On the Ground in Gaza: Oxfam’s Humanitarian Update
It’s been over a month since any humanitarian aid entered Gaza.
With Gaza under total siege since early March, not a single truck of humanitarian aid, food, or fuel has been allowed to enter. Oxfam staff and partners are still operating where possible, but conditions are deteriorating so rapidly that it is difficult to overstate the scale of human suffering.
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A Worsening Humanitarian Collapse
In Gaza today, over 1.9 million people are displaced, the majority with no safe place to go. Israel has declared large swaths of the Strip as no-go zones, and nearly two-thirds of Gaza is now either under evacuation orders or actively being targeted.
In southern Rafah, families who were told to evacuate weeks ago have now been displaced once more, as tanks push into areas previously labelled “safe.” In less than two weeks, over 280,000 people have fled their homes, often with nothing but the clothes on their back.
These repeated forced displacements are not just a consequence of war—they are being used as a tool to uproot and erase communities. The so-called “humanitarian zones” are a dangerous illusion, lacking water, food, sanitation, and security. Families are being driven from place to place, often into areas already under attack.
Starvation Has Set In
With the ongoing aid blockade, food supplies have run out. There is no flour. No food parcels.
Cooking gas has disappeared from markets and firewood is now being scavenged and burned to keep community kitchens going. Cooked meals remain the only lifeline for many families, but those will soon run out. Most bakeries have shut down entirely, and those that remain are operating at a fraction of their former capacity. Without fuel or flour, they too will close. Food prices have skyrocketed—when food is available at all.
This is no longer a looming famine. It is already here.
Oxfam’s Response: Severely Restricted but Still Active
Despite no new aid coming in, Oxfam and partners continue to provide what support we can. Hygiene kits have been distributed. Water trucking is ongoing in some areas. A small number of food parcels were recently delivered to displaced families in the north. But our ability to scale up is being strangled by the ban on aid.
Stocks are running out. Fuel is being rationed. There is no safe way to reach many of the hardest-hit communities. Our teams remain committed, but the space to operate is rapidly disappearing.
This Is Not Just a Humanitarian Issue. It’s a Moral One.
Oxfam is still present in Gaza. We’re doing everything we can. But without a political solution and immediate international pressure, the suffering will worsen. Aid alone cannot solve this crisis. Here’s how you can help:
Demand a Permanent Ceasefire Now
A full and lasting ceasefire is the only way to allow aid in, protect civilians, and begin the process of recovery. Temporary pauses are not enough.
Call for Unimpeded Aid Access
The aid blockade must end. Israel must allow fuel, food, and essential supplies into Gaza—now.
Stop Arms Transfers and End Complicity
Governments have a legal obligation under the Genocide Convention to prevent atrocity crimes. No state should be sending arms to a conflict where civilians and aid workers are being systematically targeted
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