Humanitarian Conditions

Overview of Humanitarian Conditions

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the West Bank are shaped by political division, prolonged occupation, repeated cycles of violence, and severe movement and access restrictions. While both territories share some problems, there are also important differences between them. Gaza faces an extreme situation often described by humanitarian agencies as a chronic emergency. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, faces a more uneven pattern of hardship, with pockets of severe vulnerability linked to checkpoints, the separation barrier, and proximity to settlements.

Humanitarian agencies focus on basic indicators such as access to water, electricity, health care, food, education, work, and safety. These indicators are not neutral. They are strongly affected by policy decisions by Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and other actors, as well as by international donors. This chapter concentrates on the lived humanitarian impact without trying to resolve political responsibility, which is discussed elsewhere.

Gaza: Blockade, Infrastructure, and Daily Survival

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are deeply shaped by the blockade imposed by Israel, with varying levels of cooperation and restriction from Egypt at the Rafah crossing. The blockade controls the movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza. It affects fuel, construction materials, medical supplies, and many consumer items. Over time, this has eroded infrastructure and created chronic dependency on aid.

Electricity supply in Gaza is frequently far below basic needs. Gaza relies on a local power plant, electricity purchased from Israel, and, at times, supply from Egypt. Damage to infrastructure, fuel shortages, and political disputes over payment mean that residents often receive only a limited number of hours of electricity per day. This affects refrigeration, water pumping, sewage treatment, hospital equipment, and daily life. Households frequently resort to generators, at significant cost and with safety risks.

Water and sanitation are among the most critical concerns. Gaza’s main water source is a coastal aquifer that is over-extracted and contaminated. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that most of the water from the aquifer is unfit for human consumption without treatment. Many families buy desalinated or filtered water from private vendors, which is more expensive and not always regulated. Weak sewage systems, damage from previous conflicts, and electricity shortages lead to untreated or partially treated sewage being discharged into the sea. This creates health risks and limits the use of Gaza’s coastline for recreation and fishing.

Housing and infrastructure have been heavily damaged in repeated rounds of fighting. Large numbers of homes, schools, roads, and public buildings have been destroyed or damaged. Reconstruction is hindered by restrictions on construction materials entering Gaza. When materials are allowed in, they often arrive slowly and in limited quantities under strict monitoring. As a result, many families live in overcrowded or temporary shelters for years, which increases vulnerability to weather and disease and undermines privacy and mental well-being.

Health Care and Access to Treatment in Gaza

Gaza’s health system functions under constant strain. Hospitals and clinics face shortages of medicines, spare parts for equipment, and specialized staff. When electricity or fuel shortages occur, hospitals have to rely on generators to power intensive care units, operating rooms, and dialysis machines. Interruptions can put patients at immediate risk.

Patients who require specialized treatments that are not available in Gaza, such as some cancer therapies, advanced surgeries, or certain diagnostic procedures, often need to travel to the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Israel, or abroad. This requires exit permits from Israeli authorities and, for some routes, coordination with Egyptian authorities. Humanitarian organizations document delays and denials of permits, which can be life threatening in urgent cases. Patients are sometimes separated from family members who cannot obtain permits to accompany them, including parents of sick children.

Conflict escalations in Gaza create sudden surges in casualties that the health system struggles to absorb. Medical facilities have been damaged in fighting, and health workers operate under significant physical and psychological stress. At the same time, routine care such as maternal health, vaccinations, and chronic disease management can be disrupted. This leads to longer term health consequences that are less visible than war injuries but affect large parts of the population.

Food Security and Poverty in Gaza

Poverty and unemployment in Gaza are extremely high by global and regional standards. Many households depend on food assistance and cash transfers from international organizations. When border closures intensify, commercial goods enter in reduced quantities, which can raise prices or create shortages. Local production is limited by lack of access to land near border areas, restrictions on exports, and damage to agricultural infrastructure.

Food insecurity does not always mean a complete lack of food, but also poor diet quality, irregular meals, and constant uncertainty about the future. Families may reduce the quantity or quality of food, take on debt, or withdraw children from educational or leisure activities to cope. Chronic food insecurity interacts with other problems, such as stress, poor housing, and lack of medical care, to worsen overall health.

Children bear a heavy share of these burdens. Humanitarian assessments document concerns about child nutrition, anemia, and developmental impacts. At the same time, many children grow up with the experience of repeated conflict, limited mobility, and few opportunities to travel outside Gaza, which affects their sense of possibility and mental health.

Education and Mental Health in Gaza

Education in Gaza is widespread but heavily disrupted. Many schools operate in double or even triple shifts due to damaged buildings, population growth, and limited space. During conflict escalations, schools are often closed or used as shelters for displaced families. Even in calmer periods, electricity cuts and overcrowded classrooms hinder learning.

The psychological impact of long term instability and repeated violence is significant. Humanitarian and rights groups report high levels of trauma symptoms, anxiety, and depression, especially among children and adolescents. Nightmares, bedwetting, fear of loud noises, and difficulty concentrating are common. Teachers and parents, who also experience stress and trauma, may have limited capacities to provide emotional support.

Mental health services are available but limited and often stigmatized. Local professionals and international organizations have tried to integrate psychosocial support into schools and community centers, yet the scale of need often outstrips resources. Daily stresses related to poverty, unemployment, and movement restrictions combine with memories of conflict to create a heavy emotional burden.

Humanitarian Conditions in the West Bank

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, humanitarian conditions are more varied than in Gaza. Some areas have relatively stable access to basic services and stronger economic activity. Other areas face severe challenges linked to restrictions on movement, land access, and planning.

A central humanitarian feature of the West Bank is the network of checkpoints, roadblocks, and the separation barrier. These affect how easily people can reach workplaces, schools, hospitals, farms, and family members. Travel times become unpredictable, which has consequences for emergency medical cases, pregnant women, students, and daily commuters. Permits and security checks also determine who can enter East Jerusalem or Israel for work or health care.

Water access is another key issue. Some communities, especially in rural areas and in parts of Area C, experience shortages and irregular supply. They may pay high prices to have water trucked in when network connections are weak or absent. This affects domestic use, livestock, and agriculture, and increases the cost of living.

Area C, Demolitions, and Displacement

Large parts of the West Bank are designated as Area C, where planning and building are under full Israeli control. In many Palestinian communities in Area C, it is extremely difficult to obtain building permits. As a result, people often build homes, animal shelters, and basic infrastructure without formal authorization. These structures can then be subject to demolition orders.

Demolitions of homes, schools, and livelihood structures are a recurring humanitarian issue. They displace families, disrupt education, and destroy sources of income such as agricultural buildings or water cisterns. Even when demolitions are not carried out, the threat of demolition creates uncertainty and psychological stress. Families may invest less in their homes or businesses because they fear they could be removed.

Displacement also occurs in communities near settlements, military training zones, or the separation barrier. Some families move repeatedly as a result of demolitions, land confiscations, or pressure from surrounding conditions. Humanitarian agencies provide temporary shelter, legal assistance, and basic supplies, but these interventions do not fully resolve the long term insecurity.

Health, Access, and Fragmentation in the West Bank

The West Bank has a more developed health system compared to Gaza, but access is fragmented by geography and movement controls. Rural communities and those in Area C may be far from hospitals and rely on smaller clinics that cannot provide specialized care. Ambulances can face delays at checkpoints unless arrangements have been made for coordination.

East Jerusalem is a center for specialized Palestinian health services, but access is restricted. Patients from the rest of the West Bank need permits to enter. When permits are denied or delayed, patients may miss appointments or surgeries. This affects treatments for cancer, heart disease, and complex surgeries.

In addition to physical health, mental health is affected by the broader context of uncertainty, exposure to violence, and social pressures. Adolescents and young adults face high unemployment and limited opportunities, which can contribute to frustration and despair. While mental health services are growing, they are still limited and unevenly distributed.

Economic Hardship and Aid Dependency in the West Bank

The economy of the West Bank is heavily influenced by movement restrictions, dependence on work permits in Israel or settlements, and uncertainty about political developments. While some urban centers show visible economic activity, many communities rely on public sector employment, small agriculture, or informal work.

When permits to work in Israel or settlements are restricted, household incomes can drop sharply. At the same time, costs of living may rise, especially when access to land and water is limited. This creates pockets of deep poverty even within territories that outwardly seem more stable than Gaza.

International aid plays a significant role in supporting vulnerable communities. Humanitarian programs target food assistance, cash support, livelihood projects, and legal aid related to demolitions and land issues. However, aid is subject to political debates, funding fluctuations, and conditions set by donors. People who depend on aid can find themselves caught between changing political priorities and humanitarian needs.

Protection Concerns, Violence, and Psychological Impacts

Protection concerns are a core part of humanitarian conditions in both Gaza and the West Bank. In the West Bank, communities near settlements or military areas report incidents of harassment, property damage, and violence. Nighttime raids, arrests, and clashes between security forces and local residents are documented regularly by rights organizations. Children can experience these events directly, for example through house searches or arrests, or indirectly through the stories and fears of adults.

In Gaza, periodic escalations bring intense bombardment and rocket fire. Civilians face displacement, destruction of homes, and loss of family members. Hospitals, schools, and UN facilities have at times been affected by fighting. The sense that there is no fully safe place to go is a recurrent theme in testimonies.

These experiences shape long term psychological conditions. Fear, grief, and anger are common responses. Some people withdraw, others become more politically involved, and many simply focus on daily survival. Humanitarian organizations try to provide protection support, for example safe spaces for children, documentation of violations, and legal assistance. Yet these efforts operate within a context where the underlying drivers of violence remain unresolved.

Humanitarian Access and the Role of International Actors

Humanitarian organizations face their own constraints in Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza, access depends on permissions from Israeli and Egyptian authorities, security conditions on the ground, and internal Palestinian dynamics. Supplies can be delayed by inspection procedures or security closures. Staff movements may be restricted, which complicates project monitoring and emergency responses.

In the West Bank, humanitarian staff must navigate checkpoints, the separation barrier, and specific access restrictions in Area C and around certain military or closed zones. Projects that involve construction or rehabilitation of infrastructure may be at risk of demolition if they lack necessary permits. This can deter investment in long term solutions, and push agencies toward smaller, more temporary interventions.

International funding is crucial for humanitarian work, yet it follows political and economic cycles in donor countries. Sudden cuts or reorientations can leave critical programs underfunded. At times, legal and political debates in donor states about counterterrorism regulations and engagement with local authorities have affected how and where aid can be delivered. This can produce gaps between identified humanitarian needs and the assistance actually reaching people.

Humanitarian Conditions and the Future

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the West Bank cannot be separated from the broader political conflict, which is addressed elsewhere in the course. Prolonged humanitarian crises create their own dynamics. Long term aid dependency, damaged infrastructure, and deep psychological scars influence how communities view the future and relate to each other.

At the same time, there are local and international efforts to improve daily life. Medical training programs, water and sanitation projects, psychosocial support initiatives, and livelihood schemes offer partial relief and, in some cases, modest improvements. These efforts, however, operate within structural constraints that humanitarian action alone cannot change.

Understanding humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the West Bank involves more than counting indicators such as calories, clinic visits, or school attendance. It also requires attention to dignity, autonomy, and the possibility of leading a life that is not constantly shaped by emergency. These themes connect this chapter to broader discussions in the course about law, politics, and possible futures for everyone living between the river and the sea.