Palestinians sheltering in Gaza have reportedly been forced to resort to using animal feed as flour as they desperately scramble for food.
According to women’s charity ActionAid, all of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the strip are facing catastrophic levels of hunger as Israel continues its siege of the area. The World Food Programme warns that the 335,000 children in Gaza are all suffering from malnutrition and will likely suffer life-long health complications.
Following Hamas’ horrifying attack on October 7, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes into the densely populated Gaza, killing thousands. According to estimates by the Hamas-run health ministry, over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the retaliatory strikes – the vast majority of which are civilians.
Famine has become an increasing issue for civilians in Gaza, who were already largely reliant on international aid for supplies. Israel has controlled the flow of goods and people into the area since a temporary blockade in 2005 which became permanent in 2007 following Hamas’ takeover.
The situation in the north of the strip is now believed to be particularly desperate, as it is harder for aid to reach these areas due to the intensity of the fighting.
Some new mothers in Gaza are so undernourished that they cannot produce milk for their children. One mother, who gave birth to her son after she had been displaced by the strikes, said he “keeps vomiting” as she has “difficulty breastfeeding.”
Bisan, 29, added that a single tin of milk would cost 70 or 80 shekels – the equivalent of £14.82 or £16.94.
Abeer, 47, a mother of seven, told ActionAid she was struggling to feed her children – and the lack of diversity in what food they do have is causing further issues.
She said: “We only have lentils to eat. And even they are not available in large quantities. People began suffering from diarrhea, stomachaches, and abdominal pain.
“You cannot have lentils every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These children need proper food, don’t they? Shouldn’t they be able to have decent food? Resources are scarce and very expensive.
“I want to make them salad and feed them healthy food. But it’s barely available. [My] children are beginning to suffer from malnutrition, for they are eating the same things daily.”
Abeer is currently living in a camp for the tens of thousands of those who have been displaced after her home was bombed. She added that water was “scarce” and the average person could only access between one and a half and two litres of water a day for all of their needs “including drinking, washing and cleaning.”
The water is rarely filtered and has to be used for both cleaning and drinking. Abeer said: “Drinking unclean water is causing kidney and urinary tract infections. It is even affecting our teeth; we are suffering from toothaches because of the water.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs say that Israel’s restrictions on what is allowed to enter means some critical items, such as water testing kits and chlorine for treating water, are not available to Palestinians.
Of the 97 bakeries across Gaza, only 15 are currently operational, none of which are in the north. They are underequipped with many queuing for hours in shops only to leave empty handed.
ActionAid warned that the humanitarian aid being allowed into Gaza remains far beyond what is necessary to provide Palestinians with basic necessities, and appealed for donations to help them provide food.
A recent survey of Israelis found that an decreasing number of them believe their government should destroy Gaza completely – while an increasing number say releasing hostages should be the main priority.
The polling for Tel Aviv University’s Peace Index found 51 percent of respondents, when asked what should be the Israeli government’s most important objective in the war, answered “returning the hostages from Gaza in any way possible” – up from 33 percent in November.
Meanwhile 43 percent said the government should aim to destroy Hamas in Gaza in any way possible – down from 59 percent two months prior.
Earlier today Hamas said if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules in favour of a ceasefire, it would abide by the ruling if Israel did the same, and that it would release all of its hostages in exchange for all of Israel’s.
The ICJ is set to rule on whether to implement emergency measures put forward by South Africa, which has brought a genocide case against Israel – with an immediate ceasefire among the suggested measures.
