Gaza – Zaytoun News
ActionAid, an international humanitarian organization, has reported that citizens in Gaza are facing an extreme struggle to survive, with many now surviving on less than a single loaf of bread per day. The acute food shortage has forced both bakeries and community kitchens to close their doors.
In a statement released on Saturday, the organization said many families rely on community kitchens as their last hope for a single meal each day. However, several of these kitchens have been forced to shut down, leaving people without any source of food.
This dire situation is exacerbated by the severe restrictions on aid entering Gaza, imposed by Israeli authorities, as well as the skyrocketing prices of food products.
According to ActionAid, only four bakeries are currently operational in Gaza, managed by the World Food Programme, yet the demand for bread has grown so high that people are forced to begin queuing outside bakeries and flour trucks as early as 3:00 AM to secure their share.
The price of a 25 kg bag of flour has surged to approximately 1,000 shekels in Deir al-Balah, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in northern Gaza.
The organization also pointed out that food supplies have been cut off for nearly 75,000 people in northern Gaza for over 70 days. Doctors and patients at Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza are surviving on just one meal per day.
“The hunger and malnutrition in northern Gaza are escalating rapidly, and the threshold for famine has already been surpassed. Despite this, aid has been minimal and limited in reaching the region,” ActionAid stated.
The organization emphasized that as Israeli airstrikes continue to target Gaza, even the act of stepping out to search for food puts lives at risk. On December 1, 13 people were killed and 30 others injured in an airstrike while civilians were waiting to collect food aid.
Riham Jafri, Communications and Advocacy Officer at ActionAid, said, “As hunger continues to be used as a weapon of war in Gaza, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to get enough food to stay alive. Our partners and humanitarian workers are doing their utmost to secure food parcels and hot meals where possible, but with the extremely limited supplies allowed into Gaza, even community kitchens have been forced to close.”
She added, “With no safe place to go, people are faced with a tragic choice: either die from hunger or risk being killed or injured while waiting in food queues. The world cannot continue to watch in silence as the people of Gaza wither away. A permanent ceasefire is the only way to ensure that aid reaches over two million people in need and to prevent a widespread famine.”
The ongoing crisis in Gaza is placing immense pressure on its population, already suffering from a years-long Israeli blockade and genocide.
12 Total Count
