Snapshots from Gaza: If Israel’s bombs don’t kill us, hunger will

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has led to a dire humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 2.3 million people Palestinians facing catastrophic food insecurity, as reported by the World Food Programme and other UN agencies.

The relentless bombardment and a full siege imposed since October 7 have forced families to resort to extreme measures to cope with growing starvation.

Many families lacking sufficient food have had to mix various ingredients into flour to make bread through traditional methods.

Food scarcity has forced some to use animal fodder and bird feed in their bread, leading to potential medical issues, especially among young children.

Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, warned of an "inevitable famine" in Gaza due to Western actions.

Fakhri's statement followed the suspension of additional funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) by the US and nine other countries.

This suspension, based on unproven allegations of employee involvement in a Hamas attack on October 7, has been criticised for collectively punishing over 2.3 million Palestinians.

As the death toll in Gaza nears 27,000 – most of them women and children — we present the testimonies of three people from Gaza facing death from famine, if not Israeli bombs and bullets.

Hiyam, housewife

October 7, 2023, dawned like any other day in our neighbourhood of Al Rimal in western Gaza.

I woke up to get my girls ready for school when news came in about Hamas cross-border operations. We could sense that this was not the common act of resistance we are used to. This was something big.

Then all hell broke loose as Israel launched its relentless bombardment in Gaza – missiles and bombs raining down on helpless civilians who had nothing to do with the incursions.

Since then, our lives have been turned upside down.

When the occupation mandated on October 13 that residents of northern Gaza relocate to the south, I was caught in uncertainty about where to go. We did not have any relatives or friends in the south.

Despite my best efforts to find a house to rent, I came up empty-handed. Subsequently, we decided to relocate to Beit Hamaya in the Tal Al Hawa neighbourhood, hoping that it would be safe for civilians.

But I was wrong.

There was no safe place in Gaza as the Israeli bombings intensified, flattening entire neighbourhoods and killing men, women and children. The bombıngs were indiscriminate as Israel dropped all pretences of targetting resistance fighters.

It was – and this continues – a collective punishment of all Palestinians.

Managing life became more challenging as my husband was away during the Israeli aggression on Gaza, leaving me to shoulder the responsibility for our young daughters alone.

With each passing day, the war came closer and closer. We heard gunfire daily, and the house shook from the intensity and proximity of the bombings.

Tal al Hawa resembled a war zone, making it impossible for me to leave the house.

I rationed the available food, including canned goods and a limited amount of flour, hoping they would suffice to curb my daughters' hunger for as long as possible.

Little did I anticipate that the war would continue for such an extended period.

As the war razed on, we decided to return to our home in the Al Rimal neighbourhood despite the relentless Israeli air strikes and artillery bombardment.

But by that time, Israel had turned the neighbourhood into a wasteland – and we were unable to locate any open supermarkets or stores to purchase essential supplies.

Despite communication challenges, I reached out to many friends in a desperate attempt to buy a bag of flour to bake bread at home.

All the bakeries in the neighbourhood had been destroyed by Israeli bombs, depriving thousands of people of a source for their daily bread needs. Israel had weaponised even food in an effort to break the people of Gaza.

As the flour in our house depleted, I desperately looked for any open store or supermarket to buy flour. I was not going to let my daughters succumb to hunger.

Though my youngest daughter is now six, I bought tinned infant formula for her.

Securing safe drinking water became an agonising ordeal, a situation exacerbated after Israel's ground invasion of Gaza.

All three daughters and I experienced colic and stomach pain from consuming contaminated water.

When our house in the Al Rimal neighbourhood faced the threat of bombardment, we sought refuge in the nearby Al Sahaba neighbourhood for safety.

Over 50 people were crammed into a house not exceeding 160 square meters. In a unique show of camaraderie, each contributed whatever food they had. Our plan was to make these provisions last as long as possible.

I often slept hungry, deeply troubled for my daughters. Before the aggression, I could provide them with everything they desired; now, I only seek what will keep them alive.

Every aspect of war is tragic, including the simple tasks of cooking food and making bread, which have become additional hardships.

The Israeli occupation's disruption of electricity and cooking gas supply compelled us to resort to cooking with firewood, and it is not easily available.

Omar Ahmed, accountant

If 13 is an unlucky number, then it must be true.

Our ordeal, too, started on October 13, 2023, when my family was forced to relocate from our home in the Al Nasr neighbourhood to the Al Maghazi camp.

We had no option but to follow the occupation army's directive for residents of northern Gaza to relocate to the south. Leaving behind our home and memories, my family and I sought safety for our children.

When we arrived at the UNRWA school in the Al Maghazi camp, my children and I had only our ID cards and a few pieces of clothing.

The situation at the camp was far from safe. We were constantly facing Israeli air strikes and artillery bombardment. The loud explosions were big enough to scare even adults. The children at the camp were traumatised by the barbarity all around.

Conditions in the school fell well short of basic human standards, but what choice did we have?

My wife and five children shared a classroom with around 50 women and children, while my eldest son Sameh and I slept in a tent in the schoolyard.

Access to drinking water was a constant struggle. We had to rely on a nearby mosque, but Israel specifically targeted this religious place, destroying the water desalination and filtration device and the solar cells.

Initially, I managed to provide bread for my children from a bakery. However, Israel bombed the only bakery in the camp, which is spread over an area of three square kilometres.

Securing bread became challenging due to the scarcity and high cost of flour, as well as gas shortages. Cooking facilities were unavailable, and we had to cook over a wood fire."

The food provided by UNRWA for our family was insufficient to satisfy the hunger of even one adult. The supplies consisted of inadequate biscuits and occasionally small quantities of canned goods.

I felt helpless and in extreme pain due to my inability to provide enough food for my children. I also felt burdened by my failure to provide milk for my two-year-old daughter, Yara.

As Israel intensified at the Al Maghazi camp, we were to flee once again, this time to Rafah city in the south of Gaza.

My family and I found shelter in a container-home but acquiring food has become extremely difficult.

When available, prices are exorbitant, and the Israeli bombing persists.

If we do not succumb to the Israeli bombing, we may face the threat of starvation that plagues my family and me. Or succumb to the bitter cold, which poses a severe danger as we lack blankets, mattresses, or appropriate winter clothing to keep warm.

Suha, seamstress

My family – five daughters and infant son – find ourselves at an UNRWA school in Rafah, sharing a small classroom alongside approximately 45 other women and children.

We were forced to flee our home in Gaza City on October 14, first relocating to a UNRWA school in Khan Yunis, situated in the south of Gaza.

The situation there was truly terrifying. I initially believed that the occupation would not target UNRWA schools, but it did bomb the school where I sought refuge. My heart nearly stopped at the fear of losing one of my children.

The Israeli artillery and air bombardment persisted relentlessly, and we found ourselves trapped in another war, grappling with a scarcity of food and drinking water.

Due to the high number of displaced individuals in the school, we had to endure lengthy queues for bathroom use and had to survive with very limited amounts of food.

Access to safe drinking water has become a luxury. Since our displacement, my children and I have not consumed a single drop of clean water, leading to stomach pain due to the contaminated water we are forced to drink.

I am a seamstress, but I have had no work since our displacement. I don’t have a source of livelihood amidst rising prices of scarce products.

UNRWA provided us with only two loaves of bread for six people and a single can of meat. This quantity is insufficient even for one person. I fear that if we do not perish from the Israeli bombings, hunger will claim our lives.

My six-month-old son Ahmed is in need of milk and diapers, which I cannot find. I am so sad that I brought him into this harsh world.

Following the Israeli occupation's invasion of Khan Yunis, we faced displacement once again, this time to the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, encountering the same challenges.

I endured what I faced in Khan Yunis, but in a more arduous manner, given the significantly greater number of displaced people in Rafah.

I go hungry so that my children have food. At times, I reassure them that I am full, while at other times, I claim my stomach hurts, preventing me from eating.

(Two of the interviewees only shared their first names)