Once the Israel-Hamas ceasefire halts hostilities, Palestinians, the UN, and relief organisations should be able to assess conditions in Gaza and plan immediate, midterm and long-term responses. This will be the first substantial ceasefire since Israel launched full-scale war on October 7th, 2023, after it said 1,200 people were killed and 251 were abducted by Hamas in southern Israel.
Out of a population of 2.3 million, the UN estimates 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced. The Palestinian death toll stands at more than 46,700 with 110,450 wounded, and 11,000 missing, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The UN has said 70 per cent of fatalities were women and children while the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on January 3rd that 25 per cent of injuries suffered were life-changing. A study published on January 10th in Britain’s medical journal the Lancet found fatalities could be 41 per cent higher than reported by the health ministry.
A senior Israeli official, commenting on the study, said Israel’s armed forces went to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties.
“No other army in the world has ever taken such wide-ranging measures,” the official said.
“These include providing advance warning to civilians to evacuate, safe zones and taking any and all measures to prevent harm to civilians. The figures provided in this report do not reflect the situation on the ground.”
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on December 19th that Israel has “deliberately obstructed Palestinian access to the adequate amount of water required for survival”. Although the WHO said the minimum amount of water required daily per person is 15 litres daily, Gazans average 2-9 litres for drinking, cooking and washing.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said 91 per cent of Gazans have faced “high levels of acute food insecurity” and projected that between November 2024 and April 2025, the “risk of famine persists across the whole Gaza Strip” due to a surge in hostilities.
The UN’s Satellite Centre reported nearly 69 per cent of buildings in Gaza had been destroyed or damaged, 90 per cent of schools damaged and 83 per cent of mosques damaged or destroyed. UN satellite imagery from August showed 68 per cent of Gaza’s farmland has been damaged, including 79 per cent in north Gaza and 57 per cent in Rafah in the south.
In its 2025 world report, HRW said: “Israeli attacks and demolitions by combat engineers and military bulldozers [have rendered] much of the Strip uninhabitable, clearly constituting ethnic cleansing in some areas and violating Palestinians’ right to return.”
The WHO reported that 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functioning while those still open cannot treat chronic diseases and complex injuries. The UN estimates that 1,060 medical workers have been killed.
Save the Children told BBC Verify that “six public community mental health centres and only inpatient psychiatric hospital” no longer operate although the UN estimates about one million children suffer from trauma.
Israel has denied all charges against it and argues it is doing its best to protect civilians in Gaza.
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