Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)

[1][2] Israel has conditioned its lifting of the blockade with the return of the hostages abducted by Hamas,[3] which has been criticized as collective punishment and an apparent war crime.

[8] The blockade has contributed to imminent famine conditions in the Gaza Strip, which was exacerbated by Israeli airstrikes targeting food infrastructure and restrictions on humanitarian aid.

[34] On 12 October 2023, Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Israel Katz, stated that the lifting of the Gaza Strip blockade would not occur until the hostages, who were abducted by Hamas, are safely returned to their homeland.

[35] After receiving pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden, Gallant changed his position of a complete blockade and a deal was made on 19 October for Israel and Egypt to allow aid into Gaza.

[40] On 27 October, Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Program, criticized the checks at the Egyptian side of the crossing as "overly stringent" and limiting the flow of aid, which had previously been closer to 500 trucks a day.

[43] On 21 December 2023, Israeli protesters attempted to block the Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.

[46][better source needed] On 2 February, Israeli protesters blocked the Nitzana Border Crossing between Egypt and Israel to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.

[52] According to Oxfam and the United Nations, Gaza's lack of clean water and sanitation would trigger a rise in cholera and other deadly infectious diseases.

[57] Direct attacks on telecommunications infrastructure by Israel, electricity blockades and fuel shortages have caused the near-total collapse of Gaza's largest cell network providers.

[58][59][60] Lack of internet access has obstructed Gazan citizens from communicating with loved ones, learning of IDF operations, and identifying both the areas most exposed to bombing and possible escape routes.

It is the “highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger” ever recorded on the IPC scale,[69] and is widely expected to be the most intense man-made famine since the Second World War.

With 53% of the population, equivalent to 1.17 million individuals, facing emergency levels, the region is experiencing alarming rates of malnutrition and loss of lives; Due to the prevailing security conditions, providing a substantial humanitarian response has become exceedingly challenging.

[74] Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip violates international law because it endangers the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival.

"[77] On 11 October 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Israel's blockade and bombing of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' attack was a disproportionate response amounting to a "massacre.

"[78] UNRWA's director, Philippe Lazzarini, described the Gaza Strip as a "graveyard of a population trapped between war, siege and deprivation", saying that "We will not be able to say we did not know.

[81] Fabrizio Carboni, the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) director for the Middle East, said that "Without electricity, hospitals [in Gaza] risk turning into morgues.

"[82] According to Human Rights Watch, "Israel's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure has made it clear the recent Hamas attacks are 'why we decided to stop the flow of water, electricity and fuel'.

[85] The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged Israel to exercise restraint, arguing that a blockade of the Gaza Strip could lead to suffering of Palestinian civilians.

[87] Agnès Callamard, secretary of Amnesty International said that Israeli authorities should immediately stop the increased restrictions, including cutting off electricity, water, and food.

"[94] On 18 December, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of "using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip".