(AGENPARL) – Fri 02 May 2025 Logo ICRC EN.jpg      International Committee of the Red Cross
** Israel and the occupied territories: After two months of aid blockage, humanitarian response in Gaza on verge of total collapse
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ICRC – News Release
02 May 2025
Geneva (ICRC) – The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse. Six weeks of intense hostilities, combined with a complete blockage of aid for two months, have left civilians without the essentials they need to survive. Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will not have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza.
“Civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance,” said Pascal Hundt, ICRC Deputy Director of Operations “This situation must not—and cannot—be allowed to escalate further.”
Under international humanitarian law, Israel has an obligation to use all means available to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population under its control are met. If the blockage continues, programmes such as the ICRC common kitchens—which often provide the only meal people receive each day—will only be able to operate for a few more weeks.  
The Red Cross Field Hospital in Gaza is also running dangerously low on food and medical supplies, with some essential medicines and consumables already exhausted. Hospitals and other medical facilities are reorganizing stocks and prioritising supplies to be able to continue lifesaving activities. Without urgent replenishment, hospitals will struggle to continue providing much-needed medical care to patients.
The deterioration of the water, sanitation and hygiene situation is also acute. Disruption to water systems—including the closure of water pipelines and destruction of critical sewage trucks—has created an unacceptably high risk of waterborne diseases.
The situation is compounded by repeated attacks impacting the work of healthcare facilities and medical personnel. Last month, 15 medical, civil defense, and humanitarian personnel, including eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, were brutally killed. Damage to health facilities such as the Kuwait Field Hospital and Al Ahli Hospital in recent weeks has further crippled Gaza’s collapsing health system.
The ICRC remains committed to serving civilians in Gaza, but the deteriorating security situation is severely limiting the work and movement of ICRC personnel and our partners. International humanitarian law is clear: medical personnel and facilities must be respected and protected in all circumstances. All parties must ensure that hospitals and medical facilities remain sanctuaries to preserve human life.
Aid must be allowed to enter Gaza. Hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected. Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate. 
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
** For more information, please contact:
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Public Relations Unit | International Committee of the Red Cross | 19, avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva | Switzerland
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ICRC, Avenue de la Paix, 19, Geneva, . 1201 Switzerland