Nov 7
HIGHLIGHTS
Inter-agency assessments in northern Gaza continue to highlight critical humanitarian needs. For 57 days, no aid has directly entered northern Gaza via any northern crossing.
Hot meal, bread, and food parcel distributions have been gradually increasing since the start of the ceasefire. Yet, safe access to the sea for fishing remains interdicted, and the entry of agricultural inputs continues to face constraints.
Since the onset of the ceasefire, 23 requests from nine aid agencies to bring in nearly 4,000 pallets of urgently needed shelter supplies into Gaza were rejected by the Israeli authorities.
Sixty-four Temporary Learning Spaces across Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis have been expanded to be able to enroll an additional 9,400 school-aged children.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
On 6 November, the Site Management Cluster observed 5,852 population movements from south to north, 91 per cent of them towards Gaza city and the reminder towards the North Gaza governorate. Most families travelled by light vehicles. At least 150 reverse movements from north to south were also recorded, predominantly towards Deir al Balah. This uptick in southward movement may be attributed to the approaching winter season, as families living in makeshift sites seek access to better shelter and essential services further south.
On 6 November, OCHA coordinated an intercluster assessment mission to six sites in northern Gaza, including Jabalia, Al Shati Camp, and the Al Karama neighborhood in western Gaza city. The teams met with families who returned after the ceasefire one month ago, assessing overall living conditions and urgent needs. Approximately 1,300 households were covered, the majority residing in damaged or makeshift shelters. Water for drinking and domestic use remains insufficient to meet basic needs, and hygiene conditions are poor. Shelter materials are limited, and winter clothing is needed, particularly for children. Food assistance is irregular, with some sites receiving bread or rice occasionally and only a few receiving food parcels. Female-headed households face increased vulnerability, and mothers highlighted the lack of nutritious food for children. The key priorities are hygiene and dignity items, regular food assistance, adequate shelter and winter clothing, and access to basic health services and medication for chronic diseases.
UNITED NATIONS-COORDINATED HUMANITARIAN AID ENTRY*
According to the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard, on 6 November, 3,627 pallets of UN and partner aid were offloaded at Gaza’s crossings. Nearly 65 per cent of pallets carried food assistance, with shelter constituting another 29 per cent.
On the same day, based on preliminary data, at least 2,065 mt of food supplies, 93 mt of animal fodder, 536 pallets of winter clothes, tarps, blankets and hygiene kits, 149 pallets of medical supplies, 413 pallets of other aid cargo, alongside 320,250 litres of diesel fuel, were uplifted from the crossings under the United Nations-coordinated mechanism.
Humanitarian partners continue to face administrative restrictions across all corridors for delivering aid to Gaza. On 6 November, Israeli authorities announced that the quota for all UN and INGO trucks entering Gaza from Egypt via Nitzana would be reduced from 100 to 40 per day. For the past week, out of 180 trucks with ready-to-eat rations manifested for entry via the Egypt corridor, only five offloaded at Kerem Shalom. On 6 November, out of 115 UN and partner trucks manifested via the corridor, only 52 offloaded.
From the West Bank, for the second consecutive day on 6 November, the Israeli authorities closed the crossings prior to submission of the manifest, cancelling 29 UN and partner trucks at short notice.
Meanwhile, Government-to-Government convoys from Jordan remain suspended.
Within Gaza, the Salah ad-Deen Road has not yet reopened. As a result, cargo collection in the south remains limited to the narrow and highly congested Philadelphi Corridor/Al-Rasheed Road, exposing convoys to heightened looting risks when loaded trucks are forced to pause in crowded areas.
At present, only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings in southern Gaza remain functional. It has been 57 days since the last aid convoy entered the north via the Zikim Crossing, which was sealed on 12 September.
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Food Security
Between 1 and 6 November, approximately 40,000 households (estimated 200,000 people) were assisted with two food parcels per family, covering 50 per cent of daily caloric needs, through 46 distribution points across the Gaza Strip, including 10 in northern Gaza.
Two further UN-supported bakeries have reopened across Gaza, including one in the north. From having no operational bakeries at the beginning of October, as of 7 November, around 160,000 two-kilogram bread bundles were produced daily at 19 UN-supported bakeries, nine of which are in the north. The bread is distributed either for free through partners across more than 400 sites, including community kitchens, shelters and community sites, or sold via 71 contracted retailers at a subsidized price of 3 NIS per bundle. Partners have increased the number of contracted retailers from 43 to 71 to expand bread coverage and support the resumption of markets across the Strip.
Hot meal production remained steady, with 1,297,000 cooked meals prepared and delivered daily by 23 partners through 189 kitchens as of 5 November – 126,000 meals by 23 kitchens in the north and 1,171,000 by 166 kitchens in south-central Gaza.
The Food Security Sector continues to advocate for safe access of fishers to the sea, as it remains prohibited, and the entry of agricultural supplies – including seed kits, organic fertilizers, and nylon sheets for greenhouses – through both humanitarian and private sector channels, as imports continue to face constraints and challenges. These are vital to restore livelihoods.
Nutrition
On 5 November, the Nutrition Cluster began a five-day Training of Trainers on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) and Community Management of Acute Malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months (CMAM) for 20 partner organizations. Six of these organizations were also trained in the management of malnutrition in children above the age of five.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
On 6 November, the Cluster completed an assessment of eight water wells in the Beit Lahia area of North Gaza to inform necessary repairs.
Chlorination monitoring campaigns are ongoing in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah to assess free residual chlorine levels at the point of consumption.
One WASH partner has launched a voucher assistance program, allowing 450 vulnerable households in Gaza city to purchase hygiene items. This initiative highlights the potential of cash-based interventions, particularly if the private sector can bring additional hygiene supplies into the Strip.
Shelter
On 5 November, the Shelter Cluster distributed blankets to 60 households in Deir al Balah and 903 tarpaulins to families in Khan Younis. A total of 18,720 blankets and 21,060 mattresses entered the Strip and were received by Shelter partners on the same day.
The Shelter Cluster reports that millions of shelter and non-food items are blocked in Jordan, Egypt, and Israel awaiting approvals, while nearly 1.5 million people remain in urgent need of emergency shelter assistance and the window to scale up winterization support is closing rapidly. Since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine aid agencies to bring in nearly 4,000 pallets of urgently needed tents, sealing and framing kits, bedding, kitchen sets and blankets. In 21 of the 23 cases, the rejections were on the basis that the organisations submitting them were “not authorised to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza”.
Site Management
The Site Management Cluster conducted a remote analysis of displacement sites located east of the Yellow Line, identifying a total of 46 sites, of which 18 are currently active and 28 are inactive. The active sites host approximately 13,573 people across 1,352 households. While no physical assessments have been conducted, Site Management partners have been updating population data through phone calls with site focal points.
Protection
Child Protection: Child Protection AoR partners continue to deliver Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) to children and caregivers and critical case management for at-risk children.
As part of the winterization response, more than 160,000 blankets have been dispatched to partners over the past two days; of these, 62,000 have been allocated to hospitals, 20,000 to primary healthcare centers, targeting children under the age of two along with winter clothing, and 40,000 have been designated as case management supplies.
Education
Twelve Education Cluster partners have expanded their 64 TLS across Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, increasing the overall learning provision capacity to reach an additional 9,400 school-aged children. Partners are also working to improve the quality of learning in these spaces through the provision of essential learning materials, and teacher support.
Throughout October, Education Cluster partners scaled up their MHPSS interventions, reaching an additional 2,000 children with structured psychosocial support activities. In parallel, over 11,000 children participated in recreational and wellbeing sessions designed to restore a sense of normalcy, reduce stress, and promote emotional resilience. These activities were implemented in collaboration with community facilitators and school staff, with a focus on integrating psychosocial support within learning environments to better address children’s holistic needs.
Fuel
Between 5 and 6 November, UNOPS collected 639,000 litres of diesel from Kerem Shalom and distributed approximately 175,000 litres in the south and 49,600 litres in the north to support critical logistics, health, WASH, food, education and rubble removal operations.
* All figures solely refer to UN and partner assistance dispatched through the UN-coordinated system, are preliminary and will be reconciled in the course of the ceasefire. Trucks entering through bilateral donations and the commercial sector are not reflected.
