GAZA CITY, Palestine

Amidst Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians continue to face severe food shortages, especially flour, raising international alarm over the risk of imminent famine.

On Wednesday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said only seven of the 19 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners in Gaza remained operational. He said Israel’s blockade is preventing the delivery of necessary materials, leaving most bakeries unable to operate.

Palestinians say they are facing a deliberate and systematic starvation policy by Israel because of its refusal to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

During the Israeli war in Gaza last October, several international groups and the UN called on Israel to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza to avoid starvation.

An Anadolu correspondent visited an old-style bakery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where women bake bread to be distributed to displaced families with the assistance of an international aid group.

Umm Al-Abed, a displaced woman who works at the bakery, said she supplies bread to about 600 displaced families. However, she expressed concern that the bakery may be forced to close due to a lack of flour as Israel continues to block aid shipments.

“If we run out of flour, we will face a food crisis because bread is our main food and we cannot do without it,” she said.

In Gaza, many had to use spoiled flour, often infested with weevils, because of the shortage.

Tahani Saad, 55, a mother of five, told Anadolu that flour is now scarce in the markets with rising prices. A 25-kilogram bag of flour currently costs 900 shekels (about $250), she said.

“We are forced to use adulterated flour that can make us sick,” added Tahani Saad.

Israel launched a genocidal war in the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last year, killing more than 44,000 people, mostly women and children, and injuring more than 104,000.

The second year of the Gaza genocide has drawn growing international condemnation, with figures and institutions labeling the attacks and blockade of aid supplies as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

In a landmark move, the International Criminal Court announced Thursday that it had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza.

*Written by Ahmed Asmar

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