GAZA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- In the war-torn Gaza Strip, where life has been reduced to a daily struggle for survival, securing a single bag of flour has become a critical lifeline for countless families. As hostilities stretch into their 20th consecutive month, food insecurity is rising sharply, and flour -- the staple of most meals -- is both scarce and prohibitively expensive.
In a crowded open-air market in Gaza City, 48-year-old Salim Abu Sabha clutches a small sack of flour he managed to purchase for 65 shekels (approximately 17 U.S. dollars). He had to borrow five shekels from a neighbor to afford it.
"My only son begged me for over 10 days to buy flour so we could bake bread," he told Xinhua. "But I refused to let him go to the aid distribution areas near American food trucks because of the frequent shelling. People have been killed there waiting for food."
The current Israeli-and U.S.-backed aid distribution operation, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, runs only four militarized distribution sites across Gaza -- in contrast to the traditional UN-led 400 community-located aid hubs.
The foundation has faced mounting criticism for poor management and operational chaos. As of June 27, at least 613 people had been killed in attacks near aid distribution points in Gaza, UN statistics showed.
Meanwhile, the Israeli offensive and tight restrictions on goods entering Gaza have driven flour prices far beyond the reach of most residents. Local estimates suggest that prices have surged by more than 1,500 percent since October 2023. Many families now share single sacks of flour among multiple households, while others depend entirely on food handouts.
Om Salah, a 52-year-old widow and mother of three, lives in a partially damaged home in Gaza City. She recently received a charitable donation of 200 shekels, half of which she used to buy a single bag of flour.
"This will only last us three days," she told Xinhua, while kneading dough over a makeshift stove. "There is no gas or electricity, so we burn cardboard and wood to bake." For the rest of the week, her family depends on a local soup kitchen that distributes one meal per day to displaced families. "We eat with one spoon and pray this war ends soon," she said.
With no access to electricity or fuel, Gazans cook on makeshift stoves built from bricks and scrap metal. These improvised baking setups have become common, and children frequently scavenge cardboard, wood, or broken furniture to use as fuel.
Emad Abu Ghali, a father of seven, has not purchased flour for more than a month. He told Xinhua he simply cannot afford it. "I found it today for 65 shekels per bag. That's just too expensive," he said. "I haven't had a job for two years. I could only buy a single kilogram, which wasn't enough even for one meal for my children."
Like many others, Abu Ghali now skips meals himself so that his children can eat. "We are running out of options," he said. "We live with hunger every day, and the situation only seems to be getting worse."
The World Food Programme and other international humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned of critical food shortages across the Gaza Strip. Despite sporadic efforts by international organizations to bring in relief supplies, the volume of aid reaching Gaza remains far below what is needed.
Even when flour is available, getting it to people in need remains a challenge.
Mohammed Abdo, a volunteer coordinating food relief efforts, told Xinhua that transporting aid is a logistical and security "nightmare." "Storage facilities have been damaged, and trucks often face long delays at checkpoints or rerouting due to safety concerns."
"Flour is no longer just food; it is survival," Abdo said. "People cry when they get a bag. It's all they ask for." ■
