Systematic violations and a tight siege

As winter approaches and the repercussions of Israel’s war of annihilation on the Gaza Strip continue, international warnings are mounting of a humanitarian catastrophe that is escalating daily. This catastrophe is unfolding amidst widespread destruction of infrastructure and housing, the mass displacement of tens of thousands of families, the near-total collapse of the healthcare system, and the ongoing siege and daily violations.

While hundreds of thousands of residents live in dilapidated tents that offer little protection against the cold and rain, UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross confirm that the Strip is facing what could be its harshest winter in decades, and that the scale of humanitarian needs has exceeded the capacity of existing organizations to respond.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating with the onset of winter, noting that hundreds of thousands of families are facing rain and wind without any protection, amid a severe shortage of safe tents, winter clothing, and heating.

The office emphasized that the widespread destruction caused by the war has led to a near-total paralysis of infrastructure, pointing out that only 4% of agricultural land is now accessible and undamaged, exacerbating the food security crisis.

The UN also expressed its regret over the slow delivery of aid despite the ceasefire, explaining that only 37,000 tons of the 190,000 tons of supplies stored outside Gaza as part of a humanitarian plan that has not been implemented due to restrictions have been allowed into the Strip.