Restoring ceasefire deal vital as death toll hits 50,000 and continues to rise amid Israeli airstrikes, aid and power blockades and renewed mass forced displacements


Oxfam and partners’ operations have been severely hampered as Israel's renewed military assault and ground offensive on Gaza continues into its 7th day.

Oxfam is calling for a renewed ceasefire and for Israel to lift its 23-day siege which is again blocking aid supplies and increasing famine risks for desperate civilians. Israel imposed a complete blockade 23 days ago and cut off electricity to Gaza a few days later.

Israeli authorities are denying entry to trucks loaded with 63,000 metric tons of food for 1.1 million people. Operations have been forced to stop in vital areas such as food security and livelihood, as well as hygiene promotion, and essential repair work to damaged water infrastructure.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s OPT Policy Lead, said:

“During the 42-day ceasefire families in Gaza could finally fall asleep knowing their loved ones would still be beside them when they woke up. Even though aid that entered was not enough—far from enough—it was something. The price of food stabilized. Supermarkets reopened. Bakeries began running again. Many people even went to their homes or what was left of it, and tried to repair and rebuild, however little they could.”

Humanitarian agencies were able to mount operations that saw an average of more than 4,000 trucks per week entering Gaza despite Israeli authorities initially only partially opening the crossings and denying much of the urgently needed reconstruction materials. Oxfam reached almost 200,000 people with essential relief.

Israel’s renewed bombardment of residential areas, including Jabalia and Khan Younis, has killed almost 700 people, including at least 200 children since March 18. Israeli authorities have issued new mass forced displacement orders, forcing around 120,000 Palestinians to flee across at least 37% of Gaza. These orders are causing panic and chaos in the absence of anywhere safe in Gaza. 

Oxfam says humanitarian operations have been gravely hindered by the absence of guarantees of safety for aid workers moving around Gaza.

Oxfam and its partners say their storage facilities containing food parcels are severely depleted. Israeli authorities have denied access to Oxfam shipments of six desalination units and seven trucks of water and sanitation infrastructure, up to 85% of which has been destroyed by Israel’s bombing campaign.

“Oxfam, through its partners has been able to initiate emergency water trucking across the Gaza Strip, and are maintaining some other aid programs, such as multi-purpose cash transfers, despite the severe challenges that all humanitarian workers now face around lack of protection,” said Khalidi.

“For the past 535 days, Israel has been systematically weaponizing life-saving aid, inflicting collective punishment upon the population of Gaza. The denial of food, water, fuel and electricity is a war crime and a crime against humanity. Many within the international community are enabling this by their silence, inaction and complicity.”

Oxfam’s health partner in Gaza, Juzoor for Health and Social Development, had its center in Jabalia destroyed in an airstrike on March 18. It had been serving over 1,000 patients daily. Dr Umaiyeh Khammash, Director of Juzoor, said: "Every airstrike that hits, threatens the lives and safety of our dedicated staff and the patients they serve. This center is not just a building; it's the heartbeat of healthcare for countless families here. Without it, many will lose access to crucial medical care." 

In another attack yesterday (March 23), three sewage operators from the Abasan Al Kabira municipality working with Oxfam’s partner Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) were killed while performing their duties when their clearly-marked truck was destroyed in an attack by Israeli military.

A renewed ceasefire must be permanent and accompanied by the safe return of Israeli hostages and illegally detained Palestinian prisoners. Israel must provide unfettered aid at scale. Oxfam said that governments must stop transferring arms, while the international community must enforce international law. We reiterate our call for justice and accountability for all those affected. 


/ENDS

Contact information:

For further details contact Jacqui Corcoran | Jacqui.corcoran@oxfam.org | +35387 2932271

 

Notes to editors:
  • Oxfam works with 19 partner organizations in the Gaza Strip. Between 20 January and 28 February 2025, Oxfam reached a total of 181,622 people across the Gaza Strip with water and sanitation services, including repair and reconstruction, protection, multipurpose cash assistance, distribution of food parcels and essential agricultural inputs for recovery, protection, health care and case management.
  • Since Israel's breach of the ceasefire and airstrikes on Gaza on 18 March, Oxfam staff movements have been severely restricted in the absence of a notification system. This week, Oxfam's progammes in Gaza, including those of many partners, have been severely impacted. Oxfam is still able to undertake some water trucking and multipurpose cash distribution, but under high-risk conditions
  • The fatality rate in Gaza is based on Palestinian Ministry of Health reporting on 24 March (11AM) and the fatality rate of children is reported by UNICEF on 21 March
  • Since 2 March, Israeli authorities have re-imposed a total siege, blockading the entire Gaza Strip. It is banning the entry of any humanitarian basic supplies, including water, food, medical supplies and fuel, as well as banning any commercial supplies to enter Gaza.
  • On 10 March, Israeli authorities cut off electricity supply to the only operational large-scale desalination plant for drinking water. With the exception of that last remaining, intermittent electricity feed to the desalination plant, Gaza has been under an electricity blackout since 11 October 2023.
  • The current siege is one week longer than in 2023, when the Israeli authorities imposed a total siege that lasted from 7-21 October 2023.
  • According to the IPC Special Snapshot – September 2024 – April 2025, the risk of Famine between November 2024 and April 2025 persists as long as conflict continues, and humanitarian access is restricted
  • According to the Palestinian Water Authority, 85% of the water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza is destroyed as a result of Israel's bombing campaign.
  • The UN reported that during the 42-day ceasefire period, a total of 4,000 trucks per week travelled into Gaza, 600,000 people received polio vaccinations and maternity care was provided for 5,000 births.
  • Satellite images of the Gaza displacement orders, on 18 March, covers an area amounting to 37% of Gaza's land and double the size of the original buffer zone. This has been reported by Sky News and the figures have been confirmed by the UN. The UN reported on 21 March that more than 120,000 people had fled since the evacuation orders were issued on 18 March.
  • Denial of Aid – breaches Customary IHL Rule 55;  1977 Additional Protocol II Arts 69-71 and 81;  Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, Arts 23,55-63 and 108-111;  Rome Statute ICC, Crime Against Humanity of Extermination, Art 7 1(b) “Extermination” includes the intentional infliction of conditions of life, inter alia the deprivation of access to food and medicine, calculated to bring about the destruction of part of a population.OCHA / WFP food insecurity data,  released every tuesday (18 Mar 2025): Most recent OCHA sitrep (18 Mar 2025):
  • Between 10 and 20 per cent of 4,500 surveyed pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished, a recent analysis by the Nutrition Cluster reveals.
  • To cope with shortages, the Food Security Sector (FSS) partners are drastically reducing food assistance to families, suspending flour distribution to families to prioritize supplies for bakeries, pausing the distribution of fresh produce, and scaling down hot meal preparations at some community kitchens.
  • FSS warns that over one million people risk being left without food parcels in March, and at least 80 of the 170 community kitchens may be forced to close in one to two weeks, if supplies, including cooking fuel, are not allowed into Gaza. The FSS estimates that more than 50,000 metric tons (MT) of food supplies are required monthly to assist everyone with full rations, in addition to 9,700 MT of flour needed monthly to keep the subsidized bakeries running.
  • Since the ceasefire took effect on 19 January, and as of 15 March, 4,646 children have enrolled in malnutrition treatment programmes, 672 of whom were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition.
  • The Nutrition Cluster notes a decrease in monthly enrolments in such programmes from about 5,000 in the month prior to the ceasefire to a monthly average of 2,500 in Phase One of the ceasefire.
  • Nutrition Cluster partners observed a rising number of pregnant and breastfeeding women becoming malnourished - between 10 and 20 per cent,
  • 11 March inter-agency mission to eastern Khan Younis found that agricultural facilities had been largely destroyed, including 1,400 dunums of open land,150 greenhouses, 90 poultry farms, and dozens of livestock and dairy cattle farms. The remaining cultivated land did not exceed 70-80 dunums.
  • Market survey carried out by WFP covering key developments during the first half of March (14th Mar published):
  • The abrupt disruption in food assistance is being compounded by a surge in local market prices: Commercial food prices have surged, with some fruits and vegetables increasing by over 200 per cent compared with levels prior to the closure of the crossings.
  • WFP currently has sufficient food stocks to support active kitchens and bakeries for up to one month, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to support 550,000 people for two weeks.
  • WFP has approximately 63,000 metric tons of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region. This is equivalent to two to three months of distributions for 1.1 million people, pending authorization to enter Gaza.
  • Traders have begun withholding goods due to uncertainty over when new supplies will arrive.