Israel stopped entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza from every direction shortly after the Hamas attack
Among the raging conflicts and unprecedented loss of life in Gaza, there is another large crisis emerging in place. The people of Gaza are running out of food and water and ways of getting them. Gaza is starving.
On October 9, 2023, Israel announced a total siege on Gaza. The state blocked the entry of food, fuel and water into the coastal territory as a response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. As a result, people from one of the most densely populated regions in the world were left struggling for food and water.
World Food Day, celebrated on the 16th of October every year, was established to fight this struggle and leave no one behind. The humanitarian crisis of basic needs in Gaza is a long-standing issue that has exacerbated into an emergency due to the ongoing attacks.
According to the World Food Programme, about 80 per cent of the population in Gaza was in need of humanitarian aid before the bombings began. Thousands of years of conflict in the region have also degraded the land, making it nearly impossible for Gaza to produce its own food supply. Thus, the vast majority of the food supply is “highly dependent” on imports.
Shortly after the Hamas attack, Israel stopped entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza from every direction. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on October 12 that crucial supplies were running dangerously low in the Gaza Strip.
Drinking water and sanitation is also a major concern. With about 2.4 million people packed into just 140 square miles, Gaza doesn't have surface water bodies. This has left the use of groundwater the only viable option.
Over the years, this has led to major groundwater depletion and contamination. Only about four per cent of the water extracted from the aquifer is considered safe to drink.
As the power supply to Gaza was shut down by the Israeli state, infrastructure including water treatment and transit halted, making things even more complicated.
The people of Gaza are heavily reliant on external help to sustain their daily lives. Even before the latest attack, the UN agency was providing food assistance to some 350,000 Palestinians monthly.
Right after the bombing in Gaza began, the World Food Programme provided 73,000 people with ready-to-eat canned food. The next day, that number jumped to 175,000 people.
However, the immediate seizing of activities by Israel, the shortage of funds and the unsafe environment are taking humanitarian aid out of Gaza. Organisations including the UN, Red Cross and the the World Food Programme are seeking a humanitarian corridor to allow supplies into Gaza as well as funding to arrange aid.
As the world celebrates its 2023 Food Day, the hungry people in Gaza are running out of time.
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