In the more than two months of devastating bombardment by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in retaliation for the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas on Israel, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has deteriorated sharply.
Israeli airstrikes have devastated most of the territory‘s infrastructure and resulted in widespread hunger and homelessness. At least 19,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel‘s military offensive. That‘s according to the Health Ministry run by Hamas, which has been recognised as a terrorist organisation by Germany, the United States, Israel, the European Union, and others.
More than two thirds of Gaza‘s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced over the past eight weeks, and UN agencies and international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross have reported substantial obstacles in delivering aid to those in need.
On Tuesday, British Foreign Minister David Cameron was set to meet with French and Italian leaders to advocate for what he described as “increased coordination across European allies to ensure life-saving aid can get into Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
After the Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel enforced a “full” blockade on Gaza, further restricting the already limited flow of food, water, electricity, and fuel into the territory. People in Gaza have been heavily reliant on international aid since 2007, when Israel and Egypt began restricting access to the Palestinian territory after Hamas gained control there.
