Gaza’s Lifeline Severed: One Month Without Aid Deepens Humanitarian Crisis  

April 02, 2025

One month since humanitarian aid last entered Gaza, the situation has become increasingly dire. The closure of all border crossings, full suspension of water, and restriction of electricity supply by Israeli authorities since March 2 have cut off access to food, fuel, healthcare, and medicine, leaving aid agencies struggling to distribute depleting stockpiles. Hospitals are running out of power, prices for basic goods are soaring, and families are resorting to desperate measures to survive. Without immediate action to reopen crossings and allow sustained aid access, the consequences for Gaza’s 2.3 million people will be catastrophic. 

In Rafah, expanding ground operations and mass evacuation orders are forcing people to flee with little notice, while the north faces similar displacement. Many have relocated to the overcrowded 14-kilometer strip of al-Mawasi with nowhere else to go. Since the resumption of hostilities, at least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed. 

Kate Phillips-Barrasso, Mercy Corps Vice President of Global Policy and Advocacy, says:   

“For an entire month, not a single truck of humanitarian aid has entered Gaza. Families are going days without food, hospitals are turning away patients, and essential services are on the verge of collapse. With all bakeries now closed and dwindling fuel to power water and sanitation systems, hunger and disease will accelerate at an alarming rate.  

“The closure of Gaza’s border crossings by Israeli authorities has not only halted the flow of aid and commercial goods but has also triggered an economic crisis, pushing food prices beyond reach for many families. With severe cash shortages and skyrocketing withdrawal fees, people are left with impossible choices—forced to buy whatever food they can at exorbitant prices or go without.  

“Our team members report that markets are beginning to empty, and the quality of remaining food supplies is deteriorating. Many are relying solely on canned goods and community kitchens, while they last. Even when vegetables are available, the soaring cost of cooking gas—now at 250 shekels per kilogram (about $68)—makes preparing meals nearly impossible. 

“Immediate restoration of water and electricity, the reopening of border crossings, and effective deconfliction measures are critical to safeguarding the well-being of civilians and aid workers and enabling life-saving aid to reach those in desperate need. The international community should urgently deploy every diplomatic tool at its disposal to prevent an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe.” 

Saif, a Mercy Corps team members in Deir al Balah says: 

“We are living a war within a war within a war, endlessly layered. Every tiny detail of our lives has become a battlefield, even in ways one would never imagine. The smallest aspects of daily life have turned into challenges we must fight to overcome. The prices of everything are unimaginably high, having increased by five to ten times, not to mention the commission on cash withdrawals with fees now reaching 30 percent. Today, the cost of a single meal for a family in Gaza is equivalent to what an entire week's worth of meals cost before the war. We are constantly draining our resources and our mental well-being.” 

Notes to editor: 

  • 85% of Gaza’s population no longer has access to basic food items. 

  • 34 hospitals and 80 health centers have been destroyed, while severe medical supply shortages have crippled healthcare. 

  • Sewage networks are in ruins, fueling the spread of disease. 

  • Bakeries are shutting down due to lack of fuel. 

  • At least 142,000 people have been displaced in Gaza between March 18 and 23 due to evacuation orders and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. These orders, which have affected around 250,000 people, cover 17% of the Gaza Strip, with ongoing evacuations across various towns and neighborhoods. 

 

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