The situation for civilians in the Gaza Strip is getting worse by the day. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that food stocks and other essential supplies in Gaza are largely depleted or have run out, and the situation is desperate as no humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered the territory for more than eight weeks. In addition, escalating Israeli attacks, movement restrictions and the expansion of military zones have made humanitarian operations nearly impossible, putting civilians and aid workers at extreme risk.
Over the past 18 months, Israel's war on Gaza and its severe restrictions on humanitarian aid, followed by a complete blockade of supplies since March 2, have devastated the lives of more than 2.1 million Palestinians, while destroying nearly all the essential infrastructure on which civilians depend for survival.
Israel, as the occupying power, has clear obligations under international law, including to ensure the availability of food, medical supplies and public health services, and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid when it is not otherwise provided.
With the cessation of food aid, remaining stocks in Gaza have run out or are rapidly depleting, putting the population of the territory, especially vulnerable groups and children, at increasing risk of starvation.
“As humanitarians, we can see that aid is being weaponized through its denial. There is no justification for this, and it has to stop,” Jonathan Whittall, OCHA Head of Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), told journalists on Saturday.
He stressed that lives depend on the blockade ending, aid flowing and a ceasefire being reinstated.
“I hope that we see real accountability – real accountability – before we see history judge those who watched what is happening in Gaza and did nothing,” Whittall said.
On Friday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it had run out of food and delivered its last remaining stocks to kitchens serving hot meals, which are now expected to run out of food very soon.
All 25 WFP-supported bakeries in Gaza were already forced to close last month when wheat flour and cooking fuel ran out, leaving 800,000 people without access to bread.
Despite the Israeli blockade on cross-border access, WFP provided general food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people throughout Gaza in the first weeks of April, mainly through hot meals and nutritional support, drawing on stocks gathered during the 42-day ceasefire, albeit with extremely reduced rations.
For weeks, these kitchens were the only consistent source of food assistance for the people of Gaza, according to WFP. The cooked meals prepared by 180 kitchens serving over a million meals a day have been the main lifeline, but could cease altogether within days amid dwindling supplies, fuel shortages and insecurity.
Aid agencies report that 16 more community kitchens were forced to close over the weekend, despite their efforts to adjust menus, reduce portions, or mobilize community support. More kitchens are expected to close this week as supplies run out.
According to WFP, more than 116,000 metric tons of food aid - enough to feed 1 million people for up to four months - is positioned in aid corridors and ready to be moved into Gaza as soon as the borders reopen.
Meanwhile, reports of looting have increased amid the desperate humanitarian situation and shortage of goods. Over the weekend, gunmen reportedly looted a truck in Deir al-Balah and a warehouse in Gaza City.
Across Gaza, humanitarian agencies warn that the food situation is worsening. Since the beginning of the year, some 10,000 cases of acute child malnutrition have been identified, including 1,600 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
While treatment supplies remain available in southern Gaza, operational and security restrictions make access extremely difficult. Humanitarian operations remain severely constrained by ongoing military operations and the blockade of aid and commercial goods.
With more than 2 million people - the entire population of the territory - facing severe food shortages, the latest famine review analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) began this week.
According to OCHA, ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza have reportedly killed or injured scores of Palestinians and damaged civilian infrastructure in recent days.
Since the collapse of the ceasefire on March 17, Israeli attacks on Palestinians have accelerated, claiming the lives of countless civilians and risking the complete destruction of what little infrastructure remains.
Meanwhile, thousands more families are estimated to have fled in response to a new displacement order issued by Israeli forces on Friday for western areas of the Gaza Strip.
OCHA stressed on Monday that the depletion of critical supplies in Gaza goes beyond food. One example is trauma-related medical supplies, which are running out at a time when the number of people injured in mass casualty incidents continues to rise. There is a shortage of surgical supplies, including gowns, drapes and gloves.
The World Health Organization's warehouse has run out of therapeutic milk, intravenous antibiotics and painkillers, as well as spare parts for ambulances and oxygen stations.
Humanitarian agencies also warn that an increasing number of critical personnel are being denied access to Gaza. There has been an increase in denials of entry to emergency medical teams, particularly highly specialized professionals - including orthopedic and plastic surgeons - and restrictions on movement throughout Gaza.
UN agencies are calling for an immediate ceasefire and reiterating the need for safe and secure humanitarian space. The UN says aid agencies are doing all they can to reach people with what supplies are still available.