Severe Food Shortages and Rising Famine Threat: What Are Gazans Eating Now?

Since October 2023, Gaza has been enduring extreme food shortages and a worsening humanitarian crisis as Israeli forces continue a campaign that has effectively split the region in two, isolating northern and southern Gaza. Over the past 13 months, this ongoing assault has resulted in more than 146,000 Palestinian casualties, leaving much of Gaza in ruins.

The Famine Review Committee under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued a dire warning, expressing grave concern over the “imminent and high likelihood of famine” due to rapidly deteriorating conditions in Gaza.

Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security Analysis at the World Food Program, stated, “There is a strong possibility that famine is either occurring or imminent in parts of northern Gaza due to mass displacement, reduced humanitarian and commercial access, and damaged infrastructure and health facilities, which have hampered UNRWA’s operations.”

Bauer confirmed that the number of aid trucks entering Gaza plummeted to just 58 per day by late October, down from about 200 trucks daily over the summer, most of which carried essential humanitarian supplies.

According to recent food security assessments, famine could engulf much of Gaza this winter if the assault does not cease and humanitarian aid fails to reach families in need. The assessment estimates that 1.95 million people in Gaza (91% of the population) could face severe food insecurity (Phase 3 or worse on the IPC’s five-phase scale).

The United Nations relies on agencies like the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which utilize the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification to analyze and categorize food security crises based on scientific standards.

The IPC defines famine as a situation where “widespread malnutrition and hunger-related deaths occur due to a lack of access to food.” It is the most critical level of acute food insecurity, and reaching it requires meeting three criteria: at least 20% of the population in a region faces extreme hunger; 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition; and an increase in mortality rates, often challenging to track, especially in conflict zones.

What’s Left to Eat?

Rania, 26, shared that obtaining basic vegetables is nearly impossible for most people in northern Gaza due to extreme scarcity and exorbitant prices. “Even the thought of finding vegetables, not even fruits, is a miracle for most of us here,” Rania told Arabi21. Reflecting on pre-war stories about “luxury foods with sky-high prices,” she remarked, “Now, I find myself facing similar prices for basic vegetables, which have become rarities rather than luxuries.”

Bread has become the primary staple for many in Gaza, and residents have adapted by making “biscuits” from available flour, using methods that require minimal resources and fuel. Occasionally, aid packages with lentils, rice, pasta, canned beans, and chickpeas make their way in, but even these supplies are priced beyond reach due to the lack of consistent aid.

Cooking fuel is another critical challenge. Many are forced to rely on makeshift fuels like burnt oil, scraps of cloth, and plastic containers to cook their meals. “We know this contaminates our food, but we have no alternative,” Rania admitted.

Mouhammad, 35, a displaced resident of Gaza City now in the southern region, recounted how he consulted a friend in Gaza about food survival tips based on his experience living under siege in the north. His friend shared a lengthy list of recipes that relied on whatever was available: lentils, spiced canned meats, and even flatbread dishes made with minimal ingredients.

The list included lentil stew, lentil-based dishes, canned beans, chickpea-based meals, and even a local version of “Gazawi Fatteh,” typically made with bread, rice, and broth but now prepared with bread and rice alone. “Adding canned meat has become a luxury, almost wasteful,” Mouhammad’s friend explained.

The list concludes with dried herbs like za’atar and duqqa, a spice blend made from wheat, coriander, sumac, salt, sesame, and other ingredients, ground finely to create a powder resembling various dried spice mixes.

Mouhammad’s friend reassured him, “As long as there’s bread, we don’t need to worry about going hungry.”

Survival Struggles

Samer, 40, expressed cautious relief: “As long as we don’t resort to eating animal feed or birdseed, we are managing, thank God.” Having survived over a year of conflict in northern Gaza, he shared his own experiences: “In the north, I ground animal feed to make hard bread, and in the south, we used flour infested with insects and mold. But when that’s all you have, you eat it.”

With a family to feed and only substandard supplies available, Samer described this flour as an “improvement” compared to previous alternatives. Forced to flee to the south after a major ground assault on Jabalia and other areas in northern Gaza, he now depends on whatever scarce provisions he can find.