By Odile Hugonot Haber and Genie Silver, Middle East Peace & Justice Action Committee
It is difficult to imagine the people of Gaza enduring worse conditions than they currently face. This winter, severe flooding and cold have compounded the crisis. At the same time, food shortages and the near-total collapse of hospital care—due to the bombing of most medical facilities—have left residents in dire need.
For the past 18 years, Israel has maintained a comprehensive blockade of Gaza. Now, Israel has escalated these restrictions by banning 37 humanitarian aid organizations, including Care, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the American Friends Service Committee, and Catholic Relief Services.
Although Hamas and the Israeli government reached a ceasefire in January 2025, Israel unilaterally ended it just two months later in March, cutting off all deliveries to Gaza. Subsequent bombings further devastated the area. Extreme hunger and starvation set in, with dozens of children reportedly dying from lack of food. Despite these conditions, international organizations and humanitarian groups managed to provide some essential services, including medical care, soup kitchens, minimal shelter, food, and potable water.
On Oct. 7, 2025, a second US-brokered ceasefire took place, during which Hamas returned all remaining Israeli hostages, both living and deceased. However, according to UNRWA and the U.N.’s OCHA, 492 Palestinians were killed and 1,356 were injured between the start of the ceasefire and late January 2026.
As of September 2024, reports highlighted a devastating toll on healthcare workers in Gaza, with figures varying by source. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 1,151 healthcare workers had been killed since October 7, 2023. According to OCHA, as of Feb. 12, 2026, 589 aid workers had been killed in Gaza since October 2023, 397 of whom were employed by the United Nations.
Israel demanded that each organization provide detailed information about its workers, including names and addresses, claiming that some aid and health workers were collaborating with Hamas. However, a spokesperson from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) explained that, by law, organizations are forbidden from disclosing staff information for those working in conflict zones.
With the suspension of these aid organizations, it is estimated that 77% of Gaza’s population now faces extreme hunger, with famine conditions reported in several areas. Over 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are projected to suffer from severe malnutrition.
There has been a total collapse of health services, with medical facilities in ruins. Clean water is scarce, and the destruction of sanitation infrastructure has left over 740,000 people at risk of toxic flooding and disease. About 1.3 million people lack adequate winter shelter, with many living in flimsy tents, leading to deaths from hypothermia, drowning, and cold-related injuries.
As of early 2025, approximately 2.1 million people were estimated to remain in the Gaza Strip, according to a January 2025 Al Jazeera report. This figure reflects a decline of about 160,000 to 200,000 from the pre-conflict population, with over 1.9 million people internally displaced as of October 2024.
By March 1, with the removal of international organizations, independent oversight in Gaza is expected to end. There will be no one left to witness or report on widespread atrocities, leaving the ongoing genocide to proceed unobserved in its final phase.
When others stay silent, WILPF speaks up. We urge our members to protest the removal of aid organizations and to contact their representatives and the State Department about this issue.
