flour continues to be limited, partners will be prevented from meeting the minimum requirement of one 25-kilogramme bag of flour per household. Israeli authorities also continue to prohibit partners from conducting food parcel distributions. These conditions are heightening the risk of worsening food insecurity, eroding community trust, and increasing security threats. Furthermore, the lack of sustained, large-scale deliveries are destabilizing wheat flour availability, pricing, and affordability. Flour prices remain elevated to unprecedented levels. In areas affected by looting, market prices temporarily dropped slightly before rebounding to previously high levels within hours.
According to the full IPC analysis released on 6 June, with the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the persistent inability of humanitarian organizations to access populations in dire need of assistance, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible - it is increasingly likely. A recent market monitoring and food security analysis by the World Food Programme (WFP) shows that there was an alarming and unprecedented decline in access to diverse and nutritious food in May, further pushing the population into severe food insecurity. This followed already severe restrictions in April and surpassed the extremely low levels recorded in December 2024 and January 2025.
Food production and food systems in Gaza have been severely weakened by the lack of safe access of farmers, breeders, and fishers to their lands, livestock and the sea. Since 18 March 2025, access to cropland available for cultivation has significantly declined. As food supplies continue to dwindle and as fresh produce remains scarce and unaffordable, some wholesalers, fishers and farmers are forced to take grave risks to reach areas near or within the Israeli-militarized zones or the sea. In April and May, several incidents were reported in which fishing boats were hit or came under Israeli fire near the shore, resulting in casualties among fishers. Since October 2023, the Israeli authorities have banned sailing off Gaza's shore and over 70 per cent of fishing assets have been destroyed or damaged, but some fishers have continued to work within less than one nautical mile from the shore using non-motorized boats.

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='12' sm='12' md='' lg='not-set'][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='12' md='not-set' lg='12' xl='not-set' class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Nutrition

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='not-set' md='not-set' lg='not-set' xl='not-set' class='ml-5 pl-4' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Response

In May, Nutrition Cluster partners distributed nutrition supplements – such as small and medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS-SQ and LNS-MQ) and High Energy Biscuits (HEB) – to nearly 200,000 people, including 167,000 children under five and 28,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) through the blanket supplementary feeding programme (BSFP) and outpatient site visits. Additionally, 17,605 children from six to 24 months were reached with ready-to-use complementary food/baby jar food. During the reporting period, the number of BSFP sites fluctuated between 125 to 145 locations across the Gaza Strip due to the suspension and/or relocation of services following the issuance of displacement orders.
In May, 5,149 out of 97,744 children under five screened by partners were diagnosed with acute malnutrition. In the second half of May, 5.9 per cent of screened children (2,755 out of 46,738) were diagnosed with acute malnutrition and enrolled in treatment programmes, up from 4.7 per cent in the first half of May (2,394 out of 51,006), 4 per cent in April (3,290 out of 83,262), and nearly triple the proportion of children diagnosed with acute malnutrition in February (2.3 per cent or 2,068 out of 88,062). This trend indicates a significant and worsening deterioration in the nutritional status of children.
In May, 30,423 pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) were screened for malnutrition, of whom 790 enrolled in the management of acute malnutrition programme. This represents an increase of more than 47 per cent compared with April, when 535 women were newly enrolled. Since the beginning of the year, less than 3,300 PBW have been enrolled. The programme requires significant scale-up to reach the roughly 17,000 PBW estimated to require treatment in Gaza. Analysis of screening data reveals a sharp deterioration of the nutrition status of PBW during May. In Deir al Balah, acute malnutrition was detected in 18 per cent of screened PBW, up from 10 per cent in February and 9 per cent in March. In Gaza city, 17 per cent of PBW were diagnosed, compared with 9 per cent in February and 10 per cent in March. In North Gaza, 12 per cent were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, a significant rise from just 2 per cent in each of February and March. There is not enough screening data from Khan Younis and Rafah in this regard.
Partners continued to provide individual counselling to address infant and young child feeding challenges. In May, a total of 3,676 women received one-to-one counselling on young child feeding practices, including 488 who received lactation support, either in person or through individual online sessions.

Challenges

Shrinking humanitarian space and access constraints continue to impede malnutrition detection and treatment efforts, while the nutrition situation continues to deteriorate.
Although limited supplies are entering, ongoing restrictions on the entry of aid and other essentials continue to severely limit the availability of supplies required to implement nutrition programmes.
Severe food shortages have contributed to frequent looting of nutritional supplies, including LNS-MQ supplements and ready-to-use infant formula that have entered the Strip during the reporting period, further undermining partners’ ability to reach children and PBW in urgent need. According to a recent UNICEF market survey conducted in the second week of May, 49 per cent of vendors expressed concern about the risk of robberies to them or their clients, while 23 per cent feared potential looting.
The recent UNICEF market survey also showed that most food items essential for children's dietary diversity are either non-existent on the market or prohibitively expensive. Many essential goods have been completely out of stock for two months, including meats and dairy products. The continued unavailability or skyrocketing prices of essential food items are having a severe impact on nutrition, particularly vulnerable groups such as young children and PBW. The lack of dietary diversity compromises nutritional intake, increasing the risk of acute malnutrition and related health complications.
Partners are reporting a growing number of children with acute malnutrition with complications due to underlying medical conditions such as cleft palate or disabilities, which cannot be treated in the current environment.