Gaza Ceasefire Faces Setbacks After One Year

A year after the Oct. 10, 2025, Gaza ceasefire deal took effect, more than 100 humanitarian groups said the truce has failed to deliver recovery for Palestinians in Gaza, where continued Israeli attacks and aid restrictions have caused ongoing deaths and hardship.

The groups said the ceasefire has not stopped violence, while Gaza remains without the promised international peacekeeping force and large-scale reconstruction. NPR reported that Israel's military expanded control to roughly 70% of Gaza during the year.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israeli attacks during the ceasefire period killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including nearly 500 women and children. A joint statement cited by Al Jazeera said the figure included at least 327 children.

The joint statement from more than 100 humanitarian, human rights and civil society organizations described the situation after one year of the ceasefire.

"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 joint statement said.

The statement said food access has improved compared with the famine conditions reported in northern Gaza last year, but humanitarian needs remain severe. It also said 1.4 million people face crisis-level hunger or worse through the end of the year.

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, criticized the limited progress since the ceasefire began and highlighted continued barriers to rebuilding.

"It is utterly shameful that a full year after the ceasefire was signed, so little has improved for Palestinians in Gaza," Egeland said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said restrictions on construction materials and equipment have delayed recovery efforts across Gaza.

"Israeli restrictions are still preventing the required equipment or materials, which are the only ways for communities to begin rebuilding their lives," Egeland said.

Inger Ashing, chief executive of Save the Children, said the continuing deaths of children showed the limits of the ceasefire's impact.

"A ceasefire is meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives," Ashing said.

Ashing also cited the number of child casualties recorded since the ceasefire announcement.

"Nearly one child has been killed every day," Ashing said.

Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, called for accountability over the ongoing situation in Gaza.

"Accountability cannot be buried under the rubble. The persistent failure to hold Israel accountable and press Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s binding orders continues to fuel the atrocity crimes on a mass scale against Palestinians," Callamard said.

Gaza's Health Ministry said more than 18,500 patients, including at least 4,000 children, need medical evacuation, while none of Gaza's 36 hospitals is operating at full capacity because of shortages of medicine, equipment and fuel.