Less than two fifths of promised aid trucks have entered Gaza since October 2025, according to figures released by the Government Media Office in Gaza on Wednesday. This severe restriction on essential supplies, including food and fuel, has created what economic experts term an 'engineered, compounded famine.' It is a critical failure to meet terms agreed under a ceasefire with Hamas.
Here is the number that matters: only 37% of the aid and commercial trucks stipulated in the October 2025 ceasefire agreement have actually entered Gaza over the past six months. This figure, provided by the Government Media Office in Gaza, underscores a logistical stranglehold that extends far beyond simple supply chain issues. The humanitarian situation inside the enclave has deteriorated sharply.
The 41,714 trucks that did pass through represent a significant departure from the 110,400 vehicles agreed upon. Fuel deliveries face an even more critical picture. Just 1,366 fuel trucks have entered, a mere 14% of the 9,200 vehicles promised under the same accord.
This affects everything. Hospitals struggle. Bakeries cannot operate.
The economy grinds to a halt. Daily logs paint a stark picture of this bottleneck. On April 13, only 102 aid trucks and 7 fuel trucks entered Gaza, alongside 216 commercial vehicles.
These numbers fall far short of the over 600 total trucks required daily under the ceasefire deal. Mohammed Abu Jayyab, a Palestinian economic expert based in Gaza, describes this as a 'technical and commercial deception.' He explained to Al Jazeera that an Israeli truck, carrying up to 34 pallets, is often unloaded into two or three smaller, older Palestinian trucks on the Gaza side. Each small truck is then counted as a separate entry by UN and Israeli authorities, inflating the actual volume of goods delivered.
One pallet holds roughly one tonne of goods. Adding to these complications, Israel recently prohibited mixed-load shipments. This means if a merchant brings 20 pallets of sugar, the remaining 12 pallet spaces on that truck must remain empty.
Yet, it is still registered as a full commercial truck. 'The political agreement stipulated a 'truck' but did not specify quantities, weights, or the number of pallets,' Abu Jayyab noted. This loophole allows for a systematic restriction of aid while maintaining an appearance of compliance. It is a logistical sleight of hand.
This logistical strangulation forms part of a larger strategy, according to officials in Gaza. Hassan Abu Riyala, undersecretary of the Ministry of National Economy in Gaza, stated in a meeting published on the ministry’s official Telegram channel that Israel is 'engineering a policy of starvation.' He asserts that Israel has deliberately dismantled civil regulatory bodies within Gaza. The occupation targeted the majority of the crews that monitored prices.
They assassinated the former undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and five directors general during the conflict. This creates chaos. Prices spiral upwards.
Strip away the noise and the story is simpler than it looks: the economy has collapsed. Unemployment in Gaza has soared to 80%, according to Abu Jayyab. More than 160,000 jobs across the industrial, agricultural, and commercial sectors have been destroyed.
This means that even when goods manage to enter, between 70% and 80% of families simply lack the purchasing power to acquire them. The market is telling you something. Listen.
It is screaming a story of economic ruin and widespread deprivation. The results are clear: basic commodities are scarce. Bread production has plummeted to 200 tonnes daily, far below the 450 tonnes required to feed the population.
Fresh produce prices have skyrocketed. One kilogram of tomatoes, for instance, jumped from $1.50 to nearly $4 in a matter of weeks. Ismail Al-Thawabteh, director general of the Government Media Office, described this as a 'systematic restriction of basic supplies' pushing the population towards dangerous levels of food insecurity.
People are desperate. The humanitarian catastrophe deepens with the withdrawal of major aid groups. Al-Thawabteh noted that key international institutions, most notably the World Food Programme (WFP), have scaled back or suspended operations.
He called this a 'highly dangerous development.' Israeli restrictions are cited as the reason. This threatens the complete collapse of Gaza’s relief system. The safety of aid workers is compromised.
Delivery routes are insecure. The stranglehold extends to Gaza’s most vulnerable patients. The ceasefire agreement mandated the opening of the Rafah crossing for medical evacuations.
However, Israel has kept borders tightly restricted. Over the past six months, only 2,703 people have been allowed to cross through Rafah. This is out of an expected 36,800 individuals.
It represents a compliance rate of just 7%. Only 8% of the severely wounded and chronically ill patients slated for urgent medical evacuation have been permitted to leave. The World Health Organization states roughly 18,000 people remain trapped in Gaza awaiting life-saving treatment abroad.
Their futures are uncertain. This extreme deprivation forces civilians into life-threatening alternatives. Al-Thawabteh warned of the 'return of long queues for bakeries.' Citizens resort to burning plastic and waste in the absence of cooking gas.
These are dangerous field indicators of an unprecedented deterioration. Government health facilities now struggle to treat respiratory and skin diseases resulting from this toxic pollution. The air is often thick with smoke.
People breathe it in daily. Why does this matter? Beyond the immediate humanitarian crisis, the systematic breakdown of Gaza’s economic and social structures represents a deliberate policy with long-term implications.
The collapse of markets, the destruction of jobs, and the inability of aid to reach those who need it most create a dependency that will persist long after any conflict ends. It sets a precedent for how civilian populations can be impacted by logistical controls during hostilities. The cost will be borne for generations. - Gaza has received only 37% of promised aid trucks and 14% of fuel trucks since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. - Economic experts describe an 'engineered, compounded famine' due to deliberate logistical restrictions and the targeting of civil regulatory bodies. - Unemployment has reached 80%, with over 160,000 jobs lost, rendering most families unable to purchase food even when available. - Medical evacuations through Rafah crossing are at 7% compliance, leaving 18,000 critically ill patients trapped in Gaza.
The Government Media Office has issued an urgent appeal to the international community and ceasefire guarantors. They demand immediate pressure on Israel to open all crossings. Failure to do so, Al-Thawabteh warned, risks reaching a 'point of no return and an imminent human explosion.' Observers will be watching for any shift in international diplomatic pressure or a change in Israel's stated policy on aid access.
The coming weeks will show if these warnings translate into tangible action or if the situation continues its current trajectory.
Key Takeaways
— - Gaza has received only 37% of promised aid trucks and 14% of fuel trucks since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement.
— - Economic experts describe an 'engineered, compounded famine' due to deliberate logistical restrictions and the targeting of civil regulatory bodies.
— - Unemployment has reached 80%, with over 160,000 jobs lost, rendering most families unable to purchase food even when available.
— - Medical evacuations through Rafah crossing are at 7% compliance, leaving 18,000 critically ill patients trapped in Gaza.
Source: Al Jazeera
