March 18, 2025 – According to the Gaza Health Ministry more than 400 people, including many women and children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on various parts of Gaza, marking the collapse of the ceasefire two months after it went into effect, ushering in another chapter of unbearable suffering for the civilian population.
“Our staff in Gaza recount being awoken in the middle of the night to the sounds of pounding airstrikes and piercing cries of people looking up to the sky in disbelief. They are telling us about hospitals overflowing with the injured amid shortages in medical supplies, many people fleeing their homes, children crying, and an overall state of confusion, fear and helplessness,” said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine (West Bank and Gaza) Country Director. “For this to happen during Ramadan and just as people were beginning to feel that the nightmare they had survived for 15 months had ended, is heartbreaking. A renewed cycle of violence will further destabilize the wider region and undermine the prospects for long-term and sustained peace.”
This escalation comes on the heels of Israel’s decision to block aid from entering Gaza on March 2. Critical lifesaving supplies are being prevented from reaching families. Medical equipment, tents, cooking gas, fuel for hospitals, and water stations are all being blocked.
“A return to bombings, death and destruction, coupled with the decision to close all crossings into and out of Gaza, including medical evacuations, is creating enormous suffering for an already vulnerable population,” added Veldwijk.
The airstrikes hit a health center run by CARE’s partner Juzoor in Jabalia. Al-Rafi Health Center served over 1,000 patients daily.
“People in Gaza are still reeling from the violence, forced displacement, physical destruction and deprivation of 15 months of conflict. All parties must adhere to international humanitarian law, let more aid flow into and across Gaza, and ensure humanitarians can safely respond to people in need wherever they may be,” said Veldwijk. “As we have said over and over, the only way to end the suffering and foster the best chance of lasting peace is through a sustained ceasefire. We call again for hostages to be released and all parties to comply with their obligations under international law.”
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