On 28 February 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, which led to a dangerous escalation on many fronts that in turn caused more tension in the region. This is exemplified most clearly by the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli Occupation Forces have intensified their air bombardments and shootings, and closed all borders, which includes the Rafah Crossing, recently reopened to allow the sick and injured to access needed medical care. Israel has also continued its prohibition on humanitarian aid, fuel, medication and medical necessities, leading to a sharp decline in the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The attacks and civilian targeting continue as Israel refuses to honour the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip since it began on 9 October 2025. According to the information provided by the Palestinian health ministry, the Israeli army has killed (633) Gazans and injured (1,703) since the agreed upon date until 4 March 2026. Since the regional escalation after 28 February, Israel has also intensified its attacks on civilians, their homes and even in tent encampments, killing (6) citizens and injuring (18) others.

While the Israeli authorities have gradually opened Kerem Shalom border for humanitarian aid and 500,000 liters of fuel through Israel and Egypt, the Rafah border remains closed and as does Zikim in the north. With the border closures there has been a serious fuel shortage, needed for bakeries, hospitals, water filtration stations, as well garbage collection services and hindering Gazans’ ability to access drinkable water on a daily basis, in addition to adding to the soaring prices of all essential goods. Although the Israelis have allowed some fuel in, the Gaza Strip needs 300,000 liters daily to maintain critical humanitarian operations. It is vitally important to guarantee the flow of fuel and aid into Gaza regularly and sustainably, as well as to open more borders to increase the volume of aid in view of the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher stated: “In the OPT, the escalation has had immediate operational consequences. Access restrictions have curbed the entry of life-saving supplies and constrained humanitarian operations. Kerem Shalom has now reopened for fuel and humanitarian supplies, but all other crossings, including Rafah, remain closed. Medical evacuations remain suspended, leaving more than 18,000 patients, including 4,000 children, with no access to the specialized care they need.”

(Z.A.) a Gazan woman who was evacuated with her daughter for treatment in Egypt and was readying herself to return to Gaza has recounted: “We were contacted by the Palestinian embassy regarding going back to the Gaza Strip, so we sold what essentials we bought, and got ready to move. But the Rafah border was closed, and even now we wait, not sure if it will reopen again or not. My husband and children were ecstatic, with the news of us coming back, waiting patiently for us, but unfortunately with the border closed we are back to square one, and my family will remain displaced and dispersed.”

Up until 23 February 2026 there had been 260 health service points out of 619 working across the Gaza Strip, 90 percent of which are only partially operational, including (19 out of 37 hospitals), (12 field hospitals), (106 primary health care centres), and (123 health points). All of the hospitals in Gaza are still fully reliant on backup generators in times of emergency, and with heavy restrictions on dual use, there are delays in the entry of generators and spare parts, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems, transformers, and critical electrical components that impact ICU (Intensive Care Units), dialysis, operating theatres and laboratory functionality.

With the vast majority of Gazans displaced, families also live in extremely harsh humanitarian conditions still, even in 11 February 2026 – at least two thirds of the population (1.4 million of 2.1 million people) are estimated to reside in about 1,000 displacement sites, often in overcrowded settings and in tents that offer limited privacy and protection from the elements.

Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Philip Lazarini has stated, “Once again Israel is renewing its ban on supplies entering Gaza. After two years of unspeakable suffering, and with a man-made famine worsening, people still lack the most basic needs, despite increased aid since the ceasefire. UNRWA staff in Gaza continue to provide health care, education and clean water, but we must be allowed to do more, and certainly not less.”

Gaza city especially faces a severe thirst crisis, as an enormous decline in availability of drinking water and water for personal use hits, caused by the break of the Mekorot water line which supplies from the Israeli side. This was caused by the Israeli military bulldozing of the line east of Gaza city during its operations there. This line was responsible for 70 percent of the water needs of Gaza city. Following the destruction of 85 percent of the water wells in the city, even before the war, the need for water in Gaza reached 100,000 Cupic meters a day. But what is available now is not more than a small amount of what is essential, leaving a severe shortage of 90 percent of the pre-war water needs. The thirst crisis was exacerbated by the destruction of nearly 150,000 meters of water lines, as well as the destruction of the water filtration station near al-Sudaniya, northwest of Gaza city.

Garbage continues to pile up in the streets and neighbourhoods across the Strip, caused mainly by lack of funding for machines, fuel, and operational projects needed to mitigate the worsening crisis. The sharp increase in rodents is the result of the major destruction of the water and sanitation networks as well as the lack of availability of pesticides and poisons for rodent control. Adding to the environmental crisis, the continuous displacement and lack of healthy living spaces exacerbates the dangers of spreading diseases and endemics, endangering the lives of people.

Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights thus strongly condemns the continuing genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and its tightening blockade, through the rising number of killings, blockades of borders, halt of humanitarian aid, fuel, medical necessities, medication, and housing needs. It warns of the occupation forces’ escalation in the region that hides their continuous crimes in the Gaza Strip, seizing the moment when the world is busied by this conflict, to accelerate this genocide in Gaza away from any accountability and international oversight.

In addition Al Mezan demands that the international community, especially the United Nations, the countries party to the Fourth Geneva Conventions, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice, to engage and intervene to pressure the occupation forces to stop all their military attacks on civilians and their homes, to open all the border crossings immediately, with no restrictions, as well as allowing passage of humanitarian aid, fuel, medical necessities, and relief materials, to facilitate access across the Strip without restrictions, and to allow engineering teams as well as municipalities to reach the areas to restore the water and sanitation networks, remove rubble and garbage, and necessary work to prevent endemics and environmental hazards.

Al-Mezan Centre also renews its demand of the international community to honor its legal and moral responsibilities, end the state of impunity and enforce the occupation authorities respect for international humanitarian law and human rights, and guarantee the safety of Gaza civilians and end their continuous suffering.

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