Gaza conflict

Gaza: Starvation or gunfire — not a humanitarian response

July 1, 2025

JOINT STATEMENT

Oxfam and over 100 other NGOs operating in Gaza call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies. The 400 aid distribution points operating during the temporary ceasefire across Gaza have now been replaced by just four military-controlled distribution sites, forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarized zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties while trying to access food and are denied other life-saving supplies.

Today, Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families. The weeks following the launch of the Israeli distribution scheme have been some of the deadliest and most violent since October 2023.

In less than four weeks, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured just trying to access or distribute food. Israeli forces and armed groups – some reportedly operating with backing from Israeli authorities – now routinely open fire on desperate civilians risking everything just to survive.

The humanitarian system is being deliberately and systematically dismantled by the Government of Israel’s blockade and restrictions, a blockade now being used to justify shutting down nearly all other aid operations in favour of a deadly, military-controlled alternative that neither protects civilians nor meets basic needs. These measures are designed to sustain a cycle of desperation, danger, and death. Experienced humanitarian actors remain ready to deliver life-saving assistance at scale. Yet more than 100 days since Israeli authorities reimposed a near-total blockade on aid and commercial goods, Gaza’s humanitarian conditions are collapsing faster than at any point in the past 20 months.

Under the Israeli government’s new scheme, starved and weakened civilians are being forced to trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race to reach fenced, militarized distribution sites with a single entry point. There, thousands are released into chaotic enclosures to fight for limited food supplies. These areas have become sites of repeated massacres in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. Orphaned children and caregivers are among the dead, with children harmed in over half of the attacks on civilians at these sites. With Gaza’s healthcare system in ruins, many of those shot are left to bleed out alone, beyond the reach of ambulances and denied lifesaving medical care.

Amidst severe hunger and famine-like conditions, many families tell us they are now too weak to compete for food rations. Those who do manage to obtain food often return with only a few basic items – nearly impossible to prepare without clean water or fuel to cook with. Fuel is nearly depleted, bringing critical lifesaving services – including bakeries, water systems, ambulances, and hospitals – to a standstill. Families are sheltering under plastic sheets, operating makeshift kitchens amid the rubble, without fuel, clean water, sanitation, or electricity.

This is not a humanitarian response.

Concentrating more than two million people into further confined areas for a chance to feed their families is not a plan to save lives. For 20 months, more than two million people have been subjected to relentless bombardment, the weaponization of food, water and other aid, repeated forced displacement, and systematic dehumanization – all under the watch of the international community. The Sphere Association, which sets minimum standards for quality humanitarian aid, has warned that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s approach does not adhere to core humanitarian standards and principles.

This normalization of suffering must not be allowed to stand. States must reject the false choice between deadly, military-controlled food distributions and total denial of aid. States must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including prohibitions on forced displacement, indiscriminate attacks, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. States must ensure accountability for grave violations of international law.

We, the undersigned organizations, once again call on all third states to:

Take concrete measures to end the suffocating siege and uphold the right of civilians in Gaza to safely access aid and receive protection.
Urge donors not to fund militarized aid schemes that violate international law, do not adhere to humanitarian principles, deepen harm, and risk complicity in atrocities.
Support the restoration of a unified, UN-led coordination mechanism—grounded in international humanitarian law and inclusive of UNRWA, Palestinian civil society, and the wider humanitarian community—to meet people’s needs.

We reiterate our urgent calls for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained prisoners, full humanitarian access at scale, and an end to the pervasive impunity that enables these atrocities and denies Palestinians their basic dignity.

The signatories include:

1. American Friends Service Committee

2. Amnesty International

3. Anera

4. Bisan Center for Research and Development

5. Fund for Global Human Rights

6. Islamic Relief Worldwide

7. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation

8. Médecins du Monde

9. Médecins Sans Frontières

10. MedGlobal

11. Medical Aid for Palestinians

12. Mennonite Central Committee

13. Middle East Children’s Alliance

14. Norwegian People’s Aid

15. Norwegian Refugee Council

16. Oxfam International

17. Pax Christi International

18. Saferworld

19. Save the Children

20. Terres des Hommes Italia

21. War Child

Notes to editors

Please see the full list of signatories here
On 15 June, the Red Cross field hospital in Al Mawasi received at least 170 patients injured while trying to reach a food distribution site. The following day, 16 June, more than 200 patients arrived at the same facility – the highest number recorded in a single mass casualty incident in Gaza. Of that number, 28 Palestinians were declared dead. A WHO official underscored the deadly pattern: “The recent food distribution initiatives by non-UN actors every time result in mass casualty incidents.”
These deaths add to the broader toll: since October 2023, over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 17,000 children.

Contact information

Media at Oxfam Aotearoa: [email protected]

Oxfam reaction to announcement that Israel will allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza

May 19, 2025

Reacting to the announcement that Israel will allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza, Wassem Mushtaha, Oxfam’s Gaza Response Lead, said:

“While some aid was allowed into Gaza today, it will only be a trickle amongst a sea of need.

“The limited entry of aid into Gaza cannot be mistaken for meaningful progress, especially alongside the expansion of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign across the Gaza Strip. It is not a turning point, but at best a narrow concession that seems to reflect mounting international pressure.

“Oxfam is also concerned about Israel’s plan to take over aid operations. Instead of restoring access, this emerging system centres on restrictive border crossings, military-controlled corridors, and opaque conditions that exclude local and experienced humanitarian organisations and hinder the impartial delivery of aid.”

New Zealand has joined with the European Union and several other countries insisting that the Israeli military allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK..

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s Policy lead in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Gaza, said:

“What is urgently needed is not new obstacles on the ground, but for all crossings to be opened to allow a full and proper humanitarian response, that allows real access, with safe corridors and respect for international humanitarian law, a call mirrored by 22 donor countries and the EU, in a joint statement released earlier today. We must also see an end to the relentless bombing and attacks on Palestinian people, with an urgent and permanent ceasefire, alongside justice and accountability for all.”

Notes to editors

Joint donor statement from 25 aid partners published yesterday.

Contact information

Media at Oxfam Aotearoa: [email protected]

Aid workers describe Gaza as “stuff of nightmares”

April 23, 2025

Restrictions on movement and total siege making aid operations almost impossible

As Gaza enters the eighth week of an Israel-imposed siege, blocking aid, vital supplies and commercial goods, Oxfam staff are describing conditions as the “stuff of nightmares”, with Israel’s mass forced displacement orders spreading terror, Oxfam said.

Israel has issued repeated forced displacement orders to clear out civilian populations from its renewed airstrikes and attacks on Gaza since 18 March, which has left about 70% of the Strip under displacement orders or “no go” zones, affecting more than 500,000 people. Many have been pushed into inhospitable, unsafe and inaccessible areas.

Since 2 March, Israel has allowed no aid or commercial goods to enter Gaza. Many humanitarian agencies have been forced to pause their operations. Oxfam and its partners have not received a single aid truck, food parcel, hygiene kit or any other essential equipment since the siege began. Oxfam’s supplies are nearly exhausted, with only a few water tanks remaining in Gaza City.

Palestinians in Gaza are now emotionally and physically exhausted after 18 months of airstrikes and ground offensives, repeated forced displacement orders and restrictions on basic services since October 7, 2023.

The recent escalations in efforts by Israel to bombard, deprive and displace the Palestinian population of Gaza, sees Oxfam and partner organizations severely restricted and struggling to provide support to civilians, who are facing starvation and relentless violence. 

One Oxfam staff member, who was displaced under fire twice in one week after the forced evacuation of Rafah, said nearly everything had been destroyed. She described the sounds of gunfire at night and people crying in the street, not knowing where to go. Another Oxfam worker said the experiences were “the stuff of nightmares” – people crying for help under piles of rubble, with others desperately trying to flee with injured family members, and others facing a daily struggle to find anything to drink or eat.

Clemence Lagouardat, Oxfam Response Lead in Gaza said: “It’s hard to explain just how terrible things are in Gaza at the moment. Our staff and partners are witnessing scenes of carnage and despair every day. People are in terror, fearing for their lives as displacement orders tell them, with little notice, to move with whatever they can carry.

“The restrictions on internal movement are also making it very difficult to carry out vital, life-saving work. With so many people displaced, the strains on dwindling resources and operational needs are massive. What little aid we have left inside Gaza is hard to get to people living in makeshift shelters and tents when travel is so dangerous.”

Mohammad Nairab, Executive Manager, Palestinian Environmental Friends Association (PEF), one of Oxfam’s partners in Gaza said:

“Since the war resumed many of our teams have been displaced. We have had to continue our work despite the lack of safety, as countless people rely on us for water, especially during these dire times. Nothing could have prepared us for such an unprecedented war. The damage we face—both psychological and physical—is profound and cannot be undone.”

Oxfam says that people are struggling to find safe drinking water, with facilities bombed or unable to operate since Israel cut the last remaining electricity supplies needed to run sanitation facilities. Backup generators are of little use because fuel stores are depleted. The prices of what little food is available have skyrocketed, and many people are at risk of extreme hunger.

Lagouardat said: “We must see an end to this terror and carnage right now, with a lifting of the siege to allow urgent humanitarian aid to reach all of those in need.”

Oxfam is calling for a renewed and permanent ceasefire, the safe return of Israeli hostages and illegally detained Palestinian prisoners, and immediate and unfettered aid access at scale in Gaza. Oxfam reiterates its call for justice and accountability for all those affected. States should stop selling arms to Israel, risking complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Notes to editors

Israel has issued many orders and directives, to people to move into areas it has declared ‘known shelters’, but these have lacked the necessary facilities outlined under international humanitarian law (IHL), which include the provision of proper accommodation, hygiene, health, safety, nutrition and commitments to ensure that families are kept together. IHL provisions on the protection of civilians also guarantee the safety of those who may not be able, or wish, to relocate. Evacuation | How does law protect in war? – Online casebook
Customary IHL Rule 129 and Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 explicitly prohibit an occupying power from deporting or forcibly transferring members of the occupied civilian population, regardless of motive. This provision is a cornerstone of the laws of occupation; it is designed to prevent demographic changes being made by the occupying power to the occupied territory, regardless of any ‘justification’ it may provide for such changes. It underscores the principle that the rights and dignity of the civilian population must be protected, reflecting an occupying power’s obligations to ensure the welfare and security of those under its administration. There are exceptions for evacuation of civilians for their own safety, but only on a temporary basis and where adequate shelter, food, water and access to medical care are provided. This is not the case in Gaza. On 14 April, the UN confirmed in the Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Secretary General, that currently, about 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under displacement orders or in “no go” zones, where the Israeli authorities require humanitarian teams to coordinate their movements.
On 15 April, the UN reported that between 18 March and 14 April, the Israeli military issued at least 20 displacement orders, placing about 142.7 square kilometres, or 39 per cent of the Gaza Strip, under active displacement orders. In addition to areas placed under displacement orders, the Israeli authorities have requested the UN to coordinate and notify movements to the “no-go” zone along Gaza’s perimeter and along Wadi Gaza where Israeli forces have re-deployed since 20 March, which makes up about 50 per cent of the Gaza Strip. In total, about 69 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under active displacement orders, within the “no-go” zone or both.

Contact information

[email protected]

Humanitarian operations in Gaza severely hampered; famine risks increasing

March 25, 2025

Restoring ceasefire deal vital as death toll hits 50,000 and continues to rise amid Israeli airstrikes, aid and power blockades and renewed mass forced displacements

Oxfam and partners’ operations have been severely hampered as Israel’s renewed military assault and ground offensive on Gaza continues into its 7th day.

Oxfam is calling for a renewed ceasefire and for Israel to lift its 23-day siege which is again blocking aid supplies and increasing famine risks for desperate civilians. Israel imposed a complete blockade 23 days ago and cut off electricity to Gaza a few days later.

Israeli authorities are denying entry to trucks loaded with 63,000 metric tons of food for 1.1 million people. Operations have been forced to stop in vital areas such as food security and livelihood, as well as hygiene promotion, and essential repair work to damaged water infrastructure.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s OPT Policy Lead, said:

“During the 42-day ceasefire families in Gaza could finally fall asleep knowing their loved ones would still be beside them when they woke up. Even though aid that entered was not enough—far from enough—it was something. The price of food stabilized. Supermarkets reopened. Bakeries began running again. Many people even went to their homes or what was left of it, and tried to repair and rebuild, however little they could.”

Humanitarian agencies were able to mount operations that saw an average of more than 4,000 trucks per week entering Gaza despite Israeli authorities initially only partially opening the crossings and denying much of the urgently needed reconstruction materials. Oxfam reached almost 200,000 people with essential relief.

Israel’s renewed bombardment of residential areas, including Jabalia and Khan Younis, has killed almost 700 people, including at least 200 children since March 18. Israeli authorities have issued new mass forced displacement orders, forcing around 120,000 Palestinians to flee. These orders are causing panic and chaos in the absence of anywhere safe in Gaza.

Oxfam says humanitarian operations have been gravely hindered by the absence of guarantees of safety for aid workers moving around Gaza.

Oxfam and its partners say their storage facilities containing food parcels are severely depleted. Israeli authorities have denied access to Oxfam shipments of six desalination units and seven trucks of water and sanitation infrastructure, up to 85% of which has been destroyed by Israel’s bombing campaign.

“Oxfam, through its partners has been able to initiate emergency water trucking across the Gaza Strip, and are maintaining some other aid programs, such as multi-purpose cash transfers, despite the severe challenges that all humanitarian workers now face around lack of protection,” said Khalidi.

“For the past 535 days, Israel has been systematically weaponizing life-saving aid, inflicting collective punishment upon the population of Gaza. The denial of food, water, fuel and electricity is a war crime and a crime against humanity. Many within the international community are enabling this by their silence, inaction and complicity.”

Oxfam’s health partner in Gaza, Juzoor for Health and Social Development, had its center in Jabalia destroyed in an airstrike on March 18. It had been serving over 1,000 patients daily. Dr Umaiyeh Khammash, Director of Juzoor, said: “Every airstrike that hits, threatens the lives and safety of our dedicated staff and the patients they serve. This center is not just a building; it’s the heartbeat of healthcare for countless families here. Without it, many will lose access to crucial medical care.”

In another attack yesterday (March 23), three sewage operators from the Abasan Al Kabira municipality working with Oxfam’s partner Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) were killed while performing their duties when their clearly- marked truck was destroyed in an attack by Israeli military.

A renewed ceasefire must be permanent and accompanied by the safe return of Israeli hostages and illegally detained Palestinian prisoners. Israel must provide unfettered aid at scale. Oxfam said governments must stop transferring arms, while the international community must enforce international law. We reiterate our call for justice and accountability for all those affected.

Notes to editors

Oxfam works with 19 partner organizations in the Gaza Strip. Between 20 January and 28 February 2025, Oxfam reached a total of 181,622 people across the Gaza Strip with water and sanitation services, including repair and reconstruction, protection, multipurpose cash assistance, distribution of food parcels and essential agricultural inputs for recovery, protection, health care and case management.
Since Israel’s breach of the ceasefire and airstrikes on Gaza on 18 March, Oxfam staff movements have been severely restricted in the absence of a notification system. This week, Oxfam’s progammes in Gaza, including those of many partners, have been severely impacted. Oxfam is still able to undertake some water trucking and multipurpose cash distribution, but under high-risk conditions
The fatality rate in Gaza is based on the Palestinian Ministry of Health reporting on 24 March (11AM) and the fatality rate of children is reported by UNICEF on 21 March
Since 2 March, Israeli authorities have re-imposed a total siege, blockading the entire Gaza Strip. It is banning the entry of any humanitarian basic supplies, including water, food, medical supplies and fuel, as well as banning any commercial supplies to enter Gaza.
On 10 March, Israeli authorities cut off electricity supply to the only operational large-scale desalination plant for drinking water. With the exception of that last remaining, intermittent electricity feed to the desalination plant, Gaza has been under an electricity blackout since 11 October 2023.
The current siege is one week longer than in 2023, when the Israeli authorities imposed a total siege that lasted from 7-21 October 2023.
According to the IPC Special Snapshot – September 2024 – April 2025, the risk of Famine between November 2024 and April 2025 persists as long as conflict continues, and humanitarian access is restricted
According to the Palestinian Water Authority, 85% of the water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza is destroyed as a result of Israel’s bombing campaign.
The UN reported that during the 42-day ceasefire period, a total of 4,000 trucks per week travelled into Gaza, 600,000 people received polio vaccinations and maternity care was provided for 5,000 births.
Satellite images of the Gaza displacement orders, on 18 March, covers an area amounting to 37% of Gaza’s land and double the size of the original buffer zone. This has been reported by Sky News and the figures have been confirmed by the UN. The UN reported on 21 March that more than 120,000 people had fled since the evacuation orders were issued on 18 March.
Denial of Aid – breaches Customary IHL Rule 55; 1977 Additional Protocol II Arts 69-71 and 81; Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, Arts 23,55-63 and 108-111; Rome Statute ICC, Crime Against Humanity of Extermination, Art 7 1(b) “Extermination” includes the intentional infliction of conditions of life, inter alia the deprivation of access to food and medicine, calculated to bring about the destruction of part of a population.OCHA / WFP food insecurity data, released every tuesday (18 Mar 2025): Most recent OCHA sitrep (18 Mar 2025):
Between 10 and 20 per cent of 4,500 surveyed pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished, a recent analysis by the Nutrition Cluster reveals.
To cope with shortages, the Food Security Sector (FSS) partners are drastically reducing food assistance to families, suspending flour distribution to families to prioritize supplies for bakeries, pausing the distribution of fresh produce, and scaling down hot meal preparations at some community kitchens.
FSS warns that over one million people risk being left without food parcels in March, and at least 80 of the 170 community kitchens may be forced to close in one to two weeks, if supplies, including cooking fuel, are not allowed into Gaza. The FSS estimates that more than 50,000 metric tons (MT) of food supplies are required monthly to assist everyone with full rations, in addition to 9,700 MT of flour needed monthly to keep the subsidized bakeries running.
Since the ceasefire took effect on 19 January, and as of 15 March, 4,646 children have enrolled in malnutrition treatment programmes, 672 of whom were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition.
The Nutrition Cluster notes a decrease in monthly enrolments in such programmes from about 5,000 in the month prior to the ceasefire to a monthly average of 2,500 in Phase One of the ceasefire.
Nutrition Cluster partners observed a rising number of pregnant and breastfeeding women becoming malnourished – between 10 and 20 per cent,
11 March inter-agency mission to eastern Khan Younis found that agricultural facilities had been largely destroyed, including 1,400 dunums of open land,150 greenhouses, 90 poultry farms, and dozens of livestock and dairy cattle farms. The remaining cultivated land did not exceed 70-80 dunums.
Market survey carried out by WFP covering key developments during the first half of March (14th Mar published):
WFP currently has sufficient food stocks to support active kitchens and bakeries for up to one month, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to support 550,000 people for two weeks.
WFP has approximately 63,000 metric tons of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region. This is equivalent to two to three months of distributions for 1.1 million people, pending authorization to enter Gaza.
Traders have begun withholding goods due to uncertainty over when new supplies will arrive.

Oxfam reaction to Israel’s attack on Gaza despite ceasefire

March 19, 2025

Reacting to Israeli strikes on Gaza, Clémence Lagouardat, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza, said:

“It is indefensible that Israel has breached the ceasefire agreement by carrying out airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing over 300 people and injuring hundreds. The ongoing targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure cannot be justified under any circumstances.

“The ceasefire glimmer of hope should have been protected for the two million people trying to survive in terrible conditions across Gaza and for the remaining Israeli hostages.

“Israeli authorities have also ordered new evacuations across Gaza forcing civilians—who have already been displaced multiple times—to flee again with no safe place to go to. These forced displacement orders are violating international law.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Since the start of the month, which was also the beginning of Ramadan, Israel placed Gaza under a full siege, cutting off food, fuel and all humanitarian aid. One week ago, it cut electricity to Gaza’s main operational desalination plant that supplied clean water to around 500,000 people. Meanwhile, Gaza’s already collapsing medical system is struggling to absorb the rising number of casualties. Hospitals are low on supplies and ambulances are unable to reach the wounded.

“This crisis persists due to the international community’s failure to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. This must end. International law is not optional, nor is it selective—it exists to protect all civilians, everywhere, and must be upheld universally.

“All parties must now work to restore a permanent and sustainable ceasefire for all Palestinians and Israelis.”

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.