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Foreign food assistance

Aid Organizations Demand Immediate Ceasefire and End to Israel's Systematic Obstruction of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The situation in Gaza has become catastrophic, with the entire population facing hunger and disease due to Israel's systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid. New data reveals that only 17% of required food aid reaches Gaza, a drastic fall from 34% in 2023. As a result, people in Gaza have gone from having an average of two meals a day to just one meal every other day. An estimated 50,000 children urgently require treatment for malnutrition by the end of the year.

Key Takeaways:

  • 83% of required food aid does not make it into Gaza, up from 34% in 2023, resulting in people having only one meal every other day.
  • An estimated 50,000 children aged between 6-59 months urgently require treatment for malnutrition by the end of the year.
  • 65% of the insulin required and half of the required blood supply are not available in Gaza.
  • Availability of hygiene items has dropped to 15% of the amount available in September 2023, affecting one million women who now go without hygiene supplies.
  • Only around 1,500 hospital beds in Gaza remain operational, compared to around 3,500 beds in 2023, which was already insufficient for the population.
  • Cities of similar size, such as Chicago and Paris, average 5 to 8 times more hospital beds than in Gaza.
  • 1.87 million people are in need of shelter with at least 60% of homes destroyed or damaged (January 2024).
  • Only 17 out of 36 hospitals remain partially functional.
  • Critical infrastructure such as water networks, sanitation facilities, and bread mills have been razed to the ground.
  • Agencies have identified six main ways their life-saving aid is systematically obstructed, including the denial of safety, the tightening of the blockade, delays, and denials that restrict the movement of aid around Gaza.

Statistics:

  • 83% of required food aid does not reach Gaza (up from 34% in 2023)
  • An estimated 50,000 children urgently require treatment for malnutrition by the end of the year
  • 65% of insulin required and half of the blood supply are not available in Gaza
  • 15% availability of hygiene items in Gaza (down from September 2023)
  • 1,500 hospital beds operational in Gaza (compared to 3,500 in 2023)
  • 1.87 million people in need of shelter with at least 60% of homes destroyed or damaged (January 2024)
  • Only 17 out of 36 hospitals remain partially functional
  • 40,000 Palestinians and nearly 300 aid workers killed since last October
  • 500 aid trucks per working day entered Gaza last year (compared to 69 trucks per day in August 2024)
  • 1 million people did not receive any food rations in southern and central Gaza in August

Sources:

  • American Friends Service Committee
  • CARE International
  • Save the Children
  • ActionAid
  • Christian Aid
  • War Child
  • Islamic Relief
  • HelpAge International
  • Oxfam
  • DanChurchAid
  • Norwegian Church Aid
  • Mennonite Central Committee
  • Danish Refugee Council
  • Norwegian Refugee Council
  • KinderUSA

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