Israel has barred the entry of more than 80% of the humanitarian aid Gaza needs, pushing the population deeper into hunger under nearly two years of aggression.
Tracking data shows that only 18.26% of daily requirements are reaching Palestinians, who face systematic starvation policies alongside bombardment.
Last Friday, the United Nations' belated announcement declared famine in Gaza City for the first time, warning it could spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September. The declaration was unprecedented in the Middle East, highlighting the catastrophic humanitarian toll of Israel’s blockade and bombardment.
The World Food Programme warned this month that more than one-third of Gaza’s residents now go hungry for days at a time, while acute malnutrition rises and over 300,000 children face severe risk.
Israel has controlled the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side since May 7, 2024, and continues to impose restrictions at the adjacent Karm Abu Salem crossing, the main entry point for aid. This control has been used to enforce a near-total blockade, while daily airstrikes have killed and injured Palestinians and destroyed infrastructure since Oct. 7, 2023.
Since July 24, when Israel allowed limited aid entry after European Union pressure, just 3,287 trucks have crossed from Egypt’s Rafah crossing toward Karm Abu Salem until Tuesday, according to Egyptian aid coordination sources. Gaza’s needs are estimated at 600 trucks daily—18,000 monthly—yet only 2,654 trucks reached Gaza in the past 30 days, far short of what is required.
An Egyptian Red Crescent source in North Sinai told Al Manassa that trucks leaving Rafah are frequently turned back by Israeli occupation forces without unloading. “Exit from Rafah does not guarantee entry to Gaza,” the source added, requesting anonymity.
The Gaza Media Office said Tuesday that between Thursday and Monday, only 467 trucks entered Gaza out of the 3,000 expected. In a WhatsApp statement, it accused Israel of deliberately fostering lawlessness by allowing aid convoys to be attacked or looted, calling this part of a “policy of engineered hunger and chaos aimed at breaking Palestinian resilience.”
The office added that Israel bans 430 essential food items, including eggs, meat, fish, dairy, produce, and nutritional supplements—depriving children, patients, and the starved of survival necessities.
By comparison, during a truce that ended in March, Gaza received 37,412 aid trucks, 28,584 tons of gas, 60,345 tons of diesel, and 1,266 tons of gasoline, according to records reviewed by Al Manassa.
