Gaza blockade

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.  

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

Oxfam is gravely concerned for the lives of around 500,000 Palestinians, alongside any of the more than 200 Israeli and other national hostages, currently trapped in a “siege within a siege” in northern Gaza.  

Starvation is being used as a weapon of war against Gaza civilians, Oxfam said today as it renewed its call for food, water, fuel and other essentials to be allowed to enter.  

New displacement orders issued by Israeli authorities have forced another mass movement of families and humanitarian workers from areas in Deir al-Balah - one of the only remaining areas in the occupied Gaza Strip with essential infrastructure and warehouses storing aid supplies.

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. 

Reaction to the latest Global Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report published today, which warns that a high risk of famine persists across the Gaza Strip.

In response to the UN Security Council’s ceasefire resolution, Oxfam’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Sally Abi Khalil, said: “It is critical that all military forces withdraw. This plan must not lead to permanent occupation or de facto annexation, which would kill any hope for a just and lasting peace."