Jerusalem: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Thursday that Israel has continued to block its humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip since March 2025, leaving critical supplies stranded in neighboring countries.
According to Anadolu Agency, the UNRWA reported that its shipments, including food, hygiene kits, medicines, and shelter items, are stored in warehouses in Egypt and Jordan and have not been allowed into Gaza for months.
'UNRWA's humanitarian supplies - food, hygiene kits, medicines, and shelter items - remain stuck in warehouses in Egypt and Jordan, banned from entering Gaza since March 2025,' the agency stated on the US social media platform X. 'Life-saving aid is ready to move. There is no time to lose,' the agency emphasized.
The refugee agency mentioned that its teams have been providing essential services on the ground and urged for permission to scale up aid deliveries. Israel banned UNRWA's operations in occupied East Jerusalem at the end of 2024 and has imposed increasing restrictions on the agency, citing alleged links to Hamas. However, the United Nations has repeatedly dismissed these allegations.
Palestinians continue to endure severe conditions due to Israel's two-year war in Gaza and ongoing military operations in the occupied West Bank. Despite a ceasefire in effect since October 10, 2025, Israel has not permitted the agreed quantities of humanitarian aid into Gaza, home to about 2.4 million Palestinians, including approximately 1.5 million displaced individuals.
Israeli forces have also conducted daily airstrikes across Gaza in violation of the ceasefire, resulting in the deaths of 574 Palestinians and injuries to 1,518 others, as reported by Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel initiated its offensive on Gaza on October 8, 2023, with backing from the United States. The conflict claimed the lives of about 72,000 Palestinians and injured more than 171,000, most of whom were women and children, and led to the destruction of around 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure.