The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate, compounded by expanding access restrictions, infrastructure collapse, and severe funding shortfalls.

 

Over 30 billion in damages has affected housing and civilian infrastructure, and most of the Strip is now designated as restricted or off-limits, limiting both residents and aid organizations.

 

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain heavily concentrated into increasingly restricted and demarcated zones where lethal force has been used to enforce access lines.

 

The collapse of sewage and waste networks has led to widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases. Overcrowding at displacement sites, compounded by a lack of disinfectants, threatens to suspend hundreds of critical surgical procedures.

 

A steep reduction in fuel inflows and severe access limitations have stalled life-saving activities.

 

The blockage of border crossings prevents the medical evacuation of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including cancer patients and children, who urgently require specialized treatment abroad.

 

Tracking by the UN highlights that the humanitarian appeals remain significantly underfunded, severely hampering the delivery of water, shelter, and medical supplies.

 

The continued expansion of areas under Israeli control in Gaza since October’s ceasefire agreement is placing civilians at greater risk and severely constraining humanitarian operations, the UN and humanitarian partners warned recently .

 

The alert came on the 1st of July amid continued displacement and mounting humanitarian pressures across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

 

In a statement, the combined Humanitarian Country Team in the OPT said the expansion of the area under Israeli control, together with movement restrictions, are limiting access for aid workers and reducing the space available for civilians already displaced by the conflict.

 

According to the statement, Israeli forces have used lethal force to enforce access restrictions in areas they control since the start of the stuttering ceasefire agreement.

 

Between 10 October 2025 and early April, the UN verified the killing of 196 Palestinians in Israeli attacks reported near areas where Israeli forces are deployed. Those killed include 18 women and 43 children.

 

Many of those killed were reportedly moving through areas that lacked clear demarcation on the ground, while many others were injured.

 

The statement also highlighted the impact on humanitarian operations, saying restrictions on movement continue to cause delays and interruptions to life-saving assistance.

 

Some humanitarian partners have had to reduce or temporarily suspend critical activities, affecting thousands of families, particularly following the killing of service providers working in those areas.

 

The UN and its humanitarian partners also warned that expanding control measures are shrinking the areas available to civilians.

 

Most Palestinians in Gaza have already been displaced multiple times and are now concentrated in increasingly limited areas.

 

According to the UN, access-restricted areas now cover about 65 per cent of Gaza's land, with most areas off limits to residents and all requiring humanitarian organizations to coordinate access. Access by sea remains prohibited too.

 

The UN and humanitarian non-governmental organizations reiterated their call for an immediate end to the targeting of Palestinians who are deemed to be straying too close to Israeli forces.

 

Civilians must always be protected in line with international humanitarian and human rights law, they urged.

 

The UN said families fled an area of Beit Lahia in Gaza after Israeli forces advanced, reportedly setting three tents ablaze by dropping incendiary munitions from the air and placing yellow cement blocks marking a further expansion of the "Yellow Line".

 

Humanitarian agencies also warned that skin diseases and acute watery diarrhea continue to spread, driven by overcrowding and poor water and sanitation conditions.

 

The aid response remains constrained by severe access restrictions and funding shortages, with less than a quarter of this year's humanitarian appeal funded so far.

 

Amid these challenges, the UN Development Program (UNDP) said recently that it had cleared half of the solid waste mountain which has accumulated through the conflict at Firas Market in Gaza, describing it as a significant step towards restoring the historic commercial hub.

 

Some 250,000 cubic meters of waste have been removed, clearing 75 per cent of the market area.

 

On his part, United Nations Secretary- ed General Antonio Guterres

 

said that UNRWA’s situation was increasingly precarious due to the large funding shortfall and sweeping restrictions by Israel on the agency’s work throughout the occupied Palestinian territory.

 

“As we meet here today, the safety and welfare of millions of Palestine refugees hangs in the balance,” Guterres told a donor conference on the UN agency.

 

“[UNRWA] faces sweeping restrictions throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. And a cash shortfall that imperils its work across the region,” he said, rejecting what he called continued efforts to undermine the agency through “disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more”.

 

Such actions threatened the wellbeing of millions of Palestinians as well as the agency’s staff, Guterres said, noting that 390 UNRWA personnel had been killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023.

 

Earlier on 29 June, Ramiz Alakbarov UN Deputy Special Coordinator told the Security Council that uncertainty and immense human suffering in Gaza are prevailing rapidly .

 

Israeli airstrikes and military operations have continued across Gaza, resulting in further fatalities and bringing the total killed since the ceasefire to over 1,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

 

Israeli forces continue to expand the scope of their territorial control in the Strip , and the extension of areas requiring coordination for humanitarian operations.

 

This encroachment of areas under Israeli control has reduced the space available to civilians which

 

are now concentrated in increasingly limited areas, living amid insecurity and violence.

 

Palestinians in Gaza face daily survival challenges amid a severe humanitarian crisis.

 

Every human deserves to live with dignity and respect . The severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza has prompted global leaders and international organizations to stress that survival alone is not enough , the fundamental rights, safety , and well – being of the Palestinian people must be fully protected