The unrelenting Israel-Gaza war, now in its 14th month, has left the Gaza Strip in ruins. Over 80% of the 2.3 million residents are displaced, two-thirds of buildings lie destroyed or damaged, and basic necessities are increasingly scarce. Amidst this chaos, a disturbing trend has emerged – humanitarian aid, the lifeline for war-ravaged Gazans, has plummeted to its lowest level in nearly a year.
According to Israeli government data, an average of merely 57 aid trucks per day crossed into Gaza in October, a far cry from the 600 trucks the UN says are needed daily to meet the population’s basic needs. This drop in aid comes despite a forceful ultimatum from the United States just last month, threatening sanctions against Israel if the flow of humanitarian supplies did not increase.
US Ultimatum Falls on Deaf Ears
The strongly-worded warning, delivered jointly by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on October 13th, gave Israel a 30-day window to ramp up aid deliveries or face potential consequences, including a temporary halt to some munitions supplies or other military assistance. However, with the deadline set to expire imminently, Israel appears to have largely ignored the demands.
While Israeli authorities did announce a modest expansion of the “humanitarian zone” in Gaza on Monday, potentially allowing some of the displaced to move inland away from overcrowded coastal areas as winter approaches, most of the specific requests outlined in the US letter seem to have gone unheeded. Aid officials on the ground describe the situation in much of the territory as “apocalyptic”, with food, medicine, and other vital supplies barely trickling in.
Gaza’s Deepening Crisis
“Almost nothing is getting in any more,” lamented one UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The small street markets that sprung up have all gone. There’s a bit of flour, some washing-up liquid … a kilo of tomatoes costs nearly $20. Even if you have money there is nothing to buy. Everyone is going hungry again.”
Aid to Gaza falls to lowest level in 11 months despite US ultimatum to Israel
The statistics paint a grim picture. In October, only 25,155 tonnes of food aid entered Gaza, the lowest amount since December 2023. So far in November, a mere 8,805 tonnes have made it through Israeli checkpoints. These figures represent a drastic decline from the peak in May, when 117,000 tonnes of food reached Gaza on over 6,000 trucks, alongside other critical supplies like tents and medicine.
Accusations and Obstacles
Israeli officials reject accusations that aid is being deliberately restricted, instead pointing the finger at humanitarian agencies for failing to properly organize distribution. UN logistics experts counter that Israeli military operations and general lawlessness frequently prevent them from collecting supplies, resulting in hundreds of aid trucks languishing at border crossings.
Humanitarian workers also cite shortages of essential personnel and equipment as major impediments. Reports indicate that since May, Israeli authorities have approved only 10% of requests for permits to issue to individual aid truck drivers. Coordination with the Israeli military is described as cumbersome and time-consuming, with the majority of requests for aid convoys being denied.
Last week, a committee of global food security experts known as the IPC warned of a “strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas” of northern Gaza.
Northern Gaza Under Siege
The humanitarian crisis is most acute in Gaza’s far north, where the towns of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya have been under an Israeli-imposed siege for over a month. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim the lockdown is necessary to root out Hamas militants operating in the area, but aid workers fear it may be part of a longer-term strategy to depopulate the north.
“People in north Gaza have got nothing,” said the UN official. “Every single day from 3 October to end of month, UN asked to take stuff into Jabaliya, but [was] turned down.” The dire conditions have experts sounding the alarm, with the IPC warning just last week of a “strong likelihood that famine is imminent” in parts of northern Gaza.
A War With No End in Sight
The current conflict, now the deadliest and longest-running in the history of the Israel-Gaza wars, was sparked by a surprise attack by Hamas in October 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis. In the 13 months since, over 43,500 Palestinians have perished in Gaza, more than half of them women and children according to local officials.
As the days tick down on the US ultimatum and conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate, the international community watches anxiously to see if the threat of sanctions will spur Israel to action or if the humanitarian catastrophe will only deepen. For the millions of civilians caught in the crossfire, desperately in need of food, water, shelter and medical care, time is running out.
