Gaza Faces Famine Risk as Aid Is Cut and Goods Blockaded

Manal Abu Rabie, a mother of six displaced from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, has just learned that the World Food Programme (WFP) will cut food aid to the territory. She fears what comes next will be worse.

Gaza is facing severe shortages of essentials such as eggs, flour and onions after Israel closed the crossings into the territory on Wednesday. Food and other basic goods prices have soared, forcing families who can afford it to stockpile in anticipation of a prolonged blockade.

After the WFP announced its cuts, the price of a loaf of bread rose from 5 to 12 shekels (about $1.60 to $3.90).

Abu Rabie was already struggling to feed her family and says she has nothing in reserve if the support she depends on is cut.

“We had just started to thank God, and now they want to cut off our food and our water,” she said. “We are going back to hunger. We are dying of hunger.”

On Monday, the WFP announced that a funding shortfall had forced it to reduce the number of people receiving monthly food assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, leaving about 500,000 people without support.

The agency also halved rations, meaning families receive one food parcel instead of two, along with a smaller bag of flour. Daily hot meals will fall from 250,000 to 150,000, while cash assistance will be cut for 75,000 families. The WFP said the reductions stem from a lack of funding despite continuing humanitarian need.

At the same time, the suspension of aid deliveries into Gaza has entered its sixth consecutive day, adding further uncertainty over supplies and over the ability to pay for food, fuel and medicine.

“I can't buy anything”

Abu Rabie, 39, lives in al-Salam camp in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, and depends on food aid, including parcels containing lentils, rice, flour and cooking oil. Her family was already struggling to buy basic food as prices climbed; a small bottle of cooking oil, normally included in WFP food parcels, now costs 10 shekels ($3.20), beyond her means.

“It's very hard. I can't buy anything,” she said.

She suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. With no other option, she is forced to live on the food in the aid parcels, which has worsened her digestive problems.

“If the aid stops and the rations get smaller, how are we supposed to get through the day? We will have to eat sand. That's all we have left,” she said. “I swear to God, my son asks me for all sorts of things I can't buy him. My husband is injured, and I am sick.”

The approach of winter adds to her worry. Abu Rabie says the family has no blankets or mattresses.

“I pray to God that winter doesn't come, because we have no blankets or mattresses,” she said. “There is no food, no water. God knows how we are managing.”

Warnings of rising famine risk

In a statement on Monday, Gaza's Government Media Office warned that the WFP's planned cuts could deepen the humanitarian crisis and push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into more severe food insecurity. It called on the United Nations and the international community to urgently provide funding to sustain relief programmes. It also held Israel responsible for the consequences of restrictions on aid into Gaza and called for all crossings to be opened so humanitarian supplies can flow continuously.

The statement urged Arab and Islamic countries and international organisations to provide financial support and help deliver food, medical supplies and other essentials. The WFP attributed the cuts to a funding shortfall rather than reduced humanitarian need, and appealed to donors for more support.

Randa al-War, a mother of three displaced from Shujayea in Gaza City, said WFP food aid is a lifeline. She now lives with her family in Sarsour camp in Deir el-Balah and says they receive no support from any other organisation.

“We depend on the World Food Programme. We can't live without bread, without flour. These children need to eat,” she said.

Al-War said the food parcels her family receives every two or three months, containing flour and cooking oil, last only about a month. “We get through the day if the food parcel arrives. If it arrives, the children eat. If not, there is nothing to eat,” she said.

She fears the WFP cuts could leave her family without the support they rely on. Buying food from the market is not a realistic option, she said, because neither she nor her husband can work — she is injured and he has health problems.

“I can't work, and my husband can't work,” she said. “We live only on the World Food Programme and the food parcels.”

Al-War said the prospect of further cuts has left her afraid that her children will face famine again. “We are afraid famine will happen, for our children. We won't be able to provide them with anything,” she said. “We are not just afraid… we are terrified that famine will return.”

Soaring prices squeeze families

The suspension of commercial deliveries is piling further pressure on families already struggling with reduced purchasing power and rising prices caused by the war and Israel's siege. Rami al-Zayigh, an economist in Gaza, said continued closure of the crossings has restricted supplies in a territory that was already chronically short of goods, driving prices up and adding pressure on households.

“The problem goes beyond a lack of supply,” al-Zayigh said. “Every time the crossings close, traders and resellers raise prices, causing panic among the population. People are the biggest victims of these measures.”

Fruit and vegetables are becoming scarce in local markets, and egg prices have risen by about 300 percent over the past week. According to al-Zayigh, produce is especially vulnerable when supplies are disrupted because it spoils within days.

Citing official reports from Gaza, he said food stocks there are estimated to last only about two weeks. He warned that continued restrictions on goods entering Gaza could cause further economic and health consequences, particularly for children and the elderly.

For families living on aid, the combination of reduced assistance, limited income and soaring prices leaves them with ever fewer ways to secure a daily meal. Al-War said families should not have to beg for the essentials of life.

“We want to live like the rest of the world. We don't want to have to beg for these things. They should be available to us without having to ask,” she said. “We are human beings. We want to live, to eat, to drink. We want a life with dignity.”