UN says Gaza displacement sites face severe shortages as 1.7 million remain uprooted

JERUSALEM: The United Nations said on Tuesday that conditions at displacement sites across Gaza remain deeply inadequate, with nearly 1.7 million displaced Palestinians — around 80% of the territory’s population — facing major shortages of water, shelter and essential services.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told a news conference that civilians across Gaza continue to be affected by ongoing violence.

He also referred to a UNICEF social media post saying a 17-year-old girl, identified as one of the agency’s Youth Champions, was killed while heading to sit her high school examination. Dujarric added that civilians, including children, must be protected at all times.

Assessment of displacement sites

According to Dujarric, a newly released assessment covering nearly 1,600 displacement locations found extensive overcrowding and dangerous living conditions. He said at least 59,000 individual shelters are housing more than eight people each, while roughly 38,500 people are sleeping in the open.

He said around 600,000 people at the assessed sites do not have adequate access to drinking water. He further reported that half of the sites lacked visible drainage, while nearly half had fire hazards near shelters.

Dujarric said rodent infestations had been documented at 80% of the sites, and that open sewage and accumulated waste were present at more than half of them. He added that incidents involving explosive ordnance were reported at almost 250 sites hosting close to 250,000 people.

Casualties since ceasefire

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 1,027 people have been killed and 3,280 injured in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025.

The ceasefire followed two years of war that began in October 2023. More than 73,000 Palestinians were killed and over 173,000 wounded during the conflict, while about 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure was destroyed. The United Nations has estimated reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.