Gaza under siege as aid blockade and airstrikes deepen humanitarian crisis

For eight consecutive weeks, Israel has maintained a strict blockade on humanitarian aid including food and medicine entering the Gaza Strip, while simultaneously intensifying airstrikes on residential areas and makeshift shelters. The ongoing offensive has led the United Nations to declare the situation in Gaza as the “worst humanitarian crisis” since the conflict escalated in October 2023.

According to Al Jazeera reports, at least 13 individuals lost their lives during Israeli air raids on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Among the victims were several children, including three killed in a tent near Nuseirat and four others, along with a woman, in a Gaza City residence. The attacks also claimed the life of Saeed Abu Hassanein, a local journalist, adding to the mounting death toll of at least 232 media professionals killed during the war.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, journalist Tareq Abu Azzoum described a dire humanitarian landscape, with rescue operations hampered by damaged infrastructure and limited resources. The Palestinian Authority’s media office, based in the occupied West Bank, issued a stark condemnation of the offensive, describing it as a campaign marked by “no pause, no mercy, no humanity.” Accompanying footage showed an Israeli tank navigating through the ruins of the Shaboura refugee camp in southern Gaza a symbol of relentless destruction.

In a broader context, the ongoing humanitarian blockade is seen by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as part of a systematic breakdown of daily life for Palestinians. In its April 23 update, OCHA stated that Gaza is now enduring its most severe humanitarian emergency since the conflict’s intensification in late 2023.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has emphasized the devastating effects of the crisis on women and children, who are suffering from acute malnutrition and a shortage of essential supplies like clean water and infant formula. Despite an International Court of Justice order issued in May 2024 mandating Israel to allow immediate aid access to Gaza, the blockade persists pushing the region closer to famine.