Gaza: Oxfam has issued a dire warning about the escalating food and water crisis in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli blockade on aid enters its sixth week. Clemence Lagouardat, Oxfam’s humanitarian coordinator in Gaza City, described the situation as increasingly desperate, saying that food, water, and fuel supplies have been completely exhausted.
“The stocks are depleted, even the fuel to cook meals,” Lagouardat told Al Jazeera. “Wood is now becoming inaccessible for cooking. If this total blockade—what we call collective punishment—is not lifted, there will be very little aid agencies can do to help the people of Gaza.”
She added that the lack of clean drinking water is exacerbating health problems and malnutrition, urging immediate and unrestricted access to deliver essential supplies.
Meanwhile, according to BBC, Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated into a "hell on earth" for Palestinian civilians due to ongoing Israeli military operations.
Her remarks came on the same day the United Nations Office for Human Rights warned that Israel’s tactics have become a direct threat to civilian lives in Gaza. The ICRC, typically discreet in its dealings, has now publicly accused Israel of blatant violations of international law.
Spoljaric stated that the suffering of civilians for military objectives constitutes a severe breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. "People have been displaced multiple times and their homes turned to rubble," she said.
Since the resumption of heavy Israeli bombardment on March 18, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 1,542 Palestinians have been killed. Israeli forces have also issued evacuation orders, displacing around 400,000 people.
On March 2, Israel imposed a total ban on the entry of food, medicine, and all essential supplies into Gaza. According to the Geneva Conventions, occupying powers such as Israel are obligated to ensure civilians in occupied territories have access to food and medical care, and to protect hospitals and medical personnel. The conventions also prohibit the forced displacement of civilian populations from occupied regions.
The UN has confirmed that recent airstrikes, including 36 specific attacks, resulted in numerous civilian casualties—many of them women and children. Israel continues to deny accusations of committing genocide in Gaza.
