In Deir al-Balah, a flock of people are desperate to buy bread, and in the north of Gaza, hundreds more Palestinians flee as Israel’s offensive continues.
Long lines formed outside a bakery in Deir al-Balah, a flock of people, with arms outstretched, desperate to buy a bag of bread. Gaza is faced with severe shortages of flour and fuel as the war rages on, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that all bakeries in central Gaza had shut down due to severe supply shortages and insufficient aid reaching the area.
Last month, the organisation reported that nearly two million people in Gaza faced “extremely critical” levels of hunger, and warned that the risk of famine would persist “unless fighting stops and more humanitarian aid reaches families”
“Nearly two million people in Gaza still face the risk of famine, and that risk will persist unless all border crossings remain open and aid continues to reach those in need,” Antoine Renard, Palestine Country Director of the WFP, said.
In a statement issued by the United Nations, deputy spokesperson for the UN’s Secretary General, Farhan Haq said “bread is a lifeline for many families in Gaza; it’s often the only food they can access. Now, even that is slipping out of reach.”
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned for the worsening nutrition situation across Gaza, as acute malnutrition continues to rise across Gaza.
Hundreds more Palestinians flee from northern Gaza
Hundreds of Palestinians continue to flee from the war-ravaged northern Gaza, where the Israeli military launched a new offensive two months ago after claiming Hamas had regrouped. The United Nations estimated that up to 131,000 people fled the area, with up to 75,000 remaining.
The siege has isolated Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and the Jabaliya refugee camp, allowing almost no humanitarian aid to reach the area.
Food security experts previously warned that famine is imminent. Earlier this month, The Famine Review Committee said that “famine thresholds may have already been crossed or else will be in the near future.”
In a written statement, Oxfam said Israel blocked the NGO and other humanitarian organisations from delivering life-saving aid to the north of Gaza, leaving around 50-75,000 people without access to food, water or power.
“Israel is in the late stages of ethnic cleansing of the North Gaza governorate,” the international organisation against poverty said.
An Oxfam employee said “the north is cut off – Jabalia, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun – there is only chaos and confusion, hunger and death.”
Oxfam warned that “Israel escalated its military siege” since the 6th of October, and that there have been no fully completed UN food missions into the north of Gaza since.
They said “across the entirety of Gaza, including the south, an average of 37 trucks of aid entered each day last month and 69 a day in the first week of November. Before 7 October, 500 trucks a day of aid and commercial items used to cross into Gaza.”
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal quiets one front but Gaza sees no end to war
Many Palestinians hoped the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah would have induced a truce in Gaza as well, but many fear that the agreement means the Israeli military can now return their full focus onto Gaza.
The families of people kidnapped by Hamas militants, who stormed Israel on October 7th in 2023, also found the deal lacking.
“We feel this is a missed opportunity to tie in the hostages in this agreement that was signed today,” said Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay Chen, was taken hostage and has been declared dead.
Although they are heavily intertwined, Israel’s goals differ in Lebanon and Gaza.
In Lebanon, Israel’s aim has been to drive Hezbollah forces away from the border. This was effectively agreed upon in the confirmed ceasefire deal. In Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Hamas must be competely destroyed and that Israel must retain control over parts of the territory.
Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages. Last week, the US vetoed a UN resolution that called for a ceasefire in Gaza, and claimed it lacked the release of the hostages as a condition.
