Desperate need for water and food continues as Gaza families head north

Many families are returning to shattered 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 is getting in

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

The cargo included thousands of pallets of wheat flour, canned food, rice and supplies for hot meals, alongside 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 entered the Strip.

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

Hot meals and bread

Humanitarian partners, working with 170 community kitchens, have now provided more than one million hot meals – mostly 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 to shelters and communities across hundreds of sites.

Teams are also expanding work to reduce the risk from unexploded ordnance – largely from the Israeli offensive – as people begin returning to their homes.

Over the weekend, nearly 3,200 people in central and southern Gaza received safety briefings. Since October 2023, OCHA says, there have been 150 explosive ordnance incidents causing casualties, including among children.

Olive grove attacks: West Bank

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

More than 85 settler attacks on Palestinian farmers and their land 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 the aid inflows, the UN warns that Gaza’s humanitarian needs remain overwhelming, with food, water and shelter still in critically short supply as families risk everything to return home.