The Gaza Strip has witnessed catastrophic humanitarian crises during the genocide committed by the Israeli occupation. The war has caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, leading to the near-total collapse of the healthcare system and essential services.

Hospitals are suffering from severe shortages of medicine and equipment, clean water has become almost nonexistent, and the population faces the threat of famine due to the suffocating blockade. With the ceasefire being breached and Israeli bombing resuming, the suffering has worsened again, making the humanitarian crisis even more severe and unbearable for civilians who have no safe shelter or reliable source of livelihood left.

The Israeli Occupation’s policy of politicising aid

Israel has continued to use humanitarian aid as a tool to achieve its political and military objectives, blatantly violating all laws and regulations that protect civilian rights during conflicts. Israeli violations have not been limited to blocking the entry of aid, but have also included using aid as a means of blackmail and political pressure by tying its entry to specific conditions or granting privileges to certain groups at the expense of others.

For example, the Occupation refused to allow any local institution in Gaza to receive aid, claiming they were affiliated with Hamas. At the same time, it sought to impose its control over aid distribution, turning it into a weapon to serve its interests. Israel also attempted to exploit large families in Gaza by making them receive aid on behalf of local institutions, trying to create a new reality that weakens local governance and enforces Israeli policies. However, these attempts failed due to popular rejection.

The most dangerous aspect is that the Occupation did not stop at preventing aid and using it as leverage, but deliberately halted assistance to areas it aimed to depopulate, as seen in northern Gaza. Before carrying out displacement operations, the Occupation cut off food and water supplies, destroyed hospitals and schools, and targeted ambulances and civil defence teams, forcing residents to flee in search of the bare minimum for survival. It then allowed only minimal aid into areas where it wanted people to move, using this limited aid as psychological pressure to coerce forced displacement. In this way, humanitarian aid became part of Israel’s war strategy, used to enforce forced displacement and manipulate the fate of civilians.

Exploiting the humanitarian crisis for profit

The humanitarian crisis was not only caused by the Israeli Occupation, but some traders in Gaza also exploited the situation for personal gain at the expense of the suffering population. Since the war began, Israel has imposed a strict blockade and prevented commercial goods from entering, leading to severe shortages of essential supplies. However, simultaneously, it allowed certain traders to bring in goods through a process known as “co-ordination”, where they paid large sums of money to the Occupation in exchange for permission to import products. These goods, which should have been accessible to everyone, were then sold at exorbitant prices — many times their actual cost — due to the greed of traders and the taxes imposed by the Occupation on their entry.

Additionally, some traders resorted to fraud to evade imposed costs by smuggling their goods under the guise of humanitarian aid. They used banners with the logos of relief organisations, such as “Rahma Worldwide”. Founder Rushdi Al-Zaza revealed in a previous interview that his organisation’s name had been used without his knowledge to pass commercial goods. These practices not only led to profiteering at the expense of those in need, but also created suspicion and distrust toward genuine humanitarian organisations. Residents saw aid labelled with relief logos being sold in markets at high prices, making them believe that these organisations were complicit in exploiting their suffering.

This situation pushed some groups in Gaza to hijack trucks carrying goods, taking advantage of the security chaos caused by the war. To avoid theft, traders began paying money to armed groups to secure their merchandise, leading to the spread of “paid protection” practices. This turned into an organised trade between some armed factions and traders. Later, it was not only commercial trucks that were targeted – humanitarian organisations themselves were forced to pay for the protection of their aid trucks, further complicating the crisis and worsening civilian suffering.

The emergence of militias to protect trade

With the increasing security chaos and rising theft rates due to the worsening crisis, armed groups began organising “paid protection” operations for traders and humanitarian aid deliveries. Some traders, who were already paying hefty sums to Israel for importing goods, were later forced to pay additional fees to these groups to safeguard their shipments from looting. Over time, traders were no longer the only ones resorting to these militias; humanitarian organisations also had to engage with them. Some armed groups started imposing “protection fees” on every aid truck entering Gaza, claiming to secure them from attacks or looting during distribution.

This phenomenon turned into an organised trade, with certain parties imposing unofficial taxes on aid truck entries, increasing relief costs and reducing the amount of aid reaching those in need. In some cases, these funds were used to finance military activities, creating a dual exploitation of aid – by the Occupation, which blocks and controls it, and by some local factions that impose additional charges.

This situation has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, as aid is no longer reaching the most vulnerable but is instead subject to financial and security considerations. As a result, many humanitarian organisations have reduced their operations or entirely withdrawn from working in Gaza due to security concerns and financial pressures. Consequently, humanitarian aid, which was supposed to be a lifeline for civilians, has become another battleground between the Occupation and personal interests – at the expense of civilians facing starvation and thirst.

The role of the Israeli Occupation and the US administration in worsening the crisis

The US administration, both past and present, has played a significant role in worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Since the war began, statements from then tresident Joe Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken emphasised that “the release of hostages” was a prerequisite for increasing humanitarian aid. This stance represents a moral catastrophe, as it ties humanitarian aid — a right guaranteed by international law — to political objectives that serve the Occupation.

Humanitarian aid is not a bargaining chip; it is a legal and moral obligation toward civilians in conflict zones. However, supported by the US, the Israeli Occupation has disregarded all international laws in this regard, targeting hospitals, schools, and shelters to create unlivable conditions in Gaza. Instead of pressuring Israel to uphold international humanitarian law, the US administration has allowed food and medicine to become tools of war against Palestinians, making it complicit in this crime.

A stain on the history of humanity

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not merely a consequence of war, but the result of systematic policies aimed at starvation and displacement – policies enforced by Israel, opportunistic traders, companies with questionable affiliations, and even some international powers that contribute to the continuation of the blockade and deprivation.

This global moral failure, where starvation is used as a political pressure tool, will remain a stain on the history of humanity. The international community must act immediately to separate humanitarian issues from political agendas and ensure the immediate and adequate flow of aid without conditions or compromises. What is happening in Gaza is not just a humanitarian catastrophe, but a severe test of the principles and values that the so-called civilised world claims to uphold.