22 October 2026
All information updated for 7 – 20 October 2026
Days 1095 – 1108 since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Highlights
The Gaza Strip
On 12 October, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA opened a new health facility in Jabalia and began receiving patients. As Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s northernmost health facility in the Gaza Strip, the clinic expands access to health services for underserved communities. Together with the Saftawi Health Centre, the two facilities provide new anchor points for delivering health services to thousands of Palestine Refugees in the area.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA recorded several significant armed incidents affecting its facilities and schools-turned-shelters. At least six displaced people, including a child, were injured and one person was killed while sheltering inside Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA facilities, mostly as a result of stray bullets. Operations at several facilities across Rafah, Khan Younis and the Middle Area were also temporarily suspended, either due to insecurity or following evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s winterisation response is underway, with winter emergency teams activated across all areas to clean manholes, gullies, and drainage networks, identify high-risk locations, inspect available equipment, and put preventive measures in place, including sandbags in flood-prone areas. Winterisation preparedness, however, remains seriously constrained by limited operational capacity: many pumps to address flooding are not functioning due to lack of engine oil and spare parts, and heavy machinery cannot enter Gaza.
The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem
Marking three years since the attacks of 7 October 2023, movement and access re-strictions were tightened across the occupied West Bank.
The olive harvest season officially commenced on 15 October, accompanied by settler violence and access restrictions impacting Palestinian farmers in several areas of the occupied West Bank. During the reporting period, one Palestinian was reportedly killed in an incident related to settler violence.
Key points
The Gaza Strip
Fatalities and injuries
- Between 7 October 2023 and 9 October 2026, according to the Ministry of Health, as reported by the 74,370 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip and another 175,371 were injured. This includes 1,481 fatalities and 5,410 injuries between the announcement of a ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025 and 9 October 2026.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA has recorded 394 colleagues killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war (311 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA personnel and 83 persons who were supporting Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA, as of 20 October.
Health crisis
- Hypothermia remains a serious risk, particularly for newborns and infants, with deaths reported in previous winters since the war began. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health and nutrition teams are strengthening counselling for women and caregivers on breastfeeding, skin-to-skin care and other simple measures to keep children warm. Infant warming units are being distributed across Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health facilities to address emergency cases. However, supply restrictions have prevented the entry of additional warmers for community distribution, while use of existing units depends on unreliable electricity supplies.
- In September, six Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health centres also experienced temporary disruptions due to overloaded generators having to be switched off until new lubricant oil can be found. This highlights the growing operational impact of the shortage of fuel, lubricant oil, and spare parts on the delivery of healthcare.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs
- According to the WASH Cluster¡¯s , completed in September, 84 per cent of the population are experiencing frequent, unpredictable disruptions in access to safe, clean, and reliable water for daily drinking, cooking, and hygiene. Water insecurity thus remains a significant concern, despite signs of improvement (91 per cent of the population reported water insecurity in the previous round).
- Access to basic hygiene supplies also remained severely constrained, with 89 per cent of households reporting insufficient access to essential hygiene items.
Displacement, site management
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA continues to monitor the movement of displaced persons and displacement sites. A total of 113 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA collective emergency shelters host 65,000 internally displaced persons.
Shelter needs
- According to the Shelter Cluster¡¯s , based on surveys conducted between 14 and 28 June, an estimated 1.98 million people, representing 94 per cent of the population of the Gaza Strip, require shelter and non-food item assistance (NFI). The assessment also suggests that 58 per cent of the population is facing critical or catastrophic shelter needs, meaning severe deficiencies in shelter conditions or lack of access to essential services and NFIs that?expose them to serious health, safety, and dignity risks.
Operational implications and humanitarian response
- Around 10,500 Palestinian Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA personnel continue to provide services and assistance to people in the Gaza Strip. In the occupied West Bank, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA also plays a central role with more than 4,000 of the Agency¡¯s Palestinian personnel providing education, health, and other services to Palestine Refugees.
- All Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA 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?that purport to prohibit Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s operations in areas that Israel considers its sovereign territory, including occupied East Jerusalem, and seek to bar any contact between Israeli officials and Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA. Israeli authorities have not granted the Agency¡¯s international staff visas or permits to enter the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the Gaza Strip, since the end of January 2025.
- Since March 2025, the Israeli authorities have been blocking Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA from directly bringing humanitarian personnel and aid into the Gaza Strip. Despite the huge needs on the ground, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA was therefore unable to distribute the aid it had pre-positioned outside Gaza, which included enough food parcels, flour, and shelter supplies for hundreds of thousands of people.
The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem
- According to , between 7 October 2023 and 9 October 2026, 1,143 Palestinians ¨C at least 250 of them children ¨C were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Ninety-six of them have been killed since the beginning of 2026.
- Marking three years since the attacks of 7 October 2023, movement and access re-strictions were tightened across the occupied West Bank.
- Settler violence and harassment continued to account for a significant percentage of recorded protection incidents, with 395 incidents and at least 115 related injuries reported from 7-20 October alone. In addition to widespread reports of obstruction and attacks targeting the olive harvest, sustained pressure on Palestinian communities is contributing to an increasingly coercive environment and heightened protection concerns.
- A Palestinian from Burqa was reportedly killed in the context of settler violence on 7 October. Other Palestinians sustained injuries during the incident. The incident underscores the high levels of settler violence currently affecting Palestinian communities, particularly during the olive harvest season.
- On 10 October, a Palestinian from Beit Ula was shot and killed by Israeli forces using live ammunition in Hebron City.
- Israeli forces have continued to keep all entrances to Madama village closed since 11 October.
- The olive harvest season officially commenced on 15 October, accompanied by settler violence and access restrictions impacting Palestinian farmers in several areas of the West Bank. On 16 October, in Abu Falah, a foreign journalist was among the injured. On 17 October, in At-Tayba, a European diplomatic delegation came under attack during a visit to observe the olive harvest.
Gaza Humanitarian overview and response
1.1. Humanitarian access and armed conflict-related incidents
From 6 to 19 October, several significant armed incidents impacted Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA facilities, personnel, and persons supporting Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s activities:
- On 6 October, at approximately 16:00, an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school in Maghazi was reportedly struck by bullets during shelling by Israeli forces in the surrounding area. Three displaced people were reportedly injured. No damage to the school or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
- On 7 October, at approximately 07:30, an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school in Jabalia was reportedly struck by bullets from quadcopters being operated by Israeli forces in the area. One child was reportedly injured inside the school. No damage to the school or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
- On 8 October, at approximately 08:35, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA temporarily suspended activities at a Health Centre and a Temporary Learning Space due to an Israeli military operation in the areas of Shakoush, Rafah, and South Eqlimi, Khan Younis. No damage to the facilities or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
- On 8 October, at approximately 13:00, an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA educational tent in the yard of an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school in Khan Younis was reportedly struck by bullets fired by Israeli forces in the area. No damage or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
- On 11 October, at approximately 14:30, a stray bullet reportedly struck an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school in Khan Younis. The source of the bullet is unknown. A displaced person was reportedly injured at the school¡¯s main gate.
- On 14 October, at approximately 17:00, an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school in Jabalia was reportedly struck by a bullet fired by Israeli forces in eastern Jabalia. A displaced person was reportedly killed inside the school. No damage to the school or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
- On 14 October, at approximately 11:00, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA temporarily suspended activities at an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school in Deir al-Balah due to an Israeli military operation in eastern Deir al-Balah.
- On 18 October, at approximately 16:00, a stray bullet reportedly struck an Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA school. The source of the bullet is unknown. A displaced person was reportedly injured. No damage to the school or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
Summary of displacement orders
- On 15 October 2026, at 17:19, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s field security risk management team was notified by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDSS of an evacuation order issued by Israeli forces for two Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA installations in Maghazi. At approximately 18:15, Israeli forces reportedly carried out an airstrike at a location near the two installations. No damage to the facilities or casualties among Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff were reported.
Since the beginning of the war and up to 19 October, 1,040* incidents impacting Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA premises and the people inside them have been reported. 312* (or nearly all) Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA installations have been impacted by armed conflict-related incidents, some of them multiple times. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA continues to verify and update the number of casualties caused by these incidents.
*Since the start of the war in October 2023, the latest casualty figures are continuously under review as Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA gains access to locations that were previously inaccessible and as further verifications occur. The summary figures will be published/updated as information becomes available, noting that these numbers are subject to change once verifications are concluded.?
1.2. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA response
Health and nutrition
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA has provided nearly 20 million health visits, including approximately 14 million medical consultations, since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
- From 1 to 15 October, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA screened 5,484 children aged between six and 59 months at its health centres and medical points, identifying 93 malnourished children.
- By 18 October, seven health centres and five additional Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA-rented facilities, used as temporary health centres, were operational in the Gaza Strip. In addition, by that date, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA was providing primary health services through 65 mobile medical teams working in 24 medical points inside and outside collective emergency shelters in the Middle Area, Khan Younis, Al Mawasi, and Gaza City.
- From 5 to 18 October, an average of 1,250 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health personnel per day worked in the Agency¡¯s health facilities across the Gaza Strip, providing 146,727 medical consultations in total.
- Between 5 and 18 October, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health teams provided 15,543 consultations for post-natal and pregnant women at high risk, 7,258 dental and oral health consultations in fixed and mobile clinics, and 4,974 physiotherapy rehabilitation services sessions in health centres and medical points. A total of 18,537 laboratory tests were conducted in Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health centres and medical points.
- From 5 to 18 October, 6,241 vaccination sessions were provided at health centres and medical points.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s telemedicine initiative began in March 2024 and has gradually expanded to include other services such as teledentistry, telephysiotherapy, and telepsychosocial counselling. Currently, following the establishment of the Centralised Telemedicine Centre, the team provides teleconsultations for curative outpatient care, non-communicable diseases, as well as maternal and cardiological consultations.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA remains one of the largest providers of emergency learning and psychosocial support (PSS) services across the Gaza Strip.
- Between 7 October 2023 and 19 October 2026, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA¡¯s social work teams provided services to 285,900 displaced persons, including psychological first aid, PSS, family and individual activities, and case management. During the same reporting period, services were provided to 6,230 survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and 12,052 children, including 4,373 unaccompanied children. The teams supported 40,209?persons with disabilities through PSS. Awareness sessions on GBV, child protection, disability inclusion, as well as managing social and psychological stressors, were conducted for 170,481 displaced persons.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health teams, including psychiatrists, psychosocial counsellors and supervisors, continued to provide MHPSS services in Gaza City, the Middle, and Khan Younis areas, assisting special cases referred from Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA health centres and collective emergency shelters. From 5 to 18 October, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA teams conducted 6,317 visits in health centres and at health points providing individual consultations, awareness sessions, and support for protection cases.
Learning
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA provides learning services in the Gaza Strip in Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) and through its distance learning initiative, with the support of over 7,000 teachers and education personnel.
- During the reporting period, 105,955 children (51,858 boys and 54,097 girls) took part in learning activities conducted across 84 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA TLS.
- Complementing in-person learning, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA also continues to leverage digital tools to support basic literacy and numeracy activities for approximately 280,000 children, using self-learning material developed by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA and hosted on its digital learning platform.
Food security
- From 7 October 2023 until the start of the previous ceasefire on 19 January 2025, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA reached over 388,000 families, or nearly 1.9 million people, with two rounds of flour deliveries; at least 374,000 of those families received three rounds. During that ceasefire, which lasted until March 2025, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA reached over two million people with critical food assistance.
- Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA ran out of food at the end of April 2025. The Agency has been blocked by the Israeli authorities from directly bringing in any humanitarian assistance including food since 2 March 2025.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
- Since October 2023, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA has carried out emergency WASH activities across the Gaza Strip, at Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA collective emergency shelters and informal displacement areas. Activities include operating and maintaining water wells and desalination systems and supplying water by truck. In addition, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA continues to maintain hygiene in its shelters and sites by distributing cleaning supplies, running community-based solid waste management, water tank disinfection campaigns, and pest control.
- In 2025, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA distributed 970 million litres of drinking and domestic use water and collected and disposed of 70,000 tonnes of solid waste. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA estimates that around 1.7 million people have so far benefitted from the Agency¡¯s water provision and solid waste collection services in 2026.
- Between 1 and 15 October, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA distributed around 77 million litres of domestic and drinking water in various areas and from different sources, reaching over 800,000 displaced people daily.
- Between 1 and 15 October, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA teams collected around 4,300 tonnes of garbage from the Agency¡¯s emergency shelters and surrounding areas and conducted 2,000 cleaning campaigns, reaching over 1.4 million displaced persons. Other activities during the reporting period included cleaning and clearing 941 manholes, as well as 480 water desludging activities and dewatering and cleaning of stormwater drainages. In total, 2,154 hygiene promotion sessions were also conducted during the same period.
ENDs-
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA)
Subject: Casualties, Gaza Strip, Human rights and international humanitarian law, Jerusalem, Refugees and displaced persons, Settler violence, West Bank
Publication Date: 22/10/2026
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