Mercy Corps Statement on Gaza Ceasefire Announcement

October 09, 2025

Two Years of Devastation: A Ceasefire Brings Hope, but Urgent Aid and Recovery Are Needed in Gaza 

The announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza brings a desperately needed moment of respite after two years of relentless bombardment and humanitarian collapse. While the fighting may stop, the suffering continues. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins; families remain displaced, people are hungry, and basic services are non-existent. 

Gaza is in ruins, and the humanitarian toll is staggering: more than 67,000 people killed and over 169,000 injured or permanently disabled; nearly the entire population displaced; 90% of homes damaged or destroyed; and famine confirmed and spreading. The devastation runs deeper than the numbers: it is visible in the haunted faces of children, the silence of collapsed neighborhoods, and the heartbreak of families torn apart forever.  

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer, says: 

"We welcome any step that opens the door to increased humanitarian access in Gaza and the release of all deceased and alive hostages, in captivity for two years. The ceasefire is a vital first step, but there is still a mountain to climb. Without a sustained flow of aid and the immediate restoration and reconstruction of essential services, people will continue to struggle to survive amid ongoing famine and malnutrition, and the humanitarian crisis will only deepen. 

“The ceasefire is a critical step but now we must urgently surge in immediate, consistent, and safe delivery of life-saving aid: clean water, medicine, nutritious food, and a full re-opening of commercial supplies and cash assistance to rebuild a sense of normalcy. This is a chance for people who have been forced into the most depraved of conditions and circumstances to stabilize, grieve, and reconnect with their communities. Alongside the delivery of aid, restoring essential services and rebuilding hospitals, schools, and shelters is vital. It is a first step toward helping families rebuild their lives when so many have no home left to return to. 

“Mercy Corps has lifesaving assistance for over 160,000 people at the crossing ready to deliver as soon as borders open and restrictive permissions are loosened for all humanitarian actors to be allowed to deliver vital aid. Humanitarian organizations urgently need unfettered access, guarantees of safety for aid workers, predictable and sustained entry points for supplies, and functioning communication and transport networks to reach people in need.   

“We call on all parties to ensure this ceasefire holds and to prevent any return to the violence that has caused unimaginable loss and suffering for two years.  All parties must immediately create conditions for a surge in aid delivery and repairs to critical infrastructure. This is the first step toward ending this catastrophe, we must keep moving forward.” 

Since October 2023, Mercy Corps and our local partners have reached over 385,000 people in Gaza with emergency support, including food, cash, hygiene supplies, clean water, shelter kits, and psychosocial assistance. We are actively providing cash assistance and safe drinking water to displaced families and are poised to deliver thousands more kits and supplies, which currently remain blocked. We are already scaling our ongoing programming and are ready to deliver lifesaving in-kind assistance to over 160,000 people — and to support millions more through our partners — as soon as borders fully open and our supplies are permitted to enter. 

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