IDF halts entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip as ceasefire broken after 9 days
The Israeli government has halted humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza strip after the IDF struck targets in southern Gaza on Sunday
Crucial entry of humanitarian aid has been halted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to Hamas’ violation of the ceasefire, according to a senior Israeli official.
The political echelon instructed COGAT not to allow the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza tomorrow, according to Axios's Barack Ravid.
It comes as Rafah border crossing, Gaza's only gateway to the outside world, remains closed.
Despite growing international pressure, aid access remains limited due to ongoing hostilities, damaged infrastructure, and stringent inspection protocols imposed by Israeli authorities. Crossings such as Rafah and Kerem Shalom have seen sporadic openings, often for limited timeframes and with only partial deliveries permitted.
United Nations agencies and international NGOs have warned of catastrophic conditions on the ground, citing overcrowded shelters, collapsed health services, and a population increasingly at risk of famine and disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described hospitals in northern Gaza as being in a state of “total collapse,” with doctors operating without anesthesia and fuel supplies critically low.
"We are facing an unprecedented crisis," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. "What little aid is allowed in is nowhere near enough to meet the scale of human need."
A ‘lifeline’ for Gaza
Before the war, Rafah bustled with goods and people passing to and from Egypt and Gaza, which is home to roughly 2.3 million Palestinians. Although Gaza has four other border crossings, they are shared with Israel, and only Rafah links the territory with another neighboring country.
After Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage, Egypt tightened its restrictions on traffic through the Rafah crossing. After Israel took control of the Gaza side in May 2024 as part of its offensive that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, it closed the crossing except to the occasional medical evacuation.
A reopened Rafah crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel internationally or visit family in Egypt, which is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians. It would also help Gaza’s devastated economy, as Palestinian-made olive oil and other l products are widely sold in Egypt and throughout the Arab world.
Closing the crossing was “breaking the backbone that many families relied on as a lifeline,” said Adel Amr, who works in the transport sector based in the West Bank and has been trying to organize aid shipments into Gaza.
“The crossing is a lifeline for our families in Gaza. This was the only safe route for those who wanted to travel from the Gaza Strip to the outside world,” he said.