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"Over 11 months, we have reached shocking levels of conflict, displacement, disease, and hunger," said one campaigner.
Israel's "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip "is driving a humanitarian disaster," with 83% of required food aid failing to enter the embattled enclave, where the entire population is facing hunger and disease and almost half a million Palestinians are at risk of starvation, an analysis published Monday revealed.
The analysis by 15 international aid organizations noted that a record-low average of just 69 aid trucks are entering the Gaza Strip each day, compared with an already insufficient 500 daily truckloads a year ago. Additionally, the groups said that "only 17 out of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain partially functional, and "critical infrastructure such as water networks, sanitation facilities, and bread mills" have been destroyed.
"While Israeli military attacks on Gaza intensify, lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents have been systematically blocked from entering for almost a year," the aid groups—which include ActionAid, American Friends Service Committee, CARE International, Christian Aid, Islamic Aid, Oxfam International, and Save the Children—said in a statement.
The publication highlights numerous ways that "lifesaving aid is systematically obstructed on a daily basis" in Gaza.
"These include the denial of safety, with more than 40,000 Palestinians and nearly 300 aid workers killed since last October; the sharp tightening of a 17-year blockade to a full siege, which prevents aid from entering Gaza; delays and denials which restrict the movement of aid around Gaza; tightly restrictive and unpredictable control of imports; the destruction of public infrastructure such as schools and hospitals; and the displacement of civilians and humanitarian workers," the analysis' authors wrote.
Zenab, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman pregnant with her second child, said that her pregnancy "has been the hardest time of my life."
"It was also hard to get the medication I needed," she continued. Sometimes I had to walk for hours to different pharmacies, hospitals, and health centers to see if anyone had my medication available. For me as a pregnant woman, there has been hardly any healthcare support, no proper hygiene and sanitation, and no suitable mattress to sleep on."
"I was suffering from complications during my pregnancy," Zenab added. "We didn't have enough water to drink, and had hardly any food. The doctors again told me that my pregnancy was in danger."
Among the report's key findings:
"There is a shortage of all humanitarian items. We are overwhelmed [with] these needs and [these] urgent requirements," said Amjad Al Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network. "People [are] starving due to the shortage of aid. One hundred percent of the population depends on humanitarian aid."
The authors of the analysis—which was released ahead of this week's United Nations General Assembly in New York—are demanding that Israel secure an immediate and lasting cease-fire. They are also calling for an arms embargo on Israel and Israeli compliance with the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion, which found that the occupation of Palestine is an illegal form of apartheid that must end immediately. Israel is on trial for genocide in a separate ICJ case.
"The situation was intolerable long before last October's escalation and is beyond catastrophic now."
"The situation was intolerable long before last October's escalation and is beyond catastrophic now," CARE International West Bank and Gaza country director Jolien Veldwijik said in a statement. "Over 11 months, we have reached shocking levels of conflict, displacement, disease, and hunger."
That includes dozens of children who have died due to malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of adequate medical care.
"Aid is still not getting in, and humanitarian workers are risking their lives to do their jobs while attacks and violations of international law intensify," Veldwijik added. "Aid, which is urgently required for 2.2 million people at risk of dying in the coming weeks and months, should never be politicized. We demand an immediate and sustained cease-fire, and the free flow of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza."
"The eyes of the world are watching. The eyes of history are watching," said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. "We cannot look away."
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres marked the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Monday by reiterating his call for an end to Israel's war on Gaza and warning against a ground invasion of Rafah, a small city near the Egyptian border in which more than 1.5 million people are sheltering.
"My strongest appeal today is to honor the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns—and removing all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required," said Guterres. "At the same time—and in the Ramadan spirit of compassion—I call for the immediate release of all hostages."
The U.N. chief described the level of death and destruction that the Israeli military has inflicted on Gaza since October as unprecedented during his seven-year tenure as secretary-general. Most of the territory's population is displaced, over 60% of housing has been destroyed or damaged, and at least 21 children have died of malnutrition and dehydration.
"Meanwhile, lifesaving relief for Palestinians in Gaza is coming in trickles—if it comes at all," he said. "International humanitarian law lies in tatters. And a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah could plummet the people of Gaza into an even deeper circle of hell."
"The eyes of the world are watching. The eyes of history are watching. We cannot look away," said Guterres. "We must act to avoid more preventable deaths."
Guterres' remarks came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that a planned ground assault on Rafah would go forward—a pledge he made shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden described an invasion of the overcrowded city as "a red line." (Netanyahu has repeatedly defied Biden administration officials' warnings without consequence.)
Aid groups and U.N. agencies have warned that a full-scale invasion of Rafah—which Israeli forces have been bombing for weeks—would be catastrophic for the people sheltering there and humanitarian operations that are struggling to stay afloat due to Israel's relentless attacks and suffocating blockade.
Israeli officials had previously signaled that an invasion of Rafah would begin at the start of Ramadan unless a deal was reached to release all remaining Israeli hostages. Israel and Hamas have been negotiating a temporary cease-fire in recent days, but the talks have reached a standstill.
"Ramadan, this year, is overcast by the profound losses endured by 2.3 million people, ravaged by five months of brutal conflict, deprivation, and displacement. To add to people's worries, a ground offensive in Rafah is still a very real scenario," Hiba Tibi, West Bank and Gaza country director for CARE International, said in a statement. "How can we celebrate amidst this shadow of loss, with tens of thousands of orphaned children, killed mothers, and starving babies?"