The Israeli defence Force (IDF) announced that the city of Gaza was considered a "area of combat action", which means the immediate end of the erstwhile tactical humanitarian breaks. These breaks, applicable regular from 10:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m., enabled a limited supply of food and medical assistance to the civilian population. Their suspension announces a further escalation of the conflict and the beginning of a fresh phase of military operations in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
IDF's decision could lead to the resettlement of up to a million Palestinians. Humanitarian organisations, including UNICEF and the planet Food Programme, inform against catastrophic consequences for civilians, especially children, aged and sick, who may not be able to escape the armed zone. The situation in Gaza has already been described as starving, and access to basic livelihoods is highly limited.
The city of Gaza has long served twice as the operational centre of Hamas, as well as the place of mass concentration of civilians, sheltered there after earlier raids to the south and the centre of the Gaza Strip. Israel explains its decision with the request to increase military force on Hamas and to recover Israeli hostages kidnapped during the war. However, hostage families are increasingly expressing concerns that further military action can make them worse or tragic.
With the announcement of the end of humanitarian breaks, a fresh military offensive began. In the process, Israeli forces reported the discovery of the bodies of 2 hostages, including Ilan Weiss, kidnapped in October 2023. Their deaths were officially confirmed, and the event was described as a minute of mourning and at the same time the conclusion of 1 of the painful cases going on since the beginning of the conflict.
The UN warns that the continuation of war in the heart of the city could lead to a breakdown of the medical care strategy in the region. According to the data, even half of the available infirmary beds may be lost as a consequence of the upcoming operations, threatening to break down the emergency strategy and to further increase the number of fatalities. Not only drugs and equipment are missing, but besides access to electricity, water and basic sanitary conditions.
The suspension of humanitarian breaks has triggered an immediate consequence from the global community. Over 500 UN staff called on the advanced Commissioner for Human Rights to recognise Israel's actions in Gaza as possible genocide. Critical voices besides come from NGOs and humanitarian law monitoring groups. Despite the pressures and appeals, IDF upholds its decision, considering it essential in the light of operational objectives.
With the escalation of the fighting, humanitarian organizations are announcing that they will proceed trying to supply assistance wherever possible. However, the situation is becoming increasingly hard – both logistically and in terms of safety. Many inactive stay trapped in ruined buildings, schools and spiritual objects specified as Holy household Church, seeking refuge and spiritual support in the face of war.
In a broader context, the Gaza crisis is increasingly becoming a humanitarian disaster on an unprecedented scale. The deficiency of access to food, clean water, medical care and safe surviving conditions affects hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom are civilians. In fresh months, the number of internally displaced people has increased dramatically and, at the same time, it is increasingly hard for global organisations to keep any form of assistance on the ground.
In summary, the designation of Gaza as a combat region and the suspension of humanitarian breaks mean a further deepening of the conflict and a dramatic deterioration of the civilian population. For the people of Gaza is simply a minute of utmost danger – not only from missiles and bombs, but besides from hunger, illness and intellectual exhaustion. For the global community, it is simply a moral and political challenge – how to respond to actions that endanger fundamental human rights. The conflict, which began as a war on terrorism, present is increasingly like the conflict to last a full civilian society in a besieged city.
