Humanitarian Concerns Deepen as Gaza Donations Plunge and Evidence Suggests Israel Used Cluster Munitions in Lebanon

Humanitarian Concerns Deepen as Gaza Donations Plunge and Evidence Suggests Israel Used Cluster Munitions in Lebanon
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Humanitarian groups working in Gaza say donations have fallen sharply since the October ceasefire, even as conditions in the territory remain dire and winter approaches. At the same time, new evidence examined by arms experts indicates that Israel used widely banned cluster munitions during its recent 13-month conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, raising further alarm among international rights organizations.

Mutual-aid organizers supporting Palestinian families in Gaza report a “catastrophic” drop in contributions since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October. Volunteers who had sustained families through two years of displacement, hunger and illness now say fundraising efforts have slowed dramatically. Megan Hall, an Australia-based organizer who runs 95 mutual-aid campaigns, said her weekly transfers to families fell from about $5,000 during the war to just over $2,000 for the entire month of October. Several other organizers cited similar declines.

Larger humanitarian groups are also observing steep drop-offs. Gaza Soup Kitchen, which has provided 10,000 meals daily, reported a 51% decline in donations from September to October. Oxfam GB and Save the Children UK have recorded similar trends. Aid organizations warn that despite the relative quiet brought by the ceasefire, most infrastructure remains destroyed, nearly 1.9 million people lack safe shelter, and essential supplies remain far below target levels.

As Gaza’s humanitarian situation worsens, a separate investigation in Lebanon indicates that Israel used two newly developed types of cluster munitions—the 155mm M999 Barak Eitan and the 227mm Ra’am Eitan—during its war with Hezbollah. Photos of remnants found in three locations south of the Litani River were verified by multiple arms experts. If confirmed, it would mark Israel’s first known use of cluster weapons since the 2006 Lebanon war.

Cluster munitions, banned under an international convention signed by 124 states, disperse dozens of smaller bomblets over wide areas, many of which fail to explode and can kill or maim civilians for decades. Israel is not a party to the ban and declined to confirm or deny their use, saying only that it employs “lawful weapons.”

Rights groups warned that the weapons’ inherent indiscriminate effects violate humanitarian principles. Lebanon continues to suffer casualties from unexploded cluster bomblets left behind after the 2006 conflict, with more than 400 people killed since then.

Humanitarian agencies say both developments—the severe funding drop for Gaza relief and renewed cluster munition contamination in Lebanon—highlight ongoing civilian vulnerability across the region despite formal ceasefires. Aid organizers fear that without renewed public attention and support, the coming winter will be especially perilous for displaced families on both sides of the border.