UN food supplies are running low after a protracted Israeli blockade, putting Gaza at a breaking point

WFP warns that as Israel’s embargo reaches its seventh week without respite, food kitchens in Gaza will run out in a matter of days. 

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has declared that all of its food supplies in the Gaza Strip have been used up, as Israel’s seven-week-long embargo continues to impede the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

In a warning, the WFP said, “Today, WFP delivered its last remaining food stocks to hot meals kitchens.” “In the upcoming days, these kitchens are anticipated to run completely out of food.”

The siege, which has been in place since March 2 after a two-month ceasefire broke down, has prevented vital supplies from entering the country. Two weeks later, Israel started its military offensive again, claiming that the goal of the current campaign is to put pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages.

The United Nations asserts that Israel is still bound by international humanitarian law to guarantee the provision of necessities to the 2.1 million inhabitants of Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, insists it is following international law and disputes any aid deficit.

Rapid escalation has occurred in the food crisis. A shortage of cooking fuel and wheat flour forced the closure of all 25 WFP-supported bakeries at the end of March. Additionally, the food packets that were previously given to families, which included rations for two weeks, have run out.

Food is only one aspect of the crisis, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In addition, there is a severe lack of fuel, medical supplies, and medication in Gaza, which is making hospitals overburdened with patients killed by continuous Israeli shelling. The production and distribution of water have also been severely hampered by the absence of fuel, increasing the risks to public health.

According to the WFP, the present blockade is the longest closure Gaza has ever seen, making the already precarious markets worse. The cost of food has increased by as much as 1,400% since the ceasefire. The elderly, pregnant and lactating women, and children under five are among the vulnerable categories that confront severe dietary issues.

Hot meal kitchens have been a lifeline, but today they only serve 25% of daily food needs and only reach half of the population.

“People are running out of ways to cope as the situation inside the Gaza Strip has once again reached a breaking point,” the WFP said. “The WFP may have to cease its vital assistance if immediate steps are not taken to open borders for trade and aid to enter.”

The agency warned that the tenuous gains won during the previous truce will be undone and asked all parties to put civilian welfare first and permit the quick introduction of humanitarian aid.

A million people might be fed for up to four months with the more than 116,000 tonnes of food that are being stored at assistance corridors while Gaza’s border crossings are reopened.

The blockade has been more strongly condemned internationally. This week, in a rare unified statement, the UK, France, and Germany called the blockade “intolerable” and called for its termination. In response, Israel’s foreign ministry defended its stance, pointing out that during the ceasefire, more than 25,000 trucks brought in about 450,000 tonnes of aid through Gaza. It said that aid had been redirected to help Hamas regain its military capabilities.

Humanitarian assistance theft has been repeatedly denied by Hamas. A “very good chain of custody” is maintained over all supplies, according to the UN, which has also defended its distribution methods.

Attempts to reinstate a truce have stagnated in the interim. A six-week truce and the release of ten captives were part of an Israeli plan that Hamas rejected last week, which also included disarmament. Hamas reaffirmed its demand that all hostages be released in exchange for a permanent peace and Israel’s complete disengagement.