Amid Israel's genocide and blockade, desperate families in Gaza turn to eating sea turtles in hunt for food

With food scarce in the besieged and war-battered Gaza Strip due to Israel's ongoing genocide and blockade, some desperate families have turned to eating sea turtles as a rare source of protein.

Once the shell has been removed, the meat is cut up, boiled and cooked in a mix of onion, pepper, tomato and spices.

"The children were afraid of the turtle, and we told them it tasted as delicious as veal," said Majida Qanan, keeping an eye on the chunks of red meat simmering in a pot over a wood fire.

"Some of them ate it, but others refused."

For lack of a better alternative, this is the third time 61-year-old Majida has prepared a turtle-based meal for her family, who were displaced and now live in a tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's largest city.

After 18 months of a horrific genocide and an Israeli blockade on aid since March 2, the United Nations has warned of a dire humanitarian situation for the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory.

"There are no open crossings and there is nothing in the market," Majida added. 

"When I buy two small bags (of vegetables) for 80 shekels ($22), there is no meat," she added.

Sea turtles are internationally protected as an endangered species, but those caught in Gaza fishermen's nets are used for food.

Majida mixes the meat with flour and vinegar to wash it, before rinsing and boiling it in an old metal pot.

"We never expected to eat a turtle," fisherman Abdel Halim Qanan said.

"When the war started, there was a food shortage. There is no food. So, (turtle meat) is an alternative for other sources of protein. There is no meat, poultry or vegetables."

Abdel Halim explained that the turtles were killed in the "halal" method, under Islamic rites.

"If there were no famine, we would not eat it and leave it, but we want to compensate for the lack of protein," he said.

Gaza aid blockade 'must end'

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that Gaza is facing its most severe humanitarian crisis since Israel's genocide began after October 7, 2023.

The World Health Organization's regional chief, Hanan Balkhy, said in June that some Gazans were so desperate that they were eating animal food, grass, and drinking sewage water.

On April 23, Germany, France and Britain called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death".

"This must end," their foreign ministers said in a joint statement. "We urge Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza to meet the needs of all civilians."

The heads of 12 major aid organisations also warned this month that "famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts" of the coastal territory.

"The Israeli decision to block aid from entering Gaza is intolerable," the three ministers said. "Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change." 

For many in Gaza, the impact is devastating. Large sections of the population have been without food and water for days, while in other areas, supplies have dwindled dramatically.

Fifty-three-year-old mother of five and grandmother of five, Fatima Al-Saayda, said that Israel's blockade had disrupted every part of their daily lives.

"This is a catastrophe on every level. There are no words to describe it," she said. "Every day, we suffer. I can’t even find the simplest ingredients to cook. I’m back to feeding my family from canned goods, beans, chickpeas, whatever is left, after months of relying on whatever fresh food was still entering Gaza."

She added, "The occupation knows exactly what they are doing to us. We are being forced back into a primitive existence, lighting fires for cooking, scrambling to find food, struggling for water."