The constant violation of international humanitarian law, the siege and blockade imposed on Gaza, the systematic obstruction of aid, deliberate attacks on medical facilities, and the killing of civilians, humanitarian and medical staff have made the Strip the site of the worst humanitarian catastrophe in history.
Compounding this situation are statistics that highlight the scale of the disaster. More than 69,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in just two years. On 22 August 2025, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, noting that half a million people were on the brink of starvation. Shortly afterwards, on 16 September, the Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry concluded in its report that Israel was committing an act of genocide in Gaza.
The announcement of the October ceasefire was welcomed as a crucial moment of relief for the Palestinian population, but reports of violations highlight its fragility. The continued refusal to allow aid to enter, particularly from humanitarian organisations, is deeply alarming. After more than two years of relentless bombardment and the resulting deprivation, forced displacement and famine, blocking these organisations undermines the collective effort to save lives.
Humanitarian access is a legal obligation under international law, not a concession granted under the conditions of the ceasefire. The latter must guarantee the definitive end of hostilities and ensure the free, safe, sustained flow of aid, based on humanitarian principles, in accordance with the Palestinian population’s rights to security and dignity. On 22 October 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations regarding the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organisations and third States in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem. The Court determined that, as the occupying power, Israel is obliged to lift restrictions on the UNRWA’s operations and to accept and facilitate the aid provided by the Agency.
It further determined that ‘an occupying power must do more than merely permit the passage of essential items into the occupied territory. It must also use all means at its disposal to ensure that these items are distributed in a consistent, fair and non-discriminatory manner, including by facilitating access to them and refraining from threatening or using violence or lethal force against the civilian population seeking to access such humanitarian aid’ (para. 101, ICJ Order of 22 October 2025). Since the ceasefire began, the Israeli authorities have continued to arbitrarily reject shipments of vital aid to Gaza, whilst a new and restrictive registration process for international NGOs is further delaying urgent humanitarian work. We must therefore demand that the Israeli authorities revert to the previous registration system and put an end to the use of politicised and arbitrary criteria, in line with their obligation to allow impartial, independent and neutral humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinian population throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The deterioration of the humanitarian system—which has been attacked, restricted and politicised—directly translates into an increasingly limited capacity to assist the Palestinian population. It is this pattern of blockades and obstruction that has caused the food crisis to escalate to unprecedented levels, and it provides the broader context for the famine currently affecting Gaza.
To date, only a limited number of UN agencies and partner organisations have been granted permission to deliver aid to Gaza. The main humanitarian organisations continue to be denied access as a result of the new registration system for international NGOs implemented by Israel since March 2025. The exclusion of international NGOs from the humanitarian space is a clear indication that the Israeli authorities continue to restrict and politicise aid, in violation of IHL.
The Commission of Inquiry of the United Nations Human Rights Council concluded in its report of 16 September 2025 that Israel had prevented humanitarian aid agencies (including the UNRWA) from providing essential and vital aid, with the aim of bringing about ‘the physical destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza through unbearable living conditions in the Gaza Strip’, which constitutes an act of genocide.
The Israeli government has, to date, continued to systematically deny or severely impede humanitarian access. Despite the establishment of a United Nations-coordinated mechanism that has managed to deliver aid to communities, despite countless obstructions, aid has been restricted by a militarised and unsafe distribution model, imposed by the Israeli government in April 2025, which has resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 civilians.
These persistent and deliberate restrictions and obstacles have drastically reduced the volume of aid reaching the Palestinian population, contributing to a progressive deterioration in living conditions and creating conditions in which food insecurity could escalate into widespread famine.
Following months of severely restricted humanitarian access and Israel’s reimposition of a total aid blockade on 2 March 2025, the collapse of the ceasefire on 18 March exacerbated malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the north. The situation worsened to such an extent that the IPC declared a famine in August, indicating that in the following weeks it would spread from the Gaza Governorate to those of Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis.
This man-made famine is the result of the Israeli government’s use of hunger as a weapon of war. The sustained blockade on the entry of food, medicines and fuel was intended to bring about this catastrophe. The international community knew this was going to happen: both humanitarian organisations and human rights bodies warned of it time and again, but they were unwilling to take the necessary political measures to establish a ceasefire and lift the siege, thereby allowing aid to flow in on a large scale.
On 9 October 2025, President Trump announced the approval of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, based on his 20-point plan. Although fragile, it has allowed for an increase in the supply of food, medicines, fuel and repair materials – essential items for stemming the famine and improving living conditions that remain appalling. However, many of the effects of the famine cannot be reversed, particularly in children, and will last a lifetime.
What is needed is a genuine and permanent ceasefire, and for the Israeli authorities to allow full, safe and unhindered access for the massive influx of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza, delivered by impartial organisations. Unfortunately, this is not what is happening.
Although the ceasefire has allowed for a slight increase in the number of functioning health centres and hospitals, the situation remains critical. There are only 76 operational health centres and 18 hospitals that are partially functioning. These facilities, together with medical posts and field hospitals, account for only 36% of the total number of facilities that existed prior to October 2023. These healthcare facilities are expected to provide care for 2 million people in very poor health, with fewer healthcare staff, a severe shortage of medicines (55% of essential medicines are lacking) and medical supplies. This means that it is almost impossible to adequately care for those in need, especially those with conditions such as diabetes or cancer, thereby increasing the risk of complications and death. According to the health authorities, there are currently more than 11,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip who need to be evacuated from the territory due to the lack of necessary treatments.
It should be remembered that the majority of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced on several occasions, and a significant proportion live in makeshift tents, without access to running water or electricity, surrounded by piles of rubbish and overflowing sewers. These extremely precarious conditions have a negative impact on the population’s health, leading to respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal infections, amongst others. The onset of cold weather, heavy rains and flooding in November will only serve to worsen the situation.
The 20-point peace plan proposed by President Trump, the first phase of which has been accepted by the Israeli government and Hamas, has led to a new, albeit fragile, ceasefire, an increase in the flow of aid into Gaza, and the launch of a new coordination mechanism. Resolution 2803 (2025) of 17 November endorses the plan and the deployment of a temporary international force in the Strip.
The plan sets out a number of initiatives that need to be developed, such as the creation of a Peace Board - an international transitional body that would oversee the committee responsible for the day-to-day management of public services and local authorities for the people of Gaza - and the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to be deployed in Gaza.
Other initiatives have already been set in motion, such as the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC). The aim of the CMCC, from the US perspective, is to coordinate the scaling up of the humanitarian response and implement the peace plan; however, its mandate remains unclear, as does its decision-making power, leaving many questions to be answered.
But the Palestinian population cannot wait for these initiatives to be implemented. Humanitarian aid must be delivered urgently, unconditionally and safely, in accordance with IHL and humanitarian principles. Humanitarian coordination must be ensured through existing United Nations coordination mechanisms, in collaboration with its partners, international and local NGOs.
Lasting solutions depend on ensuring justice and accountability for the Palestinian people, preventing the recurrence of violence, and providing redress to victims for the serious harm they have suffered. UN Member States must fulfil their international legal obligations and uphold international law.