Hundreds of aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, giving residents the first night without Israeli airstrikes in more than a year.
More than 15 months of Israeli shelling has devastated the Palestinian enclave, causing a humanitarian disaster marked by hunger, disease and lack of medical care.
A ceasefire could dramatically increase humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza, but the United Nations warns it is “just the beginning.”
Some of the serious crises in Gaza are listed below.
Displacement: According to the United Nations, about 90% of the Gaza Strip’s 2.1 million residents have been displaced by Israeli bombing, “almost 10 times more likely.” Many are forced to live in tents, exposed to the winter’s brutal cold and heavy rains that flood shelters.
Trifecta of Death: At least five infants under one year old and two infants under two years old have died due to frigid weather over the past month. A surgeon in Gaza said hypothermia, malnutrition and injury represent the trifecta of death. “In Gaza, this means people die from hypothermia in high temperatures, starve faster and die from minor wounds,” he wrote.
Medical crisis: Israeli shelling has devastated Gaza’s medical sector. Medical facilities that are still functioning are struggling to operate without fuel, food, water or sufficient medical supplies while dealing with a constant influx of injured people, including thousands of children. Last year, aid groups warned that amputations were being performed without anesthesia. Hospitals are also dealing with preventable diseases that are spreading at an alarming rate, with many people in Gaza suffering from chronic illnesses and cancer unable to access treatment. The Israeli military has launched repeated raids on hospitals in the Gaza Strip, claiming that Hamas is using the facilities as “command and control” centers.
Hunger: Israel’s siege has depleted food supplies in parts of the Gaza Strip, leaving Palestinians in a serious hunger crisis. Child deaths from starvation and malnutrition indicate that hunger has spread. Aid agencies reported being repeatedly refused entry to northern Gaza, where the crisis is most severe. “The foundations of human survival are being destroyed in Gaza,” a UN official said.
Water and Sanitation Facilities: Approximately 70% of all water and sanitation facilities in Gaza were destroyed or damaged. Severe water shortages are widely reported, and most or all of the water available to people is not safe to drink. People living in tents described scenes of sewage spilling onto roads and children drinking from puddles. The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency has described sanitary conditions in the Gaza Strip as “inhumane”. In August, an 11-month-old boy in Gaza was diagnosed with polio for the first time in 25 years after an Israeli military operation destroyed the sanitation system.
Schools: More than 95% of Gaza’s schools were partially or completely destroyed. Thousands of children are denied access to education. The Israeli military has persistently maintained that Hamas uses schools and other facilities for displaced people as cover for its operations.
Infrastructure: Israeli bombing has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, with 92% of all housing destroyed or damaged. CNN drone footage of Gaza, the first since November 5, 2023, shows the scale of the war’s destruction. Footage shows the flattened remains of hundreds of buildings in northern Gaza. The United Nations estimated in July that debris removal would take at least eight years.
Casualties: At least 46,913 Palestinians have been reported killed in the war in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. However, research has found that the actual death toll is significantly higher than the figures announced by authorities.
