In mid-January, Israel and Hamas were like, “Hey, let’s chill for a bit and stop the war in Gaza.” This war started back in October 7, 2023, and it’s been a real mess with over fifty thousand Palestinians losing their lives. Israel also lost around three thousand people in the whole mess. The first fifteen months of this nonsense saw Israel not letting enough aid into Gaza, which made everyone else in the world go, “Hey, that’s not cool, dude.” During the ceasefire, things got a bit better, but then Israel was like, “Nah, let’s stop the aid completely,” in early March. Talks to keep the ceasefire going broke down, and now we’re back to full-on fighting. Food and medicine in Gaza are running really low, which is not great for the people living there.
So, I had a chat with Louise Wateridge from UNRWA, who’s been in the thick of it all. She left Gaza in December 2024, and UNRWA’s international crew hasn’t been allowed back in for a while now. The Israeli government passed some bills last year that basically said, “Nope, we’re not talking to UNRWA or letting them do their thing in our territory.” So, UNRWA’s local staff is doing their best to keep things running. During our convo, Louise spilled the beans on what was happening during the ceasefire and how things went downhill after it ended. The aid workers are facing some serious danger from Israeli military actions, and the lack of communication between UNRWA and Israel is making things even harder. Gazan society is falling apart as people get more and more desperate.
The current situation in Gaza is a real nightmare. For the past two months, there’s been zero supplies coming in. I’m talking nada—no food, no meds, no nothing. It’s like a ghost town in terms of aid. During the ceasefire, UNRWA was doing a decent job of helping out, but now it’s like we’re back to square one. People are starving, kids are malnourished, and families are struggling to survive. The whole access game has changed, too. Before the ceasefire, it was a mess trying to get supplies in, but during those few months of peace, things were actually working. Now, it’s a total disaster again, and it’s heartbreaking to see how people are suffering because of all this nonsense.
The Israeli government is still playing hard to get, refusing to work with UNRWA. The lack of communication is making it even harder for aid workers to do their job. It’s a real mess, and people are paying the price. The whole situation is grim, and it’s hard to see a way out of this cycle of violence and suffering. Everyone is on edge, hungry, and exhausted. It’s like a pressure cooker ready to explode, and I’m not really sure why this matters, but it’s just heartbreaking to see how people are being pushed to their limits. The society is falling apart, and it’s only going to get worse if things don’t change soon.
