In the weeks since a US-brokered ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hamas on October 10, 2025, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has shown little sign of real improvement. Despite international promises and a clear agreement outlining the reopening of the Rafah crossing and the daily entry of 600 aid trucks—including 50 carrying fuel—Israel has permitted only a fraction of this aid, leaving millions of Palestinians in dire straits as winter approaches.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, between October 10 and October 31, just 3,203 commercial and aid trucks entered Gaza. That’s an average of 145 trucks per day—only 24 percent of what was agreed to in the ceasefire. The numbers are even starker for fuel, with only about 115 trucks making it through in that same period, a mere 10 percent of the pledged amount. These figures, confirmed by multiple aid agencies and the United Nations, have drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian groups and Gaza residents alike.
“The ceasefire must immediately unlock full and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, supported by the international community ensuring that a sustainable ceasefire is upheld,” Oxfam stated last week, echoing the sentiments of 40 international NGOs who reported that Israel denied 99 requests to deliver aid in the first 12 days of the ceasefire. The majority of these refusals, they said, were because organizations were “not authorized” to deliver aid, even though many have operated in Gaza for years.
The blockade’s effects are devastating and wide-ranging. The Rafah crossing remains closed to people, preventing tens of thousands of critically wounded and sick Palestinians from seeking treatment abroad. Essential medical supplies are also in short supply, with just 10 percent of urgently needed medicines entering Gaza since the ceasefire began. Heavy machinery vital for clearing rubble, reopening roads, and retrieving bodies has been blocked entirely, compounding the misery for those trying to rebuild their lives amid the ruins.
Food scarcity is another acute problem. Israel has blocked access to more than 430 types of essential food items, including eggs, all types of meat, fish, cheese, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and nutritional supplements—many of which are crucial for pregnant women and patients. The result: a famine officially declared by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in August 2025. Dozens have died from malnutrition and lack of medicine, and the numbers are expected to climb unless the blockade is lifted.
“When will we be able to eat like normal people? My children wish to eat meat or even an apple. The aid entering Gaza is limited and restricted. We want eggs, chicken, meat, vegetables, and the list goes on,” said Nadia Seda, a mother of three, in an interview with QNN. Her words reflect the growing frustration and despair among Gaza’s 2.4 million residents, many of whom watch food trends on social media while they struggle to feed their families.
Living conditions have deteriorated rapidly. Local officials warn that 93 percent of tents are uninhabitable, forcing over 900,000 displaced people into crowded, unsanitary conditions. Alaa al-Batta, mayor of Khan Younis, described the shelters as “dilapidated tents that cannot protect them from winter cold or summer heat.” Ahmed Ashour, a resident of Tel al-Hawa, told QNN, “It is getting worse with the rubble, the destruction, and the dilapidated tents. We hoped that the ceasefire would increase the flow of aid, but nothing has happened.”
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has reported that winter shelter supplies for one million people remain stockpiled in warehouses, barred by Israel from entering Gaza. The head of Gaza’s Palestinian NGO Network told Al Jazeera that the Strip needs 300,000 new tents, as most current shelters are deteriorating. No materials have been allowed in to rehabilitate damaged water networks, further endangering public health.
Meanwhile, aid convoys have been repeatedly rerouted by Israeli authorities, forced to use the narrow, damaged, and heavily congested Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt border before moving north via the Coastal Road. UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq explained, “Movement remained slower, even after the World Food Program repaired the road. Additional crossings and internal routes are needed to expand collections and response.”
Violence and instability have persisted despite the ceasefire. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, since October 7, 2023, Israeli military operations have killed 68,865 Palestinians and injured 170,670 others, the majority of whom are women and children. On November 2, 2025, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with a Hamas delegation in Istanbul to discuss violations of the ceasefire, during which Hamas submitted a report detailing hundreds of Palestinian deaths since the agreement’s implementation. Israeli forces have continued demolitions and artillery shelling in areas like Khan Yunis and Rafah, and Israeli settlers have intensified attacks and land seizures across the occupied West Bank.
Amid these challenges, 8,000 teachers in Gaza are striving to resume educational activities, according to UNRWA, but around half a million students have not returned to their schools. The psychological toll on children and adults alike is immense, exacerbated by the lack of basic necessities and the constant threat of violence.
Israel, for its part, has denied accusations of intentionally obstructing aid. However, statements from Gaza’s Government Media Office and various humanitarian organizations have painted a starkly different picture. “We strongly condemn the Israeli occupation’s obstruction of aid and commercial trucks and hold it fully responsible for the worsening and deteriorating humanitarian situation faced by more than 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip,” the Gaza office said in a statement, calling on US President Donald Trump and other mediators to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid “without restrictions and conditions.”
Further complicating matters, Israeli authorities have accused Hamas of looting aid, a claim Gaza officials and Hamas have dismissed as “a baseless fabrication intended to justify cutting humanitarian aid and deflect attention from Israeli violations,” as reported by the Palestine Chronicle and Al Jazeera.
The situation has also spilled over into neighboring Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes killed four people in the town of Kafr Rumman, raising fears of a breakdown in the nearly yearlong truce with Hezbollah. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty, adding another layer of regional instability to an already volatile crisis.
As winter sets in and displacement grows, the need for immediate, unrestricted humanitarian aid in Gaza is more critical than ever. The ceasefire, once hailed as a turning point, has so far failed to deliver on its promises, leaving millions to face hunger, cold, and uncertainty while the world watches and waits for real change.
