- In Gaza, although the flow of aid has increased, only around 50% is actually unloaded, preventing it from reaching the population.
- The nutritional crisis has changed: it is no longer just acute malnutrition, but chronic malnutrition due to poor dietary quality.
- Action Against Hunger continues to operate in Gaza and has supported more than 1.5 million people since 2023.
As we mark 1,000 days since 7 October 2023, the humanitarian crisis remains at a critical stage. Far from improving, the situation has changed: today, the problem is no longer simply a lack of aid, but the inability for it to reach the people who need it. At the same time, Israeli society is still grappling with profound grief and trauma since 7 October 2023.
Aid is coming in, but it is not getting through
Currently, an average of around 160 trucks enter Gaza each day, a figure far below what is required and the levels needed for an effective response. But the key figure is not how many trucks enter, but how many actually reach their destination: around half of that lifesaving aid fails to be distributed within the Strip and have to wait at the crossing until they can be further distributed.
The reason why aid is not reaching isn’t generic – it is marked by the lack of trucks let in, the lack of warehouses due to insecurity and operational constraints, massive damage to roads which turn routes into endless hours of logistical challenges, entry restrictions on essential materials (including water, energy and healthcare equipment), and the continued targeting despite the ceasefire.
From hunger to malnutrition
Today, although families manage to consume calories, the quality of their diet has not improved since the ceasefire. Their diet consists almost exclusively of cereals, flour and processed foods, with a near-total absence of protein, vitamins and micronutrients.
Families consume fruit and protein-rich foods only once a week or less. As for vegetables, these are consumed only twice a week, increasing medium- and long-term nutritional risks.
“When children do not receive adequate nutrition over long periods, the impact is irreversible: it affects their growth, their health and their future,” warns Cristina Izquierdo, nutrition coordinator for Action Against Hunger’s emergency team, following her visit to Gaza. “Even when families manage to eat, they do not do so under adequate conditions. The poor quality of their diet reverses, in the medium and long term, the nutritional progress we had achieved,” adds Izquierdo.
No income and no markets
Compounding the shortage of nutritious food is the lack of livelihoods and markets. Price rises of between 40% and 300% mean that basic commodities are beyond the reach of most families. 63% of households report difficulties in accessing markets; of these, 93% cite a lack of cash and 54% cite unaffordable prices.
Furthermore, the crisis has virtually destroyed all local production capacity. Less than 5% of arable land is accessible, whilst most of the produce entering the Strip is imported, forcing an almost total reliance on external aid.
“Farmers supported by Action Against Hunger had managed to reclaim their fields, tools and even greenhouses. But now, much of that land has become inaccessible due to violence and the expansion of militarised zones, reversing some of the progress made in agriculture,” explains Natalia Anguera, Head of Operations for the Middle East at Action Against Hunger.
Water at a critical level
Access to water remains one of the main risks. The population has between 6 and 15 litres per person per day, which is below the minimum standard for survival. “Many areas have no drinking water. People drink whatever they can, even if it is unsafe,” says Anguera.
Restrictions on the entry of certain goods are one of the aggravating factors. “The lack of fuel, spare parts and generators is preventing desalination plants and water systems – which are key to providing the population with safe, clean and drinkable water – from operating. Furthermore, there is a shortage of chemicals to treat contaminated water, whilst many pipes have been destroyed,” explains Anguera.
“The collapse of sanitation services and the build-up of waste are causing pest infestations, including rodents, and a public health crisis,” adds Anguera.
Action Against Hunger’s response
Despite the restrictions and the highly volatile situation, Action Against Hunger continues to operate on the ground, constantly adapting its response in the areas of food distribution, nutritional care, safe water, sanitation and livelihood support.
