Food is now running out in Gaza as Israel steps up its policy of starving civilians during the holy month of Ramadan. For the past 10 days Israel has blocked all entry of food, fuel, medicine and other vital supplies for civilians, and is now shutting off electricity – yet another cruel act of collective punishment and a flagrant violation of international law. This will prevent people getting drinking water, force hospitals to shut down and lead to outbreaks of disease. Many bakeries and community kitchens have already been forced to close as they have run out of fuel and supplies.
Starving civilians by deliberately depriving them of food, water, and medical care can never be morally or legally justifiable, Islamic Relief says.
It is inevitable that children and some of the most vulnerable people in Gaza will die, unless international governments exert serious pressure on Israel to allow supplies in. Words of concern are not enough; immediate action is necessary to stop people from starving.
One Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza, whose name is withheld for their safety due to attacks on humanitarian workers, says:
“Babies are going to starve if this total siege continues. Nothing is allowed to enter and every day there is less available in the markets. There’s now very little protein, meat is almost non-existent and now many vegetables are running out. A lot of bakeries have closed over the past couple of days because they don’t have fuel or flour, so it’s almost impossible to get bread.
“It’s Ramadan but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s normally a time for celebration and spirituality, but everyone is grieving and now everyone is terrified of what’s going to happen in the coming days. We fear there will soon be a return to the famine conditions and starvation that we saw before the ceasefire.”
Islamic Relief and local partners are continuing to provide daily distributions of hot meals, water and hygiene items for displaced families – using whatever supplies we can find in local markets – but every day it is getting harder to source supplies and stocks are rapidly running out.
Aid trucks loaded with food and other essential aid are ready and waiting to enter Gaza but are being blocked just a few miles from desperate civilians.
Gaza’s entire infrastructure has been systematically destroyed by Israeli attacks, including its ability to feed itself. More than 80% of Gaza’s agricultural land and more than two thirds of its agricultural wells have been damaged or destroyed, and most cattle have been killed, leaving families in Gaza now almost entirely dependent on imported supplies.
The scarcity has caused prices in local markets to skyrocket, making even the most basic necessities unaffordable for the poorest and most vulnerable.
