Gaza (Quds News Network)- With Israel’s blockade on food, medicine and other supplies now in its 60th day, people in Gaza are struggling to survive and are adopting coping strategies now stretched to the limit.
Since the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal ended on March 1, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid from entering the Palestinian territory, in violation of the agreement’s terms.
Human rights organizations and several countries have condemned the move, accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
On March 18, Israel resumed its assault on Gaza, killing over 2,200 civilians so far—most of them women and children.
According to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), widespread displacement has forced many people to abandon food supplies and emergency stocks secured during the ceasefire signed in January.
Bread from UN-supported bakeries is no longer available, and most people cannot bake for themselves due to acute shortages of cooking fuel and the soaring cost of wheat flour, the report said.
Families are mixing crushed pasta with flour to make bread, which means smaller and less frequent meals. They are also giving bread to children or allocating just one piece per family member per day, it said.
People must rely on aid supplies as farmers and breeders can’t access their land, as 70 percent of the enclave has been designated as a “no-go” area or is under displacement orders by the Israeli military, the report added.
Jonathan Whittall, head of OCHA in Gaza, warned on Saturday that Gaza is on the verge of “full-scale famine conditions.”
“The coming days in Gaza are going to be critical. Today, people are not surviving in Gaza. Those that aren’t being killed with bombs and bullets are slowly dying,” Whittall told journalists at a news conference in Gaza City.
“As humanitarians, we can see that aid is being weaponized through its denial,” he said. “There’s no justification for the denial of humanitarian assistance.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday all of its bakeries have shut down and all of its stocks inside Gaza have now been fully depleted.
The remaining charity kitchens in Gaza have said they may have to shut down within days unless aid is allowed in.
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The Gaza Government Media Office said on Friday that famine is no longer a looming threat and is becoming a reality. It said 52 people have died due to hunger and malnutrition, including 50 children. It also said more than 65,000 children have sought treatment for severe malnutrition.
