Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza Amid Severe Aid Restrictions

Recent efforts to provide emergency aid in Gaza, such as the UN-led polio vaccination campaign, show that lifesaving assistance can reach the region, but humanitarian agencies warn that the flow of aid remains inadequate. Israeli restrictions on essential supplies are severely impacting vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems, contributing to heightened stress and anxiety in overcrowded shelters.

Several organizations, including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), have raised alarms about the deteriorating sanitation situation in Gaza, warning that it worsens daily. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that aid convoys have faced extreme risks, such as being fired upon or delayed for hours in combat zones. The World Food Programme (WFP) even had to suspend operations when Israeli forces attacked its convoy. Over 200 UN staff members have lost their lives in Gaza due to Israeli strikes, with some staff fearing further attacks.

Critical needs include access to basic hygiene supplies, such as soap and detergent, to prevent the spread of diseases like diarrhea and skin infections. Shelter also remains a major issue, as 55 evacuation orders remain in effect, covering 86% of Gaza. This has left hundreds of thousands of displaced people without safe, adequate shelter. An estimated 1.13 million people require emergency shelter kits, and 1.34 million need bedding. Despite this, an average of only two truckloads of shelter supplies entered southern Gaza weekly in August, leaving aid agencies predicting it would take two years to meet current shelter needs.

In northern Gaza, where OCHA has had no access for 28 days, humanitarian needs are severe. Israel’s refusal to grant access, combined with other obstacles, prevents aid missions from reaching hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people who are in desperate need of essential supplies and services.