One month after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect, Gaza's two million residents say their suffering has not ended but merely changed form - from constant bombardment to starvation.
According to officials and residents who spoke to The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, a severe shortage of basic foods, medicine, and fuel has pushed the enclave deeper into crisis.
Despite Israel's claim that aid is entering, markets are filled mainly with non-essential goods such as chocolate, chips, and soft drinks, while staples like flour, rice, dairy, meat and poultry remain largely unavailable.
Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said Israel "continues to evade its commitments regarding the entry of aid and goods despite the ceasefire agreement", leading to "a worsening humanitarian crisis and the continuation of hunger and deprivation".
He told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "from 10 October to 5 November, only 4,453 trucks entered Gaza - a daily average of no more than 145 trucks, representing just 24 percent of the agreed 600 trucks per day".
He added that "the items Israel has allowed in are mostly luxury consumer products such as coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and high-calorie dry foods, while markets have been deprived of essentials necessary for daily life".
Fuel shortages have further crippled hospitals, bakeries and other key facilities. Al-Thawabta accused Israel of "deliberately restricting the entry of basic goods and imposing selective controls on commercial shipments", which has caused "sharp price increases far beyond citizens’ purchasing power, especially amid widespread unemployment and the loss of income".
He called on the international community and ceasefire guarantors "to intervene immediately and seriously to pressure the occupation to allow the entry of essential goods and fuel without restrictions and to facilitate the distribution of aid in accordance with international humanitarian law".
In Gaza City, lines for bread stretch for hours.
"The goods in the market are useless to us,” said Abu Bilal al-Sheikh Khalil, 40, who lives with his family of seven in a displacement-school shelter in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.
"What are we supposed to do with noodles, chips and chocolate? Real food like meat, chicken and fish is missing - and when available, it’s unaffordable. We haven’t eaten chicken or fish for more than eight months. The hunger continues despite the ceasefire."
Sixty-year-old Issam Zuhdi Thurayya described an "unbearable" situation: "We go to the market, but we can’t buy anything. Flour is expensive, rice is scarce, and baby formula is missing. Potatoes are 40 shekels per kilo, and a tin of milk for my grandson costs 200 shekels. My wife has cancer and needs meat and fish, but we can only afford thyme and cheese."
Nasr Mohammed Abu al-Eish, a 32-year-old blacksmith displaced from Jabalia camp, said: "The bloodshed has stopped, but the hunger continues. A kilo of apples costs 25 shekels. My children ask for them, but I can’t buy any. We’re living through another kind of annihilation."
Residents say the food that does enter Gaza often arrives spoiled or expired. "Frozen chicken is past its expiration date and sells for 35 shekels a kilo," said Mohammed Maher Abu Labda, who was wounded in an Israeli tank shelling in 2023.
"My injury requires a diet rich in protein and vitamins to rebuild bone, but nothing is available."
Nutrition expert Mohammed al-Shukri told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "the occupation has flooded Gaza’s markets with chocolates and sweets high in sugar and stimulants like coffee and Nescafé, while continuing to ban essential foods such as milk, eggs, and fresh meat."
This, he said, "has kept malnutrition widespread, particularly among children, patients, and the elderly".
Al-Shukri warned that famine "remains unchanged in Gaza", describing Israel’s policy as one "designed to destroy human life and perpetuate hunger". He added that Israel continues to block most medicines and nutritional supplements, allowing in only limited quantities through the World Health Organisation.
Since October 2023, Gaza has endured one of its worst humanitarian disasters. Israeli bombardment destroyed more than 70 percent of the territory’s infrastructure and forced over 90 percent of factories and businesses to close.
With the blockade still in place and most crossings sealed, the local market now depends on minimal, tightly controlled shipments determined by Israeli authorities.