The Gaza Strip is buckling under what aid groups are calling the worst humanitarian catastrophe since Israel’s genocidal war began.
For more than six weeks, not a single truckload of food, fuel, or medicine has crossed the border, and the result is harrowing: children are wasting away, charity kitchens are scraping the bottom of their pots, and malnutrition is no longer a looming threat – it’s here.
At least 27 people were killed overnight in fresh Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, including 15 children and six women.
In Khan Younis, a family of 10 was wiped out.
In Jabaliya, a missile struck a school sheltering the displaced – killing a child and three others.
The classrooms, once safe havens, are now filled with ash, crumpled walls, and scorched food cans.
This is the grim picture painted by the heads of 12 major humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam, Save the Children, CARE, and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Their joint statement Thursday warned of a “total collapse” of humanitarian operations.
Aid workers are being killed.
Shelters are under fire.
Deliveries are blocked.
And over 95% of aid organizations have now suspended or scaled down operations due to ongoing bombardment.
“This isn’t a humanitarian failure – it’s a political choice,” said Amande Bazerolle of Doctors Without Borders. “We’re forced to watch people starve, with no way to help.”
The crisis exploded after Israel reimposed a total blockade on March 2.
Then, on March 18, it resumed bombardments, shattering a cease-fire and pushing deeper into Gaza, citing pressure on Hamas to release hostages.
Since then, more than 400,000 Palestinians have fled yet again, adding to a population already displaced multiple times.
According to the United Nations, the aid delivery system is on life support.
Only 100 out of 173 nutrition treatment centers remain operational.
Malnutrition admissions surged from 2,000 in February to 3,600 in March.
OCHA warns that Gaza is experiencing the worst hunger crisis of the past 18 months.
Children are now eating less than a single meal per day.
Gaza Soup Kitchen co-founder Hani Almadhoun said they have food for three more weeks.
“One in five families walks away empty-handed,” he said. “And water? Just six or seven liters a day – barely enough to survive.”
The U.N. World Food Program’s April report said 80% of the enclave’s population now relies on humanitarian aid.
But even charity kitchens are running on fumes. Markets are nearly bare, prices are spiking, and meat and vegetables are long gone.
Strikes have not spared humanitarian facilities either.
At least 14 aid groups have reported direct hits to their staff or buildings.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed its facility was struck for the second time in three weeks.
“When our convoys and offices are shelled, the message is clear: not even lifesaving aid is safe,” said the aid coalition in their joint statement.
Despite the devastation, Israel insists the blockade is a “central pressure tactic” against Hamas.
Defense Minister Israel Katz claims the group diverts aid for its own use – a charge that humanitarian groups strongly deny, saying distribution is tightly monitored by the U.N.
Israel demands Hamas release more hostages before any cease-fire is considered.
Hamas, meanwhile, is standing firm: no releases unless Israel withdraws from Gaza, agrees to a lasting truce, and frees more Palestinian prisoners.
The latest massacre began following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, incursion on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251.
In the months since, Israel’s response has leveled entire neighborhoods and its leaders face war crimes charges.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed.
The offensive has destroyed Gaza’s food production and displaced 90% of its 2.3 million people.
Charity workers say they’re watching Gaza’s future disappear – child by child, meal by meal.
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