Israel has conditioned its lifting of the blockade with the return of the hostages abducted by Hamas,[3] which has been criticized as collective punishment and an apparent war crime.[4] Later, Israel eased the complete blockade, but still continued to severely restrict the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip. The first supplies entered on 21 October 2023.[5] The blockade exacerbated Gaza's humanitarian crisis.[6]
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.[7] On 9 February 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini said that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.[8]
The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date back to the early 1990s.[12] After Hamas's takeover in 2007 Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete a blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip.[13][14] Egypt began its blockade of Gaza in 2007, shortly after Hamas took control of the territory.[15] Several border crossings have existed from the Gaza Strip along the border of Israel and Egypt.[16] Israel regularly granted permission for a quota of Gaza Palestinians, numbering between 15,000 and 21,000, to work daily within its borders.[17][18][19]
On 7 October 2023, 6,000 Palestinian militants and civilians led by Hamas, a Palestinian political and military organization and other Palestinian groups, launched its biggest assault across the Gaza–Israel barrier into southern Israel, breaching the border in 119 places, infiltrating Israel and killing 1,175 Israelis and foreigners,[20] as well as firing at least 4,300 rockets into Israel.[21][22][23][24] Israel subsequently declared war on the militants,[25] calling up 300,000 reservists to execute Israel's military operation.[26] Following the attack, considered the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust,[27][28][29]
Blockade
A total blockade of the Gaza Strip was announced on 9 October 2023 by the Defence Minister of Israel, Yoav Gallant. "We are putting a complete siege on Gaza … No electricity, no food, no water, no gas – it’s all closed" he announced.[2][30] "We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly," he added.[31][32][33] The spokesman for the Minister of Energy of Israel, Israel Katz, said that Katz had ordered the water supply to the Gaza Strip to be cut, effective immediately.[34] Israeli tanks and drones have been tasked with guarding openings in the Gaza–Israel border fence and enforcing the blockade.[2]
As a result of the blockade, the only power plant in the Gaza Strip ran out of fuel on 11 October, at 2:00pm.[35][36] This caused the electricity in the Gaza Strip to go off.[36] Due to this, desalination plants providing water shut off, completely stopping running water.[37]
On 12 October 2023, Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Israel Katz, stated that the lifting of the Gaza Strip blockade would not occur until the hostages, who were abducted by Hamas, are safely returned to their homeland.[3]
After receiving pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden, Gallant changed his position of a complete blockade and a deal was made on 19 October for Israel and Egypt to allow aid into Gaza.[39]
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.[7]
On 31 January 2024, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu to cease sending aid to Gaza.[40]
On 1 February, protests blocked aid trucks from leaving the Port of Ashdod.[41]
On 9 February 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini said that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.[8]
Most aid vehicles come through this crossing from Egypt. This was the first crossing to reopen after the start of the war, on 21 October.[5] Between then and 31 October, 241 aid trucks passed through.[42] Egypt, fearing a great influx of Gazans into Sinai implemented strict policies in Rafah crossing.[43] On 27 October, Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Program, criticized the checks at the Egyptian side of the crossing as "overly stringent" and limiting the flow of aid, which had previously been closer to 500 trucks a day.[44] However Egypt is highly cautious of mass exodus of Palestinians from Gaza.
This was one of the crossings breached at the start of the war, and remained closed thereafter. On 30 October, the UN asked Israel to reopen it to allow additional aid trucks through.[45] On 3 November it was opened briefly, and Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip who had been staying in Israel on work permits were sent back to the Gaza Strip.[46]
On 21 December 2023, Israeli protesters attempted to block the Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.[47] On 6 February, Channel 12 reported that 132 aid trucks had been prevented from entering the Kerem Shalom border crossing.[48] On 7 February, Israelis set up tents at the Kerem Shalom to block aid from entering Gaza.[49][bettersourceneeded]
Other crossings
On 2 February, Israeli protesters blocked the Nitzana Border Crossing between Egypt and Israel to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.[10]
Two Jordanian aid convoys headed towards the Gaza Strip carrying medical supplies and flour were attacked by Israeli settlers on 1 May.[11]
Israel reopened the Kissufim crossing on 12 November 2024 in response to US demands to open another crossing into the Gaza Strip. The demands were intended to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.[50][51]
The blockade resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down desalination plants that provide drinking water.[52] According to WHO, 27 out of 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip were shut down by 23 November 2023.[53]
On 15 November, the UNRWA announced that due to the lack of fuel, 70% of Gaza would no longer have access to clean water.[54] On 17 November, Oxfam stated Gaza's water supply was at 17% of its pre-siege capacity.[55] According to Oxfam and the United Nations, Gaza's lack of clean water and sanitation would trigger a rise in cholera and other deadly infectious diseases.[56] On 7 December, the World Health Organization reported increases in acute respiratory infections, scabies, jaundice, and diarrhea.[57]
On 7 December 2023, the World Food Programme stated that 97% of households had inadequate food consumption and 83% in southern Gaza were surviving through "extreme consumption strategies."[58] On 15 December, the United Nations estimated nine out of ten residents were not eating food every day.[59] On 22 December, UNICEF warned of the increasingly growing threat of famine in the Gaza Strip.[60]
Direct attacks on telecommunications infrastructure by Israel, electricity blockades and fuel shortages have caused the near-total collapse of Gaza's largest cell network providers.[61][62][63] Lack of internet access has obstructed Gazan citizens from communicating with loved ones, learning of IDF operations, and identifying both the areas most exposed to bombing and possible escape routes.[61] The blackouts have also impeded emergency services, making it more difficult to locate and access the time-critical injured,[61] and have impeded humanitarian aid agencies and journalists as well.[61] By December 2023 200,000 Gazans (approximately 10% of the population) had received internet access through an eSIM provided by Connecting Humanity.[64]
The Israel–Hamas war has led to imminent famine conditions in the Gaza Strip, resulting from Israeli airstrikes and the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel, which includes restrictions on humanitarian aid.[9][68][69] 2.2 million people in Gaza are now experiencing food insecurity at emergency level.[70]
Airstrikes have destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries, mills, and food stores, and there is a widespread scarcity of essential supplies due to the blockade of aid.[c] This has caused starvation for more than half a million Gazans and is part of a broader humanitarian crisis in the Strip. It is the “highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger” ever recorded on the IPC scale,[72] and is widely expected to be the most intense man-made famine since the Second World War.[73][74][75]
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has recently classified the current situation in Gaza as the highest level of food insecurity ever recorded. With 53% of the population, equivalent to 1.17 million individuals, facing emergency levels, the region is experiencing alarming rates of malnutrition and loss of lives; Due to the prevailing security conditions, providing a substantial humanitarian response has become exceedingly challenging. It is crucially important to establish a consistent and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza to address the urgent needs of its population.[76]
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese expressed concern that "the measures taken, including the bombing of the Rafah crossing, hints to an intention to really starve and kill the people who are innocent inside the Gaza Strip," saying there was fear among Palestinians in Gaza of a "second Nakba."[79]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply distressed" by Israel's decision to impose a total blockade on the Gaza Strip.[4]
Jan Egeland, the Secretary General for the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated that "collective punishment is in violation of international law. If and when it would lead to wounded children dying in hospitals because of a lack of energy, electricity and supplies, it could amount to war crime."[4]
On 10 October 2023, European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that "cutting water, cutting electricity, cutting food to a mass of civilian people, is against international law."[80]
On 11 October 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Israel's blockade and bombing of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' attack was a disproportionate response amounting to a "massacre."[81]
UNRWA's director, Philippe Lazzarini, described the Gaza Strip as a "graveyard of a population trapped between war, siege and deprivation", saying that "We will not be able to say we did not know. History will ask why the world did not have the courage to act decisively and stop this hell on Earth."[82]
Egyptian authorities tried to prevent a mass exodus of Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip towards the Sinai Peninsula, rejecting a United States proposal for safe corridors to Egypt for Palestinians fleeing the Gaza Strip. The Rafah Border Crossing on the Egypt–Gaza border was closed by Egypt after the start of the conflict.[83] Egypt urged Israel to allow safe passage for Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip instead of forcing them to flee towards Sinai.[84]
Fabrizio Carboni, the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) director for the Middle East, said that "Without electricity, hospitals [in Gaza] risk turning into morgues."[85]
According to Human Rights Watch, "Israel's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure has made it clear the recent Hamas attacks are 'why we decided to stop the flow of water, electricity and fuel'. These tactics are war crimes, as is using starvation as a weapon of war."[85] A spokesperson for Gisha, an Israeli human rights group, said there was no "justification for this kind of targeting of civilians".[86]
British politician and Leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, announced his support for Israel's "right" to totally cut power and water supplies to the Gaza Strip in an interview with LBC,[87] prompting the Labour Muslim Network to describe his comments as endorsing "collective punishment" and demand an apology from him.[88] The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged Israel to exercise restraint, arguing that a blockade of the Gaza Strip could lead to suffering of Palestinian civilians.[89]
Agnès Callamard, secretary of Amnesty International said that Israeli authorities should immediately stop the increased restrictions, including cutting off electricity, water, and food. She stated that the blackout would have a severe effect on access to clean water, communications and internet access, and public health.[91]
On 18 October, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, sponsored by Brazil and supported by 12 of the 15 Council members, calling for "humanitarian pauses" to deliver aid to Gazan civilians.[92] The US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield explained that the US was working on a diplomatic resolution to the humanitarian crisis, and the resolution failed to recognize Israel's right to self-defense.[93][94]
On 21 October, the Israeli army dropped leaflets in Gaza with the message: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization."[95][96]
On 9 January, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron admitted he is "worried" that Israel has "taken action that might be in breach of international law", saying he wanted Israel to restore water supplies to Gaza.[100]
↑ According to CNN, the true number of people dead from starvation may already be higher, as "limited access to northern Gaza has hindered the ability of aid agencies to fully assess the situation there."[66]
↑ The Israeli NGO Btselem has stated the famine is a direct outcome of Israeli policy: "This reality is not a byproduct of war, but a direct result of Israel's declared policy. Residents now depend entirely on food supplies from outside Gaza, as they can no longer produce almost any food themselves. Most cultivated fields have been destroyed, and accessing open areas during the war is dangerous in any case. Bakeries, factories and food warehouses have been bombed or shut down due to lack of basic supplies, fuel and electricity."[71]
Related Research Articles
The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. Inhabited by mostly Palestinian refugees and their descendants, Gaza is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. Gaza is bordered by Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the east and north. The territory has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
The Gaza–Israel barrier is a border barrier located on the Israeli side of the Gaza–Israel border. Before the Israel–Hamas war, the Erez Crossing, in the north of the Gaza Strip, used to be the only crossing point for people and goods coming from Israel into the Gaza Strip. A second crossing point, the Kerem Shalom border crossing, is used exclusively for goods coming from Egypt as Israel did not allow goods to go directly from Egypt into Gaza through the Egypt–Gaza border, except for the Salah Al Din Gate, which opened in 2018.
The Rafah Border Crossing or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and Palestine's Gaza Strip. It is located on the Egypt–Palestine border. Under a 2007 agreement between Egypt and Israel, Egypt controls the crossing but imports through the Rafah crossing require Israeli approval.
The Erez Crossing, also known as the Beit Hanoun Crossing, is a border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. It is located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, between the Israeli kibbutz of Erez and the Palestinian town of Beit Hanoun.
On 23 January 2008, Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip set off an explosion near the Rafah border crossing, destroying part of the 2003 wall. The United Nations estimates that as many as half the 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip crossed the border into Egypt seeking food and supplies. Due to fears that militants would acquire weapons in Egypt, Israeli police went on increased alert.
The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when about 200,000 of the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes settled in the Gaza Strip as refugees. Since then, Israel has been involved in about 15 wars involving organizations in the Gaza Strip. The number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing 2023–2024 war (41,000) is higher than the death toll of all other wars in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict combined.
The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date to the early 1990s. After Hamas took over in 2007, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip. In the same year, Egypt closed the Rafah crossing point. The blockade's current stated aim is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza; previously stated motivations have included exerting economic pressure on Hamas. Human rights groups have called the blockade illegal and a form of collective punishment, as it restricts the flow of essential goods, contributes to economic hardship, and limits Gazans' freedom of movement. The blockade and its effects have led to the territory being called an "open-air prison".
The economy of the Gaza Strip was dependent on small industries and agriculture. After years of decline, the Gaza economy experienced some growth in the late 2000s, boosted by foreign aid. According to the International Monetary Fund, the economy grew 20 percent in 2011, and the per capita gross domestic product increased by 19 percent.
The import of goods into the Gaza Strip is restricted because of the blockade of the Gaza Strip by Egypt and Israel. Israel is accused by Palestinians of denying humanitarian supplies from aid organizations, including UN agencies, into the Gaza Strip in an effort to intentionally weaponize starvation against the people of certain areas of Gaza.
Egypt–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Palestine. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and he favored self-determination for the Palestinians. Although the Egyptian government has maintained a good relationship with Israel since the Camp David Accords, most Egyptians strongly resent Israel, and disapprove of the close relationship between the Israeli and Egyptian governments.
Kerem Shalom border crossing is a border crossing at the junction of two border sections: one between the Gaza Strip and Israel, and one between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. It is used by trucks carrying goods from Israel or Egypt to the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip in Palestine since its takeover of the region from rival party Fatah in June 2007. Hamas' government was led by Ismail Haniyeh from 2007 until February 2017, when Haniyeh was replaced as leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip by Yahya Sinwar. Until October 2024, Yahya Sinwar was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In January 2024, due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, Israel said that Hamas lost control of most of the northern part of the Gaza Strip. In May 2024, Hamas regrouped in the north.
The Electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip is an ongoing and growing electricity crisis faced by nearly two million residents of the Gaza Strip, with regular power supply being provided only for a few hours a day on a rolling blackout schedule. Some Gazans and government institutions use private electric generators, solar panels and uninterruptible power supply units to produce power when regular power is not available.
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war. The crisis includes both an impending famine and a healthcare collapse. At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies. This siege resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down the desalination plants that provide drinking water. Doctors warned of disease outbreaks spreading due to overcrowded hospitals.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720, adopted on 22 December 2023, called for increased aid for the 2023 Gaza humanitarian crisis, including the provisioning of fuel, food, and medical supplies. It also explicitly demanded the opening of all Gaza border crossings to humanitarian aid, including the Kerem Shalom border crossing, and proposed the immediate appointment of a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. The resolution received approval from 13 members, while Russia and the United States abstained from voting.
The population of the Gaza Strip is at high risk of famine as a result of Israeli airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war and an Israeli blockade, including of basic essentials and humanitarian aid. Airstrikes have destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries, mills, and food stores, and there is a widespread scarcity of essential supplies due to the blockade of aid. According to a group of UN experts, as of July 2024 Israel's "targeted starvation campaign" had spread throughout the entire Gaza Strip, causing the death of children. Israel's mission to the UN criticized the statement, calling it "misinformation". The same month, detected cases of childhood malnutrition in northern Gaza increased by 300 percent compared to May 2024.
During the Israel–Hamas war, humanitarian aid entered into the Gaza Strip via air, land and sea. Early in the war, significant issues arose with humanitarian aid. Israel's initial blockade on Gaza, immediately following the October 7 attacks, prevented the entry of humanitarian aid for several weeks. As the war progressed, aid was allowed at limited quantities. Entities such as Oxfam, the European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations stated that Israel is deliberately blocking humanitarian aid. These limitations have contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis and a risk of famine. Israeli airstrikes and continued restrictions on aid entry led to widespread shortages of food and supplies. Distribution of aid within Gaza has also been an issue, as police have refused to protect aid convoy after airstrikes killed eight police in Rafah.
This timeline of the Israel–Hamas war covers events from 7 October until 27 October 2023.
During the Israel–Hamas war, societal and institutional breakdown occurred across the Gaza Strip caused by continual military assaults by the Israeli Defense Forces on Palestinian law enforcement institutions as well as widespread starvation, famine, and lack of essential supplies created by the conflict and blockade of the Gaza Strip. Due to significant destabilization caused by military conflict and the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis, the United Nations reported in July 2024 that significant increases in looting, killing of law enforcement and humanitarian workers expanded across the Gaza Strip, and were emblematic of greater societal breakdown and spreading "anarchy" throughout the enclave.
The Israeli blockade of aid delivery to the Gaza Strip is an Israeli act of protest that began on January 24, 2024, in which demonstrators protested against the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators prevented the passage of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom crossing, at the Nitzana crossing, at the Port of Ashdod, and on the roads that aid trucks traveled on.
↑ "Light at the End of Their Tunnels? Hamas and the Arab Uprisings"(PDF). International Crisis Group. 14 August 2012. p.38, note 283. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2024. The prime minister is comfortable with limited economic growth in Gaza, particularly as a way to modify Hamas's urge to get into trouble. We still want there to be a discrepancy between economic life in Gaza and the West Bank, but we no longer feel it needs to be so large.
↑ "Gaza Up Close". Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement. 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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