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Palestinians in Gaza are facing famine and need humanitarian assistance.

What is happening in Gaza?

The temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that started January 2025 has collapsed. People in Gaza are again facing a deepening humanitarian crisis following the Israeli government’s reimposition of a full blockade and resumption of its air campaign in March.

While access improved during the first phase of the ceasefire in early 2025, the Israeli government reinstated its full blockade of all humanitarian aid—including food, fuel, medicine, and other supplies—on March 2nd. The ceasefire fully collapsed on March 18th following intense Israeli government strikes across Gaza that killed at least 430 people, many of them women and children.

Oxfam is calling on all parties to the conflict and UN members to ensure unhindered access to vital aid in Gaza, negotiate a permanent ceasefire, and for the release of the remaining hostages.

Israel must allow the unhindered flow of aid and restore commercial activity to reach every corner of the besieged enclave to stem deepening food insecurity. The opening of all crossings for aid deliveries is critical.

The humanitarian needs in Gaza are enormous following the violent attacks by Palestinian armed groups and Israel’s retaliatory siege and military campaign starting in October 2023. More than 2 million people are still facing a massive crisis, as electricity, fuel, food, and water have been unavailable, and the amount of aid coming into Gaza is not enough to handle the enormous scope of needs.

Find out more about what is happening in Gaza.

Updated March 20th, 2025

What is Oxfam doing in Gaza?

Oxfam is committed to providing life-saving aid and support to people in Gaza.

  • During the ceasefire, thousands of people were moving out of tents and shelters, beginning the arduous task of rebuilding their lives.
  • Hundreds of trucks entered Gaza, bringing much-needed aid after prolonged restrictions - this flow of aid has now ended.
  • People in Gaza have immediate needs for food, water, medicines, and shelter, with a long-term focus on rebuilding infrastructure.
  • Oxfam emphasizes the importance of free and safe movement for humanitarian workers to deliver aid effectively, and efficient coordination of the humanitarian response in Gaza.

In the period following the beginning of hostilities in early October 2023, Oxfam has supported local partner efforts to distribute cash, food, and hygiene items to people in Gaza. In early 2024, Oxfam began working with our partners to provide clean, desalinated water from wells in southern Gaza with solar-powered pumps, trucking water to areas hosting displaced people, and installing latrines.

By working closely with our partners in Gaza, Oxfam has helped reach more than 1.2 million people with humanitarian assistance.

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A woman fills a bottle with water from a tap stand supplied by a bladder installed with support from Oxfam in the Al-Mawasi area in Gaza. Alef Multimedia/Oxfam

Aid for families in Gaza

Cash

Since October 2023, Oxfam partners have distributed cash to thousands households (more than 20,000 people). Our monitoring shows that recipients use the cash primarily to buy food, water, medicines, and hygiene items. Providing cash rather than goods respects people’s right to prioritize their spending based on their circumstances and preferences.

Food

  • Oxfam worked closely with six partner organizations to procure and distribute 18,709 ready-to-eat food parcels, with items such as beans, peas, tuna, sardines, dates and dried apricots. These parcels supported 91,173 people in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir el Balah areas of Gaza.

  • Oxfam partners also distributed 31,207 fresh vegetable parcels (including tomatoes, onions, potatoes, lemons and peppers) to 187,242 people. The vegetables were sourced from farmers in the West Bank, Rafah, Khan Younis and Middle Area, and distributed by our partners Economic Social Development Centre of Palestine and Agriculture Development Association to displaced families and host communities in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir el Balah.

  • Oxfam assisted 300 farmers in Khan Younis and Deir el Balah with essential agricultural inputs such as soil sterilizers and fertilizers, while two nurseries were given support packages consisting of a solar power system, small equipment such as kitchen tools, and raw materials for food processing. Three women-led food businesses were also given raw materials and small equipment to continue their production of affordable food. Partners are also distributing seedlings, tools, and other agricultural inputs to families so they can grow their own vegetables. In the spring of 2025, Oxfam partners in Gaza plan to help more than 100 farming families with irrigation system components and technical support.

  • Oxfam and partners have provided cash and cooked meals to people from Gaza working in the West Bank, or there temporarily receiving medical treatment. Many have been stranded there for many months. Oxfam provided meals to these workers and patients, reaching 227 people, each receiving two to three meals a day. Oxfam and Rural Women’s Development Society distributed $200 cash grants to 421 stranded patients and their companions.

Water, sanitation, hygiene

Beginning in October 2023, Oxfam and partners have delivered life-saving water and sanitation services to 587,136 people.

  • We supplied water by truck to people in Gaza City, Middle Area, Khan Younis and Rafah, reaching 152,213 people.

  • Oxfam managed to bring in five desalination units which were installed at wells across Rafah, Al-Mawasi, and Khan Younis in coordination with Palestinian Environmental Friends (PEF). The units operate with solar power for six hours daily, providing three liters of clean drinking water per person per day, reaching 48,422 people.

  • Oxfam, together with Gaza’s Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, rehabilitated 15 damaged water networks in Gaza City, the Middle Area, and Khan Younis. This has given 309,129 people access to water. Damaged wastewater networks in 23 sites were also rehabilitated, supporting 143,000 people.

  • Oxfam supplied latrine slabs, latrine superstructures, tap stands, and handwashing stations that enabled partners to build 216 latrines that supported 27,107 people.

  • Together with partners PEF and Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Oxfam distributed 6,407 hygiene kits and 12,136 jerry cans and Oxfam buckets, supporting 62,802 people. The kits included items such as soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, menstrual pads, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Alongside supplying the kits, partners ran campaigns to inform communities about basic hygiene practices.

Protection

As part of our psychosocial support response, with a specific focus on psychological first aid, Oxfam partners conducted awareness-raising sessions for 5,040 adolescent girls in the south of Gaza. The sessions provided adolescent girls with a space to share their needs and concerns about risks they face, including support for survivors of gender-based violence.

Other protection work carried out by Oxfam partners included:

  • Identifying and registering unaccompanied and separated children in health facilities and shelters in Rafah. The children, especially those who were exposed to heightened safety risks, were referred to relevant services.

  • Distributing assistive devices to 227 people with disabilities, and personal and medical supplies to 335 people with specific needs in Rafah.

Oxfam and PEF distributed 12,775 female protection kits, including clothing, such as head scarf and dresses, and personal hygiene and self-care items, such as deodorant, menstrual pads and baby wipes. The kits were distributed to the same people who received hygiene kits.

Oxfam and partners are also providing shelter materials (tents, tarpaulins) and warm clothes to displaced people, and establishing safe areas for women and girls to gather for group counselling and other support for survivors of violence, and training to help people avoid risks from unexploded ordnance.

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Oxfam is working with the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility and Palestinian Environmental Friends Association to install 11 solar-powered water desalination units at wells that can serve 10,000 people displaced by the conflict in Gaza. Alef Multimedia Company/Oxfam

Advocating for peace in Gaza

Oxfam is urging the U.S. government to push for the protection of civilians and a lasting end to the fighting that results in real, sustainable security for Palestinians and Israelis.

This requires upholding commitments to end the blockade on Gaza and the occupation of the Palestinian Territory; facilitating unrestricted humanitarian access to avert the risk of famine and committing to the rebuilding of Gaza immediately in an inclusive, equitable and sustainable manner centered on the needs and voices of Palestinians.

Oxfam unequivocally condemns all violations of international law committed by Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups. We call for justice and accountability for all those affected.

The Trump administration must do everything possible to achieve and preserve a permanent ceasefire, secure the release of all remaining hostages, and allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to reach the civilians who need it right now. The U.S. must stop lethal arms transfers to the Israeli government, which has systematically impeded aid and committed violations of international humanitarian law.

How to help Gaza

Important information about Oxfam’s work in Gaza

Oxfam's position on the conflict

We condemn all attacks, violence, and targeting of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. Attacks that deliberately target civilians are never justifiable. Parties to the conflict must respect international law and return all hostages. We have witnessed the deadliest day for civilians in the history of modern Israel and the deadliest year in the West Bank since UN records began. The protection of all civilians is paramount.

Humanitarian aid and commercial goods must be allowed to flow, in safety, to those people most in need. Our most urgent call is for immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian aid and support, ensuring that vital resources and medical assistance can reach those in dire need. The opening of all crossings for aid deliveries is vital.