Gaza ceasefire exists in name only, say more than 100 organizations
One year since the ceasefire agreement, more than 1,400 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, nearly two million still need shelter, not a single hospital is fully functioning, and 1.4 million face crisis-level hunger.
GAZA, 9 October 2026 – One year after the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached, more than 100 humanitarian, human rights, and other civil society organisations say the ceasefire exists in name only, with Israeli forces continuing to kill and injure Palestinians daily, and restrictions on aid, equipment and rebuilding materials preventing families from recovering.
The killing and deprivation in Gaza must not be normalised under the cover of a ceasefire agreement, the organisations working on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory warned today.
Mohsen Abu Ramadan, Palestinian NGO Network Board Member, said:
“Palestinian organisations are responding to immense needs under Israeli occupation with destroyed offices, displaced staff, and shrinking budgets. Local and national organisations are first responders and will remain, but we need to be protected. Governments must act to end Israel’s attacks and restrictions on our work and donors must provide direct, flexible funding to meet the needs.”
Over the past year, Israeli strikes, shootings and military operations have
killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children. Families and rescue workers have recovered hundreds of bodies from the rubble, often with their bare hands, as Israeli authorities restrict the entry of machinery needed to reach them. Many more remain buried and unreachable.
The Israeli military has also moved the so-called Yellow Line further into Gaza, beyond the withdrawal line set out in the agreement, squeezing Palestinians into an increasingly small and overcrowded area.
Inger Ashing, Save the Children CEO, said:
“A ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives. Since the ceasefire was announced, nearly one child has been killed every day. Families remain trapped in a devastating cycle of loss and deprivation, unable to recover. Governments that backed this agreement must use their influence to stop the killing and ensure children can access food, healthcare, shelter and education. Gaza’s children have a right to safety and a future. Governments have the power to help secure both, and they must use it.”
Recent satellite imagery shows the scale of devastation caused by Israeli forces, with neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, homes flattened and agricultural land razed. More than 80% of structures across Gaza have been
damaged, including around two-thirds that have been destroyed.
As winter approaches, hundreds of thousands of families still live in tents, makeshift shelters or damaged homes and face a fourth winter exposed to cold, wind and flooding. Nearly one in four households in Gaza is now
headedby a woman, and these families are far more likely to be living in unsafe or inadequate shelter.