The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Arab States Regional Office has expressed outrage over the Israeli government’s decision to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, warning that the blockade will deepen the suffering of women and girls who have already endured more than 15 months of extreme deprivation.
In a recent statement, UNFPA emphasized that these restrictions blatantly violate international humanitarian law, which unequivocally mandates the free flow of aid, regardless of whether a ceasefire is in place.
**A Fragile Ceasefire and a Critical Lifeline**
The temporary ceasefire had offered a brief but vital reprieve for Gaza’s women and girls, allowing UN agencies, including UNFPA, to scale up life-saving assistance. The reinstated blockade now threatens to undo this progress at a time when survival is already a daily struggle.
Since the start of the ceasefire, UNFPA and its partners have worked tirelessly to restore essential services for women and girls. In the past 10 weeks alone, they have:
- Provided 170,000 women and girls with reproductive health and protection services, including emergency obstetric care.
- Established and equipped 16 temporary health facilities to support pregnant women with critical maternal care.
- Supplied essential medicines to manage postpartum hemorrhaging for 1,500 women.
- Distributed shelter kits—including tarpaulins and blankets—to 50,000 displaced people.
- Provided 4,500 new mothers with vital supplies for their newborns.
- Delivered 26,000 hygiene kits containing menstrual and essential hygiene items.
Yet, despite these efforts, the scale of need remains staggering. Disease and hunger are rampant, and Gaza’s healthcare system is in shambles. Only 19 out of 35 hospitals are partially functioning, leaving an estimated 50,000 pregnant women without access to life-saving care.
An Unacceptable Return to Suffering:
The easing of restrictions during the ceasefire demonstrated what is possible when humanitarian aid reaches those in need. Returning to suffocating constraints is not an option. UNFPA urgently calls on all parties to uphold their legal and moral obligations, lift the blockade, and ensure the uninterrupted flow of aid into Gaza.
Sustained humanitarian access and a lasting peace are the only paths to ensuring that women and girls receive the food, water, hygiene supplies, and medical care they desperately need. They have endured unimaginable suffering. They are exhausted and traumatized. The world must not look away—and there must be no going back.
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