Gaza, Palestine – Nine in ten people in Gaza are struggling with unreliable access to safe water, while an estimated quarter of those wounded since October 2023 are living with potentially life-changing injuries, according to the latest humanitarian situation report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The figures underline the depth of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis even after the ceasefire agreement announced in October 2025, with most of the population still displaced and exposed to continuing military strikes.

An OCHA-cited water and sanitation survey conducted in early July found that 90% of Gaza’s population faced moderate-to-high water insecurity, up from 84% in June.

Conditions were worst in Gaza City, where 92% of surveyed households reported serious difficulties accessing reliable water, followed by Khan Younis at 90% and Deir al Balah at 87%.

Humanitarian agencies have increased water trucking, but insecurity has left around 5,000 people at six displacement sites in northern Rafah beyond the reach of aid teams since early July.

The health outlook is equally severe.

According to the UN Health Cluster’s Rehabilitation Task Force, around one in four Palestinians injured since the war began in October 2023 are estimated to have suffered conditions including amputations, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries.

Children account for 18% of amputations and 31% of spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries recorded in Gaza, while specialised paediatric rehabilitation services are unavailable, OCHA said.

Overall, about 2% of Gaza’s pre-war population is estimated to be living with severe conflict-related injuries.

Restrictions on rehabilitation equipment and assistive devices have compounded the problem, with shipments facing lengthy delays and remaining specialist facilities struggling with shortages.

The World Health Organization recorded 45 attacks affecting healthcare in Gaza so far this year, nearly half in Rafah, including incidents in which medical evacuations were obstructed or delayed.

Seven Palestinians were reported killed and 28 injured between August 5 and 12, according to Gaza’s health ministry. It said 1,259 people had been killed and 4,148 wounded since the October 2025 ceasefire announcement.

OCHA also warned of worsening conditions in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli military operations, settler attacks and demolitions continue to drive displacement and disrupt essential services.

In one week, 38 settler attacks were reported, while Israeli authorities demolished 25 Palestinian-owned structures, displacing 29 people, including 17 children.

Agencies