What is happening in Gaza? 96 per cent of the population do not have enough food

Find out the latest on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, how you can help, and how the Red Cross and Red Crescent is responding

 

DONATE to the GAZA CRISIS APPEAL

Last updated 13 January 2025

 

It has been more than a year since the attacks in Israel and the escalation of the conflict which has led to relentless and intolerable suffering in Gaza and the wider region. Here you can find out what's been happening, how we've responded and what you can do to support people affected by the crisis. 

  

The latest news update on the Gaza humanitarian crisis

• Humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates by the day as malnutrition rises
• More than 45,000 people have died in Gaza, and a further 968 in the West Bank
• At least 109,000 people have been injured in Gaza and a further 15,800 in the West Bank
• The healthcare system is on the edge of collapse, entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed, and families have been torn apart
• In Israel, 1,195 died following the attacks on 7 October 2023. A further 5,432 have been injured
• Families of those held hostage in Gaza remain caught between hope and despair as they desperately await news of their loved ones. 

A year of conflict in Israel and Gaza

On 7 October 2023, 1,195 people were killed in Israel and 251 taken hostage. 

Since then, more than 45,000 people have been killed in Gaza and many more injured. Hostages are still being held, and innumerable survivors are traumatised. The picture today is catastrophic. 

Palestine Red Crescent Society response over the past year

For the past year, nearly 1,600 staff and volunteers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) have been working tirelessly to provide life-saving support in Gaza. In the face of immense challenges, losses and risks to their own lives, PRCS has distributed 1.6 million emergency relief items, and provided emergency medical support to over 100,000 people. Tragically, 22 PRCS colleagues have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank in the last year.

Gaza is unrecognisable, with homes, schools, and hospitals having been reduced to rubble. There is not enough food or clean water, and the healthcare system has all but collapsed. 

Almost every single person in Gaza, including our own staff and volunteers, has fled their homes. But there is nowhere safe left to go. 

 

Magen David Adom response since 7 October 2023

In the first moments after the attacks on 7 October, Magen David Adom mobilised 1,500 ambulances and over 10,000 first responders. Tragically, six Magen David Adom colleagues were killed while responding.

Since then, Magen David Adom has responded to over one million emergency calls and collected more than 300,000 units of blood. Magen David Adom continues to support communities, particularly those living near the borders with Gaza and Lebanon, by answering emergency calls and dispatching ambulances and paramedics. 

 

The plight of hostages remains a priority

The families of over 200 hostages endured months of terrible suffering, and for more than 100 hostages and their families, the ordeal continues. More than a year on, the plight of the hostages taken from Israel remains a priority and we call for their immediate and unconditional release.

The British Red Cross reiterates what the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said from the outset of the crisis: that those taken hostage must be released immediately, and the ICRC must have access to check on their health, the conditions they are being detained in, and their treatment.

The lack of access being granted to the ICRC is causing extreme distress and concern, particularly for families in Israel and beyond who have been desperately waiting for news.

 

How your donations are helping

Is aid getting into Gaza?

The Rafah border, a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid into Gaza, has been closed since May 2024.

The Rafah border crossing was one of the largest and most important aid crossings and though some aid has continued to enter Gaza, the closure exacerbated an already dire situation. Only a trickle of aid is able to reach the area, leaving the PRCS teams in Gaza delivering lifesaving aid with much reduced resources.

Land-based delivery through the south of Gaza remains the most effective way to deliver aid. These roads are the main arteries for aid delivery and so have the greatest capacity.

• Take a more in-depth look with our explainer: how is aid getting into Gaza?

 

Is there a famine in Gaza?

The lack of aid access has had devastating effects for the people of Gaza, almost all of whom are reliant on humanitarian aid. 

Malnutrition is rising, as 96 per cent of people do not have enough food. Restrictions on the entry of commercial supplies have created huge price surges and widespread starvation is inevitable in Gaza unless humanitarian access and the flow of both aid and commercial goods is dramatically improved.  

The independent and internationally recognised Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) have reported that almost 2 million people in Gaza face crisis levels of food insecurity (Level 3), 876,000 face emergency levels (Level 4) and 345,000 face catastrophic levels (Level 5) of food insecurity.

Famine can still be averted in Gaza and lives saved, but it requires urgent action to restore access to humanitarian aid across the entire Gaza strip. 

• Explainer: what is food insecurity and why it is a threat?

 

Is there any clean water in Gaza?

There are acute shortages of water as 70 per cent of critical water infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by the ongoing hostilities. Dehydration is making people extremely ill, with children the most vulnerable.

Infectious diseases, such as vomiting, diarrhoea and hepatitis are spreading rapidly in Gaza, especially in the overcrowded areas where people shelter. Many of the elderly and sick are at greater risk of dying from these diseases.

 

What's happening in the West Bank?

The security situation and rising violence in the West Bank is deeply concerning - 2023 was the deadliest year in the West Bank in over a decade. 

According to UNOCHA, since the conflict escalated in October 2023, it has so far led to:

• 968 deaths
• More than 15,800 injuries
• The displacement of over 4,000 people in 2024 due to the demolition or confiscation of homes and structures
• The loss of people's lands and livelihoods
• The displacement of entire communities.

Are any hospitals open in Gaza?

The healthcare system in Gaza has all but collapsed. As of November 2024:

• Only 16 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain even partly functional
• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) continue to provide health services despite immense challenges
• In Rafah, the ICRC has set up a 60-bed field hospital supported by 12 National Societies including the British Red Cross
• Medical teams have performed over 47,000 consultations and 2,000 surgical procedures
• Teams have performed 3,500 surgical procedures at the European Gaza Hospital.

 

• More about the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah

Are people homeless in Gaza?

A million people have been forced to evacuate Rafah since the start of May 2024, and people have been displaced up to six times. There is nowhere safe in Gaza for people to go, and nowhere that can adequately meet people’s basic needs.

Many have sought shelter in Rafah, having already been displaced multiple times along the way. Men, women and children have walked for days past horrific scenes of death and destruction, sometimes losing family members throughout the journey.

People are struggling to live with dignity in makeshift tents next to waste or sewerage areas; many are sleeping in the open, or trying to cover themselves with cardboard and scraps of wood.

Those able to find a space in a displacement camp have just one square metre per person. Many shelters lack sufficient ventilation and over half are soaked by water and rain - infectious diseases are spreading rapidly, and vulnerable people are dying.

How is the Palestine Red Crescent supporting people in Gaza?

The Palestine Red Crescent Society is working day and night, risking, and losing, their lives to deliver assistance. They are mandated to receive and distribute this aid to where it is needed most in Gaza.

In Gaza PRCS teams have:

• received over 22,000 trucks of humanitarian aid for distribution in Gaza
• distributed 1.6 million emergency aid items
• supported over 345,000 people with health services. 

In the West Bank PRCS teams have:

• provided healthcare services in 11 clinics
• delivered relief items to 220,000 people, including food, water, tents and blankets

"We must always have hope": what it's like for Red Cross Red Crescent colleagues responding to the crisis in Gaza

How to help people in Gaza

The best way to help people in Gaza today is by donating to the Gaza Crisis Appeal. 

Throughout this crisis, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams have been working day and night in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon, and neighbouring countries. Their dedication and the funds raised so far have helped provide lifesaving support, including food, shelter and medical aid.

Aid alone cannot solve this crisis and it is not a substitute for political and other long-term solutions – but it will save lives. Together, with your support, we will continue to be there for people wherever they are for as long as we are needed, in the coming weeks, months and years ahead.  

You can help us continue our work in Gaza and affected areas in the wider region, including Lebanon, by donating to our Gaza Crisis Appeal.

 

• Donate to the Gaza Crisis Appeal

Map of Israel and the Gaza Strip

What is the British Red Cross doing for Gaza?

The British Red Cross is directly supporting our partners in the Movement – including the Palestine Red Crescent Society – to respond to these urgent needs, providing funding as well as expert staff.

We have also deployed logistics and managerial staff to the region to support with the delivery and distribution of aid and humanitarian assistance. 

We will do all we can to support people on both sides of the conflict for as long as we’re needed.

What is the Occupied Palestinian Territory?

The Occupied Palestinian Territory or OPT is an internationally accepted description, used by the United Nations. It refers to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). 

What is the Gaza Strip?

The Gaza Strip is part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It is an enclave 25 miles long and six miles wide, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel, and Egypt.