Gaza City, once a bustling urban center, now stands as a bleak symbol of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe gripping the Palestinian enclave. Over the past week, Israeli military operations have escalated dramatically, forcing thousands of already displaced families to flee yet again and further straining the region’s battered aid infrastructure. The United Nations and humanitarian groups warn that, without urgent and unrestricted aid, the crisis—marked by starvation, violence, and mounting civilian deaths—could spiral even further out of control.
On Sunday, August 17, 2025, Israeli airstrikes targeted Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, killing at least seven people, as reported by Al Jazeera. That same day, Israeli forces killed at least 57 Palestinians across the territory, including 38 who were seeking aid, according to the same source. The violence triggered a mass exodus from the Zeitoun neighborhood and adjacent areas of Sabra, Remal, and Tuffah. Many families, already displaced multiple times, left behind what little they had managed to hold onto.
“The Zeitoun neighbourhood is a very densely populated area, home to many families, including those who have been sheltering there,” Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported. “Residents were surprised when the artillery shelling and the intensive air raids started. Some people stayed. Others started moving. As the violence escalated, many were forced to evacuate – hungry, devastated and displaced yet again, leaving behind everything they had.”
Tragically, the search for food has become increasingly perilous. At least nine aid seekers were killed near the Morag corridor while awaiting UN aid trucks on Sunday, according to medics and witnesses cited by Al Jazeera. Hamza Asfour, one of the survivors, described the harrowing choice facing many Gazans: “It’s either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation.”
Elsewhere, an Israeli strike in the Bureij camp in central Gaza killed three people, according to Al-Awda Hospital. Meanwhile, the health ministry reported that at least two children and five adults died of causes related to malnutrition on Sunday alone—a grim indicator of the deepening hunger crisis.
Since the war began in October 2023, more than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials and international aid groups. The majority of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced, and many are now facing starvation. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that levels of malnutrition and hunger are at their highest since the onset of the conflict. One in five children in Gaza is currently malnourished, the UN reports, and tens of thousands rely on charity kitchens that often can provide only one meal per day.
“I came at 6am to the charity kitchen to get food for my children, and if I don’t get any now, I have to come back in the evening for another chance,” Zeinab Nabahan, a mother displaced from Jabalia refugee camp, told Al Jazeera. “My children are starving on small amounts of lentils or rice. My children haven’t had bread or any breakfast.”
Juliette Touma, communication director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, underscored the severity of the situation, warning against a “manmade famine” in Gaza. “We’re very, very close to losing our collective humanity,” she posted on X.
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by Israel’s enforcement of a total blockade on Gaza since March 2025, which has blocked most aid from entering the territory. According to the UN, delays, bottlenecks, and interference at crossing points continue to undermine efforts to deliver desperately needed supplies. “It is imperative that the UN and its humanitarian partners are enabled to deliver aid at scale, using community-based mechanisms to reach the most vulnerable,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a briefing.
Between May 27 and August 8, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah treated more than 4,500 wounded patients, most of whom were injured while trying to reach food distribution sites. Many suffered injuries from crowd crushes or violence that erupted in the chaos following the arrival of aid. Hospitals are now struggling to cope with rising cases of malnutrition, and many have run out of bed space, Dujarric noted.
Energy shortages add another layer of hardship. Cooking gas has been unavailable in Gaza’s markets for five months, forcing residents to burn waste and scrap wood for cooking. This not only increases health and safety risks but also creates environmental hazards.
As military operations intensify, the Israeli military is finalizing plans to capture Gaza City, with preparations underway to forcibly remove civilians from combat zones to the south. However, so-called “safe zones” have also been bombed, and many Palestinians insist there is nowhere safe to go. “There are no humanitarian zones at all,” said Raghda Abu Dhaher, who has been displaced ten times during the war and now shelters in a school in western Gaza City. Mohamed Ahmed, another resident, echoed her sentiment: “Here is bombing and there is bombing.”
In the midst of this chaos, the American- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has launched a new aid reservation system in an effort to make food distribution safer and more efficient. Announced on Sunday, the system allows families to reserve aid boxes in advance, reducing the need for dangerous rushes at distribution sites. “It has always been our plan to offer a way for families to reserve aid in advance and guarantee access, just as other aid organizations do,” said John Acree, executive director of the foundation. “We are proud to take this step to deliver on the requests of the community and make distributions easier and more reliable for the people we serve.”
Families who participate in the program receive an ID card and can create an online profile, ensuring aid packages are set aside specifically for them on certain days. Aid remains available on a first-come, first-served basis for those not enrolled in the reservation system. Since its launch in May, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims to have delivered nearly 125 million meals to Gaza residents.
However, the foundation’s efforts have drawn sharp criticism from the UN, which has expressed “grave” concern over its operations. The UN claims that more than 1,700 Palestinians have been killed since the end of May while seeking aid at the foundation’s distribution sites, and has accused Israeli forces and foreign military contractors of opening “indiscriminate [gun]fire” on aid seekers. The Israel Defense Forces have acknowledged firing warning shots near some sites and confirmed that some civilians have been killed, but say investigations are ongoing. The foundation, for its part, contests some of the UN’s claims and notes that it cannot control what happens outside the perimeter of its sites.
Throughout the turmoil, the UN has reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held in Gaza and stressed the need to protect civilians fleeing expanded military operations. “Fleeing civilians must be protected and they must have their essential needs met, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows. And if they choose to stay, they should not be threatened or put at risk,” Dujarric emphasized.
As the world watches, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with no clear end in sight. The struggle for survival, dignity, and basic human needs remains at the heart of daily life for millions—leaving the international community with urgent questions about responsibility, justice, and the path forward.