HIGHLIGHTS
As cold weather grips Gaza, partners continue delivering vital winter and child-focused aid: clothing kits, baby diapers, blankets, and emergency shelter items for displaced families, alongside food assistance for 377 families (1,877 people) with protection messaging.
On 22 December, Education partners deployed 58 high-performance tents to 16 learning centers across the Gaza Strip to expand classroom space for over 24,000 children and maintain access to education. At the same time, temporary learning spaces are being expanded across the Strip.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Between 22 and 23 December, Israeli shelling and airstrike continued across the Gaza Strip. In North Gaza, sustained tank and artillery fire, along with small-arms fire, were reported in Beit Lahiya and Jabalya camp. In Gaza city, sporadic small-arms and quadcopter fire occurred east of Ash Shujaiyah and At Tuffah, resulting in one casualty. Overnight and into early morning of 23 December, Israeli military activity intensified with multiple reports of helicopter fire, tank and artillery strikes, and small-arms fire in At Tuffah and other areas east of Gaza city, alongside an airstrike on the eastern side of the city. In Deir al Balah, intermittent tank and artillery fire and small-arms fire were reported east of Al Maghazi, east of Al Bureij, and southeast of Deir al Balah, with tank fire near Musaddar west of the “Yellow Line.” A quadcopter strike east of Al Bureij wounded two Palestinians, while late evening saw increased operational tempo with artillery fire east of Al Bureij and multiple airstrikes east of Deir al Balah before dawn. In Khan Younis, sporadic tank, artillery fire and small-arms fire were reported in Bani Suheila, Qizan An Najjar, and areas south and east of the city, followed by multiple airstrikes and helicopter fire east of Khan Younis in early morning. In Rafah, airstrikes hit locations in Rafah city before midnight and the early morning of 23 December.
UNITED NATIONS-COORDINATED AID ENTRY*
On 22 December, at least 3,675 pallets of aid administered by the UN and its partners were offloaded at Gaza’s crossings, based on data retrieved from the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard at 18:00 on 23 December. About 60 per cent of these pallets contained food supplies, with the other quantities being shelter items (14 per cent), water, sanitation and hygiene items (11 per cent), nutrition supplies (5 per cent) health supplies (5 per cent), and protection supplies (3 per cent). At least 115 truckloads were offloaded at Kerem Shalom Crossing and 60 at Zikim Crossing.
On the same day, UNOPS international monitors deployed at Gaza’s crossings verified the collection of at least 3,233 pallets of aid – 2,100 from Kerem Shalom Crossing and Zikim Crossing. These comprised inter alia 1,949 items of food assistance, including flour, biscuits, and nutrition supplies and 1,227 of shelter items such as winter clothing, tents, blankets, and mattresses.
The above data excludes bilateral donations and the commercial sector.
On 22 December, five out of 10 humanitarian movements in the Gaza Strip requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were successfully facilitated. One mission was impeded but finally fully accomplished, one mission was denied and three were canceled.
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
The below are preliminary updates shared by Clusters at the time of reporting and will be reconciled and aggregated in the coming days as Clusters receive more data from the capillary network of partners active on the ground.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Maintenance and repair work on Gaza city’s sewage networks continues. Due to limited availability of new materials, partners had to temporarily use old components for repair work.
Fuel shortages have severely disrupted waste collection services, with at least 1,300 tons of solid waste are expected to remain uncollected daily. This accumulation of waste in urban areas significantly increases the risk of disease outbreaks and environmental hazards. Major dumping sites will be unable to receive waste, leading to overflow and contamination that will affect thousands of households in densely populated areas.
Protection
On 22 December, protection partners reached 1,000 people with the following activities: 537 people participated in explosive remnants of war (ERW), explosive ordnance risk education (EORE), and risk awareness sessions, 32 adults and caregivers received mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services, 377 people benefited from protection-linked humanitarian assistance in the form of food parcels, and 48 people accessed disability and inclusion services such as prosthetics, orthotics, and referrals. Additionally, six indirect beneficiaries were supported through the distribution of information, education, and communication materials, environmental hazard assessments, and staff capacity strengthening.
Child Protection
On 22 December, Child Protection (CP) partners reached at least 2,800 people, including approximately 1,550 children and 1,250 caregivers, through MHPSS, case management, child protection awareness sessions, and emergency winter-related distributions, which includes:
Winter and child-focused non-food item (NFI) distributions, including 741 clothing kits for children, 754 packs of baby diapers, 350 blankets, as well as tents and tarpaulins for displaced families. Raising awareness messages related to protection were shared with the food assistance packages that reached 377 families (1,877 people).
A total of 21 children at risk receiving case management services, including assessments, follow-up, and referrals. In addition, 100 children without parental care were assessed to identify priority protection and assistance needs. Specialized services, such as speech therapy and rehabilitation, were provided to 59 children, many of whom have disabilities requiring tailored support.
Gender-Based Violence
On 22 December, services addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continued across 36 Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSSs) in Gaza, reaching 890 beneficiaries with multisectoral support. These services included GBV awareness-raising, psychosocial support, case management, legal assistance, and physical protection, including support for GBV survivors accommodated in two safe houses.
On the same day, a training session was conducted with partners on GBV prevention and response, reaching 20 partners and members. The training aims to strengthen participants’ capacity to respond effectively to the needs of women and girls, including GBV survivors.
Additionally, GBV partners distributed dignity kits to 400 women and girls. To further reinforce the multisectoral response, 5,000 dignity kits were dispatched to assist affected women in both the north and south of Gaza, contributing to the joint response for impacted households.
Mine Action
On 22 December, Mine Action partners conducted two explosive hazard assessments in Deir al Balah and Gaza city, in support of rubble removal efforts.
Several Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) sessions continued across Gaza city, Deir al Balah, and Khan Younis governorates.
Education
On 22 December, one partner distributed more than 2,000 winterization kits to vulnerable children aged 12 to 14 years. This included 400 kits for children in Al Manshia camp and about 1,650 kits for students enrolled at Lolwa Al Qattami School, Nile School, and Dar Al Arqam School, all in northern Gaza.
Education partners continued scaling up efforts to reach more school-aged children. On 22 December partners deployed and distributed 58 high-performance tents across 16 learning centres across the Strip to expand classroom space and maintain access to education. This additional infrastructure is expected to accommodate 24,631 children for in-person learning.
* All figures solely refer to UN and partner assistance dispatched through the UN-coordinated system. They are preliminary and will be reconciled in the course of the ceasefire. Supplies entering through bilateral donations and the commercial sector are not reflected.
