The planned military incursion in Gaza City threatens devastating consequences for a population already weakened by hunger, loss, and repeated displacement. Families are faced with an impossible choice: risk death, injury, disease, and starvation if they stay, or face permanent displacement with little hope of return if they leave. Pushing hundreds of thousands of people further south under such conditions risks constituting forcible transfer, a grave violation of international law.
“What we are seeing in Gaza City is not just a crisis, it is a collapse of human survival,” said Natalia Anguera, Head of Operations for the Middle East at Action Against Hunger. “Families are hungry, exhausted, grieving, and can’t imagine having to move their children again– some for the twenty-sixth time in less than two years. Despite our teams’ relentless efforts, they too are facing this same collapse.”
The human cost of this incursion will be overwhelming. Action Against Hunger teams risk losing access to critical areas where water networks, food distributions, and nutrition services are still active. We are committed to supporting communities wherever they are, but forcibly moving services away from places like Gaza City also risks creating conditions where people feel like they have no choice but to leave. Humanitarian organizations cannot become drivers of displacement or instrumentalized as tools of forcible transfer.
Action Against Hunger nutrition screenings and treatment for malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women could be interrupted in high-risk areas of malnutrition. Our teams have established over 6 Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition points across Gaza City and have treated hundreds of children and infants suffering from acute and severe malnutrition. In July and August alone, Action Against Hunger nutrition teams received more than 400 cases of malnourished children, with 20% of cases classified as severe.
Essential water trucking services and the rehabilitation of sanitation infrastructure are under threat from ongoing bombardments, ground operations, and displacement orders. In Gaza City, water availability has dropped by 70%, forcing reliance on water trucking to access safe drinking water. However, many families lack the means to collect or store the limited water delivered, and truck access can easily be disrupted by military activity. Without restoring Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure, communities remain at serious risk of starvation and disease.
Damaged infrastructure and overcrowding are making access to water, food, shelter, and healthcare increasingly impossible. “It is hard to imagine nearly one million people coming back to the South,” said an Action Against Hunger staff member in Gaza. “There is no shelter anymore. There are no tents, no tarps. People are making shelters out of nothing.”
Even in these alarming circumstances, “At Action Against Hunger we reaffirm once again our commitment to serve people wherever they are, and we will, for as long as we can, remain present in Gaza City to provide lifesaving support”, explained Natalia Anguera.
We reiterate our call for a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and detainees, and full, large-scale, and sustained access for humanitarian actors. We also remind all parties to the conflict that any evacuation must be temporary and that families must be allowed to return to their homes when hostilities have ceased. All displaced populations must have safe and dignified access to shelter, water, food, and healthcare.
“Forcible transfer constitutes a grave violation of international law. We urge all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure safe access for humanitarian personnel and supplies,” added Natalia Anguera.
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 56 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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