The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening rapidly as Israel ends “local tactical pauses” for aid deliveries and intensifies its military offensive in Gaza City.
The decision is expected to deepen the famine already gripping the north. International organisations and several European governments have condemned the move as a further blow to civilians.
UN aid agencies warn of a “massive famine” unfolding. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification group estimates that half a million people are already at the worst level of food insecurity, with a further 160,000 expected to fall into that category soon.
Experts stressed that the entire Gaza Strip needed food. The toll is mounting: Gaza’s health ministry recorded ten deaths from malnutrition and starvation in a single day, including three children on August 30. Since the start of the war, more than 63,000 Palestinians—most of whom were civilians—have been killed.
Aid deliveries remain far below what is required. Israel’s decision to halt daytime pauses, end airdrops, and cut back the number of trucks, has worsened an already dire situation.
Previous measures “fell far short of the 600 trucks of aid needed daily”. Medical supplies are also critically short. Stocks of treatments for Guillain-Barré Syndrome and common anti-inflammatories have been completely exhausted.
Residents describe conditions in which no food or water is available, forcing families into “purely survival mode”. Children are especially vulnerable, with a third of outpatients in Médecins Sans Frontières hospitals being youngsters treated for wounds.
The military escalation is centred on Gaza City, now designated a “dangerous combat zone”.
The Israeli army says it has entered the “initial stages” of a planned ground assault. Strikes have intensified, causing “mayhem and chaos”, destroying apartment blocks and leaving many children wounded.
Entire neighbourhoods such as Zeitoun have been razed.
Military leaders say they aim to establish “full military control of Gaza City” and have signalled that the displacement of its residents (around half the Strip’s population) is “inevitable”.
Displacement is now taking place on an unprecedented scale. Around 80 per cent of Gaza is under evacuation orders, pushing hundreds of thousands into one-fifth of the territory. Even areas designated as humanitarian zones are unsafe.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and senior UN officials have condemned the orders as unfeasible and incomprehensible.
They argue mass evacuation cannot be achieved “in a safe and dignified way” when there is widespread destruction and extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care. Many families have been uprooted several times. Some, like those sheltering in the Holy Family Church, refuse to move, fearing that fleeing would be a “death sentence” for the weak and malnourished.
The offensive continues despite mounting international and domestic pressure. European countries including Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain have condemned both the military action, as well as plans for a permanent Israeli presence.
Led by UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, UN bodies have repeated urgent appeals for a ceasefire, warning that civilians are at risk of dying from bombardment, hunger and lack of aid. Pope Leo XIV has joined the calls, demanding an end to what he described as “collective punishment”.
Inside Israel, dissent is growing. Polling shows that most Israelis would prefer ending the war in exchange for the release of hostages.
Critics argue that the offensive endangers the captives who remain alive and places a heavy burden on soldiers. Rallies demanding a ceasefire and the return of the 48 remaining hostages have gathered momentum, with relatives warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if “another living hostage comes back in a bag” he will be held responsible.
Hamas has reportedly accepted a ceasefire proposal, but Israeli leaders have not engaged. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to withdraw from government if the fighting stops, creating political deadlock. Critics describe the policy as “outrageous” and even as “ethnic cleansing”, saying only pressure from the United States could bring it to an end.
The Israeli military itself is facing difficulties. Commanders are concerned about reduced training time for reservists and rising cases of draft avoidance. The discovery of hostage remains, such as those of Ilan Weiss, has further underscored the human cost of the conflict.
The UN and aid agencies insist there is no time to lose.
“Life-saving aid operations must be enabled, not rolled back,” one statement declared, adding that “every hour today counts”.
Indeed, for the 2.2 million people trapped in Gaza, the urgency of de-escalation and humanitarian access could not be greater.
