CNN
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Twenty-one months after the Israeli war in Gaza, the enclave is held by escalating scenes of death and hunger, with some being killed while trying to reach aid and others dying of hunger, even among their nearest allies, denounced Israeli actions.
The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces while searching for food since late May.
Hundreds of them have died near the GHF site, according to the United Nations. The GHF was created to replace the role of UN aid in Gaza and has been widely criticized for not improving the conditions.
All 2.1 million people in Gaza are becoming food insecured. On Tuesday, Gaza’s health ministry said 900,000 children were hungry and 70,000 people were already showing signs of malnutrition.
But how did it come to this?
Before the war, Gaza was already one of the most isolated, densely populated places on the planet, packing around 2 million people into an area of 140 square miles. Israel has strict control of its territory through years of land, air and sea blockades, and has severely restricted the movement of goods and people. According to the United Nations, more than half of the residents were under the poverty line due to food insecurity.
Before the conflict, 500-600 trucks of assistance entered Gaza every day. That number has since plummeted to an average of 28 tracks per day, a group of humanitarian organisations said Wednesday. It is unclear whether the diagram includes trucks used in GHF operations.
Following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, 1,200 people have been killed, more than 250 have been held hostage, and Israel ordered a “full siege” of Gaza, halting the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel.
The humanitarian crisis unfolded quickly as trapped residents faced both hunger and a catastrophic Israeli military campaign. Human rights groups repeatedly criticised Israel’s use of food as a “weapon of war” and accused them of imposing “collective punishment.”
A short rest and a short-lived ceasefire
Following international pressure, the first truck carrying aid entered Gaza in late October. The temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on November 24, 2023, with a slight increase in aid flow. However, the truce collapsed a week later.
Then delivery of aid fell again, with strict Israeli testing further delaying shipments. Israeli authorities said screenings were necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies, but humanitarian officials accused Israel of intentionally aiding it.
What further exacerbated the crisis was Israel’s campaign against the United Nations and its aid delivery system. Israel said it was ineffective to fall into Hamas’ hands and that aid was granted. The United Nations denies this.
Among the agencies covered were the United Nations Relief and Workplace Organizations for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which was accused of involving staff in the October 7 attack. A UN survey found that nine of UNVRA’s 13,000 Gaza-based employees were able to “participate” and not work at an agency.
In January this year, Israel banned UNRWA from activities in Gaza, blocking hundreds of thousands of people from viral services, including food, healthcare and education.
The lawlessness began to spread as Israeli campaigns levelled most of Gaza, expelled most of its residents and weakened its grip on Hamas territory.
Looting has now marked a new hurdle for UN trucks, with victims appearing at aid delivery points. Israel accused Hamas and the armed gang of the war for confusion.
The UN warned that civil order was beginning to collapse a few weeks after the war, and warned that desperate Palestinians were taking flour and sanitary supplies from warehouses. By November 2024, the United Nations had issued an alarm again, saying its ability to provide assistance was “completely gone.”
He said more than 100 trucks were lost in the “worst one” looting incident. The driver was forced to unload the truck at the muzzle, causing injury to an aid worker and extensive damage to the vehicle.
When Hamas’ grip on Gaza declined and the territorial police were hollowed out, the gangs appeared to steal aid and resell them. Israel also armed local militias to counter Hamas. It’s a controversial move that opposing politicians warned that Israel’s national security would be at risk.
The militia armament appears to be the closest thing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come to empower all forms of alternative rules within the strip. Since the start of the war, Israeli leaders have refused to lay out plans for Gaza’s governance once the conflict is over.
Another Certain Fire Collapse and a New Assistance System
On January 19th, another temporary ceasefire was reached. Aid has resumed, but they were not fully aware of what they needed.
Israel reinstated the total lockdown in Gaza on March 2nd after the truce expired. Two weeks later, it resumed the fight and the authorities said it was to force Hamas to accept the new ceasefire conditions and release the hostages.
By July, the World Food Programme (WFP) rated that a quarter of Gaza’s population was facing a hunger-like state.
At least 80 children have died of malnutrition since the conflict began, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. Most of these occurred after the lockdown in March, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In May, the controversial new Israeli- and US-backed organisation, GHF, announced it would begin obtaining Israeli approval. A few days before the GHF began its operation, director Jakewood resigned, saying it was impossible to do his job “while strictly following the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, equity and independence.”
The foundation was created to replace the UN role in Gaza, but Israeli compliance requires that aid do not reach Hamas. The GHF coordinates with the Israeli military, but said its security will be provided by civilian military contractors.
The United Nations refused to participate, saying that the GHF model violated some basic humanitarian principles. Critics note that there are only a few GHF distribution sites in southern Gaza and central Gaza. This forced a large crowd to gather in limited areas.
The GHF defends the system, saying “the secure model (that) blocks looting.”
However, shortly after it began operation on May 27, the plan became fatal as people seeking assistance fired more and more near the GHF aid site.
Palestinian officials and witnesses say the Israeli army is responsible for most deaths. Israeli forces have admitted to fire warning shots on crowds in some cases, but have denied responsibility for other incidents.
And death is not limited to the proximity of GHF aid sites. Israeli forces on Sunday killed dozens of people awaiting aid in North Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Israel said the troops fired warning shots after feeling “an immediate threat.”
The Ministry of Health recorded 10 deaths from hunger and malnutrition in 24 hours from Tuesday, bringing the total to 111 Palestinians who died from starvation.
On Wednesday, 111 international humanitarian organisations called on Israel to end the blockade and agree to a ceasefire, warning that the supply of enclaves has been “completely exhausted” and that humanitarian groups have “watched their colleagues and partners waste in front of their eyes.”
Israeli officials said at a press conference Wednesday that they hope to see more aid entering the enclave in the future.
“Unless Hamas is involved, more and more trucks want to enter Gaza and distribute aid,” the official said. “As we see for now, Hamas is interested. First, to put pressure on Israeli state to influence the (cease-fire) negotiation process, and to disrupt new mechanisms that ensure that they are not involved in the delivery of aid within Gaza.”
International pressure continues to rise from Israel from the US.
And on Monday, foreign ministers from 25 Western countries denounced Israel for assistance with “feeding” to the Gaza Strip. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it had “rejected” the statement and called it “separated from reality.”
