Gaza | Nearly 10 Weeks Into Aid Blockade, Lack of Food and Medicine

On 5 May, the Israeli government announced its approval of a plan for military escalation in the Gaza Strip and for privately contracting the distribution of humanitarian aid.

EMERGENCY, which has been present in Gaza since August 2024, is witnessing a dramatic situation nearly 10 weeks since the beginning of the blockade on the entry of any humanitarian aid. According to a report by the UN World Food Programme, the price of essential foods has increased by 1,400% compared to the ceasefire period. Food supplies are running out, putting the health and lives of the most vulnerable members of the population at risk.

There are over 52,000 people confirmed dead and over 118,000 injured in Gaza. 70% of the Gaza Strip is under active evacuation orders, in the ‘no-go’ area where coordination with the Israeli authorities is required for the movement of humanitarian aid, or under both (OCHA).

“In addition to the incessant bombardments and evacuation orders that force an already exhausted population to move continuously, there has also been a complete blockade on the entry of food, medicine and fuel since 2nd March,” explains Alessandro Migliorati, EMERGENCY’s logistician in Gaza. “Humanitarian aid is available, but the trucks carrying it are held up at the entrances to the Strip. The people of Gaza are increasingly struggling to find the essentials needed to live: 50 euros for a kilo of flour, 20 euros for a kilo of potatoes, 13 euros for a litre of petrol. Bringing humanitarian assistance is becoming practically impossible.”

The impact of the aid blockade also affects the ability to provide healthcare to the population in an area where only 63% of hospitals and only 48% of primary care clinics are partially functional.

“We work with explosions in the background. Medicines are becoming more and more difficult to find,” continues Andrea Bona, an EMERGENCY doctor in Gaza. “Antibiotics are starting to run out. We increasingly find ourselves in situations where we cannot provide adequate treatment for patients who have diseases for which a simple pill would suffice.”

“The idea of entrusting private companies with the management and distribution of aid risks compromising the principle of impartiality in the delivery of aid, and risks being subjected to the logic of profit,” conclude Bona and Migliorati. “It is necessary to allow the entry of aid and ensure that non-governmental organisations continue to manage its distribution while respecting the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality that govern their activities, as is the case in all conflicts. Otherwise, it will become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to guarantee the aid that the population needs. This would be a point of no return in providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of conflicts.”

EMERGENCY has been in Gaza since August 2024 and continues to work in its clinic in al-Qarara, Khan Younis governorate. Here, it offers first aid, basic medical and surgical care for adults and children, outpatient reproductive health activities, post-operative nursing follow-up, stabilisation of medical and surgical emergencies, and transfer to hospital facilities. It is also continuing its work providing primary healthcare at a healthcare clinic in al-Mawasi set up by a local organisation, the organisation Culture & Free Thought Association (CFTA).