With Israel halting aid entry after ceasefire tensions, Gaza sees food prices surge, hospitals struggle, and UN officials warn of dire consequences for children
Israel’s decision to block all aid crossings into Gaza has triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with food prices soaring beyond reach for most residents. Flour and vegetables now cost 100 times their previous prices, as reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The move follows the breakdown of ceasefire negotiations after Hamas rejected an Israeli-backed plan to prolong phase one of the truce.
The Kerem Shalom, Erez, and Zikim crossings, Gaza’s primary humanitarian access points, have all been shut. This has halted the flow of essential supplies, including thousands of tents, food parcels, and medical aid that relief agencies had been distributing since the ceasefire began in January.
The fragile truce had allowed the delivery of crucial aid while facilitating the exchange of captives. In total, 33 Israeli hostages and 1,900 Palestinian prisoners were released. However, with the latest impasse, humanitarian groups warn of imminent starvation and health crises as existing supplies dwindle.
UNICEF has described the aid blockade as a severe blow to Gaza’s most vulnerable. The organisation had been scaling up relief efforts, delivering warm clothing to 150,000 children, distributing nutritional supplements to 250,000 children and mothers, and increasing daily water access for half a million people. Those operations are now in jeopardy.
Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East, expressed grave concern, stating that cutting off aid will “severely compromise lifesaving operations for civilians” and put thousands of malnourished children at risk. Aid groups report that Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, already overwhelmed, are on the brink of collapse. Medical supplies, including vaccines and antibiotics, are in dangerously low supply.
Before the blockade, over 1,000 UNICEF trucks had entered Gaza with critical relief. The organisation had also helped establish 1,500 water distribution points across the enclave, double the number operating at the start of the ceasefire. However, aid workers warn that pipes and spare parts for water systems are urgently needed, and with border closures in place, no new shipments can arrive.
In the midst of the crisis, more than 100 public schools have reopened, allowing around 100,000 students to resume classes. In areas like Gaza City and North Gaza, tents have been repurposed into temporary learning spaces, and wood pallets have been recycled into makeshift school furniture. However, with food and water shortages worsening, even these efforts may be unsustainable.
OCHA teams visited displacement sites in Khan Younis, where around 1,200 people remain in limbo, unable to return to homes now designated as part of the Israeli-imposed buffer zone. Aid workers are scrambling to provide assistance, but movement restrictions are making relief efforts increasingly difficult.
The crisis extends beyond Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli military operations continue to escalate, worsening humanitarian conditions for Palestinian communities. UN agencies report severe restrictions on movement, hampering aid delivery and further deepening food insecurity.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff remain at an impasse. While Hamas insists on transitioning to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, Israel, backed by the US, has demanded that phase one be extended through the end of Ramadan. The uncertainty has left aid agencies unable to plan for the immediate future.
The UN continues to call for an urgent reopening of the crossings, warning that every day of delay pushes Gaza closer to an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe. Without immediate action, the already dire situation could spiral into full-scale famine within weeks.
