More than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the 12 months since the Gaza ceasefire took effect, according to more than 100 humanitarian and human rights organizations. Nearly 2 million people still need shelter. None of Gaza’s 36 hospitals is fully functioning. The organizations called the ceasefire a deal that exists “in name only.”
A ceasefire with restrictions
The organizations said Israeli military operations and limits on humanitarian aid, medical equipment and reconstruction materials had obstructed recovery, leaving much of the population in overcrowded, dangerous conditions. Israel controls about two-thirds of Gaza, while disagreements over Hamas’ disarmament have blocked further Israeli withdrawals and the deployment of an international stabilization force. One year after the agreement, its central provisions remain unimplemented: Hamas’ disarmament, a full Israeli military withdrawal and postwar reconstruction.
“The killing and deprivation in Gaza must not be normalized under the cover of a ceasefire agreement,” the organizations said. Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International, said a child had been killed almost every day since the ceasefire was announced. “A ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives,” she said, urging governments that supported the agreement to ensure children had food, healthcare, shelter and education.
More than 80 percent of structures across Gaza have suffered some degree of damage, the organizations said, and about two-thirds have been completely destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of families live in tents, makeshift shelters or buildings at risk of collapse. In September, a damaged building in Gaza City collapsed, killing 21 people, including 12 children, and injuring 45. Rescuers worked despite shortages of heavy equipment.
Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said Israeli restrictions on construction equipment and building materials continued to obstruct recovery. “It is utterly shameful that a full year after the ceasefire was signed, so little has improved for Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
Aid blocked, needs mounting
More than 18,500 patients, including at least 4,000 children, were awaiting evacuation for medical care, and more than 1,000 people had died waiting for treatment, the organizations said. Reconstruction had barely begun, with an estimated $71.4 billion needed to rebuild the territory. The organizations said 1.4 million Palestinians were expected to face crisis-level hunger or worse by the end of the year, as shortages of clean water and the destruction of sanitation infrastructure added to the crisis.
Almost all of Gaza’s population needs tents or other shelter assistance before winter, the UN migration agency said Friday. Humanitarian actors had met only about 17% of winter shelter-supply needs, IOM Director General Amy Pope said. The El Niño phenomenon is expected to bring heavier rainfall, potentially worsening flooding and weakening unsafe buildings amid damaged drainage systems. The UN weather agency said El Niño could be the strongest ever.
The IOM said Israeli authorities had not allowed 8,600 emergency shelter kits into Gaza, determining that they were dual use. Each kit includes wood, a tarpaulin and basic materials. Israel cites security concerns for its restrictions. COGAT, the Israeli military arm that oversees aid flows into Gaza, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The IOM said it had brought in some tarpaulins and tents, but not enough to meet needs.
More than half of the tents and makeshift shelters need replacement because they're in poor condition, the IOM said. More than 3,600 structures were identified in August as dangerous and at risk of collapse. Around 1.8 million people were living in displacement sites, most in areas at risk of flooding.
Plans, statements and rubble
US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan remained stalled. The organizations urged the international community to press Israeli authorities to end attacks, lift restrictions on aid and reconstruction supplies, and ensure accountability for violations of international law. Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said, “Accountability cannot be swept under the rubble.”
Amy Pope said, “Families who have already endured repeated displacement and devastating loss must be able to face the winter in safety and dignity,” adding that constraints imposed by Israeli authorities made it difficult for agencies to expand their response. The agencies’ warnings and appeals name urgent needs; the figures they cite show how little shelter assistance has reached people facing winter. Meanwhile, the ceasefire’s promised withdrawal and reconstruction remain stalled, and families remain exposed in damaged buildings and flooded displacement sites.