UN says Gazans confined to less than half of strip

The 2.1 million people in Gaza remain confined to less than half of the strip, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

People are unable to access parts of Gaza where land reserves and critical facilities are located. They are also unable to travel abroad or access the West Bank, where services such as specialized healthcare are available, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

People who are allowed to exit as part of medical evacuations represent a tiny fraction of those who need services that are unavailable locally, the office said in a news release.

Restoring local services is hindered by restrictions on the entry of critical items and restrictions on the operations of key humanitarian partners, it said.

Despite the restrictions, OCHA's partners last week distributed nearly 5,000 bedding items, 600 bedding kits, over 1,500 sealing-off kits, and nearly 550 tents to more than 4,400 families. Partners leading on food security continue to serve about 1.1 million meals every day through more than 120 kitchens, said the office.

More than six months since the declaration of a ceasefire, hunger has not disappeared in Gaza, OCHA quoted the World Food Program as saying. Families still rely on food assistance to get by as fresh food remains too expensive and one in five families eats only one meal every day, said the OCHA.

OCHA said its food security partners warn that cooking gas shortages force nearly seven in every 10 families to burn waste, alongside other unsafe means of cooking. This is an increase of 13 percent compared with last month, it added.

In the West Bank, displacement due to settler violence continues. Over the past week, OCHA recorded the displacement of more than 30 people after repeated threats and attacks by settlers on herding communities in Hebron and Ramallah. Since 2023, more than 5,900 Palestinians have been displaced by settler violence, including about 2,000 people this year alone, said OCHA.