Humanitarian crisis and restrictions on the entry of aid and goods

Israel has had complete control over the movement of people and goods into the Gaza Strip for many decades. Preventing the entry of food, medicines, fuel, and goods into Gaza during the war was a key factor in the unprecedented humanitarian crisis and the starvation of the population. Even now, the population’s survival depends directly on the opening of the crossings for the transfer of food and essential goods. The restrictions Israel imposes on the entry of humanitarian aid and equipment needed to rebuild the Strip, and on the humanitarian organizations operating there, entrench the crisis and prevent recovery.

While the ceasefire’s implementation has improved the quantities of goods entering the Strip, most approvals given by the military are for the private sector. This means that despite the improved availability of goods and a drop in prices, the food sold in local markets remains beyond the reach of many residents due to poverty and soaring unemployment. As a result, the vast majority of the public in Gaza depends on humanitarian aid. Despite the military’s claims that requests to bring in aid are approved in accordance with guidelines, the UN and aid organizations struggle to meet residents’ basic needs due to the extremely tight restrictions Israel places on the types of products allowed in, as well as the quantities and the pace at which aid trucks may enter the Strip. Moreover, reaching isolated communities as frequently as needed is logistically challenging due to the destruction of the road network, particularly during bad weather.

Since the war broke out, Israel has worked systematically to undercut the established humanitarian aid network run by international organizations with proven expertise for many years in Gaza (and the West Bank). Tactics have included introducing a range of bureaucratic and other barriers, revoking visas for international staff, and denying aid workers entry. In recent months, Isreal has revoked the operating permits of dozens of organizations, some of which have worked in the Gaza Strip for many years and have run large-scale aid programs that meet international standards. To do this, Israel has relied on a new registration system it imposed with excessive and unreasonable requirements that undermine aid organizations’ independence and neutrality. In a March 2026 hearing on petitions filed on this issue, the HCJ upheld the registration system.

Food insecurity data

According to an April 2026 UN report, about 1.6 million people, or 77% of Gaza’s population, are experiencing varying levels of acute food insecurity, with more than 500,000 at the emergency level. There is also a chronic shortage of cooking gas due to restrictions on its entry and the high cost.

According to a World Food Programme (WFP) analysis from March 2026, 48% of households are forced to burn waste in order to cook. In January 2026, when the entry of aid through the border crossings allowed it, WFP and its partners provided assistance to 1,661,496 women, men and children, through food parcels, bags of flour, hot meals, or a cash grant of 1,250 ILS (~ 385 USD) per family. In the following months deliveries declined because of difficulties bringing food into the Strip, with some recovery seen in April.

Restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid

When the war with Iran began in late February 2026, Israel announced (Arabic) a shutdown of all Gaza crossings for movement of people and goods, in violation of the ceasefire agreement. The closures included Kerem Shalom, a commercial crossing through which most aid had been entering, and Rafah, which had resumed limited operations shortly before after remaining closed since its capture by Israel in May 2024. The shutdown triggered a sharp spike in market prices and an almost immediate shortage of food and other basic goods. With the subsequent partial reopening of the crossings, a daily average of only 63 aid trucks entered Gaza in early March 2026, compared to 230 the previous month, a drop of about 70%. The number and pace of trucks entering improved somewhat in April 2026, and access to Palestinian communities in the northern Strip became easier with the opening of the Zikim crossing.

Adding to the fluctuating operations of the crossings, and contrary to the ceasefire agreement, Israel continues to block the entry of thousands of items essential for healthcare, water, and sanitation services, as well as construction and reconstruction, as it considers them dual use goods that might also serve terrorist activity, or because they do not fall under Israel’s definition of humanitarian aid. For instance, the UN reported in early March 2026 that ultrasound machines, incubators, and other equipment urgently needed for maternity wards in Gaza’s hospitals had not been allowed in.

The destruction of 77% of Gaza’s roads and streets during the war has created major obstacles to aid delivery. With no passable roads, food and other goods get stuck at crossings and spoil while communities in the north and center of the Strip suffer acute malnutrition. Given Israel’s ban on the entry of materials and heavy equipment to repair and build roads, the humanitarian community is focusing its efforts on temporary fixes and improvised bypass routes, which waste precious time and resources.

The survival of the people of Gaza, any improvement in their living conditions, and, in the future, Gaza’s reconstruction all depend on reopening the crossings and lifting the draconian restrictions on the entry of equipment and materials needed to repair infrastructure, clear rubble, and rebuild structures. The restrictions Israel places on the entry of aid and goods harm Gaza’s civilian population and violate Israel’s international obligations as well as the ceasefire agreement.

Further reading:

Gisha: Essential and Denied: Israel’s Dual-Use Policy in Gaza, March 17, 2026

Gaza remains cut off from electricity

On October 7, 2023, as part of Israel’s retaliation for the Hamas attack, the Israeli government decided to halt the direct supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip as well as the entry of fuel needed to operate the power plant. Since then, power inside Gaza has been generated exclusively by local generators and solar panels, many of which have also been destroyed in Israeli strikes.

According to estimates by the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) from September 2025, 70% of its electricity distribution infrastructure has been completely destroyed, and most of the company’s buildings, equipment, vehicles, and warehouses sustained extensive damage. GEDCO data has found that 500 kilometers of power lines and over 2,200 transformers have been destroyed.

As of April 2026, Israel is still blocking the power supply through lines that operated before the war, apart from a single connection to a desalination facility. The entry of fuel to operate Gaza’s power plant is also prohibited. In addition, the restrictions Israel imposes on the entry of so-called dual use goods into the Strip apply to generators, solar panels, and the spare parts needed to repair them.

Without electricity, hospitals are operating at limited capacity despite acute needs, sewage is left untreated, and the capacity for refrigerating food and lifesaving medicines is limited. The entire healthcare system currently relies on a small number of generators. The electricity shortage affects Gaza residents’ survival, their ability to live in dignity, and their recovery in many other direct and indirect ways. Israel has a duty to take action to repair the lines and restore the electricity infrastructure, allow generators and spare parts in, and immediately resume the supply of electricity through the lines.

Further reading:

Gisha: Israel’s war on electricity, April 19, 2026

Ongoing destruction of heritage sites

Restrictions on the entry of materials and equipment, coupled with the inaccessibility due to volatile security conditions and the large number of unexploded ordnances in the area, prevent the restoration of cultural assets and heritage sites in the Gaza Strip. According to rolling updates by UNESCO, 164 cultural and heritage sites in the Strip have been destroyed or damaged as of March 2026, including religious and archaeological sites, mosques, churches, universities, historic buildings, archives, and museums. International law prohibits the deliberate and systematic destruction of archaeological sites, historic buildings, and cultural and religious institutions during hostilities. Without the immediate restoration and stabilization of what remains of these buildings, many of the damaged sites currently face further deterioration.