For many families in Gaza, leaving the marketplace empty-handed is no new occurrence. With only two pounds of rotten-looking potatoes selling for 40 shekels–or more than $10–and two pounds of rice selling for $20, affordable food is scarce in the war-ridden city. 

Since Israel’s attack on the Hamas militant group in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel has deliberately blocked off the delivery of food, water, and fuel–all resources indispensable to Gaza civilians’ survival. High-ranking Israeli officials, such as Defense Minister Yoav Gallan and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have stated their intent to deprive Gaza of food and water supplies as a part of the Israeli war strategy. Since the beginning of the war, the World Food Programme has consistently issued warnings every month of an immediate starvation crisis looming over the Gaza region. The current Gaza population of 2.2 million people is facing “crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity," according to the World Food Programme. With about 1.1 million people facing starvation due to Israel’s blockade of all essential survival resources, the Human Rights Watch has declared Israel’s methods war crimes.

In Gaza, child malnutrition is greater than anywhere in the world. Today, 31%, or one in three children under age two in northern Gaza, suffers from acute malnourishment. At least 27 children in northern Gaza have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the Israeli-Hamas conflict, with many more on the brink of death every day, according to UNICEF. Starving mothers are unable to properly breastfeed their newborns, resulting in an overwhelming number of parents in Gaza health facilities begging for infant formula. Children who survive severe malnutrition are at risk of a lifetime of health complications. Malnutrition can cause an insufficient amount of glucose and fat for energy in their bodies, resulting in shrinkage of muscles and degradation of organs. The digestive system is the first to shut down, then the heart shrinks, then lung capacity wanes, and finally, the brain is deprived of energy.  The immune system’s ability to repair wounds and combat infectious diseases collapses along with the rest of the body. Naturally, the younger the individual, the greater the impact. The Washington Post reports that in babies, malnutrition causes a severe stunt in growth, weaker bones, and smaller brains. Gaza children will carry their marks of starvation throughout their lives, impacting their ability to learn and work in the future. 

With the Gaza marketplace selling minimal food at unaffordable prices, families are forced to forage for plants and weeds to boil in seawater to make soup. Although tasteless,difficult to digest, and often unpalatable, animal feed has also become a last resort for families. However, as NPR reports, even food like this can be dangerous to gather as families are in constant risk of being shot if found by Israeli forces. For many Gaza civilians, clean drinking water is rare to find, leading them to drink non potable, salty water. Bathing has turned into a luxury.  Staying warm is a feat accomplished by only a fortunate few. 

Despite multiple humanitarian efforts, Israel’s blockades of key ports and roadways has made it extremely difficult for medical supplies and food to get through. According to The Washington Post, UNICEF has been unable to deliver their “ready-to-use therapeutic food, a peanut butter paste chock-full of needed vitamins and minerals that can treat acute malnourishment.” While land deliveries and airdrops are possible in some areas, humanitarian officials push to find ways to send out more land deliveries, as trucks can carry 20 and 30 metric tonnes of flour and food parcels; about 10 times the amount an aircraft can carry, according to the UN. Although the situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic brink, ultimately, it is Israel’s willingness to open up pathways and release some restrictions that can truly help Gaza civilians in their battle for survival. As interviewee Alex de Waal stated in a Washington Post article, “Unlike shooting or bombing, if killing stops, the dying won’t stop. It’ll still continue for some time. Starvation in war like this is a massacre in slow motion.”

Sources retrieved from The World Food Programme, CNN, NPR, World Health Organization, United Nations, & The Washington Post