UNITED NATIONS, Nov 18 (IPS) – After nearly two years of conflict between Hamas and Israel, displaced Palestinians in Gaza have begun returning home as humanitarian organizations work to restore essential, life-saving services. Despite recent progress, the United Nations (UN) and its partners still face major obstacles in reaching the most vulnerable populations due to persistent insecurity and increased restrictions. With winter fast approaching – and living conditions expected to deteriorate further – sustainable relief operations remain crucial.
About a month after the ceasefire, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported continued daily bombardments of residential areas in areas where Israeli forces are still deployed, particularly in eastern Khan Younis and eastern Gaza City. The agency has also documented multiple ceasefire violations along the “Yellow Line,” leading to numerous civilian casualties.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, bombings between October 29 and November 5 resulted in 15 Palestinian deaths and 24 injuries. Another 31 bodies were recovered from the rubble of collapsed buildings. The ministry also reports that 241 Palestinians have been killed and 609 injured since the ceasefire began.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), noted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is highly dependent on the stability of the ceasefire. “A ceasefire that merely prolongs the absence of war without charting a viable path to peace would only repeat the disastrous mistakes of the past,” Lazzarini wrote in a Guardian op-ed on November 10. “A truly peaceful future requires a sincere investment in a final political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Furthermore, Lazzarini underlined the urgent need for an international stabilization force to protect key civilian infrastructures and facilitate the smooth flow of humanitarian operations, as well as increased accountability measures to obtain justice for victims of violations of international humanitarian law. On November 12, Lazzarini informed reporters at UN Headquarters that accountability is crucial to achieving a lasting end to the violence and a path to recovery for Palestine as a whole.
“The starting point could at least be a commission of inquiry,” Lazzarini said. “More broadly, if we want to promote lasting peace, I don’t think we will succeed unless we strive for justice and healing, and recognize the extent of the atrocities that have been committed.”
Despite the UN recording a significant improvement in the humanitarian situation in Gaza, conditions remain dire, with famine and disease remaining an immediate threat to most Gazans. The UN and its partners continue to face significant access restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres informed reporters that the UN is far from having “what is needed to quickly eradicate famine and create the conditions in which people in Gaza can have the very minimum necessary for a dignified life.”
OCHA further notes that access to humanitarian aid and agricultural fields beyond the Yellow Line remains prohibited, with yellow-painted concrete blocks being erected to demarcate prohibited areas, as ordered by Israel’s Defense Minister. Access to the sea also remains blocked, as Israeli forces have detained at least five fishermen since November 4.
According to OCHA, several essential aid items are still excluded from entry into Gaza – including humanitarian vehicles, solar panels, mobile latrines, X-ray machines, food and educational supplies and generators – many of which are classified by Israeli authorities as outside the scope of humanitarian assistance. OCHA also reports continued restrictions on maintenance tools needed for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems. Dozens of UNRWA vehicles and equipment, including water tankers and jet trucks, have yet to be cleared for entry.
UNRWA and its partners have expressed concern about the continued imposition of such restrictions during the ceasefire, especially as the approaching winter season is expected to worsen living conditions for Palestinians in IDP shelters. The Shelter Cluster estimates that at least 259,000 Palestinian families, or more than 1.45 million Gazans, will be negatively affected by the winter if adequate protection services are not quickly established.
In a Nov. 5 joint statement from several UN agencies, including UNRWA, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN and its partners have been working with the Gaza Ministry of Health to prepare an “integrated catch-up campaign” for immunization and nutritional support, aiming to reach approximately 44,000 children who have been cut off from life-saving services since the start of this conflict.
An estimated one in five children under the age of three are receiving zero doses or are under-vaccinated as a result of the conflict, making them highly vulnerable to preventable disease outbreaks. The campaign will be conducted in three rounds to provide children with missed routine vaccinations, including Pentavalent, Polio, Rota, Pneumococcal and two doses of the MMR vaccine.
Vaccination services will be available in 149 health facilities and 10 mobile vehicles across the enclave, with the first round scheduled for November 9-18. The second and third rounds of the vaccine campaign are scheduled for December 2025 and January 2026, respectively.
In addition to vaccinations, UNICEF and partners will screen children for malnutrition, provide treatment and follow-up for those affected, and refer severe cases to WHO-supported stabilization centers. UNICEF is also rehabilitating 15 health centers, while WHO is rebuilding another 20 facilities that have been partially or completely destroyed.
“This immunization campaign is a lifeline, protecting children’s health and restoring hope for the future,” said Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. “It is a crucial step in strengthening essential health services and protecting vulnerable children in Gaza who have been cut off for far too long. Yet this is only one piece of the puzzle. Much more is needed, and WHO is working to rebuild Gaza’s fragile health system so that every child, every community, can access the care they deserve.”
Furthermore, Lazzarini informed reporters on November 12 that UNRWA has been a lifeline for Gaza since the beginning of this crisis. Over the past two years, UNRWA has supported more than 15 million primary care consultations, resulting in an average of more than 14,000 consultations daily.
UNRWA has also been instrumental in preventing the water system in the enclave from collapsing, with Lazzarini stating that approximately “40 percent of the clean water is due to the work of (UNRWA) engineer(s) on site.” In addition, UNRWA has supported more than 48,000 children in 96 UNRWA schools five days a week, and has reduced online learning to approximately 300,000 children.
“I truly believe that we are and will continue to be an extraordinary asset at the disposal of the international community, especially for securing crucial services for the people of Gaza and any effort towards stabilization and success,” Lazzarini said. “The main challenge is that we must secure the agency’s operational space in Gaza. That is challenge number one, to recognize that the agency is a crucial partner and invaluable to the international community to help consolidate the ceasefire and ensure a successful recovery.”
IPS UN office report
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