Israel Blocks Humanitarian Aid to Gaza for Ninth Consecutive Day
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Israel’s blockade of all humanitarian aid into Gaza has now entered its ninth consecutive day, while Israel announced on Sunday that it has cut off electricity, significantly worsening the strip’s humanitarian crisis.
The head of the Bakery Owners Association in Gaza said on Sunday all bakeries operating with cooking gas in Khan Younis in southern Gaza have stopped working.
Five bakeries in the southern Gaza Strip have reportedly halted operations due to the ongoing closure of the crossings, and the rest of the bakeries in the strip are at risk of shutting down within the next two weeks.
Gaza residents had already been enduring severe hardship due to Israel’s 15-month-long assault, with the majority losing their homes and finding themselves without shelter. Many are now forced to rely on food distribution points.
Palestinians wait outside a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, hoping to get some food as the humanitarian crisis worsens.
Israel's closure of the crossings with Gaza has further blocked the entry of much-needed aid. pic.twitter.com/NLz3oIUlCW
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 9, 2025
Under cold rain, children and women endure long lines for bread in northern Gaza as Israel's blockade and border closures worsen the humanitarian crisis. pic.twitter.com/IZdkmP5o4P
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 8, 2025
On Sunday, Israel announced that it has also cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, impacting the only desalination plant in central Gaza, which provides water to parts of the territory. As a result, residents are now reliant on generators, which are both insufficient and expensive.
The desalination plant was providing 18,000 cubic meters of water per day for central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area, according to Gisha, an Israeli organization dedicated to protecting Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement.
Executive director Tania Hary said that it’s expected to run on generators and produce around 2,500 cubic meters per day, about the amount in an Olympic swimming pool.
Israel’s restrictions on fuel entering Gaza also have a larger impact, Hary said, and water shortages are a looming issue, because fuel is needed for distribution trucks.
Journalist Hind Khoudary reports from the only remaining functioning desalination plant in Gaza, which provided nearly 17,000 cubic meters of potable water to half a million people in the war-torn region. pic.twitter.com/9NMWJgfeIn
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 10, 2025
Many families in Gaza have now turned to burning wood for cooking and heat following the fuel cutoff.
The blockade has led prices to surge and severely disrupted Gaza’s economy, with many businesses forced to close due to shortages of essential goods with the destruction of agricultural lands and food storage facilities further exacerbating the situation.
Human rights organizations have condemned Israel’s move, labeling the blockade and suspension of aid as a “starvation policy” and accusing Israel of using starvation as a method of warfare.
