GENEVA: The World Food Programme (WFP) under the United Nations has issued an alarming statement regarding the deteriorating food situation in the besieged Gaza Strip, revealing that there are only four to five days of food stocks left in local shops.
According to the WFP, food reserves in warehouses within the Palestinian enclave are also running low, but the situation at the shop level is even more critical.
Abeer Etefa, WFP’s spokesperson for the Middle East, expressed her concerns during a video-link briefing in Cairo for reporters at the United Nations in Geneva. She stated, “The situation in Gaza is getting worse by the minute: the humanitarian situation but also, of course, the food security situation.”
Etefa pointed out that the existing supplies of essential food items would only last for about two weeks, and this assessment is at the wholesale level. The warehouses, located in Gaza City in the northern part of the territory, are struggling to restock supplies, making the situation more dire at the retail level. She emphasized, “Inside the shops, the stocks are getting close to less than a few days, maybe four or five days of food stocks left.”
Amid this crisis, there is also a bread shortage in Gaza. Etefa noted that out of the five flour mills in the Gaza Strip, only one is operational due to security concerns and the shortage of fuel. As a result, the supply of bread is dwindling, and people are waiting in long lines for hours to obtain it. Moreover, only five out of the 23 bakeries in Gaza contracted by WFP are still operational.
WFP Highlights Challenges as Egypt Keeps Rafah Crossing Closed
Etefa further explained, “Our food supplies within Gaza are running really short,” and she stressed that there have been no reports of looting of WFP warehouses, but the remaining supplies are extremely limited.
Efforts to provide aid to Gaza face challenges due to the conflict. Aid agencies have been delivering supplies to El Arish airport in Egypt, located approximately 20 kilometers from the Rafah border crossing, the only entry point into Gaza not controlled by Israel. However, Egypt has thus far kept the crossing closed to incoming aid and foreign nationals attempting to leave, primarily because of Israeli strikes on the Palestinian side of the crossing.
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Despite these difficulties, the WFP has mobilized over 300 metric tons of food, either at the Rafah border crossing or on its way there from Egypt. This amount can feed around 250,000 people for one week. Etefa expressed hope that access to Gaza would be granted, saying, “Everyone is still very hopeful that we will be able to get inside, and this is why more supplies are on the way.” She called for “unimpeded access and safe passage for desperately needed humanitarian supplies into Gaza.”
The United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, is scheduled to arrive in Cairo for a multi-day visit to the region. He will negotiate access to aid in the Gaza Strip and is planning to visit Israel and, if circumstances allow, the Palestinian territories as well.
