(As of 18:00 on 8 January 2026, unless otherwise noted)
HIGHLIGHTS
Between 5 and 8 January, Shelter Cluster partners delivered shelter assistance to more than 21,700 families affected by heavy rainstorms across Gaza. This included tents, tarpaulins, sealing-off kits, kitchen sets, mattresses and bedding sets, and non-food item (NFI) assistance.
Over the past four days, Cash Working Group partners provided multi-purpose cash assistance to over 5,000 households in Gaza, each receiving NIS1,250 (US$378) via digital payments. In 2025, more than 340,000 households benefited from multi-purpose cash assistance, reinforcing its role as a critical life-saving intervention.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continued to be reported across the Gaza Strip between 6 and 8 January with multiple civilian casualties reported.
Following a reported rocket launch from Gaza city towards Israel which fell short inside the Strip on the morning of 8 January, the Israeli military announced in a statement that they would conduct strikes on the launch site and related infrastructure.
Winter storms and consequent flooding on 30 December and on 9 January exposed families to cold temperatures and contaminated floodwaters. Shelter supplies remain insufficient to meet the immense needs further exacerbated by the recent rains; an estimated one million people across Gaza still urgently require emergency shelter assistance. Aid organizations have repeatedly stressed the need to shift from temporary tents to more durable shelter solutions, including repairs to damaged houses, as winter conditions intensify. Since the ceasefire, at least five children have died from exposure to the elements, amid widespread destruction of homes and critical civilian infrastructure On 27 December, a seven-year-old child reportedly drowned when an improvised displacement site flooded in the north-west of Gaza city, illustrating the extreme risks for children.
More than 7,702 population movements were recorded by Site Management partners between 21 December and 3 January, including 750 within Gaza governorate. Since the onset of the ceasefire on 10 October, nearly 815,000 movements have been documented, of which approximately 678,600 were from southern to northern Gaza.
UNITED NATIONS-COORDINATED AID ENTRY*
Between 6 and 8 January, at least 10,213 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 9 January. About 56 per cent of these pallets contained food, followed by shelter (29 per cent) and nutrition (5 per cent) supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) items (5 per cent), health supplies (3 per cent) and operational equipment (2 per cent).
During the same timeframe, UNOPS international monitors deployed at Gaza’s crossings verified the collection of at least 10,579 pallets of aid – 9,092 from Kerem Shalom Crossing and 1,487 from Zikim Crossing. These comprised inter alia 7,797 pallets of food assistance; 1,860 pallets of shelter items including tents, blankets, tarpaulins and kitchenware; 851 pallets of WASH supplies; and 46 pallets of health supplies.
The above data does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.
Between 6 and 9 January, 10 out of 20 humanitarian movements inside Gaza that required coordination with Israeli authorities were fully facilitated and completed. Seven movements faced impediments - three were eventually completed, while the other four were only partially accomplished. In addition, two missions were outright denied and one was cancelled by the organizers.
Humanitarian movements and aid delivery into and within the Gaza Strip face persistent challenges, including heavy congestion on roads, which significantly delays the transport of essential supplies. Sudden changes to crossings’ operational schedules further complicate missions, creating uncertainty and disrupting planned movements. Security checks for staff can delay missions, and occasional security incidents further disrupt operations.
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.
Shelter
Between 5 and 8 January, Shelter Cluster partners provided shelter assistance to approximately 21,735 households affected by the recent rainstorms across the Gaza Strip. This included tents, tarpaulins, sealing-off kits, kitchen sets, mattresses and bedding sets, and non-food item (NFI) assistance through in-kind and voucher-based modalities. The comprehensive response was an intersectoral joint intervention that included regular distributions targeting vulnerable families.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Between 5 and 8 January, 36 WASH Cluster partners trucked 21,530 cubic metres (m3) of drinking water and 10,453 m3 of domestic water daily to displaced families through 2,350 water points across the Strip. This effort involves collecting water from three seawater desalination plants, up to 64 brackish water desalination plants, more than 100 groundwater wells, and deploying a fleet of 250 water trucks.
On 8 January, the Cluster completed the installation of the Beit Lahia Desalination Plant. The plant consists of three units with a total production capacity of 35 m3 per hour and has begun distributing water to various areas across Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza Governorate.
Over the past few days, one partner distributed 7,000 dignity kits, more than 5,600 dignified family hygiene kits, and 1.3 million bars of soap to some 200,000 people across Gaza.
Critical challenges include severe limitations on fuel access for WASH services, which affect water production and distribution, solid waste management, stormwater management and repair activities. There is also a shortage of essential humanitarian items such as generators, reverse osmosis systems, and spare parts for pumps, generators and vehicles. Slow approvals for the entry of water reservoirs and pipes are preventing WASH actors from installing safe water collection points, forcing communities to collect water directly from water trucks.
Protection
Child Protection
Between 5 and 8 January, Child Protection (CP) partners reached at least 3,500 children and over 2,500 caregivers with mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), child protection awareness, case management, recreational activities, winter-related assistance, and community-based programming across Khan Younis, Deir al Balah and northern Gaza. These services targeted displaced children and families living in shelters, informal camps and flood-affected areas.
MHPSS interventions supported at least 1,611 children, including 1,085 girls, and 593 female caregivers through group psychosocial sessions, individual counseling, psychological first aid, recreational activities and resilience-building programmes. Caregivers attended sessions on stress management, positive parenting, and supporting children in distress. Additionally, 42 frontline workers received targeted psychosocial support to strengthen coping capacity and sustain service delivery.
Child protection awareness and prevention messaging was integrated across activities, engaging more than 2,200 caregivers and over 1,200 children in sessions on child protection risks, prevention of family separation, explosive ordnance risk education, bullying, and reporting mechanisms. Community-based child protection activities reached approximately 270 community members, promoting positive protective behaviours.
Case management support was provided to around 30 children with identified protection concerns, including counseling, home visits and referrals to specialized services, although partners reported that needs continue to exceed available capacity.
Winter-related assistance remained critical, with over 1,000 winterization kits and items - including clothing, shoes, and blankets - distributed to vulnerable children and families to mitigate protection risks linked to cold exposure.
Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)
Between 5 and 8 January, Cash Working Group partners distributed multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) to more than 5,000 households. Each household received NIS1,250 (approximately US $378) via digital payments, in line with the minimum expenditure basket transfer value. In total, over 340,000 households in Gaza received at least one MPCA transfer in 2025, underscoring its role as a core, life-saving modality.
Cash assistance continues to be delivered primarily through digital mechanisms, reflecting beneficiary preferences and ongoing liquidity and cash shortages. In December, 168 cash-out agents were operating across Gaza, up from 155 in early November. Cash-out commissions ranged from 17 to 20 per cent, showing a gradual reduction since the ceasefire but remaining high. The continued circulation of old and damaged banknotes, combined with the lack of regular physical cash inflows, further constrains liquidity and market acceptance, reinforcing reliance on digital payments.
Market monitoring indicates improved availability of basic food commodities and price stabilization compared to previous months. This includes decrease in the price of several staple items since pre-ceasefire levels in October. However, limited household income and liquidity constraints continue to impact effective access, with food consumption and dietary diversity remaining below pre-conflict levels. Persistent shortages of cooking gas continue to drive unsafe cooking methods such as burning waste to cook, with implications for health, nutrition, and household expenditure.
* 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.
