The Israeli occupation forces continue to impose heavy restrictions on the entry of basic humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, leading to a noticeable decline in the number of trucks reaching those in need, particularly during the American-Israeli war against Iran which severely impacted the availability of essential goods for the population, including water, fuel and medical supplies. In addition, the closure of the Rafah crossing for the fourth consecutive day has resulted in complete suspension of medical evacuations from Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinians stranded abroad.

Palestinians have become increasingly vulnerable to the escalating Israeli targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip while the international community has been preoccupation with regional developments, allowing them to continue the genocide. It is notable that the amount of aid allowed into the Strip barely covers a very small percentage of daily needs as the population requires more than 600 trucks of essential commodities per day as stated in the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm El Sheikh.

In comparison to the first two months of 2026, when an average number of 900 trucks per week were permitted to enter the Gaza Strip, the month of March saw a sharp decline in the number of aid trucks allowed to enter, not exceeding 400 trucks within that month. Despite a slight improvement in the last two weeks of March, the number of aid trucks entering the Strip remained less than half, as of 30 March 2026, before the regional escalations further restricted aid flow.[1]

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stated that the work of the humanitarian partners must be facilitated, to allow a wide range of vital commodities to enter the Strip through the available crossings. He also indicated that only one crossing is currently open for the movement of goods, and the population needs in the Gaza Strip far exceed what relief organizations can provide, with strict restrictions and other obstacles.[2]

Moreover, the breakdown of imported goods has not seen any changes after the severe restrictions and decreased number of aid trucks. Between 70-75% of the total trucks entering the Strip carried food and almost 10% were fuel trucks, compared to a sharp shortage of shelter and hygiene materials. During the period of 24-30 March, 137 out of 432 trucks were loaded with non-essential materials such as soda drinks and chocolates, while only a limited numbers of trucks carried hygiene items and shelter materials. This led to critically low inventory and its continuous decline since October 2025 in particular, as the percentage of trucks loaded with unnecessary materials exceeded 30% of the arrived trucks[3].

The declining number of humanitarian aid trucks permitted to enter has caused prices to noticeably increase, compared to the period before the current regional crisis. Vegetables saw the highest rise in cost (from 5 to 12 ILS), then wheat flour (a 25 Kg bag increased from 30 ILS to 100) and eggs. Meanwhile, products such as canned food and cooking oil were completely depleted from the markets. Retailers are facing increasing difficulties in restocking, with 70% reporting decreased levels of inventory, while 81% indicated that sharp price fluctuations hinder their procurement processes and abilities. As the cooking gas shortage continues, 48% of the population depends on a highly health-risky alternative: waste incineration. Despite the spread of digital transactions, liquidity crisis is still ongoing due to the limited job opportunities and weak economic activity[4].

Mrs. (F.Z), a 62-year-old resident of Batn al-Sameen and displaced in Mawasi Khan Younis, said: “I live with my five sons, their wives and children, my divorced daughter and her child. We are more than 25 people living in tents adjacent to each other in Mawasi Khan Yunis since more than two years, without the minimum necessities of life. My sons have no income, and they work in any job they find for the day, or they go to humanitarian societies to get some aid. When the ceasefire agreement came into effect and some goods were found in the markets, I opened a small stall to sell vegetables and some biscuits for children to support myself and help my sons. The situation improved a little bit, and we started to buy some food and essentials using what we earned. When the war on Iran began, we noticed that goods and vegetables started to disappear from the markets. I have not been able to buy vegetables to sell in the last two weeks because of their insanely high prices and people’s inability to buy.

The health sector in Gaza has witnessed a near-total collapse as a result of systematic targeting, turning the right to medical treatment into a daily battle for survival in catastrophic humanitarian conditions. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, drug shortages have reached 50%, medical consumables 57%, and laboratory test materials 71%, while oncology care has faced catastrophic shortages of specialized medicine up 61%, leaving 4,100 cancer patients are facing the risk of death.

Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated that the rising tensions in the Middle East has led to a decline in the international community’s focus on the Gaza Strip. Stressing the extremely serious humanitarian situation in the Strip despite the ceasefire taking effect. Only 42% of health facilities are operating and most of them only partially, adding that more than 18,000 patients in Gaza require medical evacuation to complete their treatment abroad. She concluded by stating that most of the population are still displaced, their houses destroyed, and thousands of them are sleeping rough[5].

Primary care, neurology, kidney, surgery, and intensive care services are experiencing shortages exceeding 40% in basic medicines, a complete cessation of open-heart operations and catheterization, and a serious shortage of 89% in eye surgery supplies. At the same time, 21,367 patients and injured are waiting to travel abroad for treatment, including 195 critical cases, while 1,517 patients have died as they awaited evacuation. With the Rafah Crossing closed for the fourth consecutive day after the killing of a driver contracted by the WHO for a humanitarian mission, the fates of thousands of patients and wounded people are at risk.

The patient (S.A), a 55- year-old resident of Gaza city, stated: “I have had heart disease for a long time, and I was taking heart medication before the war, but they were not available during the genocide on Gaza and returned in a limited amount. These days, especially when the war on Iran began, the medication has been missing again from health facilities and all markets. At the same time, I have been approved for transfer to be treated abroad a long time ago because I need arterial heart surgery, but I haven’t traveled until now. I don’t know when I will travel, and the crossing is completely closed these days. I think I’ll die in the end, either due to the shortage of medication, or the inability to travel for surgery.

Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights affirms that the continuation of these crimes, the blockade and starvation, and the ongoing forcible migration despite the ceasefire agreement is an extension of the genocide carried out against the population of the Gaza Strip and that the Israeli occupation forces are responsible for the increasing deterioration of the devastating humanitarian conditions. As the deteriorating situation threatens the lives of more than two million people, the Al-Mezan Centre warns that if the international community does not intervene effectively to save these innocent lives, a more serious catastrophe will unfold.

Therefore, Al-Mezan Center calls upon the international community, especially the United Nations, state parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the International Court of Justice, and International Criminal Court, to effectively intervene. This entails putting pressure on the occupation forces to end all forms of military attacks on civilians and their properties, to immediately open all crossings without restrictions to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, fuel, medical equipment, and relief materials, to facilitate their entry to all areas with no exceptions, and to enable engineering teams and municipalities to access all necessary locations to rebuild water and sanitation networks and remove rubble and waste, necessary to prevent the spread of epidemics and environmental disasters.

The Al-Mezan Center reiterates its call to the international community to bear their legal and ethical responsibilities, to end impunity for war crimes, to force the occupation authorities to respect international humanitarian law and human rights, and to ensure the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip and end their ongoing sufferings.