Last updated: October 23, 2023
The humanitarian conditions in Gaza have continued to deteriorate since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent IDF offensive in Gaza. Over 700,000 civilians have evacuated northern areas of Gaza and moved southward as Israel prepares for a ground offensive, and 350,000 people still remain in Gaza City and the surrounding refugee camps.
The first humanitarian aid convoy to be sent to the Gaza Strip since war broke out arrived through the Rafah border crossing on Saturday after negotiations over conditions for delivering relief left it stranded in Egypt. Rafah is the main route in and out of the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel. The United Nations said the 20-truck convoy included life-saving supplies would be received by the Palestinian Red Crescent, but the aid was a fraction of the quantity needed to provide relief to Gaza's 2.3 million residents and it was unclear how much aid will be allowed to pass in coming days. The U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths stated that "The humanitarian situation in Gaza – already precarious – has reached catastrophic levels” and the World Health Organization warned that the convoy would “barely begin to address the escalating health needs” in Gaza. At least 20 humanitarian aid workers have been killed in the intense fighting, which has also hampered relief efforts. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling for the protection of aid workers, civilians, and critical infrastructure. Medical aid organizations are also urging restraint and protection of civilian facilities after several hospitals have been damaged or destroyed in the fighting.
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