Food security has deteriorated in Gaza, supplies are scarce, and the price of a bag of flour reaches $200

In his daily press conference, the United Nations spokesman said that relief workers continue to work, risking their lives, to provide assistance to those in need. Stephane Dujarric noted that Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed four humanitarian workers, 3 from the World Central Kitchen and one from Save the Children, bringing the number of aid workers killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 341.

World Central Kitchen suspended its operations in Gaza after the incident. In a press statement, Muhannad Hadi, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that the continued killing of aid workers is an unacceptable violation of international law and increases the severity of the humanitarian catastrophe.

Dujarric said that UN partners are warning of damage to local food systems due to ground military operations, bombing of residential areas, and the presence of unexploded explosive devices. They reported that the lack of food remains the biggest concern for community members across all population groups, whether women, men, girls and boys.

Quoting the World Food Programme, Dujarric said, “Almost no food has arrived for 50 days in the besieged areas in the North Gaza Governorate, namely Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia.” The only exception was yesterday, Sunday, when the program was able to send 200 food parcels with a humanitarian mission led by the World Health Organization to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.

With food security deteriorating across the Gaza Strip, the World Food Program noted that commercial shipments to Gaza have reached their lowest levels in months, while fresh food and meat are scarce and, if available, extremely expensive.

For example, the price of a bag of wheat flour in central Gaza can reach 200 US dollars, while the price of a carton of eggs reaches 100 dollars.