What’s happening in Gaza?

Last updated: 10 October 2025

• The ceasefire announcement on 9 October brings cautious hope for Palestinians and Israelis. With the lifting of the siege, Oxfam stands ready to rapidly scale up its humanitarian response.
• The Israeli military has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, including thousands of children. Entire families and neighbourhoods have been destroyed.
• Man-made famine is spreading in Gaza. Starvation is widespread, and children and families are already dying from hunger.
• People are struggling to access basics like food, water, medicine and shelter.

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• The Israeli military has killed over 66,000 Palestinians in Gaza during this crisis.
• Some estimates suggest that the Gaza death toll is much higher than the reported figures.
• Thousands of people are reportedly missing under the rubble.
• Hundreds of thousands have been wounded, many with life-changing injuries.

*Funds raised from this appeal will support people in Gaza, and may also be used to support communities in the West Bank and Lebanon.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade for 18 years. The Israeli government controls all sea, air and land access to Gaza.

• The Israeli government has repeatedly and deliberately blocked life-saving essentials from entering Gaza, in an act of collective punishment against Palestinians.
• The Israeli military has targeted and destroyed aid infrastructure, including warehouses and storage sites.
• The Israeli government has passed a law to ban UNRWA – the biggest and most established aid agency in Gaza – from operating.
• Over 560 humanitarian workers have been killed by the Israeli military, including water engineers working with Oxfam partners.

Despite the huge obstacles that remain, our colleagues and partners are working relentlessly to support people in their communities, often risking their lives.

• Man-made famine is spreading in Gaza, and children are already dying from malnutrition.
• The trickle of supplies allowed in recent months is only a tiny fraction of what would be needed to reverse the famine overtaking Gaza.
• Crops, farms and fishing fleets have been destroyed. Many livestock have died of starvation.
• The price of food has increased dramatically.

*Funds raised from this appeal will support people in Gaza, and may also be used to support communities in the West Bank and Lebanon.

Over 2 million people are currently struggling to survive without access to clean water.

• The Israeli government has cut electricity to Gaza’s main desalination plant that supplied clean water to around 500,000 people.
• Almost 90% of water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by the Israeli military, including Oxfam and partner infrastructure.
• This is having a dire impact on health. People are falling severely ill from easily preventable diseases like cholera, hepatitis A, diarrhoea and jaundice.

The health system has been decimated across Gaza.

• All hospitals have been damaged. The small number of hospitals that are partly operational are struggling to cope with the number of casualties, and are critically low on supplies.
• Over 1,700 health workers have been killed by the Israeli military.
• Those most at risk are people with disabilities, pregnant women or new mothers, those recovering from injuries, and people with chronic illnesses or weakened immune systems.

• Israeli military airstrikes and bombardment have forced nearly 2 million people – over 90% of the population – to flee their homes.
• Repeated evacuation orders force families to keep moving to ever-shrinking “safe zones”, which the Israeli military repeatedly attack. Forced relocation of a civilian population, without guarantees of safety or safe return, is a serious violation of international law.
• Over 90% of residential buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
• People are sheltering in overcrowded schools, mosques, tents, and makeshift shelters – with limited access to water, food, hygiene, and health services.

Israel has been in unlawful occupation of Gaza since 1967, with regular escalations of violence resulting from this occupation in the years since.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups carried out attacks on civilians in Israel. More than 1,200 people were tragically killed on that day, and 240 people were captured.

The Israeli government responded by launching airstrikes, naval bombardment and ground attacks in Gaza, which continue to this day, resulting in catastrophic death and injuries to civilians. Israel also implemented a “total siege” on 9 October 2023, stopping all supplies of food, water and fuel from entering Gaza.

A UN Commission of Inquiry has concluded that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza.

For 58 years, the Israeli military has unlawfully occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has also imposed a blockade on Gaza for the last 17 years.

This has devastated Gaza’s economy, left most people unable to leave Gaza, restricted access to essential services such as healthcare, and cut Palestinians off from each other. Even before October 2023, almost 80% of people in Gaza already relied on aid to survive.

Military force cannot resolve this decades-long conflict. Palestinians and Israelis need and deserve a lasting peace, with justice and accountability.

Oxfam has worked in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel since the 1950s.

We have supported communities in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, to tackle the root causes of conflict, build resilience, and protect people’s rights.

Oxfam and its partners have worked under unimaginable conditions to deliver life-saving aid in Gaza. Despite the siege and bombardment, in the past month alone, we’ve managed to distribute food vouchers to over 2,000 families, truck clean water to communities in the North and South and support the operation of water wells and hygiene services.

Our teams have reached over 800,000 people with WASH support since the war began and have continued to provide protection services and cash assistance to the most vulnerable, especially women and children. But these efforts, while vital, have been a fraction of what is needed and what we are capable of delivering.

A permanent ceasefire

The international community, including the UK, must continue to use all political and economic tools at their disposal to help secure a permanent ceasefire.

With the ceasefire on 9 October and the lifting of the siege, Oxfam now stands ready to rapidly scale up its humanitarian response.

Read the latest press release

Unrestricted access to humanitarian aid

Enough food, clean water, medical supplies, and other essential items must be allowed to reach those who need it.

According to international law, as the occupying power, Israel must ensure the humane treatment of the population and provide for their basic needs.

Donate to our Gaza appeal.

The UK government must end its complicity

The UK government is complicit in enabling the Israeli government’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and genocide - by its continued military, economic and diplomatic support. Strong words, without meaningful action, are not enough.

The UK continues to allow arms sales to Israel, including parts for the deadly F-35 fighter jets that are dropping bombs on civilians in Gaza, as well as providing other military support.

Our government must not continue to be an ally to Israel’s atrocities.

Accountability under international law

All parties must be held to account for violations of international law committed during this conflict, to ensure justice for the victims and to deter future violations.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that the Israeli government’s acts could pose a risk of genocide, and ordered six measures, including ensuring enough aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza.

Oxfam refers to the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza as genocide following a rigorous legal assessment and consultation with experts, grounded in the UN Genocide Convention. This determination is based on:

• Mounting evidence, including patterns of conduct and public statements indicating intent
• Reports from numerous organisations, including Amnesty International and the UN Commission of Inquiry
• First-hand accounts of atrocities witnessed by Oxfam’s partners on the ground
• Evidence submitted to the International Court of Justice. 

All of the above points to deliberate acts aimed at destroying the civilian population in Gaza and rendering the area uninhabitable. As a humanitarian organisation, Oxfam believes it has a responsibility to speak out to help protect civilians and prevent further atrocities and genocidal acts.

Oxfam condemns the attacks and the taking of hostages by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups on 7 October 2023, which amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

A lasting and just peace

True justice and lasting peace will not be possible without addressing the root cause of this conflict – Israel’s ongoing oppression of Palestinians.

There must be an end to the blockade of Gaza, and to the occupation of Palestinian territory – Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The ICJ has ruled Israel’s ongoing occupation as illegal.

Our hope is for all Palestinians and Israelis to live in freedom, with dignity, self-determination, and full and equal civil and political rights.

• For more updates on the situation, visit the UN OCHA website.
• Stay informed with Oxfam's responses to the latest escalations in Gaza.
• Find out more ways you can help Gaza.