Getting a bag of flour: Unfulfilled dream of Gaza's displaced

By Hosni Nadim

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Hundreds of displaced people join long lines in front of a supply center belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in the Nuseirat Refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip to get flour amid a shortage of essential food supplies.

Residents of Gaza are facing a humanitarian and health catastrophe, with approximately 1.4 million out of 2.3 million residents displaced. Israel has restricted access to food, water, medicine, and electricity amid intense bombardments.

The seven members of Hajj Yahya Jacob's family have been trying unsuccessfully to obtain flour for days.

"We go daily to the distribution center (warehouses) on Salah al-Din Street in Deir al-Balah after obtaining a paper from the supply center in the Nuseirat camp to receive the bags of flour, each weighing 25 kilograms (55 pounds)," said Malik Jacob, one of the younger members of the family.

"There is severe congestion and difficulty in reaching the person in charge of calling out to citizens for pickup. If I cannot get flour today, I will have to search for it in the markets and buy it at exorbitant prices," he said.

Malik said it exceeds 20 shekels ($5.20) but was 3 shekels (less than $1) before the war.

The loss of flour from markets in Gaza has created a real humanitarian crisis, making it difficult for many areas to obtain bread due to the targeting of dozens of bakeries by the Israeli army, and the depletion of fuel and gas needed to operate the ones that remain.

- Distribution mechanism

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) distributes flour in Gaza according to the number of family members in descending order. But many expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in the distribution process and severe congestion.

Due to the lack of communications and internet access, an Anadolu correspondent could not reach UNRWA spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna. But an interview was conducted with an official from the agency who preferred not to disclose his identity.

"The distribution process is progressing rapidly in some provinces but has faced obstacles in others due to the violent Israeli aggression in those areas," said the official.

He said that distribution has currently reached families with seven members and mentioned the existence of a "consensus on a new and easier distribution mechanism, in cooperation with municipalities, neighborhood committees, dignitaries, and local leaders in some areas."

He expressed hope that the new mechanism will succeed in delivering flour to all families.

In Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah cities in the southern and central Gaza Strip, UNRWA and authorities have agreed to distribute flour by dividing areas into squares and regions supervised by each selected square, area, or notable figure.

They provide a list of names of citizens in their area, and flour is delivered to the group, which distributes it to residents.

- High demand

Since the beginning of the war, we have been suffering from a shortage of food, especially essential items, due to the closure of crossings and the non-entry of goods," Sa'id Dahalan, 37, from Khan Younis told Anadolu.

Dahalan pointed to the shortage of flour in markets, and he said the demand is very high. The bakeries cannot currently operate, and they have closed their doors to residents.

He added that getting a bag of flour is not easy, and if it is available, prices are too high. The price for a 25-kg bag has hit 500 shekels ($131.50), compared to 60 shekels ($15.70) before the war.

Dahalan confirmed that "the suffering increases day by day, and even if flour is available, it is difficult to obtain gas to bake it. The situation is very complicated."

The Gaza municipality had warned of a severe shortage of basic goods and supplies in the Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip due to the insufficient entry of relief aid and destruction of most of the city's markets by the Israeli army.

Israel has been besieging the Gaza Strip since June 2007, imposing restrictions on the movement of residents and goods to and from the enclave.

A few days after the outbreak of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a "comprehensive blockade" on Gaza and said: "No electricity, no food, no water, and no fuel (will reach the sector)," according to Israel's Channel 13.

A humanitarian pause between Palestinian resistance factions and Israel, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, ended at the beginning of December. It lasted seven days, during which prisoners were exchanged, limited humanitarian aid was delivered and scarce fuel was introduced to the enclave with 2.3 million Palestinians.

Since Oct. 7, the Israeli army has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 20,000 people, mostly women and children.

The war has also caused an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," according to Palestinian and international sources.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala