Opinion: After months of deprivation, sugar reminds me why I'm fighting to be here

Middle East Eye

6 days ago

After more than five months of a near-total closure of Gaza's borders, leading to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians from starvation or malnutrition, Israel has finally allowed a small number of merchants to bring limited goods into Gaza.
This week, we awoke to find food items on market shelves that had been absent for five months.
The scenes were surreal. People stood before crates of sugar, pressed dates and feta cheese as if seeing them for the first time in their lives. Some reached out cautiously to touch them and inquire about prices, while others simply stared, uncertain whether this was real or some cruel illusion.
These were not luxuries. They were the most basic of staples, but after months of crushing starvation and relentless deprivation, they might as well have been treasures.
In the first phase of starvation, when vegetables, beans and rice disappeared, many families relied on 'tea fattah' - pieces of bread soaked in tea and eaten as the main meal of the day.
fter more than five months of a near-total closure of Gaza's borders, leading to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians from starvation or malnutrition, Israel has finally allowed a small number of merchants to bring limited goods into Gaza.
This week, we awoke to find food items on market shelves that had been absent for five months.
The scenes were surreal. People stood before crates of sugar, pressed dates and feta cheese as if seeing them for the first time in their lives. Some reached out cautiously to touch them and inquire about prices, while others simply stared, uncertain whether this was real or some cruel illusion.
These were not luxuries. They were the most basic of staples, but after months of crushing starvation and relentless deprivation, they might as well have been treasures.
In the first phase of starvation, when vegetables, beans and rice disappeared, many families relied on 'tea fattah' - pieces of bread soaked in tea and eaten as the main meal of the day.
A vendor serves dates to a customer in Gaza City on 1 March 2025 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)