When Israel’s major offensive on Gaza City started last month, Khitam Ayyad was forced to abandon her home, fleeing barefoot and empty-handed. She headed towards a southern Gaza area that the Israeli military had declared a ‘humanitarian zone,’ promising safety and aid.
The military had assured that tents, food supplies, and essential medical care would be readily available for those displaced by the fierce fighting in the north.
However, upon arriving in Khan Younis, one of these supposed humanitarian zones in the south, Ms. Ayyad described a scene of overwhelming despair. The city was severely overcrowded, and the promised assistance was virtually non-existent for the throngs of desperate people.
“We are completely exposed to the blistering sun and intense heat,” she recounted. She found no available space to construct even a makeshift shelter, and there was a severe lack of adequate food and clean water.
The Israeli military stated that its ground offensive, launched on September 16th to seize control of Gaza City, aims to dismantle what it describes as one of Hamas’s final strongholds in the region.
Prior to this major military push, the Israeli military had claimed that southern Gaza’s humanitarian facilities were adequately prepared to handle the anticipated surge of people relocating from the northern parts of the strip.
As of this week, military reports indicate that an staggering 780,000 individuals have evacuated Gaza City since the initial order was issued on September 9th.
This massive influx of Gazans into the southern regions has placed an unbearable strain on humanitarian services, which aid organizations already reported as insufficient even before the arrival of these additional hundreds of thousands.
Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the United Nations’ humanitarian office operating within a designated humanitarian zone, described a harrowing scene: “Hundreds of people are simply sitting by the roadside, looking utterly shell-shocked and possessing absolutely nothing.”
Earlier this week, both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced their support for a peace initiative aimed at ending the conflict, which erupted following a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The proposed plan included a provision for “full aid” to be delivered to Gaza “immediately” upon its implementation, though Hamas’s acceptance of the deal remained uncertain.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid into Gaza, reaffirmed its position, stating that humanitarian facilities in the south were indeed prepared for the incoming population. In a statement on September 25th, COGAT asserted, “Accordingly, the transfer of food, medical equipment, and shelter supplies has been increased. Measures have also been implemented concerning water and medical assistance in the southern Gaza Strip.”
Yet, a New York Times photographer’s visit to the humanitarian zone, combined with testimonies from Palestinians and aid groups, revealed that two weeks into the offensive, there was little evidence of the promised infrastructure. The existing facilities were deemed grossly inadequate.
“Hospitals are utterly overflowing,” Ms. Cherevko emphasized. “Water production has plummeted to unprecedented lows, and various diseases are rapidly spreading through the population.”
According to aid agencies, the humanitarian crisis across Gaza has descended into chaos since the ground offensive on Gaza City commenced, making relief efforts incredibly difficult.
In northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still trapped in Gaza City, the delivery of essential food and aid has been severely hampered, as reported by various aid organizations.
The UN humanitarian office confirmed that the Israeli military had closed the Zikim crossing on September 12th, effectively sealing off a critical pathway for aid and goods, just days before the Gaza City operation started.
When questioned about the closure, the Israeli military responded that the passage of aid trucks through Zikim was “subject to operational considerations,” implying security concerns.
The United Nations reported that Israeli authorities had obstructed or denied approximately half of its recent attempts to transport aid from southern to northern Gaza. Ms. Cherevko noted that this significantly hindered community kitchens in the north, which are now only able to prepare about a third of the meals they previously could.
In a statement, the Israeli military asserted that aid deliveries from southern to northern Gaza were being “facilitated through internal coordination” with aid groups, claiming that assistance “continues on an ongoing basis.”
Israel’s military actions and their devastating impact on civilians have drawn extensive international condemnation, leaving the nation increasingly isolated on the global stage.
Just last month, a U.N. commission probing the conflict alleged that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians, an accusation vehemently denied by Israel.
Furthermore, an August report from a U.N.-backed panel of food experts declared that Gaza City and its environs were officially experiencing famine, with at least half a million people at risk of starvation, severe malnutrition, and death. Israel, however, has rejected these findings and questioned the panel’s investigative methods.
Israeli officials contend that sufficient food aid enters Gaza, but they argue that it is either stolen or that aid agencies face difficulties in its distribution. Conversely, the United Nations and other humanitarian groups claim that Israel routinely denies or delays their requests to collect supplies at the border and safely transport them within Gaza, among other significant obstacles.
The pervasive insecurity throughout Gaza has also created immense challenges for aid agencies attempting to reach those in need.
Before the Gaza City offensive, UNICEF regularly delivered specialized malnutrition treatment to northern Gaza twice weekly. However, as Tess Ingram, a UNICEF spokeswoman, stated, only one such delivery has been made since the operation began. Furthermore, the United Nations recently reported a harrowing incident where a shipment of malnutrition treatment, sufficient for 2,700 children, was successfully brought into Gaza City but subsequently stolen by armed individuals.
The United Nations also disclosed that a staggering 73 percent of aid entering Gaza in September was stolen from its trucks, either by desperate civilians or organized armed gangs. This pilfered aid is then reportedly sold in local markets throughout the territory at exorbitant prices.
Initially, during the first days of the Israeli ground offensive, some markets in Gaza City remained operational as vendors attempted to sell off their remaining stock before evacuating. However, residents now report that most markets are either closed or have been completely emptied of goods.
Amani al-Hessi, a 40-year-old journalist for Al Madina, an Arabic-language newspaper based in Israel, currently taking shelter in a severely damaged house in Gaza City, confirmed that there are no longer any places to purchase food in her immediate vicinity.
“Yesterday, I visited what was once the Shati market, but not a single item was for sale,” she stated, referring to a neighborhood in Gaza City. “At best, we have enough food to last one more week.”
Aid agencies contend that the Israeli military seemed inadequately prepared for the massive displacement of people that its Gaza City offensive would inevitably cause.
“While there is some food and water in Al-Mawasi,” stated UNICEF spokeswoman Ms. Ingram, referring to a designated humanitarian zone in the south, “it is certainly not enough for the current population. If hundreds of thousands more arrive, it will be catastrophically insufficient.”
Bassem al-Qedra, a 43-year-old, shared his ordeal of sleeping on the streets for three days with his children after escaping Gaza City to Khan Younis. He eventually located a bare patch of sand and paid nearly $100 to have a tent erected for his family.
“We have no water, no food, no money,” lamented Mr. al-Qedra, who lost his taxi—his livelihood—to the war. “There was simply no one who could offer assistance.”