KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip – Amidst heart-wrenching cries, chaos unfolded at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, located in the south of the Gaza Strip. Desperate families, including children, were left clamoring for dwindling food aid, primarily rice, from local charities. The harrowing scene, witnessed on a recent Friday, left Niveen Abu Arar in despair. Despite her best efforts, the 33-year-old mother of eight could not secure a spot at the front, departing with an empty pot and tearful eyes.
“We can’t continue living this way; we’re slowly perishing,” lamented Abu Arar, who has tragically borne the loss of a child due to recent conflicts. She is faced with scant resources, having not tasted bread in over six weeks due to a severe lack of flour. Holding her youngest child, Abu Arar recounts resorting to giving her toddler water instead of the milk she cannot obtain.
For two months, Israel has enforced a blockade, halting the flow of food and medicine into Gaza. Humanitarian groups have raised alarms about the dire situation, suggesting the population faces potential starvation. Israeli officials argue the blockade serves the purpose of pressuring Hamas to free hostages and disarm. However, denying critical aid is seen internationally as a violation of humanitarian principles and collective punishment.
Israeli authorities have not immediately addressed claims that starvation is being used strategically in the conflict. Historically, they have accused Hamas of misappropriating aid meant for the civilian population. Meanwhile, aid organizations have painted a grim picture of resource scarcity, unseen inflation, and bleak conditions worsening with each passing day.
A significant portion of Gaza’s populace relies on foreign aid, according to the United Nations. Now, with dwindling supplies, community kitchens face closures, and families are forced to skip meals. The cost of a single 25-kilogram (55-pound) flour bag has soared to 1,300 shekels ($360), explained Ghada al Haddad from Oxfam. Mothers can now only provide their children one meal daily to endure the long nights without food.
The continuation of the blockade could mean the closure of over 70 community kitchens, warns Amjad Shawwa of the Palestinian NGO network. The situation is exacerbated by Israeli airstrikes that have ravaged agricultural lands and decimated livestock in Gaza, further crippling the territory’s ability to cultivate food. Fishing has been restricted as well, with reports of fishermen being targeted, as relayed by Gavin Kelleher of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Kelleher highlights the engineered difficulty Gaza faces in producing or acquiring its food. His organization, heavily involved in shelter provision, reports a critical lack of shelter aid, with over a million people still without homes due to extended conflict damage.
In Khan Younis, Mustafa Ashour recounted his long struggle to obtain a portion from the charity kitchen, illustrating the siege-like conditions under which Gazans currently live. Ashour, displaced from Rafah, describes a landscape devoid of fundamental necessities as resources become increasingly unaffordable and scarce.
For families like Abu Arar’s, survival hinges on the generosity of neighbors, who, despite their plight, continue to share what little they have. The NRC’s Kelleher forewarns that should the blockade persist, it could lead to catastrophic humanitarian collapse, with thousands perishing and crucial infrastructure failing, leading to connectivity blackouts and growing chaos.