UNRWA Situation Report #215 on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem) [EN/AR]

Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Please refer to the attached files. All information updated for 25 – 31 March 2026 Days 898 – 904 since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip Highlights The Gaza Strip Repeated rainstorms and continued airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire have destroyed and damaged shelters, as most people remain in displacement sites where living conditions are dire due to overcrowding, water and sewage accumulation, and inadequate access to necessities like drinking water, soap, lighting, safe cooking fuel, and shelter materials. Rodent infestations have become a growing concern across the Gaza Strip, with a confirmed spread of rodents in displacement sites. There is an urgent need for pest control materials and chemicals. UNRWA has exhausted stocks of lubricant oils for vehicles and generators, with no availability on the local market. The Agency implemented risk mitigation measures to safeguard its assets, including by reducing operating hours for generators across all facilities and by restricting vehicle movements. The lack of lubricant oil and spare parts, widespread across Gaza and for all humanitarian actors, is leading to severe disruption in humanitarian operations. The World Food Programme ( WFP ) estimates that acute hunger has increased amid the widening Middle East conflict, as the price surge in global energy markets impacts domestic prices. The price increases reduce access to food among households that could already barely afford a minimal diet. Key points The Gaza Strip Fatalities and injuries Between 7 October 2023 and 25 March 2026, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH), as reported by OCHA , 72,265 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip and another 171,959 injured. UNRWA has recorded 391 colleagues killed in Gaza since the start of the war (310 UNRWA personnel, and 81 persons who were supporting UNRWA [2] ), up to 31 March. Health crisis UNRWA continues to closely monitor the trend in infectious diseases across multiple collective emergency shelters, with heightened risks related to overcrowding, deteriorating wastewater systems, shortages of hygiene supplies on the local market, and restrictions on the entry of chemical products. UNRWA is enhancing tracking and response mechanisms for disease surveillance, and conducting targeted interventions, in coordination with health and WASH cluster partners. Due to funding constraints, UNRWA had to discontinue afternoon shifts at two medical points and Friday duty coverage at two locations, despite sustained high needs on the ground and pressure on health services. Displacement, Site management UNRWA continues to monitor the movement of displaced persons and displacement sites. An estimated 67,000 displaced people are living in 83 collective emergency shelters managed by the Agency. Currently, 127 UNRWA facilities are located within the Israeli-militarised zone behind the so-called “Yellow Line” and in areas where access is subject to Israeli approval or coordination. Operational implications and humanitarian response Around 11,000 Palestinian UNRWA personnel continue to provide services and assistance to people in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, UNRWA continues to play a central role with over 4,000 UNRWA Palestinian personnel providing education, health, and other services to Palestine Refugees. All UNRWA international staff are prevented from entering the Occupied Palestinian Territory – the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This follows the implementation of laws passed by the Israeli parliament on 28 October 2024 [3] that purport to prohibit UNRWA’s operations in areas that Israel considers its sovereign territory, including occupied East Jerusalem, and seek to bar any contact by Israeli officials with UNRWA. The Israeli authorities have not granted the Agency’s international staff visas or permits to enter the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Gaza, since the end of January 2025. Since March 2025, the Israeli authorities have been blocking UNRWA from directly bringing humanitarian personnel and aid into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, pre-positioned outside Gaza, UNRWA has enough food parcels, flour, and shelter supplies for hundreds of thousands of people.