Not only has the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued killing Palestinians in Gaza nearly every day since the alleged ceasefire began last October, but they’ve also retained a chokehold on the flow of relief supplies into the Gaza Strip. Significant shortages of bread and essential supplies, including fuel and other food, have returned as Israel continues to tighten restrictions on the entry of goods and aid, Middle East Eye reported on April 13. In recent days, Palestinians in the enclave have been forced to queue for hours to obtain subsidized bundles of bread from the few bakeries still operating, each costing three shekels (3 ISL, around $1). Free bread distributed by aid groups remains scarce and out of reach for many.
Residents also report rising vegetable prices, while eggs, chicken, and meat have nearly disappeared from the market.
The crisis comes amid renewed Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid into the war-battered enclave, despite a ceasefire signed six months ago that included provisions for the large-scale delivery of humanitarian relief, MEE further reports. Israel has also imposed tighter regulations on humanitarian supplies, significantly disrupting aid operations and, in some cases, bringing them to a halt. This has affected organizations such as the UN’s World Food Program, which has been forced to pause or limit food deliveries, particularly key items such as flour and vegetables.
In a statement on Sunday, April 12, the Gaza Government Media Office said Israel was escalating what it described as “engineered starvation” in the besieged enclave. It characterized the measures as “systematic” and “deliberate,” carried out through “complete control over the flow of basic commodities.” The Gaza office explained that Gaza requires around 450 tons of flour per day, but only about 200 tons are currently available. Despite a ceasefire requiring 600 aid trucks per day, only around 200 have been allowed in on average, leaving shelter supplies, medical aid, and food items almost nonexistent.
The renewed wave of food scarcity has raised fears among Gaza’s 2.2 million residents of a return to famine, which MEE documents with eyewitness accounts from inside the enclave.
