Gaza has descended into a humanitarian catastrophe “worse than hell on Earth,” according to the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as aid operations ground to a halt amid escalating violence and mounting civilian casualties, reported by BBC News.
In a searing interview with the BBC, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said Palestinians in the besieged enclave have been stripped of their dignity, warning that the principles of international humanitarian law are being “hollowed out.” Her comments come as the war in Gaza enters its eighth month, with no clear end in sight.
On Wednesday, aid distribution centers across Gaza closed temporarily after the Israeli military designated roads leading to them as potential “combat zones.” The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), one of the largest aid networks still operating in the Strip, said it had no choice but to suspend food and medical deliveries for the day.
The closures follow a deadly incident on Tuesday, when at least 27 Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire near a GHF aid point. According to local health authorities aligned with Hamas, it was the third fatal event this week involving civilians near humanitarian access routes.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that troops fired only after identifying individuals “deviating from designated access routes,” whom they considered potential threats. The IDF said it is investigating the incident.
Elsewhere in the southern city of Khan Younis, 12 more Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike struck a school sheltering displaced families, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and medical officials.
Independent verification of the situation on the ground remains difficult. Israel continues to bar international journalists, including those from the BBC, from entering Gaza.
As the death toll climbs and aid convoys are forced to retreat, humanitarian agencies warn that the population of Gaza — already shattered by hunger, displacement, and trauma — is teetering on the edge of total collapse.
