The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must not be allowed to continue: Global Times editorial

By Global Times Published: Jul 23, 2025

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202507/1339013.shtml

On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Gaza's humanitarian situation is in "accelerating breakdown," and that the last lifelines "keeping people alive are collapsing." That same day, Gaza's health ministry reported that at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and 1,155 wounded by Israeli military operations within just 24 hours. A report by the World Food Programme on Sunday revealed that nearly one person in three is not eating for days, 93 percent of households in Gaza had no access to water and more than 87 percent of the area are under evacuation orders or inside Israeli military zones, leaving 2.1 million civilians crammed into a small area with no medical care or medicine, where public services have completely collapsed. These alarming figures are a clear distress signal to the international community: The humanitarian disaster in Gaza must not be allowed to continue - an immediate ceasefire is imperative.

Since Israel resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip this March, the humanitarian crisis has grown increasingly dire. In Gaza, hunger has been "weaponized" - food distribution points have become "death traps," where people are repeatedly shot dead before they can even receive a bag of flour. A Palestinian man who survived a shooting at one such aid site described the situation: "There are no ambulances, no food, no life, no way to live anymore. We're barely hanging on." On Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa confirmed that more than 995 Palestinians had been shot and killed while trying to receive aid at Israeli-controlled distribution sites. This constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and a direct assault on the moral bottom line of humanity.

In response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized on Monday that civilians must not become the target of attacks, and the safety of international humanitarian workers must not be threatened. He noted that the Chinese side opposes and condemns all moves that harm civilians and violate international law. On the same day, foreign ministers from over 20 countries - including the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, and France - issued a joint statement calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid, with several signatories having previously expressed support for Israel. This shift has been driven by the repeated tragedies in Gaza, which have shattered the bottom line of humanitarianism and shaken the foundations of international fairness and justice. 

Leaders from multiple Latin American countries have also called for the defense of multilateralism and democratic systems, urging the international community to advocate for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The international consensus on Gaza has reached an unprecedented level. 

The top priority now is to achieve a permanent ceasefire and ensure the rapid, large-scale, and safe delivery of humanitarian aid. However, UN assistance is struggling to reach Gaza, where the humanitarian aid process is largely dominated by a for-profit organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is supported by the US and Israel. The organization's operations have been criticized as "obscure," and referred to as "drip feeding of aid" because of inadequate material distribution. According to an AP report earlier this month, contractors tasked with guarding GHF aid distribution were even accused of using live ammunition and stun grenades on civilians. 

Israel's proposed "population relocation" and the establishment of a so-called "humanitarian city" are widely viewed as using aid as a pretext to strip Palestinians of their rights and dignity. As the people of Gaza are facing "famine," the "butter knife" dividing Palestinian territory could fall at any moment. Restoring the original intent of humanitarian assistance, getting aid into Gaza quickly and efficiently and ensuring civilians receive them safely should be the top priority for all stakeholders. In the face of life and death, all political games and calculations must give way.

The humanitarian disaster in Gaza is not an isolated issue; it is rooted in the long-standing unresolved problem of Palestinian status. Currently, a new round of ceasefire negotiations is taking place in Doha, the capital of Qatar, with the outside world hoping for an agreement to be reached within two weeks among relevant parties. However, past experiences indicate that such short-term ceasefires are little more than a drop in the bucket for the people of Gaza, who are already in dire straits. The Palestinian issue has always been at the core of the Middle East conflict, and the failure to implement the "two-state solution" has led to an endless cycle of retaliation and the accumulation of disastrous consequences stemming from violence begetting violence. As long as the Palestinian people do not have their own state, peace and stability in the Middle East will remain fragile, and international security will continue to be threatened. 

Gaza is the home of the Palestinian people and must not become a victim of international politics. In the face of a large-scale humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes, external powers have no right to stand idly by amid Gaza's tragedy. It is hoped that all parties can promptly agree on a ceasefire, help de-escalate the situation, and take concrete steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Only by doing so can the international community truly support the people of Gaza in restoring normal life.