In the midst of ongoing hardships, Asmaa Fayez, a resident of the Gaza Strip, finds herself burdened by the high cost of food in local markets. Desperate to provide for her young son, who has been hospitalized for over a week, she managed to gather some zucchinis, cooking them with rice for his singular meal of the day. While a temporary respite from the routine canned beans and tuna, the meager offering remains insufficient to quell his hunger.
Gaza’s hospital patients represent some of the most vulnerable individuals as the population grapples with scarce food supplies under an Israeli blockade now stretching into its third month. The challenge of feeding loved ones rests heavily on families as hospitals, similarly strained, can no longer provide meals for their patients.
Dr. Khaled Alserr, a general surgeon at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reports that patients, particularly those receiving intensive care, are noticeably undernourished. The lack of essential nutritional supplements severely restricts treatment options, leaving medical professionals with very few viable choices.
According to aid organizations, malnutrition is a growing concern across the war-torn region. Reports indicate thousands of children and numerous adults are suffering from nutritional deficiencies, with the U.N. highlighting 16,000 pregnant women and new mothers at risk of acute malnutrition this year.
The food crisis in Gaza has intensified since the blockade’s implementation on March 2, causing a halt in aid distributions, closure of bakeries, and the dwindling of charity kitchens that have become a final line of support for many residents. The impact is starkly visible in marketplaces, where most items have been reduced to canned goods and a few vegetables, accompanied by skyrocketing prices. Destruction of local agriculture by Israeli forces has devastated Gaza’s farmlands, further crippling food production.
In Fayez’s case, her son Ali al-Dbary’s hospitalization due to a blocked intestine exacerbates their struggles. Believing his condition to be exacerbated by a diet mostly comprising canned goods, she paid an exorbitant price for zucchinis, now valued at an alarming $10 per kilogram. Scarcity of medical resources, like a functional scanner, hampers proper diagnosis and treatment.
Israel rationalizes the blockade as a strategic measure to compel Hamas to release hostages and disarm. The conflict, rooted in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, offensive against Israel, has seen substantial casualties on both sides; Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 52,000 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, since hostilities resumed.
There is growing international concern over Israel’s plans to regulate aid distribution within Gaza. Criticized as a potential “starvation tactic,” the proposed method of employing private contractors instead of established aid organizations raises ethical and legal questions, potentially impeding aid accessibility and violating international law.
Patients such as 19-year-old Asmaa Faraj, injured by an airstrike, find themselves dependent on scant emergency rations provided by family members, such as water and dates. The Faraj family exemplifies countless others unable to secure necessary nutrition like protein and fresh produce amidst severe shortages.
Mohammed al-Bursh echoes this struggle as he tries to sustain his son Sobhi, who endured severe injuries, including an amputated foot and shattered vertebrae, from an airstrike three months prior. Providing only canned foods due to their prohibitive cost, he watches his son battle constant pain and slow healing, acutely aware of his unmet dietary needs.