The humanitarian condition in besieged Gaza is described as “catastrophic.”

In Gaza, supplies of food, fuel, medication, and water are rapidly running low. Aid groups report overburdened hospitals and inadequate relief supplies. a summary of the occupied strip’s humanitarian status.

Israel has been launching retaliatory strikes in the occupied Gaza Strip in response to the terrorist act carried out by Hamas on October 7. The EU, the US, the UK, and several other countries have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization due to its militant branch. According to some analysts, Israel’s siege of Gaza violates international humanitarian law since it amounts to collective punishment.

The standard of living for Gaza’s civilian population has significantly declined. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, has called the situation a “unprecedented catastrophe.”

While hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians have been looking for UNRWA shelters and facilities, supplies of food, fuel, medicine, and water are running low. As per the most recent status assessment released by UNRWA on Friday, there are more than 695,000 internally displaced individuals seeking refuge in 149 UNRWA locations.

Fresh relief workers were unable to enter Gaza, according to Christof Johnen, head of International Cooperation at the German Red Cross (DRK), who told DW, “Many Palestinians working on the ground are volunteers.” They are the ones giving the majority of the assistance, and they are doing so at considerable personal risk and in extreme peril.”

DW makes an effort to address the most important queries regarding Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

How do aid deliveries reach Gaza?

International aid deliveries from various countries are first shipped to Egypt. At the Rafah border crossing, in Egypt’s northeastern Sinai region, the deliveries are brought into Gaza and transported throughout the besieged region. Once they arrive at their destination, they are received by UN organizations as well as other aid agencies such as the International Red Cross, who distribute them to hospitals and UN facilities. But deliveries have been severely hampered by the fact that many streets in Gaza have been destroyed in shellfire, or are obstructed with rubble from collapsed buildings. Extensive destruction in northern Gaza has made aid deliveries impossible for the German Red Cross and the Palestinian Red Crescent, Johnen said.

In addition, Israel has placed restrictions on aid deliveries in the hope that relief supplies do not reach Hamas. Reports suggest the state is particularly concerned that Hamas could use fuel supplies for military objectives. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Israel has permitted some 370 aid trucks to enter Gaza in the past two weeks. None of the deliveries appear to have contained fuel. UNICEF spokesperson Tobias Fricker told DW that at least 100 truck loads would have to be shipped to the Gaza Strip each day to provide for the over two million people living there.

How do people communicate?How do people communicate?

Last week, the Palestinian telecommunication company Paltel reported a “completed disruption” of internet and phone services in Gaza caused by “intense bombing” by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). DW was unable to independently verify this information. Internet blackouts have encumbered the work of aid groups, who are only able to communicate with their teams provisionally through radio links, Johnen said. In addition, inhabitants are no longer able to contact emergency services to receive on-scene care.

Aid staff have therefore resorted to positioning ambulances at various spots across Gaza. People nearby can then try to alert the medical staff to the whereabouts of injured persons. “But of course, these are extremely difficult circumstances that are particularly dangerous for those trying to help, because there is no guarantee for their safety,” Johnen added.

How can people access clean drinking water?

The water supply is indeed very scarce and precarious,” Johnen said. The UK-based charity organization Save the Children confirmed this: “Many people are forced to rely on contaminated water sources, which could lead to the outbreak of waterborne diseases.” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says there are three water supply lines from Israel into Gaza. After the attack by Hamas, Israel announced it would not open these water lines until the hostages kidnapped in the attack were released and returned home. On Friday, OCHA reported that two of the three water pipelines from Israel were “functioning.” An earlier report by UNRWA, however, stated that none of the water lines from Israel to Gaza were in operation.

Residents in Gaza depend on desalination plants, wells, and water reservoirs. But the water supply from these sources is unreliable. Water from wells still needs to be purified before it can be safely consumed. “The water is actually dirty and often very, very salty,” Fricker said. OCHA estimates that people in Gaza currently only have access to three liters of water per day. Fricker said that each person requires 15 liters per day to cover their basic needs, including drinking, cooking, and hygiene.

What are the consequences of the fuel shortage?

Early October, the Palestinian Energy Authority announced that the Gaza Strip’s only power plant had shut down due to a lack of fuel. Meanwhile, the IDF has accused Hamas of “stockpiling” between 500,000 and 1 million liters of fuel. Again, these claims could not be independently verified. Fuel is essential for people living in Gaza, among other things, to maintain a power supply. The UNRWA has made repeated calls for more fuel deliveries. Hospitals require fuel, for example, to power standby generators that keep vital machines operational.

What are conditions like in hospitals?

Christian Katzer, the managing director of the German branch of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), expressed deep concern about the conditions under which healthcare is provided in Gaza. He mentioned that surgeons sometimes have to operate without general anesthetics, and proper pain medication is often unavailable for patients. The situation is described as unimaginable and unacceptable.

Mohammed Obeid, an MSF surgeon at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, recounted an operation he performed on the hospital floor, where they had to amputate a 9-year-old boy’s foot with minimal anesthetics. During the procedure, an anesthetist had to hold the boy’s mouth open to prevent choking, highlighting the severe challenges they face in providing care.

Hospitals are suffering from a shortage of fuel, medications, and painkillers as uninjured patients take refuge within them from the continuous bombardment.

The Rafah border gate opened on Wednesday, marking the first occasion since Hamas’ attack on Israel four weeks prior that wounded Palestinians could enter Egypt. Numerous patients were brought to different hospitals in Egypt for treatment.

What about transportation in Gaza?

The lack of gasoline for automobiles has forced residents of Gaza to discover other ways to get about. According to Johnen, a lot of people used donkey carts, horses, mules, or foot transport.

A large number of people tried to cross from northern Gaza to southern Gaza after Israel issued evacuation orders. Johnen clarified, though, that not everyone was able to. For example, hospitals are difficult to evacuate. Emergency and medical personnel stated that they could not and would not abandon the injured, according to the DRK.