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UN agencies say millions reached with aid in Gaza in first two weeks of ceasefire; shelters, water and health services expanded
Summary
UNRWA and other UN agencies reported large‑scale food, shelter, water and health assistance in Gaza since the ceasefire: UNRWA reached 1.2 million people with food, opened 37 new shelters, and provided water services to nearly 500,000; WHO has prepositioned supplies for 1.6 million and supported medical evacuations.
UN agencies reported that humanitarian operations in Gaza expanded rapidly during the first two weeks following the ceasefire, reaching hundreds of thousands to millions of people while warning that the ceasefire must hold to sustain the scale‑up.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reached about 1,200,000 people with food in the first two weeks of the ceasefire and opened 37 new shelters for people returning to the north, according to a UN briefing. UNRWA reported it repaired water wells and provided water and waste disposal services to nearly 500,000 people and that roughly 644,000 people across Gaza had received shelter assistance — including tents and sealing materials — since the ceasefire came into effect. The agency was hosting about 20,000 people in 120 shelters, the briefing said.
The World Health Organization told reporters it had been able to bring in supplies to cover 1,600,000 people, expanded operations and prepositioned supplies at health facilities. WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in materials cited at the briefing, said WHO supported the medical evacuation of 414 patients requiring treatment outside Gaza alongside 588 companions since the ceasefire.
Health partners also have established mobile clinics, new medical points and expanded or reactivated services at existing facilities. UNICEF reached more than 10,000 children under age 2 with ready‑to‑use complementary foods, the briefing said. A new women’s shelter in Gaza City was established and runs on a solar power system to ensure uninterrupted services, the briefing added.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs emphasized that the ceasefire must hold and said the UN and partners are appealing for $1,200,000,000 to reach 6,700,000 people through March for the broader regional humanitarian effort that includes Syria and Gaza-related needs referenced in the briefing.
The briefing did not provide a breakdown of how the appeal amount is apportioned among agencies or between Gaza and other crisis responses, nor did it list specific donor commitments.
