Gaza Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger Crisis, Donated Food Found For Sale In Markets

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has raised serious concerns over the risk of famine increasing every day in Gaza. The enclave’s entire population is suffering “catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity”, the monitor said last week.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling for improved humanitarian assistance for Gaza. But UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded alarm over Israel’s offensive creating massive obstacles to the distribution of aid.

Gazans Finding Donated Items For Sale In Markets

In fact, the World Food Programme has also said it is becoming increasingly difficult to assist Gazans due to intensified fighting, amid food becoming scarce and expensive as well as fuel for cooking becoming immensely hard to find.

Many of Gaza’s residents are venting their frustrations on social media. A can of beans and a couple of biscuits is all that many Palestinians say is being given to families to live on, if they receive aid at all, and that they are finding donated items for sale in the markets.

The lack of supplies and high prices has got worse in the past few days. Food supplies have been limited because of a siege imposed by Israel since the October 7 Hamas assault and only limited aid has entered the territory through the Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt.

Dina Safi, who described her family as upper middle class, said because they have money they can survive for a couple of weeks, the Guardian reported. But she noted that most aid seemed to be delivered to evacuation shelters amid many displaced people living elsewhere.

Food and Fuel Shortages, Interruptions, No Safety

Meanwhile, a Palestinian, seeking anonymity, said relief supplies have not been distributed fairly to everyone and that some people have been taking more than their share and selling it. They also accused Hamas-run authorities of not fairly distributing aid.

Read More: Is The New UN Resolution On Gaza A Game Changer?

A WFP spokesperson highlighted difficulties to their operations, underscoring the lack of food supplies and fuel, interruptions to communications and no safety. The UN agency said it has reached 760,000 people with aid over the past couple of weeks.