UN warns of dire conditions in Gaza displacement sites as 1.7M Palestinians face shortages

Assessment found 600,000 lack drinking water, while overcrowding, poor drainage and fire risks persist

The UN warned on Tuesday that nearly 1.7 million displaced Palestinians, about 80% of Gaza's population, are living in extremely poor conditions across nearly 1,600 displacement sites, with acute shortages of water, shelter, and basic services.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference that "shelling, gunfire, bombing, and airstrikes continue to harm civilians across the Gaza Strip."

He noted that UNICEF announced in a social media post that a 17-year-old girl, one of its Youth Champions, was killed while on her way to sit for her high school exam.

We are devastated by the killing of Raghad, 17, a UNICEF Youth Champion, on her way to sit her high school exam in Gaza.

She believed in protecting children and dreamed of a better future.

Our hearts are with her family.

The endless killing of children must stop. pic.twitter.com/hg5Rrt1Zkz

— UNICEF Palestine (@UNICEFpalestine) June 23, 2026

"We reiterate that civilians, including children, must always be protected," Dujarric said.

Read More: Israel targeted Gaza children resulting in genocide, UN inquiry says

He said that a newly released assessment of displacement sites found that at least 59,000 individual shelters house more than eight people each, while around 38,500 people are sleeping in the open.

"An estimated 600,000 people in the assessed sites lack sufficient access to drinking water," he said, adding that "half of the sites lack visible drainage, and nearly half reported fire hazards near shelters."

Dujarric reported that rodent infestations were recorded at 80% of sites, and open sewage and accumulated waste were present at more than half of the sites.

"In almost 250 sites, hosting nearly 250,000 people, there were reported incidents with explosive ordnance," he said.

Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,027 people and injured 3,280 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ceasefire was reached after two years of a genocidal war launched by Israel in October 2023. The offensive killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded over 173,000 others while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, with the UN estimating reconstruction costs at roughly $70 billion.