ICHR Warns of Serious Repercussions for the Population’s Fundamental Rights Due to Restrictions on the Movement of Humanitarian Aid into the Gaza Strip

 

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) warns of the serious humanitarian, economic, health, and environmental consequences resulting from the continued restrictions on the entry of essential humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and fuel into the Gaza Strip. These restrictions have led to an almost complete disruption of basic services, including healthcare, water, and sanitation services, and threaten to cause a widespread environmental and health catastrophe due to pollution, the accumulation of waste, and the discharge of untreated sewage.

The ongoing prohibition imposed by the occupying power on the entry of mobile homes, construction materials, heavy machinery, and spare parts is also hindering recovery and reconstruction efforts, further exacerbating the already deteriorating living conditions of the population .Reports issued by relevant local and international bodies indicate that the quantity of permitted goods entering the Gaza Strip, including basic food items, remains below the minimum level required to meet the needs of more than two million residents. This remains the case even after operations resumed at the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south of the Strip, while all other crossings remain completely closed, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Meanwhile, the average number of trucks allowed to enter is only 260 per day, which represents just 43% of the amount agreed upon in the humanitarian protocol linked to the ceasefire agreement October 2025. During February and the first days of March 2026, crossings also witnessed a sharp decline and fluctuation in the number of trucks entering on consecutive days: 277 trucks were recorded on one day, followed by 165 trucks the next day, and then only 33 trucks, none of which included essential supplies such as cooking gas. On one day, only 16 trucks were allowed to enter through Kerem Shalom crossing, including 14 humanitarian aid trucks and just two commercial trucks, reflecting an unprecedented level of restriction on the flow of goods.

 The ICHR affirms that the continued prevention and restriction of essential goods and materials entering the Gaza Strip constitutes a clear violation of the rules of international humanitarian law and the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit collective punishment of civilian populations and oblige the occupying power to ensure the provision of necessities to the population under its control.

The ICHR calls for the following:

1.The immediate lifting of all restrictions imposed on the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip, and ensuring the unhindered flow of food, fuel, medicines, medical supplies, cooking gas, and construction materials.

2.Increasing the number of trucks and the types of materials entering the Strip to meet the population’s essential humanitarian needs.

3.Calling on the international community and the United Nations to take effective measures to ensure respect for the rules of international humanitarian law and to prevent the use of economic restrictions and blockade as a means of pressure on the civilian population.