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UN details humanitarian gains after ceasefire, warns needs remain acute in Gaza and West Bank
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Summary
The United Nations reported increases in water, sanitation and learning spaces in northern Gaza since the ceasefire, but said overall needs remain severe; OCHA also reported large displacements and elevated child fatalities in the West Bank.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported improvements in some services in Gaza since the ceasefire but said humanitarian needs remain severe and many civilians continue to face displacement and inadequate services.
According to the UN briefing, 63 public water and sanitation facilities were operational in northern Gaza as of the day before the briefing, three times the number available at the start of the ceasefire. More than 540 water delivery points were established in the two northern governorates, a capacity increase described by the UN as having doubled in one week. Partners have also scaled up distribution of bread and cooked meals; 20 additional retail shops in Khan Yunus and the central area began supplying bread since the previous day.
Humanitarian partners reported distribution of 1,101 one‑month food rations in Khuzaa and Khan Yunus, and between Jan. 24 and Feb. 7 partners distributed 25,000 tarpaulins to 12,500 families who recently returned to northern Gaza. A partner installed four latrines and water taps on the route across the Netzarim Corridor to assist people returning home, and a cash‑for‑work program collected waste and cleaned facilities at six UNRWA‑managed collective centers, benefiting more than 2,800 people.
Education partners said more than a dozen new temporary learning spaces opened recently in Deir al‑Balah, Rafah, Khan Yunus and Gaza governorates, supporting about 1,700 school‑age children. Overall, the briefing said, roughly 400 temporary learning spaces across the Gaza Strip serve about 152,000 children, nearly half of them girls; that still amounts to fewer than a quarter of Gaza’s school‑age population.
On the West Bank, the UN said operations by Israeli forces continued in northern areas, displacing tens of thousands of people—particularly from refugee camps—and restricting access to shelter and public services. OCHA reporting cited an increase in Palestinian child fatalities in the West Bank over the past two years compared with the prior 18 years; the briefing said 224 children have been killed since Jan. 2023, accounting for nearly half of the 468 child fatalities OCHA has documented in the West Bank since February 2005.
The UN press office reiterated that any returns of displaced people must be voluntary and occur under safe, informed and dignified conditions in accordance with international humanitarian law. The spokesperson said the UN and humanitarian partners continue to assess winter storm damage and expand operations into areas that were inaccessible during the earlier hostilities.
No formal UN decision or new funding package was announced at the briefing; the UN described ongoing humanitarian operations and scaled‑up partner activities.
