GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations said that the ongoing Israeli war of extermination and ethnic cleansing, lasting for more than 18 months, combined with the continued complete blockade and the prevention of aid entry into the Gaza Strip for two months, has destroyed the lives of 2.2 million Palestinians and caused near-total devastation of the basic infrastructure civilians rely on to survive in the Strip.
In a report issued on Friday, the United Nations explained that the World Food Program (WFP) delivered the last of its remaining food stocks today to the hot meal kitchens in Gaza, and it is expected that these kitchens will completely run out of food in the coming days.
The report announced that over the past weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for the people of Gaza. Although they reached only half of the population and met just 25% of daily food needs, they provided a critical lifeline.
The WFP warned that the situation inside Gaza has once again reached a breaking point: “Coping mechanisms are exhausted, and the fragile gains made during the brief ceasefire have been erased. Unless urgent action is taken to open the crossings for aid and trade, the WFP may be forced to end its vital assistance.”
Meanwhile, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the complete closure imposed by Israel on Gaza, and the prevention of life-saving aid from reaching civilians—including food and fuel—has now entered its eighth week.
It confirmed that bakeries in the Strip have ceased operations due to a lack of flour and cooking fuel, basic food prices are rising, and Israeli attacks at sea continue to destroy Gaza’s fishing industry. With the cessation of food aid, remaining stockpiles are rapidly depleting, placing Gaza’s population, especially vulnerable groups and children, at increased risk of starvation.
The OHCHR also noted that the Israeli occupation forces continue to target civilian objects essential for the survival of the civilian population. Between April 21 and 22, the occupation army carried out deliberate and coordinated attacks across three governorates in Gaza, destroying 36 heavy machines, including excavators, water trucks, and sewage suction tankers. These machines are used by Gaza municipalities for humanitarian relief operations, such as rubble removal, water distribution, and maintenance of vital sewage systems.
According to the OHCHR, the destruction of these vehicles is likely to severely hinder rescue operations, including the retrieval of the wounded from under the rubble, debris clearance to allow ambulance movement, provision of safe drinking water, solid waste collection, and operation of sewage networks—thus increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
The UN office warned that “deliberate attacks on civilian objects are illegal and constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.”
In a related matter, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that nearly 50% of the displaced and affected population in the Gaza Strip are women and girls.
The OHCHR estimates that “nearly 70% of those killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and March 31, 2025, were women and children.”
