Egypt Daily News – The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza has reached an unbearable threshold. Over 110 Palestinians, including more than 80 children, have died from hunger in recent weeks, according to local health officials cited by The Independent. As the siege tightens and supplies dwindle, desperate residents are bartering personal belongings, even gold for a few handfuls of flour.
The crisis is exacerbated by Israel’s severe restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the territory. Following an 11-week full blockade earlier this year, only a trickle of aid trucks is permitted to cross daily an amount that United Nations officials say is “a drop in the ocean” compared to what is urgently needed.
The starvation gripping the enclave is forcing civilians to make impossible choices. Many risk their lives approaching aid convoys, only to be met with gunfire. Eyewitnesses and health sources report that hundreds have been killed while trying to access food from the limited trucks allowed in, prompting widespread international condemnation even among Israel’s allies.
In an emotional interview with The Independent, 70-year-old Gaza resident Wageeh Al-Najjar, a father and grandfather responsible for a household of 13, described daily life as a struggle to survive. “We live in constant hunger and suffering,” he said. “Prices have gone mad. No employed or unemployed citizen in Gaza can afford them anymore.”
Najjar said the price of flour a basic necessity has soared from 35 shekels (around £7.70) to 180 shekels (approximately £39.80) per kilogram. He has lost more than a quarter of his body weight, now weighing just 62 kilograms, and says even one proper meal a day has become a luxury. “What about the children? They need to eat three times a day. I can’t give them even one,” he added.
With what little bread remained, Najjar split it among his grandchildren, but it wasn’t enough. “We’re all hungry. We barely speak anymore of sugar, it’s reached nearly $100 per kilo. Even vegetables and fruit are now beyond the reach of most families.”
Across Gaza, scenes of despair echo his experience. Hana Al-Madhoun, a 40-year-old mother, said families are parting with jewelry, often their last valuable possessions just to buy flour. “Flour is life,” she said. “It’s the foundation of every meal. But it’s rare and prohibitively expensive.”
The rising hunger levels come during the 21st month of Israel’s military campaign on Gaza. According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 60,000 people have been killed since the war began. Meanwhile, aid organizations are warning of imminent mass starvation. Over 100 humanitarian and rights groups issued a joint appeal on Wednesday, calling for immediate and unhindered delivery of food, medicine, and essentials.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces have continued deadly operations, including the killing of two Palestinian teenagers Ahmad Al-Salah, 15, and Mohammad Khaled Ayyan Issa, 17 adding to the toll of violence across the Palestinian territories.
In Gaza, fear of famine is no longer a theoretical concern it is daily reality. Ihab Abdullah, a 43-year-old university lecturer and father of nine, says each night he lies awake asking himself how he will feed his children the next day. “I can endure hunger, but what about them?”
“Even if we had money, we couldn’t find food. The markets are empty. I walk miles just to find a kilogram of lentils or beans. I need at least $100 a day to buy lentils, which now cost $30 per kilo and then there’s firewood.”
Younis Abu Ouda, a 32-year-old displaced man living in a tent, likened the experience to being “locked in a chicken coop and starved.” He spoke of a multi-layered war not just military, but psychological, climatic, and humanitarian. “This is a war of extermination. A war of hunger. A war of tents. A war of sun and heat.”
The collective message from residents is clear: this is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is a man-made catastrophe, one that requires urgent global action.
“We call on the world to move now,” said Najjar, his voice breaking. “Let the aid in. Don’t let our children die. Even the food we do eat isn’t nourishing, we’re all malnourished. We’re fading.”
