Human Rights Watch says Israel is curbing Gaza aid despite ceasefire

Human Rights Watch said on May 19 that Israel was still curbing aid deliveries into Gaza and that civilians were still being killed during a ceasefire that began in October 2025. The group said the humanitarian system in Gaza remained “in peril” more than six months after the truce, and it tied that assessment to restrictions on aid, limits on medical evacuation and continued deadly incidents affecting civilians. (hrw.org) The group’s statement comes before a May 21 briefing to the U.N. Security Council by the Board of Peace, which Human Rights Watch said will present a six-month progress report on the ceasefire framework. (hrw.org) British parliamentary researchers and U.N. agencies have described a similarly unsettled picture, with Israeli forces still controlling just over half of Gaza, Hamas still armed, and humanitarian funding under strain. ### What did Human Rights Watch say is still happening during the ceasefire? Human Rights Watch said Palestinians in Gaza were “still hungry,” still unable to reliably reach medical care and still being killed despite the ceasefire announced in October 2025. The group said Israeli authorities were undermining humanitarian lifelines rather than allowing normal civilian access to food, medicine and evacuation routes. (hrw.org) Adam Coogle, Middle East deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement that the humanitarian infrastructure sustaining life in Gaza remained at risk. ReliefWeb’s republication of the statement said the group also pointed to a six-day suspension of medical evacuations through Rafah in April. (hrw.org) ### What is the most concrete number in the report? Human Rights Watch cited OCHA figures showing that at least 593 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, including eight since the ceasefire began. That toll is one of the clearest measures in the statement because it tracks deaths among people working inside the aid system itself. (hrw.org) OCHA’s May 1 humanitarian situation report separately said the second half of April saw continued strikes and exchanges of fire, many in residential areas, causing civilian casualties and damaging services civilians rely on. The same report said only a very small number of patients were being approved for medical evacuation and travel abroad. (reliefweb.int) ### How much of Gaza does Israel still control? The U.K. House of Commons Library said Israeli forces currently control just over half of Gaza and that Hamas retains its weapons in the strip. The parliamentary briefing also said there had been continued reports of violence and ceasefire violations into 2026. (hrw.org) The same briefing said the U.K. government and others had asked Israel to revise its list of banned “dual use” items so that more goods and aid could enter Gaza and so Rafah could be fully reopened. That places access questions at the center of the ceasefire’s implementation, alongside the unresolved issue of Hamas disarmament. (ochaopt.org) ### What are U.N. agencies saying about aid access and money? U.N. News reported on May 20 that the United Nations was warning of a funding shortfall for Gaza aid as broader geopolitical tensions weighed on the global economy. That warning points to a second pressure point beyond physical access: even where deliveries are possible, agencies say they also need money to keep operations running. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The U.N. humanitarian system had already launched a 2026 global appeal seeking $23 billion to reach 87 million people worldwide, according to OCHA. Gaza is competing for resources inside that wider funding environment while agencies continue to report operational constraints on the ground. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) ### What happens next? May 21 is the next named milestone in this story. Human Rights Watch said the Board of Peace will brief the Security Council on its newly issued six-month progress report, and that session is likely to be the next formal test of whether the ceasefire’s aid and civilian-protection provisions are being enforced. (hrw.org) (unocha.org) (news.un.org)