As violence escalates in Gaza and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis deepens, these attacks are further devastating a large and important agricultural region. According to recently released agricultural data from the United Nations, only 1.5% of Gaza’s cropland is currently available and safe for cultivation. This is a far cry from earlier decades, when Gaza was called the “breadbasket” of the region. In contrast, farmers on the ground and average Palestinians were cultivating diverse gardens of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains to feed their towns and localities. Today, they face extreme levels of food deprivation.
As the humanitarian situation worsens, Gaza’s health ministry announced five more deaths due to starvation inside the coastal enclave. Today, the region is being hit with a catastrophic hunger crisis. This crisis is partly being driven by Israel’s total blockade on humanitarian aid that began months ago. The blockade has deprived humanitarian access for the 2 million civilians—mostly women and children—trapped in the 140-square-mile desert Strip. Consequently, millions are suffering from food and health care shortages.
According to reconnaissance data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it’s bad. As of late July 28, 2025, Israel had rendered 86% of farmland in Gaza—nearly 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres)—unusable. That’s a marked improvement from 81% just this past April. This demonstrates that even under intense international pressure to scale back its counterinsurgency operations, Israel has persisted in focusing on Palestinian agricultural land. According to the FAO’s latest assessments as of mid-April, just 4% of Gaza’s cropland was considered accessible. Yet this highlights the continued impact of the blockade.
Médecins Sans Frontières has been on the front lines of the crisis. Specifically, they are calling for the immediate closure of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for its failed attempts to operate in a rapidly deteriorating environment. According to one European Commission official as reported in Politico, Israel’s current actions are genocidal. This announcement underscores the growing international alarm over the humanitarian consequences of the war.
Israel’s security cabinet is due to meet shortly. They are looking to complete preparations for a wider ground invasion in Gaza. Humanitarian organizations and international observers are horrified. Instead, they’re already seeing repressive measures created to frustrate and block humanitarian assistance within the area.
UN agencies and various non-governmental organizations have warned that many international NGO partners could face deregistration by Israel in the coming weeks. This possible deregistration comes as a new obstacle to providing much-needed humanitarian aid and legal assistance to those suffering from the consequences of conflict.
Indonesia has just made a big announcement about converting a medical facility on the uninhabited island of Galang. This field hospital will serve an estimated 2,000 injured Gaza residents, many of whom will be able to return home after receiving treatment. This program addresses the emerging health care needs that violence continues to create. It aims to address the gaps and needs in the area’s healthcare infrastructure.
Despite all the evidence and heavy international criticism, Israel disregard continues military actions against Palestinians. Even more brazenly, they directly attacked the PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis, zeroing in on their eighth floor with an artillery shell. This act highlights the risks that humanitarian workers experience in the field and with impunity.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in a growing number of U.S. citizens being murdered in Gaza as well. Since the death of Khamis al-Ayyad, his family has been calling for an independent investigation. The fact that he was a Palestinian American—shot dead last week by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank—more deeply complicates an already fraught U.S. diplomatic relationship.