Twenty-one months into Israel’s war in Gaza, the enclave is gripped by escalating scenes of death and hunger, with some killed while trying to reach aid, others dying of starvation, and growing condemnation of Israel’s conduct even among many of its closest allies.
Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from man-made “mass starvation” due to the aid blockade, the World Health Organization warned Wednesday. “Parents tell us their children cry themselves to sleep from hunger,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Food distribution sites have become places of violence.”
The United Nations says more than a thousand people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking food since late May, when the controversial new Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations. Hundreds have died near GHF sites, according to the UN. The group, created to replace the UN’s aid role, has been widely criticized for failing to improve conditions.
All 2.1 million people in Gaza are now food insecure. Gaza’s health ministry said Tuesday that 900,000 children are going hungry, and 70,000 already show signs of malnutrition.
Before the war, Gaza was already one of the most isolated and densely populated places on Earth, with around two million people in just 140 square miles. Israel maintained tight control through a longstanding land, air, and sea blockade, severely restricting goods and people. Over half of Gaza’s residents were already food insecure and living under the poverty line, according to the UN.
Before October 2023, between 500 and 600 truckloads of aid entered Gaza daily. That number has since dropped to an average of just 28 trucks per day, according to humanitarian groups. It’s unclear whether this includes GHF trucks.
Following Hamas’ October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, Israel declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting electricity, food, water, and fuel. A humanitarian crisis rapidly unfolded amid an Israeli military campaign. Human rights groups have accused Israel of using food as a “weapon of war” and imposing “collective punishment.”
After international pressure, the first aid trucks entered Gaza in late October. A temporary ceasefire began on November 24, increasing aid flow briefly before collapsing a week later. Deliveries dwindled again, and strict Israeli inspections delayed supplies. Israel claimed screening was necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. Humanitarian officials accused Israel of deliberately obstructing shipments.
The Israeli campaign also targeted the UN’s aid infrastructure, alleging inefficiency and Hamas infiltration. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was accused of employing staff involved in the October 7 attack. A UN probe found nine out of 13,000 Gaza-based employees may have participated, and they were no longer with the agency.
In January, Israel banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza, cutting off vital services including food, healthcare, and education for hundreds of thousands.
As the Israeli campaign destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced most residents, lawlessness spread. Looting became a barrier to aid, and casualties rose at delivery points. Israel blamed Hamas and armed gangs. The UN warned of civil collapse within weeks of the war. By November 2024, it reported the capacity to deliver aid was “completely gone.”
In a major looting incident, more than 100 trucks were lost. Drivers were forced to unload at gunpoint, aid workers were injured, and vehicles damaged.
With Hamas’ grip weakened and the police force decimated, gangs emerged to steal and resell aid. Israel also armed local militias to counter Hamas — a move critics say risks long-term instability. This was the closest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to proposing alternate rule for Gaza, as he continued to avoid laying out a post-war plan for governance.
On January 19, another temporary ceasefire briefly allowed aid to resume, but volumes remained far below what was needed. Israel reinstated a full blockade on March 2 after the truce expired and resumed fighting weeks later, citing pressure on Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms and release hostages.
By July, the World Food Programme said a quarter of Gaza’s population faced famine-like conditions. At least 80 children have died of malnutrition, most after the March blockade, according to WHO and Gaza’s health ministry.
In May, GHF began operations, backed by Israel and the U.S., and replacing the UN’s role.
Days before launching, GHF director Jake Wood resigned, citing an inability to work while adhering to humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
The foundation pledged to keep Hamas from accessing aid and coordinated with the Israeli military. Security was provided by private contractors.
The UN refused to participate, calling the model a violation of basic humanitarian principles. Unlike the UN, which ran hundreds of distribution sites, GHF operates only a few in southern and central Gaza. This has forced massive crowds to converge at limited locations.
GHF defends its system as a “secure model” that “blocks looting.” But soon after launching on May 27, aid seekers began coming under fire near GHF distribution points. Palestinian officials and witnesses blame Israeli troops for most of the deaths. Israel acknowledged firing warning shots in some cases but denied responsibility for others.
