Public Health Situation Analysis - occupied Palestinian territory-September

Overview

Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July. As of 5 September 2025, 361 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition, including 130 children. As of 15 August 2025, Famine (IPC Phase 5)—with reasonable evidence—is confirmed in Gaza Governorate. After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death. Another 1.07 million people (54%) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396 000 people (20%) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

More broadly, since 7 October 2023, as reported by Ministry of Health (MoH), the number of casualties include 63 746 fatalities and 161 245 injuries.7 As of 5 September 2025, there have been 2 339 reported fatalities among aid seekers near militarized distribution sites and along convoy routes since 27 May.

Ongoing attacks and resource shortages have severely weakened the health system – damaging or destroying 94% of hospitals, overwhelming remaining partially functional ones, and disrupting essential health service delivery. The Health Cluster reports that hospitals are overwhelmed by mass casualty incidents, with an average of eight incidents per day. Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli hospitals, in Gaza city, are operating at nearly 300% over capacity, with a constant influx of complex trauma injuries. Every hospital is overrun. If the Israeli-announced offensive on Gaza city goes ahead, the Gaza Strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity. On 20 July, the WHO’s main warehouse in Deir Al-Balah was destroyed due to attacks, amid MoH reports that 52% of essential drugs and 68% of medical disposables are at zero stock.

In the West Bank, escalating settler violence, with the acquiescence, support, and in some cases participation, of Israeli security forces, has worsened the coercive environment in the occupied West Bank, resulting in several Palestinian casualties and the forcible displacement of Palestinian communities in the last month.