Many in Gaza eating just once a day, as hunger spreads
Deir al-Balah (The Gaza Strip): Yasmin Eid coughs and covers her face, cooking a small pot of lentils over a fire fed with twigs and scrap paper in the tent she shares with her husband and four young daughters in the Gaza Strip.
It was their only meal Wednesday — it was all they could afford.
“My girls suck on their thumbs because of how hungry they are, and I pat their backs until they sleep,” she said.
After being displaced five times, the Eids reside in central Gaza, where aid groups have relatively more access than in the north, which has been largely isolated and heavily destroyed since Israel began waging a renewed offensive against the militant group Hamas in early October. But nearly everyone in Gaza is going hungry these days. In the north experts say a full-blown famine may be underway.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, accusing them of using “starvation as a method of warfare” — charges Israel adamantly denies.
In Deir al-Balah, the Eids are among hundreds of thousands sheltering in squalid tent camps. The local bakeries shut down for five days this week. The price of a bag of bread climbed above $13 by Wednesday, as bread and flour vanished from shelves before more supplies arrived.
The United Nations humanitarian office warned of a “stark increase” in the number of households experiencing severe hunger in central and southern Gaza. It appeared to be linked to the robbery at gunpoint of nearly 100 aid trucks last weekend in southern Gaza, close to Israeli military positions. Israel blamed Hamas but appears to have taken no action to stop the looting, while Hamas said it was the work of local bandits.
Aid groups say the looting is one of many obstacles to getting food and other vital aid to the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians. They also have to contend with Israeli movement restrictions, ongoing fighting, and heavy damage wreaked by the Israeli bombardment of roads and critical infrastructure.
Hunger is now a daily reality for Yasmin and her family in Gaza. Rising prices have made basic goods unattainable—onions cost $10 per kg, cooking oil $15, and meat has disappeared. Even coffee, once a small comfort, is unaffordable. Charities like the Gaza Soup Kitchen can only provide limited portions once a day, as their daily costs have surged from $500 to $1,300. Only half of the 1,000 families seeking aid are fed. Yasmin’s husband, Hani, struggles to provide for their 21 family members, saying, “I am ashamed to talk about it.”
The war, which began on October 7, 2023, has devastated Gaza. Aid supplies have plummeted, with trucks dropping from 4,200 in September to just 1,800 in October. Less than half of the aid is distributed due to fighting, Israeli restrictions, and lawlessness. Israel blames UN agencies for delays, but the UN cites movement denials and a breakdown in order. Meanwhile, over 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died in the conflict, and thousands more are displaced.
The United States warned Israel to increase aid or risk losing military support, but after the 30-day ultimatum, no action followed. Israel passed legislation severing ties with UNRWA, accusing it of harbouring Hamas, claims denied by the UN. Israeli officials are considering privatising aid distribution, prompting warnings from former defence minister Yoav Gallant about the risks of military rule.
The situation remains dire as Palestinians struggle to survive amid relentless airstrikes and dwindling resources. Yasmin and Hani’s story reflects the wider humanitarian crisis, as basic survival overshadows any hope for an end to the conflict. Less than 100 kilometres from central Gaza, political debates in Jerusalem feel distant from the daily suffering of those on the ground.
