Gaza Families Face Dire Shortages as Aid Efforts Expand

A UN worker checks food supplies in a warehouse in Nuseirat, Gaza.

More than 470,000 civilian movements toward northern Gaza have been recorded since the ceasefire began, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) reported on Monday.

Many families are returning to devastated neighbourhoods where unstable buildings and unexploded ordnance pose deadly risks.

“Water, food and essential services are still desperately needed,” OCHA said, as humanitarian partners race to meet soaring demand amid widespread destruction.

Aid Deliveries Continue

Aid continues to flow into Gaza, with more than 300 truckloads of supplies collected from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing between Friday and Saturday.

The shipments included thousands of pallets of wheat flour, canned food, rice, and supplies for hot meals, along with medical equipment, tents, tarpaulins, and winter clothing.

While data from Sunday’s deliveries is still being compiled, the UN confirmed that hygiene kits, post-partum kits, and shelter materials also entered the enclave.

The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which provides emergency support, distributed about 329,000 litres of diesel to keep hospitals, telecommunications, and food operations running.

Hot Meals and Bread for the Displaced

Humanitarian partners, working with 170 community kitchens, have served more than one million hot meals—mainly in southern and central Gaza.

In Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, 15 UN-supported bakeries are producing tens of thousands of bundles of bread daily, distributed free of charge to shelters and communities at hundreds of sites.

Teams are also working to reduce risks from unexploded ordnance, largely from the Israeli offensive, as people begin returning home. Over the weekend, nearly 3,200 people in central and southern Gaza received safety briefings. Since October 2023, OCHA has recorded 150 explosive ordnance incidents causing casualties, including among children.

Olive Grove Attacks in the West Bank

In the occupied West Bank, OCHA reported continued violence linked to the olive harvest season, which began on 9 October.

More than 85 settler attacks on Palestinian farmers and their lands have disrupted harvesting, injuring over 110 people and damaging more than 3,000 trees across 50 villages.

Seventeen attacks were recorded last week alone, mostly in the Ramallah governorate. “These repeated incidents have devastated livelihoods and deepened fears among farming communities,” OCHA said.

Despite ongoing aid inflows, the UN warns that Gaza’s humanitarian needs remain overwhelming, with food, water, and shelter still critically scarce as families risk everything to return home.