Aid deliveries do little to alleviate Gaza hunger crisis
Inside their small apartment in Gaza City this week, Marah Zant and 12 of her relatives had very little food left to eat, just some rice, lentils and a single can of fava beans that they were trying to stretch out for three days. The plan: eat one, very small meal a day.
Then they heard that several trucks carrying food aid had entered Gaza for the first time in more than two months. But that news, too, turned into disappointment.
'We didn't see a single thing," said Zant, 21, who lives in the Sheikh Radwan area of the city. 'No one around us received anything either."
After mounting U.S. and global pressure, Israel on Monday allowed a limited amount of food aid into war-ravaged Gaza after enforcing a humanitarian aid blockade since early March. But ordinary Palestinians and international aid agencies say not enough of it is getting in. On Tuesday, Israel permitted another 100 trucks to enter. The United Nations says at least 500 a day are needed if a worsening humanitarian disaster is to be averted.
Palestinian children wait for a hot meal at a refugee camp in central Gaza.
Aid groups have for weeks warned that Gaza's roughly two million residents are facing severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and clean water as stockpiles brought in during a fragile cease-fire earlier this year run out. Nearly three in five families can't find bread or fresh food and child malnutrition is sharply rising, says the International Rescue Committee. Nearly half a million people in Gaza already face starvation, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership, a global hunger watchdog, said last week.
'The decision to allow limited food aid to enter Gaza barely scratches the surface of what is needed," said Zoe Daniels, the IRC's Gaza chief. She said Gazans need 'consistent, sustained access to all essential supplies—not just food and medicine, but also water, fuel, and hygiene items. Without this, humanitarian operations cannot function."
In early March, Israel banned the entry of all aid, medicines and other goods into the Gaza Strip after talks to extend the cease-fire stalled. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government says Hamas steals aid and uses it to support its war effort, which the U.S.-designated terrorist group denies.
A U.S.-backed aid distribution plan, supported by Israel, is in the works to resume delivering aid from distribution sites across Gaza. Eden Bar Tal, director general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Monday that those distribution sites should be operating in a matter of days.
The task of getting aid to the people who need it is being complicated by Israel's latest ground and air offensive, adding pressure on Hamas and ordinary Gazans.
On Monday, following airstrikes that killed scores of people, Israel ordered residents in the southern city of Khan Younis to evacuate ahead of an 'unprecedented attack." That triggered hundreds of residents to take to the streets to denounce Hamas and urge an end to the war. It was the latest sign of a grassroots movement that is defying Hamas.
In other areas, many fled their shelters. Sharif al-Sheikh, a 42-year-old father of two, was displaced for the fifth time since the war began following Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hundreds of people have been killed in airstrikes since Friday and more than 53,000 Palestinians have died since the start of the war, according to Gazan health authorities, though their figures don't say how many were combatants.
On Tuesday, Sheikh and his family, which included 10 more relatives, were hungry and once again without shelter.
'My wife and I haven't eaten anything for three days," he said. 'My wife gives me bread, but I refuse to eat it. I leave it for the children." The markets have some food, but prices have soared out of his reach, he said.
Israel's blockade of Gaza has also meant commercial border crossings have been closed for more than two months. This has resulted in the price of food available in markets rising dramatically—a pack of pasta, for example, is now 35 times what it was before the blockade, according to residents, at around nearly $10 each.
Sheikh frequents some of the handful of soup kitchens still operating, often queuing for hours. But even those kitchens are dwindling. In late April, the U.N.'s World Food Program said its food stocks for the kitchens were nearly exhausted.
Displaced Palestinians collect cooked food from a community food kitchen.
Every morning, in front of Farah Elhelo's building in Gaza City's Tal Al Hawa neighborhood, hungry crowds arrive at a soup kitchen, clutching pots and plastic bags. By noon, the lentils and beans have run out, the line collapses and fights erupt.
On Monday, Elhelo heard screams and rushed to her window. 'I saw the crowd pushing, and I saw a child fall head first into one of the cooking pots," she recalled. 'Each day, someone gets burned…hands, feet from the chaos."
Despite their dire situation, Marah Zant felt relatively fortunate for the small stockpile of food she had. Many families in her building scrounge for food every day.
'Some houses around us are completely empty," she said. 'People are splitting pieces of bread like treasure. If someone has any, they hide it from others for fear of being envied."
Children, weakened by hunger, have stopped playing in her building. She's seen mothers dipping bread in water to make their children feel sated.
'Instead of working or continuing my life, I'm counting how many meals we have left to see if we'll survive the week," she added.
Write to Sudarsan Raghavan at sudarsan.raghavan@wsj.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
15 hours ago
- New Indian Express
How Israeli strikes dealt a serious blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions
The IAEA's chief, Rafael Grossi, told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the above-ground part of the plant where uranium was enriched up to 60% was destroyed, along with electrical infrastructure, including a substation, the main electric power supply building, the emergency power supply and backup generators. Grossi said there were no changes to radiation levels following the attack or any indication of damage to the underground section of the plant. That part of the facility is buried to protect it from airstrikes and contains the bulk of Natanz's enrichment facilities, with 10,000 centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 5%, Albright said. However, Grossi said, the loss of power may have damaged centrifuges. There is a good chance the strikes still caused 'massive damage," Hinz said because many of the centrifuges were probably operating at the time of the strike. Centrifuges, Albright said, 'don't like vibration," and the shock waves or loss of power could break delicate parts when they are rotating at high speed. What about the Fordo nuclear site? Most of Iran's centrifuges are in Natanz, the experts said, because a lot of them are required to enrich uranium to 5% — which is the maximum level normally used for nuclear-fueled power stations. But, buried under a huge mountain at Fordo, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is another nuclear facility where Iran is also enriching uranium to 60%, which is only a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. According to the IAEA, Tehran has the largest number of its most powerful centrifuges at Fordo. An Iranian news outlet close to the government reported Friday that two explosions were heard near the Fordo site. But, while Israel could potentially hit the entrance to Fordo and temporarily block access, it is not believed to have the type of earth-penetrating bombs required to blow up the mountain and crack open the nuclear facility inside, Hinz said. That capacity lies with the U.S., which has developed a massive bomb that can be dropped only from large aircraft that Israel does not have in service, he said. The potential for more strikes loomed large. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the attacks will continue 'for as many days at it takes to remove this threat.' Hinz said the attacks showed Israeli intelligence had 'absolutely exceptional' knowledge of Iran's nuclear program and the ability to strike at key targets 'with precision.' That could mean Israel could sabotage the plant, rather than trying to blast the mountain open. Albright suggested Israel could try to cut off electricity to Fordo, which could lead to centrifuges breaking. Is there risk from radiation? Although Grossi said part of the enrichment facility at Natanz was destroyed, he noted that radiation levels had not spiked. Even if radiation did leak, experts said, the amount would be unlikely to pose a risk to people in the region or even those near the facilities that got hit. 'Very little uranium will be released in these kind of attacks,' Albright said. Uranium itself is not especially toxic, he said, and is common in parts of the environment. A person standing near an enrichment facility with a leak would probably be exposed to no more radiation than someone who took several transatlantic flights, which receive slightly higher radiation because radiation doses are larger at high altitudes, he said. In order to become sick, someone would have to ingest large quantities of uranium, Albright said, pointing out that the element can be found naturally in seawater and the earth's crust. Rather than radiation, the greater risk might be from fluorine, which is used to enrich uranium and could have been deadly to those nearby if released during an attack. Fluorine is mixed with the uranium during enrichment to turn it into a gas called uranium hexafluoride. It is extremely volatile, will quickly corrode and can burn the skin. It is especially deadly if inhaled.
NDTV
3 days ago
- NDTV
World Day Against Child Labour 2025: Why June 12 Matters For Children's Rights
Every year on June 12, World Day Against Child Labour is observed to raise global awareness about the exploitation of children and to urge collective action to eliminate it. The day focuses on drawing attention to the plight of children who are forced into labor instead of receiving an education. Child labour refers to children under 14 being made to work in homes, shops, farms, factories, and other areas, often due to poverty, pressure, or exploitation. The day serves as a reminder of our shared responsibility to ensure every child has access to education, safety, and a healthy upbringing. Despite progress, millions of children continue to work under harmful conditions, impacting their mental and physical well-being. As part of the day's awareness campaign, experts have also warned about child nutrition safety, emphasising caution in feeding certain fruits like litchi to young children. Prevalence of child labour According to the United Nations, Africa ranks highest among regions both in the percentage of children in child labour - one-fifth - and the absolute number of children in child labour - 72 million. Asia and the Pacific ranks second highest in both these measures - 7% of all children and 62 million in absolute terms are in child labour in this region. Of the 138 million children in child labour, 54 million work in hazardous conditions, including mines. Africa, Asia, and the Pacific regions together account for almost nine out of every ten children in child labour worldwide. The remaining child labour population is divided among the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million). In terms of incidence, 5% of children are in child labour in the Americas, 4% in Europe and Central Asia, and 3% in the Arab States.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
‘Far too many still toiling': 138 million children working in factories and fields; UN says end could take ‘hundreds of years'
AI-generated image The United Nations said on Wednesday that around 138 million children around the world are still working in factories and fields. Given the slow pace of progress, the organisation has warned that eliminating child labour could take 'hundreds of years. ' Nearly 40 per cent of these children were reported to be engaged in hazardous work in 2024, according to the report. Progress has been especially slow among younger children, with around 80 million kids aged between 5 and 11 found to be working. Countries worldwide had pledged to end child labour by the end of 2025 under the Sustainable Development Goals. But in a joint report, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said, 'That timeline has now come to an end. But child labor has not.' Unicef chief Catherine Russell noted that while there has been 'significant progress' in reducing the rate at which child labour is growing, 'far too many children continue to toil in mines, factories or fields, often doing hazardous work to survive.' According to data published annually, 137.6 million children aged 5–17 were engaged in child labour last year, about 7.8 per cent of all children in that age group. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free Solitaire. No Ads Ever. Play Solitaire Download Undo This figure is roughly double the entire population of France. However, this also reflects a significant drop since 2000, when 246 million children, mostly from impoverished families, were forced to work. After a worrying increase between 2016 and 2020, the trend has now reversed, with 20 million fewer children in the workforce. The report finds that the agricultural sector employs the largest number of children, followed by domestic work and other services. According to Unicef expert Claudia Cappa, measures such as free compulsory education and universal social protection can be effective in safeguarding children.
