Gaza under siege: Palestinians forced to grind animal fodder to make bread due to wheat flour shortage

By Mustafa Deveci

ANKARA (AA) – Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to intensified Israeli attacks for over 100 days, have begun grinding animal fodder to make bread due to a lack of wheat flour following Tel Aviv's decision to block humanitarian aid.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 25,295 Palestinians and injuring 63,000 others. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Because of Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip, almost no humanitarian aid has reached the northern part of the enclave.

Palestinians who remain in the region are struggling to get food, with wheat flour pieces of bread being the most they need.

Anadolu cameraman captured moments when Palestinian children taking refuge in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in northern Gaza were cleaning animal feed for making flour.

Meanwhile, it was observed that animal feed was being sold in northern Gaza markets because wheat flour was in short supply.

A video circulating on social media shows people in a mill in northern Gaza grinding animal feed to make flour.

UN had warned that 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip, under intense Israeli attacks, are at risk of famine.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz