The cease-fire brought some relief to the Gaza Strip, where officials reported more than 200 people killed and 1,000 buildings destroyed. But a humanitarian crisis remains.

The heavy Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in May has resulted in significant loss of life, destruction and displacement of thousands of people, half of whom are children. This crisis has resulted in the internal displacement of 72,000 persons in the Gaza Strip, with 47,000 persons seeking refuge in 58 UNRWA schools organized as Designated Emergency Shelters (DES) and about 25,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in host communities. Since 10 May, 213 Palestinians, including 62 children, 35 women (of whom three pregnant) and 116 men, have been killed in Gaza. Additional injuries are expected from the continued escalation.

Between 7 and 17 May, severe unrest in the West Bank (WB), including East Jerusalem (EJ) has resulted in the death of 3 Palestinian children. The West Bank alone has seen injuries to 223 children by live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, sound grenades, and tear gas. Children in East Jerusalem have also been impacted by violence and unrest, with 26 children arrested by Israeli authorities, and 54 children injured.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported damage to 15 health facilities, whilst the Education Cluster has indicated that 49 educational facilities have been damaged due to the aerial bombardment as of 17 May. Three schools are reported to have been damaged inside Israel following rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza has also been reported, limiting the distribution of water and damaging sewage networks. This is of concern both for meeting immediate humanitarian needs and in view of infrastructure investments that will be required to secure water and sanitation provision for the population over the medium and long-term, as a result of the scope of damage.