Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present)

The Israel–Hamas war has caused a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.[1][2] This crisis involves many different problems, including famine and the collapse of Gaza's healthcare system.[1][2]

UNICEF and well-known nonprofit organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross have warned that the crisis in Gaza is severe.[3][4][5] On November 8, 2023, the United Nations Human Rights chief described a border into Gaza as "gates to a living nightmare."[6]

Blockade

See the main article: Blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023)

Israel began blockading Gaza at the beginning of the war. This prevented anything from going in or out, leaving the local people without enough fuel, food, or medical supplies.[1][7] By October 2023, the blockade had caused electricity to drop by 90%; this affected hospitals, sewage plants, and water sources.[8] There have been widespread disease outbreaks across Gaza.[2]

Airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes caused extensive damage to Gaza, which worsened the humanitarian crisis.[9] CNN estimated in December 2023 that Israel had dropped over five hundred 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza in the first month of the war.[10] Marc Garlasco, a former defense intelligence analyst and war crimes investigator, told CNN:[10]

[These] heavy munitions, mostly manufactured by the US, can cause high casualty events and can have a lethal fragmentation radius – an area of exposure to injury or death around the target – of up to 365 meters (about 1,198 feet), or the equivalent of 58 soccer fields in area.

Over 4,000 children died or were hurt in the first month of the war.[11] In November 2023, the United Nations Secretary-General said Gaza was "becoming a graveyard for children.[12][13]

As of January 2024, Israel’s offensive has either damaged or destroyed 70–80% of all buildings in northern part of Gaza.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ioanes, Ellen (14 October 2023). "Gaza's spiraling humanitarian crisis, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Marsi, Federica (14 October 2023). "Gaza doctors warn of a humanitarian catastrophe after Israeli attacks". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Doctors w/o Borders [@MSF_USA] (20 October 2023). "You need that fuel to run generators for life saving medical equipment.' There is a lack of painkillers. Access to supplies means life or death at this point. We're deeply concerned for the fate of everyone in Gaza right now" (Tweet). Retrieved 20 October 2023 – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "'The world must do more' for Gaza, 5 UN agencies say". UN News. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Red Cross president says 'shocked by the intolerable level of human suffering'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "'We have fallen off a precipice', UN human rights chief says". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Gottbrath, Laurin-Whitney. "Gaza "fast becoming hell hole" on "brink of collapse" amid Israel strikes: UN". Axios. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Mellen, Ruby; Chen, Szu Yu (26 October 2023). "See how Israel's siege has plunged Gaza into darkness and isolation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Gaza war inflicts catastrophic damage on infrastructure and economy =21 November 2023". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Qiblawi, Tamara (2023-12-22). "'Not seen since Vietnam': Israel dropped hundreds of 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza, analysis shows". CNN. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  11. ↑ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (6 November 2023). "Gaza death toll tops 10,000; UN calls it a children's graveyard". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Nichols, Michelle. "UN chief says Gaza becoming a 'graveyard for children'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Abdulrahim, Raja (18 November 2023). "The War Turns Gaza Into a 'Graveyard' for Children". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  14. ↑ Bland, Archie (8 January 2024). "The numbers that reveal the extent of the destruction in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
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