One child is killed every 30 minutes in the Gaza Strip, in the ongoing Israeli genocide that started on October 7th, 2023.
This is taking a catastrophic toll on children, with at least 17,400 killed, according to the latest estimate by the Palestinian Ministry of Health; and thousands more injured.
There are no safe spaces.
All of Gaza’s children have been exposed to the traumatic experiences of war, the consequences of which will last a lifetime.
Obtaining food has become almost surreal, with the ongoing hunger crisis in the central and southern regions of the Strip. The Israeli blockade continues to prevent aid and goods from entering, while thieves and bandits target the few supply trucks that are allowed through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
For weeks, both children and adults have gone to bed hungry.
Securing bread and food has become increasingly difficult amidst relentless starvation and a tight blockade, coupled with ongoing mass killings.
For many Gazans, hunger has become the deadliest weapon.
According to reports, a severe humanitarian crisis is sweeping through the central and southern regions, where nearly two-thirds of the population has been forcibly displaced under the pretense of ‘safety’.
The situation has been exacerbated by the six-months closure of the Rafah crossing. United Nations and human rights reports confirm that the basic essentials are missing from Gaza’s markets, such as flour and vegetables, signalling the onset of a real famine.
The absence of flour, a staple in every Palestinian household, has further darkened the scene.
The price of flour has skyrocketed to over $150 per sack, making it unaffordable for most residents.
People now wait over six hours in long lines at the few bakeries that remain, just to get a small quantity of bread.
These scenes are nothing short of tragic.
The shortage of flour and its exorbitant price is accompanied by a sharp rise in the cost of vegetables and fruits.
A kilo of tomatoes now costs $20, potatoes $30, cucumbers $10, and courgettes $10 – a situation Gazans describe as ‘Parisian prices’ and completely unaffordable under their dire conditions.
Mahmoud Al-Astal, a 55-year-old resident, described to the Palestine Information Centre (PIC) his daily struggle to find bread for his children while living in a tattered tent in Khan Yunis.
He expressed disbelief at the $15 price for a single loaf of bread.
‘We can’t even afford bread. How can we manage anything else? We’re starving, freezing, and being bombarded daily.’
Al-Astal told how for weeks, he has gone to bed hungry to ensure his children get what little food is available.
‘I can endure hunger, but what about the children? Many nights, they fall asleep starving,’ he added, reflecting the plight of thousands in Gaza.
Another resident, Mahmoud Al-Haddad, recounted a similar struggle.
When he went out to buy bread, he found a single loaf priced at over $15, forcing him to settle for a few falafel patties.
‘We ate the falafel without bread and went to bed half-full. This is our daily reality – figuring out what we can eat and how to manage,’ – vegetables like tomatoes have been absent from his family’s diet for four months due to their high prices.
Abdel Qader Al-Masoubi, a former taxi driver who lost his home and livelihood in Khan Younis during the invasion, told the PIC he can no longer afford essentials like flour.
He accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon after failing to achieve its goals in the ongoing war.
UN agencies have frequently accused Israel of employing starvation as a brutal weapon against Gaza’s population by depriving them of life’s necessities.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, consumer prices in Gaza increased sharply by 19.84% in October compared to September.
The spike in the cost of living is attributed to the scarcity of goods due to Israel’s ongoing blockade and targeted attacks on markets and commercial facilities.
For instance, the average price of basic goods like flour, vegetables, and cooking oil has reached unprecedented levels.
Olive oil is priced at 71 NIS/kg, tomatoes at 99 NIS/kg, and eggs at 189 NIS/2 kg.
Such prices are far beyond the means of most families in Gaza, where unemployment and displacement are rampant.
The closure of crossings has deepened the crisis. Only 20 to 30 trucks are allowed into Gaza daily, half of which are stolen by gangs reportedly protected by Israeli forces.
As a result, prices have soared due to increased demand and limited supply.
According to Ismail Al-Thawabteh, Director of the Government Media Office, millions of displaced Gazans are now relying on scant aid, often receiving just half a meal every three days.
Additionally, 3,500 children under five urgently need baby formula and therapeutic food, which remain unavailable, leading to rising child mortality rates.
The World Food Programme has warned that food supplies in central and southern Gaza are running out, while efforts to deliver humanitarian aid are nearing collapse.
The blockade and restrictions have left nearly two million displaced people in desperate need of assistance, with hunger and suffering intensifying every day.
- Makeshift tents and homes housing thousands of displaced Gazans were severely damaged in heavy rainfall on Sunday.
Tens of thousands now face even harsher living conditions after their bedding and belongings were ruined.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence warns that they face an even greater risk if the low-lying areas are flooded with rainwater in the midst of waste pile-up and sewage overflow because of the Israel occupation army’s widespread destruction of infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.
Rescue teams reported significant damage to tents, particularly in the Yarmouk displacement camp, Gaza City’s municipal park, the al-Shati refugee camp, and some schools used as shelter centres.
Damage also occurred in areas in southern and central Gaza such as Wadi al-Dumaitha in Khan Younis, Wadi al-Salqa, the vicinity of al-Amal neighbourhood, the grounds of al-Aqsa University, the Shakoush area in Rafah, and the coastline of Deir al-Balah.
- The total number of arrests in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is now over 11,800, according to a statement by the Commission of Detainees Affairs, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.
Since October 7th, 2023, there have been near-daily Israeli raids, the groups report there are:
- 11,000 people in administrative detention (held without trial or charge);
- 136 journalists who have been arrested, 59 of whom remain in detention;
• at least 775 children and 435 women who have been detained;
• 45 detainees who have died in Israeli prisons and military camps.
The highest number of arrests were carried out in Hebron and Jerusalem.
The numbers do not include detentions of Gaza residents, which are estimated in the thousands.
‘Detentions have been accompanied by escalated crimes and violations such as humiliation, brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, vandalism and confiscation of property, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure especially in the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Jenin,’ the groups said.
