Good morning. While much of the world’s attention has been focused on Israel’s conflict with Iran, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has worsened by the day. Since March, when Israel broke a ceasefire agreement and imposed a total blockade, very little food or medicine has been allowed in. Though the blockade was partially lifted on 19 May, only a trickle of desperately needed aid has made it through – and yesterday Israel closed the most direct route. Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians who are trying to access it, in what aid workers are now calling a “death trap”. Israel is fighting allegations of genocide in Gaza, where it has killed more than 55,000 people.
Truly to understand the scale of the catastrophe in Gaza, it’s necessary to place it in historical context. This isn’t just a crisis born in 2023: it’s the culmination of nearly two decades of siege.
