Gaza faces bitter famine as food supplies run out and families scavenge for survival

Gaza is descending into one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes in its history, as food supplies run out, famine spreads, and desperate families are left digging through rubbish for survival.

The ongoing Israeli siege, now entering its eighth week without aid deliveries, has shattered any remaining lifelines for Gaza's 2.4 million residents. According to Gaza's Government Media Office, "famine today is no longer a threat but a bitter reality".

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned this week that its food supplies had been completely exhausted. With no new aid allowed into Gaza, the agency said it was forced to hand over its final stocks to community kitchens, which are expected to run dry within days. WFP stressed that no humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered Gaza for more than 50 days, marking the longest and harshest blockade in the territory’s history.

All 25 bakeries supported by WFP shut down at the end of March after flour, wheat, fuel, and food parcels ran out. Without these facilities, families have lost access to one of their last affordable sources of food.

In its latest update, WFP highlighted that food prices inside Gaza have surged by up to 1,400 percent since the previous ceasefire. Cooking gas prices have risen by an unprecedented 4,000 percent, while staple food prices jumped 50 percent during April alone. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Gaza's annual inflation rate hit a staggering 238 percent by December 2024.

The worsening economic collapse is reflected in daily life. Basic food items and medicines have almost completely disappeared from the markets, and the few remaining goods are sold at prices far beyond the reach of ordinary families.

A complete economic and humanitarian breakdown

Gaza's Government Media Office Director, Ismail Al-Thawabta, described the situation as a "total collapse of the economic system" due to the Israeli blockade and border closures.

"This is not a natural commercial crisis," Al-Thawabta told The New Arab's Arabic language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. "It is the result of a genocidal siege imposed by the Israeli occupation. The markets are empty, basic goods have disappeared, and the little that remains is being sold at impossible prices."

He warned that the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza constitutes a "full-fledged war crime" and a "stain on the conscience of humanity", condemning the ongoing international silence as Gaza’s residents starve.

Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced that its supplies have also been depleted. Only 250 food parcels remained in its warehouses earlier this week - a fraction of what is needed to feed hundreds of thousands of families.

UNRWA and other humanitarian groups report that the shortage extends beyond food: there is now an acute lack of medicines, fuel, and even basic vaccines for children. Gaza’s overstretched hospitals, already battered by Israeli bombardments, are also collapsing under the combined weight of malnutrition cases, trauma injuries, and an inability to produce clean water.

Families face starvation as aid remains blocked

According to the WFP, more than 116,000 tonnes of aid - enough to feed one million people for four months - are stockpiled outside Gaza, waiting for the border crossings to reopen.

Yet Israeli authorities have kept all major crossings closed since 2 March 2025, completely cutting Gaza off from food, medical supplies, and fuel.

Economic expert Emad Labad described the current situation as "the worst collapse Gaza has ever seen," noting that poverty rates have surpassed 90 percent and unemployment has exceeded 83 percent.

"People can no longer afford even the most basic needs," Labad said. "The collapse of aid deliveries has thrown entire families into a desperate struggle for survival."

He noted that many families have now turned to burning plastic and scavenging garbage to cook food or find scraps to eat, due to the astronomical rise in gas prices.

"What we are witnessing is no longer just a humanitarian crisis - it is a fight for survival," Labad added.

The human toll: famine deaths rise

On Friday, Gaza's Government Media Office confirmed that famine and malnutrition have already claimed 52 lives, including 50 children. More than a million children across the Strip are now facing daily hunger, while thousands of families can no longer secure even a single meal per day.

The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also raised alarms about the collapse of water production systems due to fuel shortages, warning that the public health situation could deteriorate even further in the coming days.

As famine tightens its grip on Gaza, aid agencies stress that the crisis is entirely man-made and preventable - the result of prolonged siege policies, indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure, and deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access.

Despite the growing death toll and catastrophic humanitarian conditions, Israel's closure of Gaza remains in place, and there is little sign that international pressure will force a change. Aid agencies, meanwhile, warn that without immediate and large-scale intervention, Gaza’s famine could spiral into mass starvation on an even greater scale.

With borders sealed, markets emptied, hospitals overwhelmed, and families left to starve, Gaza’s suffering deepens - in full view of a world that remains largely silent.

This article first appeared in the Arabic-language edition of The New Arab, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. It was reported by Ahmed Abo Qamar from Gaza's Khan Younis.