Three gaunt children sift through trash heaps on a rubble-strewn corner in central Gaza, joining dozens of civilians desperate to find stray bits of food aid that fell from a recent humanitarian convoy. This scene, captured by local photojournalist Mahmoud Bassam, has become distressingly common across the besieged territory where over 2.2 million Palestinians face what UN officials now describe as “full-blown famine conditions” in northern areas.
“We wait for hours when we hear aid trucks might come,” explains Umm Khalil, a 43-year-old mother of five I interviewed via secure messaging app from her temporary shelter in Deir al-Balah. “Sometimes people grab what they can from moving vehicles. My children haven’t eaten meat in four months. We boil grass when we can find it.”
The humanitarian catastrophe has accelerated dramatically since January, with the World Food Programme reporting that 93% of Gaza’s population faces crisis levels of food insecurity. The war that began after Hamas’ October 7 attack has destroyed much of Gaza’s food production and distribution infrastructure, with the UN estimating that 60% of agricultural land has been rendered unusable through military operations.
In Khan Younis last week, I witnessed hundreds of people swarm a rare food distribution point, resulting in at least three injuries as crowds pressed forward. “They dropped some flour packages from the trucks, and people began fighting over them,” recounted Ibrahim Saleh, a 32-year-old teacher whose family has been displaced three times. “My neighbor’s son was beaten trying to get a single bag of rice.”
The Israeli military maintains it has increased humanitarian aid access, citing the opening of additional crossing points including Kerem Shalom. However, aid organizations report that bureaucratic hurdles, security threats, and continued fighting severely restrict delivery capacity. Physicians for Human Rights documented 32 children admitted to remaining functional hospitals with malnutrition-related conditions last week alone.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, speaking from Gaza, described seeing “children drinking from puddles and eating animal feed.” The agency’s nutritional screening found that acute malnutrition rates among children under five have more than doubled since January, with severe cases increasing exponentially in northern areas where fighting has been most intense.
Food insecurity has been compounded by catastrophic water shortages. The Gaza water authority reports that only 12% of pre-war water infrastructure remains operational, forcing most residents to survive on less than 3 liters per day – far below the 50-liter humanitarian minimum standard. Without clean water, foodborne illness spreads rapidly, particularly among vulnerable populations already weakened by hunger.
Economic factors exacerbate the crisis. Market monitoring by Oxfam shows staple food prices have increased by over 400% since October. When food is available, most families cannot afford it. The collapse of banking systems means even those with savings cannot access funds. “My husband had a good job before,” says Umm Khalil. “Now our life savings are trapped in a bank we cannot reach, while we beg for food.”
Aid workers describe increasingly dangerous conditions for deliveries. “Our convoys face hours of delays at checkpoints, sometimes being turned back entirely,” explains Médecins Sans Frontières logistics coordinator Pierre Laurent. “When we do get through, crowds become desperate. You cannot blame people who haven’t eaten properly in weeks.”
The World Food Programme suspended deliveries to northern Gaza multiple times due to security concerns, though limited operations have resumed. Their assessment found that households are adopting “extreme coping strategies” including skipping meals for days, consuming pet food, and foraging in contaminated areas.
Palestinian health officials report at least 17 confirmed deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, though the actual number is likely higher as many cases go undocumented in collapsed healthcare facilities. Particularly vulnerable are pregnant women, with UNFPA reporting a 300% increase in premature births associated with maternal malnutrition.
Perhaps most troubling is the long-term outlook. Agricultural experts warn that even if fighting ended immediately, Gaza’s food production capacity has been so severely damaged that dependency on humanitarian aid would continue for years. Approximately 70% of fishing boats have been destroyed, and farmers cannot access fields near the border areas where much of Gaza’s limited arable land exists.
“This isn’t just about immediate hunger,” explains Dr. Samia Al-Botmeh, an economist specializing in development under occupation. “We’re witnessing the destruction of food sovereignty that will impact generations. Even surviving children face developmental damage from these prolonged periods of malnutrition.”
International pressure has mounted for increased humanitarian access. Last month, the United States announced plans for a temporary pier to deliver aid by sea, though aid organizations question whether such measures can meet the massive need on the ground. Meanwhile, air-dropped aid packages have provided limited relief but cannot replace the volume needed through land corridors.
As night falls in Gaza City, families like Umm Khalil’s prepare what little they have – often just a thin soup of water with whatever grain or vegetable scraps they’ve managed to find. “The children cry from hunger before sleeping,” she says. “I tell them tomorrow may bring food, but I no longer believe it myself.”
