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UN: Gaza hospitals need oxygen, partners report massive damage to schools and homes
Summary
The United Nations said humanitarian needs across Gaza remain 'overwhelming,' with oxygen supplies critically low at hospitals including Al Shifa and Al Rantisi; partners report thousands of families without shelter and widespread damage to schools, while aid deliveries and distance learning continue.
The United Nations said humanitarian needs across the Gaza Strip remain "overwhelming," with oxygen supplies critically low at hospitals and partners distributing emergency shelter and hygiene aid to thousands of families.
The issue matters because shortages of oxygen and damage to health and education infrastructure affect emergency surgical and intensive care services and the ability to deliver basic services to civilians across Gaza. The UN also said implementation of a recent ceasefire and hostage-release deal is tied to the delivery of humanitarian aid.
UN spokespeople, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Palestinian health authorities, said oxygen is "critically needed" at hospitals across Gaza, including Al Shifa and Al Rantisi in Gaza City. Health partners are working with authorities to provide generators, spare parts and equipment to restore oxygen production.
Shelter partners distributed tarpaulins to more than 11,000 families in need, the briefing said. At one displacement site, Al Mawasi, about 450 families received sealing-off kits and kitchen and hygiene supplies. The UN also reported that 50,000 learners had enrolled in UNRWA's distance learning program and that partners estimate roughly 95 percent of school buildings in Gaza suffered damage over 15 months of hostilities.
The briefing reiterated a call for safe, sustained humanitarian access and noted the secretary-general's support for implementation of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal. "The Secretary General reiterates his call for all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and international human rights law," the spokesperson said.
In the occupied West Bank, OCHA reported ongoing casualties from Israeli operations in Tulkarm and Jenin and continuing reports of settler attacks against Palestinian residents and property, including an incident in which a house was set on fire in Nablus governorate. Humanitarian partners said they are mobilizing support for affected communities.
The UN emphasized that the scale of needs requires urgent and sustained international assistance. Aid partners highlighted continuing efforts to provide winter and shelter assistance to vulnerable people across Gaza as hostilities continue to damage homes and municipal infrastructure.
The briefing did not specify timelines for replenishing oxygen supplies or detailed funding commitments. UN agencies named in the briefing included OCHA and UNRWA; the Palestinian Ministry of Health provided the hospital needs information.
Looking ahead, the UN said it will continue coordinating with humanitarian partners to push for lifesaving deliveries and to expand services such as distance learning while the security and access situation allows.
