The Gaza Strip remains a focal point of heartbreak and conflict, with Israel’s ongoing military operations and a near-total blockade pushing the region to the brink of famine and collapse. As of June 10, 2025, the war between Israel and Hamas, reignited after a collapsed ceasefire in March, has killed over 62,000 Palestinians and 1,700 Israelis, displaced millions, and destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure.
The current phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas’s deadly attack on southern Israel, has seen relentless escalation. A brief ceasefire in January 2025, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, collapsed on March 18 when Israel launched a surprise offensive, killing over 400 Palestinians, including 263 women and children, in a single day. Since then, Israel’s military campaign, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” has intensified, with operations in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah. On June 3, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a map showing active campaigns across Gaza, aiming to hold territory until Hamas capitulates.
The human toll is staggering. The Gaza Ministry of Health reports at least 62,614 Palestinians killed and 125,341 injured as of June 4, with 80% of fatalities estimated to be civilians, including over 17,000 children. In Israel, 1,139 people were killed in the initial Hamas attack, with 58 hostages still believed held in Gaza, 23 thought to be alive. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that 82% of Gaza—277.6 square kilometers—is now under Israeli militarized zones or displacement orders, forcing over 640,000 people to flee since March, including 200,000 between May 15 and June 3.
Israel’s blockade, reinstated on March 2, 2025, has barred nearly all humanitarian aid, including food, fuel, and medical supplies, for over three months. This has triggered famine-like conditions, with 470,000 Gazans—22% of the population—facing starvation. The UN warns that all 2.3 million residents are at risk of famine by September without immediate aid. Children are dying of malnutrition, with at least 57 reported deaths since the blockade began. Food prices for basics like lentils and flour have skyrocketed, and half of Gaza’s households are selling possessions to survive.
Gaza’s infrastructure is in ruins. Over 175,000 structures—nearly all homes, hospitals, schools, and cultural landmarks—have been damaged, generating 53 million tonnes of debris that could take 22 years to clear. The healthcare system is near collapse, with only 63% of hospitals partially functioning and critical shortages of 47% of hospital medications and all chronic disease treatments. The destruction of 70% of cropland, all wastewater treatment plants, and Gaza’s main desalination plant has left 2 million people without clean water, raising fears of disease outbreaks.
A U.S.-backed aid mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been marred by chaos. On June 3, Israeli forces killed 27 Palestinians heading to an aid site in Khan Younis, the third such incident in three days, injuring 62 others. Witnesses report soldiers firing on crowds, while Israel claims it targeted “suspects.” The UN has criticized the aid system, which restricts distribution to a few sites, as “designed to reinforce control” and insufficient to reach the most vulnerable. On June 8, Israeli forces intercepted a charity vessel, the Madleen, carrying activist Greta Thunberg and 12 others attempting to break the naval blockade, highlighting Israel’s tight grip on Gaza’s borders.
UNRWA, the largest aid agency in Gaza, faces severe constraints. Israel’s ban on UNRWA operations and attacks on its facilities, including a June 2 airstrike damaging a Khan Younis training center, have crippled relief efforts. Of 75 planned aid movements from May 28 to June 3, 44 were denied by Israeli authorities, and only 18 were facilitated. The UNRWA Commissioner-General called aid distribution a “death trap” after mass casualties at aid points.
Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, accuse Israel of crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and acts of genocide, citing the blockade and plans to displace Gaza’s population into a “humanitarian area.” The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is reviewing a genocide case against Israel, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes from October 2023 to May 2024. Hamas leaders, including the late Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, also faced warrants for the October 7 attack.
Israel defends its actions, claiming Hamas embeds fighters in civilian areas, necessitating heavy-handed tactics. The IDF reported killing 19 militants in a December 26 raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, though Gaza officials say 50 people, including five staff, were killed, and the hospital’s director was abducted. Israel’s discovery of a tunnel under the European Hospital and the body of Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, further fuels its narrative of targeting militant infrastructure.
International responses vary. The U.S., under President Donald Trump, has bolstered Israel’s campaign, deploying a second THAAD system in April and coordinating the March offensive. A controversial U.S.-Israeli proposal to resettle 1 million Gazans in Libya in exchange for $30 billion in frozen funds was rejected by Egypt, Jordan, and Sudan. France’s Emmanuel Macron signaled in April that Paris might recognize a Palestinian state by June, urging mutual recognition with Israel.
The conflict’s ripple effects are felt across the Middle East and beyond. In Israel, internal divisions are growing, with peace activists and antiwar groups protesting the war’s humanitarian toll, while far-right leaders like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich push for annexation of the West Bank and displacement of Gazans. A June 2 Jerusalem Day march saw thousands chanting “death to Arabs,” highlighting rising extremism.
As Israeli troops maneuver in Gaza, aiming for a “knockout blow” against Hamas, the group vows to survive, banking on international pressure to force a ceasefire. No deal has been reached since the January hostage-prisoner swap, and Israel’s insistence on holding captured territory complicates talks. The humanitarian crisis, with no end to the blockade in sight, threatens to push Gaza into an uninhabitable state, with 90% of its population displaced and famine looming.
The international community faces a dilemma: pressure Israel to lift the blockade and negotiate, or risk further escalation. For East Africans, Gaza’s plight is a call to reflect on the cost of protracted conflicts and the urgent need for humanitarian action, whether in Palestine or closer to home.
