Summary of the Blockade and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Summary of the Blockade and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Updated as of May 25, 2025

Summary of the Blockade and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Blockade Overview

On 9 October 2023, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a total blockade on Gaza, cutting off electricity, food, water, and gas. The blockade, enforced by Israeli military forces, severely impacted Gaza's infrastructure and services. Limited aid was temporarily allowed in late October 2023 after pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden.

However, following the breakdown of a ceasefire in early 2025, Israel reimposed a full blockade on Gaza on 2 March 2025. This has resulted in the complete shutdown of all crossings, halting the entry of critical humanitarian aid and worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Key Crossings and Aid Flow

  • Rafah Crossing: Briefly reopened in October 2023 for limited aid deliveries from Egypt, but has been closed since late 2024. Egypt maintains tight control to prevent a mass refugee influx into Sinai.
  • Kerem Shalom Crossing: Opened intermittently. In May 2025, Israel reported allowing 107 trucks through, but the UN confirmed that none of the aid reached civilians inside Gaza due to logistical and security barriers.
  • As of March 2025, all major crossings remain effectively closed. The UN states that 500–600 trucks are needed daily, but only a fraction have been allowed through since the full blockade resumed.

Consequences of the Blockade

The blockade has reduced Gaza’s electricity supply by over 90%, leading to the shutdown of hospitals, sewage treatment plants, and water desalination facilities. By late 2023, 27 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals had closed due to fuel shortages.

Telecommunications infrastructure has been severely degraded. Internet blackouts and communication disruptions have hindered emergency response and coordination of aid efforts. A limited eSIM project temporarily served 200,000 Gazans.

According to the WHO, the lack of clean water and sanitation has triggered a spike in disease outbreaks, including cholera, respiratory infections, and acute malnutrition among children.

Famine Threat

The blockade, compounded by targeted attacks on food distribution centers and agricultural infrastructure, has led to famine-like conditions in Gaza.

  • 470,000 people are now in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe), the highest level of food insecurity.
  • The entire population is facing Crisis (Phase 3) or worse conditions.
  • The World Health Organization warns that 71,000 children under five are at immediate risk of severe acute malnutrition.

This marks the most extreme man-made famine threat since World War II.

Conclusion

The total blockade of Gaza and obstruction of humanitarian aid has created a manufactured famine, placing 2.1 million people — half of them children — in life-threatening conditions. Without the immediate and sustained entry of food, water, medical supplies, and fuel, the civilian population faces starvation on a historic scale.

Unimpeded humanitarian access is not only urgent — it is a matter of survival.

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