Gaza people surviving on canned food as fresh produce ‘rotting’ at border

Since Israel’s blockade of crucial humanitarian aid began ten days ago, Palestinians in Gaza have reported surviving on canned food while the UN relief chief warns fresh produce is “rotting” at Gaza’s shuttered border.

All entry points into Gaza were closed to cargo, according to Tom Fletcher, OCHA’s chief of humanitarian affairs, according to a statement from the UN Security Council.

The international community must act as quickly as it can to uphold international humanitarian law, he continued. “International humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate attacks, obstructing life-saving aid, the destruction of infrastructure essential for civilians’ survival, and hostage-taking.

All gates to Gaza are closed. Food is rotting at the border. The prescription for medicine is over. The vital medical equipment is malfunctioning. The international community must take action to uphold the fundamental principles of humanitarian law if they continue to be valid. pic. twitter.com/mQkyexZYvi

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that it only had “5,700 tonnes of food stocks left in Gaza, enough to support WFP operations for a maximum of two weeks,” according to Fletcher’s comments.

A 25kg (55lb) bag of wheat flour is now costing up to $50, which is “400% higher than pre-March 18 prices,” according to the organization.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been making announcements since the beginning of March that no food and aid could enter Gaza until Hamas extended the terms of the January ceasefire agreement.

The Palestinian organization, however, has pushed for the second stage, which would put an end to the conflict and force the Israeli troops to leave Gaza.

“Canned food”

Food items are only available at a market in Jabalia, northern Gaza, and cost-effective vegetables.

Vegetable seller Mustafa Homaid claimed that the market is “almost empty” because of the excessive cost of goods.

The price of a kilogram (2. 2 pounds) of tomatoes has tripled. I can’t really afford to buy my family’s groceries. You can picture how others are doing, Homaid said.

The increase in prices has meant his family hasn’t had fresh meat “for more than a year” for Ahmed Balosha, a child who fled to Jabalia.

“We can only get some bread and cheese and canned food to survive.” He claimed that that is all.

Gaza is still incredibly vulnerable to Israeli attacks despite the worsening food crisis.

Nearly 900 Palestinians have died since Israel resumed its occupation on March 18, which adds to the total number of fatalities since the conflict started on October 7, 2021.