Gaza | One year since the start of the ceasefire, the humanitarian situation remains devastating

One year since a ceasefire was announced in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of people are still living in tents or makeshift shelters, with limited access to drinking water, medical care and essential supplies. Attacks continue to cause casualties and injuries, whilst the flow of humanitarian aid remains insufficient.

EMERGENCY continues to provide free healthcare in the Khan Younis area of Gaza, with two primary care clinics in al-Qarara and al-Mawasi, which together see an average of 400-600 patients every day. Most are pregnant women and children. The most common conditions are respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, skin diseases, and chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

"A few days ago we had to stay in the clinic for an extra three-quarters of an hour before heading home because there had just been an explosion on the way, resulting in deaths and injuries," says Giulia Folci, an EMERGENCY midwife in Gaza. "The number of explosions has decreased, but the sense of anxiety and emergency remains."

Since the ceasefire was announced, the casualty toll has continued with nearly 1,400 fatalities and more than 4,700 people injured (OCHA). Humanitarian aid, including medicines and medical equipment, continues to face significant difficulties in reaching Gaza, partly due to the restrictions on the entry of materials and goods via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The impact is felt most acutely by already vulnerable groups, especially women and children. Limited supplies continue to create challenges for EMERGENCY's clinics, disrupting the provision of care for those who need it most.

"We struggle every day to provide our patients with the medicines they need," continues Folci. "We cut up gauze to treat the wounded who arrive. I am unable to provide iron supplements to the pregnant women I see, an essential nutrient during pregnancy to reduce the risk of anaemia, premature birth, low birth weight, and complications that can endanger the lives of both mother and child. It is impossible to give realistic dietary advice to women with gestational diabetes or malnutrition.

The official death toll from bombing over the past three years stands at over 73,000, but this excludes those who did not survive due to a lack of the treatment they needed, and this is devastating."

While prices of food and essential goods have risen an average of 207% compared to pre-war levels, and the entry of commercial goods continues to be prioritised over humanitarian aid, by December 2026 an estimated 1.4 million people across the Gaza Strip will face severe food insecurity (OCHA; IPC). Compounding the food shortage is the difficulty in accessing clean water, with direct consequences for the population's health.

"One thing that particularly affects me as a midwife is, for example, the preparation of formula milk," adds Folci. "In some cases babies need to be fed powdered milk, and this is very difficult to prepare with contaminated water, exposing children to extremely high risks."

Children make up nearly half of Gaza's population and are among the most vulnerable to the consequences of the humanitarian crisis, paying the highest price for the lack of clean water, adequate food, healthcare or safe living conditions.

Hundreds of thousands of Gazans are still living in tents or makeshift shelters, and the arrival of the colder, rainier season will make living conditions even more challenging.

"People no longer know where to take shelter. The first rain of the season caught most people while they were in tents that are falling apart," says Jacopo Intini, EMERGENCY Programme Coordinator in Gaza. "Fires break out regularly because people burn rubbish to cook. As we approach autumn and winter, rain and low temperatures will lead to further overcrowding and precarious conditions. It is incredibly urgent that the materials needed to repair the tents or build safer shelters are delivered."

One year on from the announcement of the ceasefire, the civilian population of Gaza continues to live without adequate safety, healthcare or access to essential goods. EMERGENCY renews its call for a permanent ceasefire and the stable reopening of all border crossings so that humanitarian aid, medicines, medical supplies and goods essential for the population's survival can enter unhindered, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Concludes Silvia Professione, an EMERGENCY doctor in Gaza, "The hidden face of war is a woman crying because she cannot find the insulin she needs to treat her diabetes in any pharmacy; it is a nine-month-old baby girl with a heart defect waiting for permission to travel abroad for treatment; it is a child who weighs several kilos less than the norm for his age; it is a man with coronary heart disease who knows there is no longer the equipment needed to save his life. Without regular access to aid and effective protection for civilians, the humanitarian emergency in the Strip is set to worsen dramatically in the coming months."