media release

“Let us do our jobs” — Major aid groups in Gaza warn aid system is collapsing

April 18, 2025

After 18 months of war, a staggering toll on civilians and aid workers, and now a six-week total siege, the humanitarian aid system in Gaza is facing total collapse with the CEOs of 12 major aid organisations making an urgent plea: let us do our jobs.

A new humanitarian access survey of 43 international and Palestinian aid organisations working in Gaza found nearly all of them – 95% – have had to suspend or dramatically cut services since the ceasefire ended one month ago on 18 March, with widespread and indiscriminate bombing making it extremely dangerous to move around.

The people of Gaza – particularly women and children – are paying the price. Families are living amongst the rubble of their destroyed homes.  Famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts of Gaza. The UN has warned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is the worst it has been in 18 months.

Stripped of the means to keep people alive, hospitals have become morgues. More than 51,000 Palestinians have been reported killed. One of the last partially functioning hospitals, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in northern Gaza, was bombed last Sunday.

“This is one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation. Every single person in Gaza is relying on humanitarian aid to survive. That lifeline has been completely cut off since a blockade on all aid supplies was imposed by Israeli authorities on 2 March.

“We have supplies ready. We have trained medical staff. We have the expertise. What we don’t have is the access – or the guarantee by Israeli authorities that our teams can safely do their jobs.

“Survival itself is now slipping out of reach and the humanitarian system is at breaking point,” the CEOs of the 12 aid organisations said in their joint statement.

Twenty-four of the surveyed organisations reported increased movement restrictions in Gaza, impeding their ability to deliver aid. Nineteen aid organisations reported having cargo stuck outside Gaza, totaling at least 9,000 pallets of aid supplies.

Gaza now holds the disastrous record of being the deadliest place on earth for humanitarian workers. We cannot operate under fire or stay silent while our staff are killed.

More than 400 aid workers and over 1,300 health workers have been reported killed in Gaza since October 2023, despite the requirement under international humanitarian law for humanitarian workers to be protected.  

The recent killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, whose bodies were found buried in a mass grave triggered global outrage, but many violations and attacks go unreported.

Despite hopes that the eight-week pause in hostilities would become a turning point, the violence against civilians and aid workers has only worsened. Since Israeli forces resumed bombardments, at least 14 organisations reported Israeli fire directly or indirectly hitting their staff or aid facilities.

Every day, aid workers – the majority of whom are Palestinian – are targeted, detained, obstructed or killed. Just as every day, rules meant to protect civilians in war are ignored with impunity.  When our staff and partners, our convoys, our offices, our warehouses are shelled, the message is loud and clear: even lifesaving aid is no longer protected.

This is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have proposed a new authorisation mechanism for the delivery of aid in Gaza that the UN Secretary-General has described as “limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.” This mechanism would set a dangerous new global precedent and eliminate any remaining space to deliver aid independent of military and political motivations. New NGO visa and registration rules, based on vague criteria, will censor humanitarian reporting and prevent us from fulfilling our mandate. 

We call on all parties to guarantee the safety of our staff and to allow the safe, unfettered access of aid into and across Gaza through all entry points, and for world leaders to oppose further restrictions.

We call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools and shelters and the immediate restoration of basic services – water, electricity, and sanitation as required under international law.

We call for the release of the hostages.

We call for the release of all Palestinians arbitrarily detained.

We call, yet again, resoundingly, for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool. Saving lives should not be controversial. Laws of war developed over centuries to govern conduct and protect civilians should not now be discarded.

Let us do our jobs.

INGER ASHING, CEO, Save the Children International

AMITABH BEHAR, Executive Director, Oxfam International

SEAN CARROLL, President and CEO, Anera

STEVE CUTTS, interim Chief Executive Officer, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

NICOLAS DOTTA, CEO, Médecins du Monde Spain

JAN EGELAND, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

REENA GHELANI, CEO, Plan International

MANUEL PATROUILLARD, Managing Director, Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International

MORGANE ROUSSEAU, CEO, Médecins du Monde Switzerland

REINTJE VAN HAERINGEN, Chair – Executive Committee, CARE International

JOEL WEILER, CEO, Médecins du Monde France

ROB WILLIAMS, CEO, War Child Alliance

Notes to editors

A new survey of 43 international and Palestinian NGOs working in the Gaza Strip found that 95% of them had either suspended or reduced their services in Gaza since the resumption of bombardment by Israeli forces.
The survey also found that at least 17 NGOs reported delays or denials even during the ceasefire (before the renewed siege on 2 March).
Seven surveyed NGOs reported Israeli fire directly or indirectly hitting their staff or aid facilities.
According to the survey, at least 19 NGOs report having cargo waiting outside of Gaza for entry, including at least 8,881 pallets of aid stuck in Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank and Israel including: supplies for psychosocial support, bedding, hygiene items, hot meal ingredients, school supplies, tents, fire extinguishers, and medicines.
At least 412 aid workers have been reported killed in Gaza since October 2023, as of 9 April. According to the Aid Worker Security Database, at least 61 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since 1 January 2025.

Contact information

[email protected]

Israel blocks aid to Gaza as Ramadan begins – Oxfam reaction

March 2, 2025

Israel’s decision, to block aid to over two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as Ramadan begins, is a reckless act of collective punishment, explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law. The Government of Israel, as occupying power has the responsibility to ensure that humanitarian aid can reach the population in Gaza.

Humanitarian aid is not a bargaining chip for applying pressure on parties, but a fundamental right of civilians experiencing urgent need in challenging and life-threatening circumstances.

When our teams assessed the conditions in Gaza in the wake of the January 19th announcement of a temporary ceasefire, they encountered apocalyptic scenes of complete destruction and famine-like conditions.

People in Gaza are in need of everything: lifesaving water, food, sanitation and other necessities, as well as equipment critically needed for restoration of water and electricity. The goods that were able to enter during the weeks of ceasefire have brought some relief but remain a drop in the ocean.

The international community must apply immediate pressure on Israel to ensure vital aid urgently gets into Gaza. The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to ensure aid deliveries at scale throughout Gaza.

Oxfam Reaction to USAID Funding Cuts in DRC

February 28, 2025

Commenting on news today that the US has confirmed the termination of USAID funding for multiple life-saving projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Oxfam Country Director Manenji Mangundu said:

“These USAID cuts will have an immediate and devastating impact on millions of the world’s most vulnerable people who depend on humanitarian aid for survival.

“For the half a million people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, already desperate for food, water and shelter due to the spiralling conflict, the impact will be immediate and life-threatening.

“USAID was the leading donor in DRC and most aid agencies here relied on its funding to provide life-saving assistance. Without it, agencies will be forced into having to make terrible triage decisions including who gets to live and who might needlessly die.

“The health of up to one million people could be at risk due to the impact of this decision on the work of humanitarian agencies in the DRC. We will be forced to cut vital clean water and sanitation services, increasing the risk of the spread of cholera, measles and mpox.

“Multiply this by all the humanitarian agencies dependent on USAID funding not only in DRC but around the world, and the impact of this decision will be catastrophic.” Ends

For more information contact Rachel Schaevitz at [email protected]

Notes to Editors

Oxfam is helping over 670,000 people in eastern DRC with food, clean water, sanitation, cash assistance as well as hygiene kits for women and girls. Renewed fighting has led to an escalation of the humanitarian crisis with camps for displaced people destroyed and vital water and sanitation infrastructure damaged.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the leading humanitarian donor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last year’s report indicates that it provided over $838 million in 2024 alone, including $414 million specifically for humanitarian needs resulting from the ongoing conflict and displacement.

Ukrainian agency toward peace must be honored and preserved: Oxfam

February 20, 2025

In response to the US-Russia meeting yesterday (Feb 18) on the future of the war in Ukraine, Nicola Bay, Director of the Oxfam in Ukraine Response Team said:

“Any path toward a genuinely sustainable and just peace must obviously include Ukrainians, with the voice and agency of Ukrainian women and civil society made prominent. Russia’s invasion breached international law and its act of aggression must not be rewarded. Legitimizing an act of aggression risks setting a dangerous precedent that would threaten the very fabric of the international laws that are designed to prevent wars before they start. Whether or not Ukraine and Russia agree to negotiate a peace plan, civilians must be protected from harm, in line with the countries’ obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.”

“The Ukrainian people have been the backbone of all the efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis sparked by Russia’s illegal war. Despite being underfunded and often marginalized, local Ukrainian organizations have shown remarkable strength, determination, and the have been successful in helping to save people’s lives and provide them with aid and support.”

Contact information

Rhea Catada, Communications Manager Oxfam Ukraine Response: [email protected]

Less than seven percent of pre-conflict water levels available to Rafah and North Gaza, worsening a health catastrophe

February 18, 2025

– Nearly 1,700 kilometres of water and sanitation networks have been destroyed

– Big-ticket repairs of networks urgently needed but Israeli government balks in approving supplies

The resumption of aid into Gaza, including fuel to operate undamaged water and sanitation facilities along with water trucking, has improved the amount of water available to people in some parts of Gaza. But the picture remains extremely bleak and dangerously critical, especially in the North Gaza and Rafah governorates, warned Oxfam today.

Fifteen months of Israel’s military assault has destroyed 1,675 kilometres of water and sanitation networks. In North Gaza and Rafah governorates, which have suffered the most destruction, less than seven percent of pre-conflict water levels is available to people, heightening the spread of waterborne diseases.

As fragile ceasefire negotiations hang in the balance, any renewed violence or disruption to fuel and the already inadequate aid would trigger a full-scale public health disaster.

Carlos Calderon, Oxfam Aotearoa’s Head of Partnerships and Humanitarian said:

“No human can survive more than a few days without water. In Gaza, over two million people are being forced to drink from unsafe sources, while overflowing sewage networks create a breeding ground for deadly diseases we once conquered. This is a second humanitarian catastrophe in the making. What we do next will define who we are as a society.”

Clémence Lagouardat, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza said:

“Now that the bombs have stopped, we have only just begun to grasp the sheer scale of destruction to Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure. Most vital water and sanitation networks have been entirely lost or paralyzed, which is creating catastrophic hygiene and health conditions.

“Our staff and partners have told how people are stopping them in the streets asking for water, and that parents are not drinking to save water for their children. It is heartbreaking to hear about children having to walk for miles for a single jerrycan of water.”

In the North Gaza governorate, almost all water wells have been destroyed by the Israeli military. Over 700,000 people have returned to find entire neighbourhoods wiped out. For the few whose homes remain standing, water is non-existent due to the destruction of rooftop storage tanks.

In Rafah, over 90 percent of water wells and reservoirs have been partially or completely damaged, and water production is less than five percent of its capacity before the conflict. Only two out of 35 wells are currently operational.

Despite efforts to resume water production since the ceasefire, the destruction of Gaza’s water pipelines means that 60 percent of water is leaking into the ground rather than reaching people.

Oxfam and partners’ initial assessment after the ceasefire found:

– More than 80 percent of water and sanitation infrastructure across the Gaza Strip has been partially or entirely destroyed, including all six major wastewater treatment plants.

– 85 percent of the sewage pumping stations (73 out of 84) and networks have been destroyed. Some have been repaired but urgently require fuel to operate.

– 85 percent of small desalination plants (85 out of 103) have been partially damaged or completely destroyed.

– 67 percent of the 368 municipal wells have been destroyed. Most of the private small wells cannot function due to lack of fuel or generators.

The lack of safe water, combined with untreated sewage overflowing in the streets has triggered an explosion of waterborne and infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organisation, 88 percent of environmental samples surveyed across Gaza were found contaminated with polio, signalling an imminent risk of outbreak. Infectious diseases including acute watery diarrhoea and respiratory infections – now the leading causes of death – are also surging, with 46,000 cases, mostly children, being reported each week.

Chickenpox and skin diseases such as scabies and impetigo are also spreading rapidly, particularly among displaced populations in the Northern Gaza Governorate, where water shortages are most severe.

Meanwhile, with no waste collection and transport for over 15 months, more than 2,000 tonnes of garbage has been piling up in the streets every day. This toxic combination of open sewage, uncollected waste and contaminated water is creating a perfect storm for a deadly disease outbreak.

Lagouardat said: “Despite the increase in aid since the ceasefire, Israel continues to severely impair critical items needed to begin repairing the massive structural damage from its airstrikes. This includes desperately needed pipes for repairing water and sanitation networks, equipment like generators to operate wells.”

Oxfam’s own 85 tonne-shipment of water pipes, fittings and water tanks – worth over $480,000 – had been held up for over six months because it was deemed as dual-use and “oversized” to enter. Israeli authorities only finally approved the shipment this week, although it has yet to enter.

Lagouardat said: “Hundreds of thousands of displaced people across the Gaza Strip have had to resort to digging makeshift cesspits next to their tents. This daily discharge of approximately 130,000 cubic meters – the equivalent of 52 Olympic pools – of untreated sewage is contaminating the Mediterranean Sea and Gaza’s only aquifer.

“Rebuilding water and sanitation is vital for Gaza to have a path to normalcy after 15 months of horror. The ceasefire must hold, and fuel and aid must flow so that Palestinians can rebuild their lives. Lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis can only come through a permanent ceasefire and a just solution.”

Notes to the editor

– Oxfam has recent photos and footage of water and sanitation destruction in Gaza and can be downloaded HERE (valid until 14 May 25)

– According to the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) as of February 2025, a total of 1675 km out of 4,800 km of Gaza’s water and sanitation networks have been partially or entirely destroyed since October 2023. This includes 350km in North Gaza, 495km in Gaza City, 240 Km in the Middle area, 350km in Khan Younis, and 240km in Rafah respectively.

– Data on water and sanitation destruction is based on the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) Rapid Damage Assessment Report, January 2025.

– Data on cost of infrastructure repair is based on Gaza Municipality Planning and Investment Unit report of December 31, 2024.

– According to Oxfam’s Water War Crime s report, the Gaza population had access to 82.7 litres per person per day before 7 October 2023. Currently Rafah has less than five percent of that amount; and North Gaza governorates have less than seven percent of that amount, or 5.7 litres per person per day.

– According to the 10 Feb 2025 WASH Cluster report: only two (out of 35) wells in Rafah are currently operational.

– Acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) in children under five years old was reported to be 13,179 cases. This accounts for approximately 54% of the total registered cases of AWD. Also, 21 out of 24 Polio environmental surveyed samples across Gaza (88%) were positive. Source: Polio Global Eradication Initiative (WHO & UN) on 1 Feb 2025

– UNOSAT latest data collected on 1 December 2024 identified 60,368 destroyed structures, 20,050 severely damaged structures, 56,292 moderately damaged structures, and 34,102 possibly damaged structures for a total of 170,812 structures. The governorates of North Gaza and Rafah have experienced the highest rise in damage compared to the 6 September 2024 analysis, with around 3,138 new structures damaged in North Gaza and around 3,054 in Rafah. Within North Gaza, Jabalya municipality had the highest number of newly damaged structures, totalling 1,339.

Nearly half a million people left without shelter, food or water in DR Congo amid destruction of displacement sites and aid cuts

February 14, 2025

Oxfam warns of an alarming humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC as aid groups struggle to respond in the face of funding cuts ripple effects.

Over 450,000 people are left without shelter, food or water in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the destruction of thirteen displacements sites in Goma, Oxfam warns. The crisis is increasingly alarming following the takeover of Bukavu, the capital city of South Kivu while funding cuts hinder the capacity of remaining humanitarian organisations to respond.

A surge in fighting has forced thousands of people to leave the displacement sites, many of which were destroyed or looted in the aftermath of the conflict. Many are now seeking shelter in overcrowded churches and schools in Goma. Many families are going back to their villages, only to find their house in shamble and struggling with immense needs. The fall of Bukavu has triggered mass population movement, deepening the humanitarian crisis.

An Oxfam staff member in Minova, located 45 km south-west of Goma, said: “The displaced people are returning en masse, there’s a lot of movement and the needs are enormous because the response has to be put in place and it will take time. Many are afraid to return to the village where they have already been attacked. People are traumatized. 25 cases of cholera have been recorded this week. There’s also Mpox. It’s a catastrophe. People are going to die.”

The ripple effects of the US funding cuts are dramatically affecting these communities, because USAID was the leading donor in the DRC and most aid groups were relying on their funding to provide lifesaving aid.

“We are forced to repair shattered equipment while people in desperate need go without help. Even worse, when the sites are finally up and running again, we may still be unable to assist them, as US aid cuts have put everything at risk. Unless the international community steps in, this crisis will spiral beyond control,” said Manenji Mangundu, Country Director of Oxfam in DRC. 

Three displacement sites in Rusayo (Goma), where Oxfam provides assistance to over 100,000 people, have been completely emptied. Water tanks, latrines, showers and the water pipes were destroyed and septic tanks were left open. With little access to clean water and hygiene sanitation, the health risks are increasing as cases of measles, cholera and mpox spread, straining and already fragile healthcare system.

Families and communities are also struggling to get cash to buy food or return home. Following intense fighting over the last weeks, banks in Goma remain closed and money agents are operating at limited capacity. On top, prices are skyrocketing and pushing many families to the limit.

Contact information:

Rachel Schaevitz | [email protected]

Notes to editors:

The M23 takeover of Bukavu comes as African leaders convene at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa today (Saturday). The crisis has triggered massive population movements, with thousands fleeing their homes in the early hours of Friday, February 14.
In DRC, Oxfam works in Goma, Minova, Masisi, Lubero, Beni, and Mahagi. Oxfam staff reports that thirteen displacement sites in Goma, hosting 450,000 people have been emptied and subsequently destroyed, looted or dismantled. The destroyed sites are: Baraka, Buhimba, Bulengo, 8th Cepac Mugunga, Kayarucinya, Kibati, Lushagala, Lushagala Extension, Lwashi, Rego, Rusayo 1, Rusayo 2 and Rusayo Extension.
Oxfam is working to restore critical infrastructure and treating septic tanks to help provide water and sanitation to the affected communities of Goma. The effects of the USAID funding cuts hinder urgent response for 300,000 people displaced in and around Goma with urgent clean water, food and protection services for women and girls. Long-term funding for humanitarian agencies to support affected families remains uncertain.
The DRC continues to grapple with the devastating impacts of the Mpox outbreak, which has claimed lives further straining an already fragile healthcare system
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the leading humanitarian donor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last year report indicated that it provided over $838 million in Fiscal Year 2024 alone, which includes $414 million specifically for humanitarian needs resulting from ongoing conflict and displacement
Photos of abandoned sites and destroyed infrastructure are available on request.