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Last updated July 25th, 2025
What is happening in Gaza?
Following the collapse of the ceasefire in March, civilians in Gaza are facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Starvation continues to accelerate as the Israeli military blocks all but a trickle of aid from entering Gaza.
Displacement orders have crammed people into less than 15 percent of Gaza, where they lack water, sanitation, shelter, fuel, access to health care, and food.
The Israeli-backed food distribution scheme initiated in late May continues to dangerously concentrate civilians in close proximity to military positions, where hundreds have been killed by Israeli forces in repeated mass casualty incidents while trying to access limited food.
Oxfam is working with partners to deliver humanitarian assistance for people in Gaza, including clean water, hygiene items, and sanitation systems in areas hosting displaced people. Our delivery of aid is severely constrained however, due to systematic obstruction by the government of Israel, near-constant displacements of the population and movement restrictions, and intense bombardment and ground operations by Israeli forces.
Oxfam is calling on all parties to the conflict and UN members to ensure unhindered access to vital aid in Gaza, negotiate a permanent ceasefire, and for the release of all remaining hostages and unlawfully detained prisoners.
Find out more about what is happening in Gaza.
What is Oxfam doing in Gaza?
Oxfam is committed to supporting partners providing life-saving aid to people in Gaza.
- Since the end of the ceasefire, Oxfam has been helping provide clean water to people displaced by the conflict.
- Despite continued violence, Oxfam partners are supporting farmers in Gaza in need of seeds, tools, and other inputs to help re-start the production of food.
- Oxfam emphasizes the importance of free and safe movement for humanitarian workers to deliver aid effectively, and efficient coordination of the humanitarian response in Gaza.
In the period following the beginning of hostilities in early October 2023, Oxfam has supported local partner efforts to distribute food and hygiene items to people in Gaza. In early 2024, Oxfam began working with our partners to provide clean, desalinated water from wells in southern Gaza with solar-powered pumps, trucking water to areas hosting displaced people, and installing latrines.
By working closely with our partners in Gaza, Oxfam has helped reach more than 1.3 million people with humanitarian assistance.

Aid for families in Gaza
Food
- In the early months of the conflict in Gaza, Oxfam worked closely with six partner organizations to procure and distribute 18,709 ready-to-eat food parcels, with items such as beans, peas, tuna, sardines, dates and dried apricots. These parcels supported 91,173 people in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir el Balah areas of Gaza.
- Oxfam partners also distributed 31,207 fresh vegetable parcels (including tomatoes, onions, potatoes, lemons and peppers) to 187,242 people. The vegetables were sourced from farmers in the West Bank, Rafah, Khan Younis and Middle Area, and distributed by our partners Economic Social Development Centre of Palestine and Agriculture Development Association to displaced families and host communities in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir el Balah.
- Oxfam assisted 300 farmers in Khan Younis and Deir el Balah with essential agricultural inputs such as soil sterilizers and fertilizers, while two nurseries were given support packages consisting of a solar power system, small equipment such as kitchen tools, and raw materials for food processing. Three women-led food businesses were also given raw materials and small equipment to continue their production of affordable food. Partners are also distributing seedlings, tools, and other agricultural inputs to families so they can grow their own vegetables. In 2025, Oxfam partners in Gaza plan to help more than 100 farming families with irrigation system components and technical support.
Water, sanitation, hygiene
Beginning in October 2023, Oxfam and partners have delivered life-saving water and sanitation services to 587,136 people.
- For example, we supplied water by truck to people in Gaza City, Middle Area, Khan Younis and Rafah, reaching 152,213 people.
- In 2024, Oxfam managed to bring in five desalination units which were installed at wells across Rafah, Al-Mawasi, and Khan Younis in coordination with Palestinian Environmental Friends (PEF). The units operate with solar power for six hours daily, providing three liters of clean drinking water per person per day, reaching 48,422 people.
- Oxfam, together with Gaza’s Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, rehabilitated 15 damaged water networks in Gaza City, the Middle Area, and Khan Younis. This has given 309,129 people access to water. Damaged wastewater systems in 23 sites were also rehabilitated, supporting 143,000 people.
- Oxfam supplied latrine slabs, latrine superstructures, tap stands, and handwashing stations that enabled partners to build 216 latrines that supported 27,107 people.
- Together with partners PEF and Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Oxfam distributed 6,407 hygiene kits and 12,136 jerry cans and Oxfam buckets, supporting 62,802 people. The kits included items such as soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, menstrual pads, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Alongside supplying the kits, partners ran campaigns to inform communities about basic hygiene practices.
- In early 2025 and since the collapse of the ceasefire, Oxfam and partners are continuing to supply water to 120 areas hosting 27,500 displaced people, building and maintaining latrines, collecting solid waste, and providing water tanks and small cans for storing clean water. We are also continuing to promote good hygiene and distributing soap and other hygiene items.
Protection
Since 2023, Oxfam has supported efforts by our partners to provide psychosocial support to people in Gaza. This work has a specific focus on psychological first aid. Oxfam partners conducted awareness-raising sessions for 5,040 adolescent girls in the south of Gaza. The sessions provided adolescent girls with a space to share their needs and concerns about risks they face, including support for survivors of gender-based violence.
Other protection work carried out by Oxfam partners included:
- Identifying and registering unaccompanied and separated children in health facilities and shelters in Rafah. The children, especially those who were exposed to heightened safety risks, were referred to relevant services.
- Distributing assistive devices to 227 people with disabilities, and personal and medical supplies to 335 people with specific needs in Rafah.
Oxfam and PEF distributed 12,775 female protection kits, including clothing, such as head scarfs and dresses, and personal hygiene and self-care items, such as deodorant, menstrual pads and baby wipes. The kits were distributed to the same people who received hygiene kits.
Since the end of the ceasefire in 2025, Oxfam and partners are continuing to provide access to counseling and dignity kits to survivors of violence.

Advocating for peace in Gaza
Oxfam is urging the U.S. government to push for the protection of civilians and a lasting end to the fighting that results in real, sustainable security for Palestinians and Israelis.
This requires upholding commitments to end the blockade on Gaza and the occupation of the Palestinian Territory; facilitating unrestricted humanitarian access to avert the risk of famine and committing to the rebuilding of Gaza immediately in an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable manner centered on the needs and voices of Palestinians.
Oxfam unequivocally condemns all violations of international law committed by Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups. We call for justice and accountability for all those affected.
The Trump administration must do everything possible to achieve and preserve a permanent ceasefire, secure the release of all remaining hostages, and allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to reach the civilians who need it right now. The U.S. must stop lethal arms transfers to the Israeli government, which has systematically impeded aid and committed violations of international humanitarian law.
How to help Gaza
- Learn more: For updates on the situation, visit the UN OCHA website.
- How to help Gaza: Actions you can take to help Palestinians in Gaza recover from the conflict
Important information about Oxfam’s work in Gaza
Oxfam's position on the conflict
We condemn all attacks, violence, and targeting of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. Attacks that deliberately target civilians are never justifiable. Parties to the conflict must respect international law and return all hostages. We have witnessed the deadliest day for civilians in the history of modern Israel and the deadliest year in the West Bank since UN records began. The protection of all civilians is paramount.
Humanitarian aid and commercial goods must be allowed to flow, in safety, to those people most in need. Our most urgent call is for immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian aid and support, ensuring that vital resources and medical assistance can reach those in dire need. The opening of all crossings for aid deliveries is vital.
What challenges are the people of Gaza facing?
Up to 1.9 million
People in Gaza (90% of the population) have been displaced by conflict
59,000+
Palestinians have been killed in Gaza
436,000+
Homes destroyed in Gaza