Gaza ceasefire exists in name only, say more than 100 humanitarian organizations

GAZA CITY, Palestine (MNTV) — More than 100 humanitarian, human rights and civil society organizations have warned that the Gaza ceasefire exists in name only, saying continued Israeli attacks, restrictions on humanitarian assistance and obstacles to reconstruction have left Palestinians trapped in a worsening humanitarian crisis one year after the agreement was reached.

In a joint statement marking the anniversary, the organizations said Israeli forces continued to kill and injure Palestinians, while restrictions on aid, medical equipment, machinery and rebuilding materials were preventing displaced families from recovering from the devastation of the war.

More than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children, have been killed during the ceasefire period, according to figures cited by the organizations. More than 5,000 people have been injured, while hundreds of bodies have been recovered from beneath destroyed buildings. Many others remain buried under rubble or inaccessible in areas under Israeli military control.

“The killing and deprivation in Gaza must not be normalized under the cover of a ceasefire agreement,” the organizations said, calling on governments to use their influence to stop the violence, secure unrestricted humanitarian access and support recovery and reconstruction.

Mohsen Abu Ramadan, a board member of the Palestinian NGO Network, said local organizations continued to respond to immense humanitarian needs despite damaged offices, displaced staff and shrinking budgets.

“Palestinian organisations are responding to immense needs under Israeli occupation with destroyed offices, displaced staff, and shrinking budgets,” he said.

He added that local and national organisations remained at the forefront of the emergency response but needed protection from attacks and restrictions, alongside direct and flexible funding from international donors.

The statement comes as Gaza faces another winter of widespread displacement, food insecurity and inadequate medical care, with humanitarian agencies warning that the absence of sustained improvements has left families exposed to the same dangers that characterised the war.

Children remain at risk

The organizations said children continued to bear a disproportionate share of the suffering, with at least 327 killed and 547 injured during the ceasefire period, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Save the Children chief executive Inger Ashing said the agreement had failed to provide the security and conditions children needed to recover.

“A ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives,” she said, adding that nearly one child had been killed every day since the ceasefire was announced.

Ashing urged governments that supported the agreement to use their influence to halt the killing and ensure children could access food, healthcare, shelter and education.

“Gaza’s children have a right to safety and a future. Governments have the power to help secure both, and they must use it,” she said.

The statement also highlighted the continuing destruction of Gaza’s residential neighborhoods, infrastructure and agricultural land. Satellite imagery cited by humanitarian agencies shows that approximately 82% of structures across the territory have been damaged, with more than two-thirds completely destroyed.

The scale of destruction has left families with few safe places to live. Hundreds of thousands remain in tents, makeshift shelters or damaged buildings, many facing exposure to cold, strong winds and flooding as winter approaches.

The organizations said nearly one in four households in Gaza was now headed by a woman, roughly double the pre-war proportion. These households were particularly vulnerable to inadequate and unsafe shelter.

For many families, damaged buildings are the only available refuge despite the danger of collapse. In September, 21 people, including 12 children, were killed when a damaged building collapsed in Gaza City.

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the lack of progress after a year had left Palestinians facing impossible choices.

“Families are still being forced to make impossible choices, between sheltering in damaged and dangerous buildings or living in tents facing unbearable temperatures,” he said.

Egeland said Israeli restrictions were preventing the entry of equipment and materials needed to clear rubble, repair homes and restore essential infrastructure.

He called on governments to take concrete steps to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance before winter, enabling Palestinians to begin the extensive work of recovery and reconstruction.

Hospitals struggle to provide essential care

The humanitarian crisis has also crippled Gaza’s health system, with none of the territory’s 36 hospitals fully functional, according to the statement.

Hospitals face critical shortages of medicines, medical equipment, fuel and spare parts. Restrictions on essential supplies have forced facilities to ration electricity, while shortages have also affected humanitarian vehicles and ambulances.

The consequences are particularly severe for newborn babies requiring incubators, patients dependent on oxygen or intensive care, older people, people with disabilities and those suffering life-changing injuries.

Specialized treatment, rehabilitation and assistive services remain severely limited, leaving many patients without the care needed to survive or recover.

More than 18,500 patients, including at least 4,000 children, still require medical evacuation for treatment unavailable in Gaza. More than 1,000 patients have died while waiting, the organizations said.

Humanitarian agencies have also warned that people are dying from preventable or treatable conditions, including complications related to pregnancy.

The crisis extends beyond hospitals. Damage to water supplies and sanitation infrastructure, combined with shortages of safe drinking water, has increased the risk of preventable disease.

According to figures attributed to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than nine in 10 households face water insecurity.

Hunger and restrictions on aid persist

Food insecurity remains another major concern. Approximately 1.4 million people in Gaza are facing crisis-level hunger or worse through the end of 2026, according to the organizations.

The warning comes as restrictions on humanitarian supplies continue to impede relief operations and leave families struggling to obtain sufficient food and other essentials.

The organizations also raised concerns about the expansion of the area under Israeli military control during the ceasefire period.

According to OCHA figures cited in the statement, the area covered by the so-called Yellow Line, beyond which Israeli forces exercise control, expanded from approximately 53% to about 63% of Gaza.

The organizations said the expansion had further squeezed Palestinians into an increasingly small and overcrowded area, compounding displacement and limiting access to homes, farmland and essential services.

Meanwhile, the vast amount of debris across Gaza continues to obstruct rescue operations, recovery efforts and reconstruction. Estimates cited by the statement put the volume of rubble at approximately 61 million tonnes.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised concerns that rubble removal could destroy evidence of international crimes. More than 10,000 people are estimated to remain buried beneath the debris, according to figures cited by the organizations.

The humanitarian response is also underfunded. OCHA figures showed that less than 40% of the 2026 humanitarian response had been funded as of July, limiting the ability of aid agencies to meet growing needs.

Calls for accountability

The organizations said the continuing violence, deprivation and restrictions demonstrated that the ceasefire had not delivered the protection or recovery Palestinians were promised.

They also pointed to findings by the UN Commission of Inquiry, which concluded in September 2025 and again in June 2026 that Israel had committed genocide. These conclusions have intensified calls for international action and accountability.

Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said the future of Gaza could not be separated from justice, international law and the rights of victims.

“Accountability cannot be swept under the rubble,” she said, warning that the failure to hold Israel accountable and press it to comply with binding orders of the International Court of Justice continued to fuel large-scale atrocities against Palestinians.

The organizations argued that the international community’s responsibility did not end with the signing of a ceasefire agreement. They called for an end to attacks on civilians, the removal of restrictions preventing humanitarian assistance and the entry of equipment and materials needed to restore essential services and rebuild homes.

They also urged donors to provide direct, flexible funding to Palestinian organizations, which remain central to delivering assistance.

A year after the agreement, the statement said, families continue to face death, displacement, hunger and preventable illness, while homes remain buried beneath rubble and unexploded ordnance threatens civilians.