Israel is Forcing Gaza's Population Towards an Unprecedented Humanitarian Catastrophe; Al Mezan Calls for Immediate International Action and Unimpeded Entry of Aid

Gaza, 10 April 2025 – Israel continues to completely seal Gaza’s crossings for the second consecutive month, preventing the entry of life-sustaining humanitarian aid. This blockade has caused essential goods such as sugar, cooking oil, rice, and meat to disappear from local markets. The price of flour has risen by 450%, while cooking gas prices have surged by 4,000% compared to pre-closure levels on 2 March 2025. As a result, all 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme in Gaza have shut down, halting the production of bread—a vital daily food source for thousands of Palestinian families.

In parallel, food and water resources continue to be destroyed and disrupted by Israeli attacks. The water crisis has worsened in Gaza as pipelines have been damaged, with repairs made nearly impossible due to ongoing military attacks. On 10 March 2025, Israel cut off the electricity supply to water desalination plants, and later that month, it cut off the Mekrot water pipeline to Gaza, which supplied approximately 70% of Gaza's water. This has resulted in a severe water shortage, forcing people to drink untreated and contaminated groundwater.

Israeli forces have also attacked soup kitchens and other food distribution points in multiple incidents across Gaza, particularly in Khan Younis, Al-Nuseirat, and Shuja'iyya. They have also continued bulldozing agricultural lands and preventing farmers from accessing their fields, several of which had been rehabilitated and farmed during the ceasefire. As a result, nearly 65% of Gaza’s agricultural lands have become part of the no-go buffer zone, effectively paralyzing movement within Gaza and severing vital supply chains.

The Rafah Governorate, which constitutes one-fifth of the total area of Gaza and covers an area of 75 km², had been the primary food source for its residents and displaced people after the evacuation of Gaza City and northern Gaza and the destruction of agricultural lands elsewhere in Gaza. However, Rafah has now fallen under complete Israeli control, with residents expelled amidst horrific atrocities. This has led to widespread hunger, malnutrition, and the risk of mass starvation, especially among vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and the wounded and sick.

UNICEF reports that over one million children in Gaza are being deprived of life-saving aid. Approximately 350 children are currently experiencing severe malnutrition, putting their lives at risk, following the closure of 21 treatment centers—representing 15% of all outpatient facilities—due to displacement orders or airstrikes. Additionally, there is a critical shortage of baby formula, with supplies only sufficient for 400 children over the next month. UNICEF estimates that around 10,000 babies under six months old require supplementary feeding.

Dr. Wessal Abu Luban, Head of the Pediatrics and Therapeutic Nutrition Department at Al-Awda Hospital in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, stated, “We’ve seen a significant increase in cases of severe malnutrition recently. The numbers had slightly declined during the temporary ceasefire, but they have surged again due to the worsening food shortage and families’ inability to access protein-rich meals.”

Mohammed Assaf, a resident of Jabaliya, shared the following testimony with Al Mezan: "My daughter Noor, 18, was healthy and had no medical issues. Since the war began, I have been doing my best to provide for her and her siblings. However, as the blockade intensified in northern Gaza before the ceasefire, I lost my young son Khaled to hunger and malnutrition. Noor started showing signs of malnutrition, becoming constantly pale. She was diagnosed with malnutrition and joint inflammation. She needs proper, balanced nutrition, especially protein. But with the crossings closed, prices soaring, and a shortage of meat, vegetables, and other nutrients, her condition has worsened dramatically. I feel powerless to help her. Even the charitable organizations and aid agencies we relied on have shut down due to the closure of the crossings and the depletion of food supplies. I am deeply worried about Noor’s life."

Al Mezan strongly condemns Israel’s continued use of starvation as a weapon of war and genocide and urgently warns of the escalating risk of famine in Gaza. The lives of over two million Palestinians are now at grave risk, exposed to the devastating threats of hunger, dehydration, and preventable diseases.

Al Mezan reiterates its call on the international community to take immediate and decisive action to halt Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. This includes exerting pressure on Israel to cease its use of collective punishment and starvation policies against Palestinian civilians. The international community must ensure the immediate lifting of the blockade and facilitate the unimpeded delivery of essential humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s civilians. Furthermore, Al Mezan demands the activation of international accountability mechanisms to ensure that those responsible for these war crimes are held fully accountable and brought to justice.