Unrelenting violence in Gaza hinders Israel's ongoing humanitarian assistance delivery
In the war-torn region of Gaza, the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, with alarming levels of malnutrition, widespread famine, and critical shortages of food and medical supplies.
The latest tragedy struck in the Muwasi area, west of Khan Younis, where a woman who was seven months pregnant was killed along with 11 others. Remarkably, her fetus survived after a complex surgery. The incident underscores the dire situation facing the people of Gaza.
The conflict, which began in October 2023, has claimed nearly 60,000 lives, with more than half being women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ongoing fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces has resulted in thousands of deaths, large-scale displacement, and blockade-like conditions that hinder aid delivery.
The ongoing Israeli military operations, coupled with new measures, have destroyed about 70% of Gaza’s infrastructure, further exacerbating conditions by limiting access to safe areas and essential services.
Malnutrition rates are surging, especially among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women. In July 2025 alone, 63 malnutrition-related deaths were recorded, including many children, and a sharp increase in hospital admissions for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) overwhelmed the few specialized treatment centers available.
Hospitals and health systems are overstretched and close to collapse due to fuel shortages, supply depletion expected by mid-August, exhausted health workers, and deteriorating water and sanitation infrastructure that facilitate disease outbreaks.
At least 16 children have died from hunger-related causes since mid-July, with one in three people enduring days without food. Projections indicate catastrophic food insecurity for half a million people by September, with Gaza possibly entering IPC Phase 5 (catastrophe) characterized by starvation and death.
The conflict context stems from escalated fighting since October 2023, involving Hamas attacks and Israeli military response. Humanitarian aid efforts, including by the World Food Programme, continue despite the dangers, delivering food convoys under threat of attacks. However, the scale of assistance remains insufficient to meet urgent needs.
Calls for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access are stressed by the WHO, UN officials, and governments globally, including appeals to protect civilians, expedite aid delivery, and pursue a political solution that includes withdrawal of Israeli forces and removal of Hamas leadership as parts of a two-state solution framework.
The war has caused a breakdown in law and order surrounding aid deliveries, affecting both traditional aid providers and the new U.S.-backed aid delivery system. As a result, accessing food has become a challenge that some Palestinians have risked their lives for.
In a bid to improve the situation, Israel announced a "tactical pause" in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Muwasi for 10 hours a day to allow for the improved flow of aid and secure routes for aid delivery. However, the Israeli military and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those strikes.
Despite the ongoing challenges, aid agencies have welcomed the new aid measures but said they are not enough to counter the rising hunger in the Palestinian territory. Images of emaciated children in Gaza have sparked outrage around the world, including from Israel's close allies.
U.S. President Donald Trump called the images of emaciated and malnourished children in Gaza "terrible." The Awda hospital in central Gaza received the bodies of seven Palestinians who were killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution site run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
As the crisis deepens, urgent, sustained aid delivery and political action are critical to prevent further deterioration and loss of life. The world watches as the situation unfolds, hoping for a peaceful resolution and an end to the suffering in Gaza.
- The world has been shocked by the rising health crisis in Gaza, with alarming rates of malnutrition, widespread famine, and critical shortages of food and medical supplies.
- The ongoing conflict in Gaza has had a devastating impact on general news, particularly politics, war-and-conflicts, and crime-and-justice, with thousands of lives lost and millions displaced.
- Sports and accidents have taken a backseat as the world focuses on the dire situation in Gaza, where at least 16 children have died from hunger-related causes since mid-July.
- The United Nations, World Health Organization, and governments worldwide have called for an immediate ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and a political solution to the crisis in Gaza, citing the alarming health situation as a priority.
