Crisis in Gaza

The Lebanese authorities, communities and humanitarian agencies are struggling to shelter and provide the necessities of life to over one million people fleeing Israel’s airstrikes and invasion to the south, Oxfam said today. 

More women and children have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past year than the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decades, new Oxfam analysis has found.  

Oxfam is responding to the escalating crisis in Lebanon, providing essential support to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced to flee as Israeli airstrikes bombard their homes and communities. 

In response to the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming support for a resolution to implement the International Court of Justice’s opinion on the illegality of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa Director Sally Abi Khalil said: “This historic vote has shown that the international community overwhelmingly recognises its obligations in ensuring the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and an immediate end to Israel’s illegal occupation.  

A new Oxfam report reveals how Israel has been systematically weaponizing water against Palestinians in Gaza, showing disregard for human life and international law.  

In reaction to today’s Israeli raids across West Bank refugee camps, Oxfam MENA Regional Director Sally Abi Khalil said: "The latest Israeli military offensive in the West Bank overnight is deeply concerning, resulting in numerous possible violations of international humanitarian law." 

In response to the latest Israeli attack on the Al-Mawasi so-called “safe zone”, as described by Israel, Oxfam’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Sally Abi Khalil, said: “Once again, we are witnessing the absolute disregard Israel has for Palestinian lives and for international law. 

Aid agencies operating in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) have issued an urgent warning that the number of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians has escalated dramatically since October 7, surpassing 1,000 incidents. This alarming increase has heightened the need for immediate and concrete action from the international community to protect Palestinian communities.

Israel’s latest evacuation order, calling for a quarter of a million people to leave Eastern Khan Younis, violates the Geneva Convention and is in breach of multiple provisions of International Humanitarian Law, because it has failed to provide safe passage, or a safe final destination where basic humanitarian needs can be met, Oxfam said today. 

The destruction of critical water and sanitation infrastructure by the Israeli forces along with severe over-crowding, malnutrition and heat is pushing Gaza to the brink of a deadly epidemic outbreak, Oxfam warned today.