Palestinian officials warn of worsening humanitarian crisis amid aid restrictions and severe medical shortages
On Tuesday, Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO), said Israeli occupation forces’ attacks in Gaza have left 1.5 million people homeless and facing an unprecedented housing crisis.
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The humanitarian crisis has worsened due to restrictions on the entry of aid collected by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). These restrictions have significantly increased the burden on local institutions.
The PNGO director said immediate humanitarian priorities include support for female-headed households, elderly people, people with disabilities and amputations, orphaned children, and families living in areas prone to flooding.
Al-Shawa said thousands of families remain without adequate shelter and are surviving in inhuman conditions, particularly in a territory where civilian infrastructure has been systematically attacked since the start of the Zionist offensive in October 2023.
He also confirmed that much of the headquarters of Palestinian NGOs have been destroyed by Israel, weakening humanitarian response capacity and deepening the crisis.
🚨Shocking footage of Israeli troops firing on Palestinians seeking aid in northern Gaza after aid drops. Israeli soldiers deliberately kill a civilian carrying aid and prevent medical help until his death. pic.twitter.com/YhYOWUrP76
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) December 24, 2025
Compounding the situation is a decline in international funding for Gaza, which has reduced assistance programs and hindered the delivery of essential supplies. The medical situation is also on the brink of collapse. The Gaza Medical Aid Society warned that hundreds of patients with chronic diseases face life-threatening risks due to the complete interruption of medicine supplies.
Muhammad Abu Afash, director of Medical Relief for Hospitals in the Northern Gaza Strip, confirmed that 1,200 people have died after being unable to access the treatments needed to survive. This was “a preventable tragedy,” he said.
Gaza-based health authorities accuse Israel of implementing a policy of strangulation by restricting the entry of medicines and essential supplies.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Government Media Office in Gaza, said that since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Israel has allowed only limited entry of raw materials and emergency supplies.
He confirmed that Israel continues to block the entry of specialized equipment, prosthetics, surgical supplies and medicines for cancer and other serious illnesses. “We are facing a total or partial shutdown of operations in several hospitals due to a lack of supplies,” al-Thawabta stated.
Doctors in the besieged Gaza Strip have long warned that they are struggling to save lives as Israel continues to block the entry of essential medical supplies. Throughout Israel’s genocide, now spanning more than two years, Gaza’s healthcare system has been systematically… pic.twitter.com/l4fRinD8D1
— WearThePeace (@WearThePeaceCo) December 25, 2025
The Health Ministry said the situation amounts to a “war of extermination” and warned that about 10,000 surgeries could be suspended if shortages continue, putting the lives of thousands of wounded and sick people at immediate risk.
Alaa Halas, director of Care and Pharmacy, said “this new crime endangers the lives of tens of thousands of people and shows that this is not a logistical crisis, but a deliberate policy of aggression.”
With hospitals nearly inoperable, displacement camps overcrowded and civilian infrastructure severely damaged, humanitarian organizations warned that the Gaza Strip is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century, with a population unable to find safe shelter or basic medical care.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | Middle East: In Palestine, at least three people died and two are still missing after a house collapsed in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/y017KAfWgt
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 24, 2025
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Sources: Middle East Eye – IRNA
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