Bread is scarce in Gaza due to bombings and its price skyrockets

2023-11-17 14:50:07

In the Gaza Strip, one of the last wheat warehouses was severely damaged by Israeli bombing and bread, a staple food for its inhabitants, is becoming increasingly scarce.

42 days have passed since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, triggered on October 7 by the Islamist movement’s attack on Israeli soil, which left 1,200 dead in Israel – mostly civilians – according to authorities; and the Khan Yunis flour factory in the south is no longer operating.

With reserves of 3,000 tons of wheat, it is one of the most important in this coastal Palestinian territory. But its warehouse was partially destroyed and the plant has stopped operating due to lack of fuel.

“If the Red Cross does not get the Israelis to allow us to make the necessary repairs, we will have to stop working,” Abdelnasser al Ajami, president of the bakers’ association, told AFP.

The upper floor of the warehouse was hit by bombing early Thursday morning and AFP was unable to verify the state of its stock.

Apparently, the day before, the Al Salam flour factory, in Deir al Balah (center of the Strip), was destroyed by another attack, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Of the five wheat mills in the Gaza Strip, at least two have been affected by Israeli bombings that, since October 7, have caused 11,500 deaths – mostly civilians, two-thirds of whom were women and children. , according to the Hamas government.

– Tensions in the market –

According to the UN, the 2.4 million Gazans face an “immediate” risk of famine, amid the “total siege” to which Israel subjects them.

There is almost no water or electricity left, there is very little food and the supplies of medicine have practically run out. Only 1,139 trucks with humanitarian aid from Egypt have arrived in the small territory, of which 447 were transporting food, according to the UN.

With this, only “7% of the population’s minimum daily caloric needs are covered,” estimates the World Food Program (WFP).

The few bags of flour available are already sold at a golden price, up to 180 euros ($195).

There are still about 2,000 tons of wheat left by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which would be equivalent – according to that organization – to about 370 tons of flour, that is, five or six days of supply before it runs out. the total stock.

The UN agency explained to AFP that it works with more than 80 bakeries in the Strip, but all those in the north are stopped and only 63 continue to operate, in the center and in the south, although many do not operate 100% due to to the lack of gas and electricity.

The largest bakery, located in Gaza City, ceased operations on Tuesday because an Israeli bombardment destroyed its solar panels. The hungry inhabitants rushed to the flour reserves.

– Raw onions and eggplants –

Since the war began, lines usually form in front of the bakeries from dawn and, even so, there are many times when customers do not get enough bread to feed the whole family.

Furthermore, OCHA adds, during the five hours, on average, that it takes to be attended to, residents are “exposed to aerial bombardments.”

The American NGO Mercy Corps reported that there have been times when its teams in Gaza have had to spend up to $30 for five loaves of Arab bread.

Every grocery store has empty shelves and many have signs reading “no bread left” or “no yeast left.”

In the 154 shelters they manage, where 813,000 displaced people live, UNRWA and WFP also directly distribute the bread produced in their partner establishments. But, according to UNRWA, most of the trucks used for this delivery already lack fuel.

This being the case, many inhabitants have started making their own bread.

In the south, where a good part of the 1.65 million displaced people live, two bonfires lit with dry branches and charcoal, in front of the houses, bear witness to this.

However, in many areas of the territory it is now impossible to find flour, water and salt, warns OCHA, noting that Gazans are being forced to “give up or reduce their meals” or “resort to cooking methods that are harmful to health.” “.

There are those who now only eat “raw onions and eggplants,” denounces the UN office.