DaysofPal – Fourteen-year-old Muhammed al-Roubi stood for hours under a blistering sun, waiting in a massive queue for a basic necessity: bread. Despite his patience, there was a strong chance he would return home empty-handed.
A worsening shortage of flour and fuel, driven by Israeli restrictions on imports into Gaza, has sharply reduced bakery production at a time when displaced Palestinians are increasingly dependent on subsidized bread for survival. Across the territory, families now spend hours waiting outside the few bakeries still operating, only to face the possibility that supplies will run out before their turn arrives.
“My uncle’s family and ours live in the same house, and we share food, so we need a large amount of bread every day,” Muhammed explained as he stood in line alongside his cousin. The two eventually split up to join separate queues in hopes of improving their chances.
“Some days, we return empty-handed because the bread runs out and there are too many people,” he said.
Growing Queues and Rising Prices
The expanding crowds gathered outside Gaza’s remaining bakeries reflect a deepening crisis in food production and distribution. While demand for bread continues to rise, limited flour supplies have pushed prices higher and fueled the growth of a black market.
According to Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, the territory requires around 450 tonnes of flour daily, yet only about 200 tonnes are currently entering the enclave.
The shortages intensified after Israel closed Gaza’s crossings on February 28 during the escalation involving Iran. Although some crossings later partially reopened, the flow of goods has remained heavily restricted. Under the terms of last year’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Israel was expected to significantly ease restrictions, but entry of essential supplies continues to depend largely on Israeli approval.
Israeli media reports have also suggested that the US-led Board of Peace, responsible for overseeing Gaza’s administration, will not pressure Israel over ceasefire obligations unless Hamas agrees to disarm.
Families Unable to Secure Basic Food
More than one-third of Gaza’s population relies on subsidized bread produced by bakeries supplied through the World Food Programme (WFP). Bread bundles containing eight or nine pitas are sold at fixed low prices, while part of the production is distributed free through community kitchens.
However, reduced flour deliveries have forced the WFP to cut supplies to bakeries, leaving many families searching for alternatives they often cannot afford.
Among them is 72-year-old widow Maysar Abu Rekab, who supports three relatives with disabilities.
“We used to receive bread through the WFP distribution points, but now it has become very difficult to get it, except by waiting in long lines, and no one in our family is able to stand in them,” she said.
“There is no home in Gaza that does not depend on bread as a basic food, especially with the shortage of other food items,” she added. “A bread package now costs between 10 and 15 shekels, while the average household needs two packages every day. This creates a heavy burden, especially with low incomes and rising flour prices.”
Multi-Layered Crises: Gas, Firewood, and $689 Motor Oil
The bread shortage is unfolding alongside a growing fuel crisis that has further strained daily life in Gaza. Supplies of cooking gas, already limited before the war, have decreased sharply due to restrictions on imports. Deliveries that once arrived every six weeks now come only once every three months.
As a result, many residents have turned to firewood for cooking and baking, driving up prices for alternative fuel sources as well.
The difficulty of baking bread at home has made bakery-produced bread even more essential for survival.
Bakery owners also face another major obstacle: soaring oil prices needed to maintain electricity generators. With Gaza’s power station shut down since the early days of the war because of fuel shortages, bakeries and critical facilities depend almost entirely on generators to continue operating.
“Our work depends on electric generators that need regular oil changes,” said bakery worker Shadi Abu Gharqoud. “Today, the price of one liter of oil has reached around 2,000 shekels. This is an enormous cost because we need large quantities, not just one liter.”
The rising operational costs have inevitably been passed on to consumers already struggling to secure food.
For many Palestinians, the worsening shortages have revived fears of another famine similar to the devastating hunger crisis experienced last year before the October ceasefire temporarily eased conditions.
“During the last famine, people were dying from hunger and for a piece of bread,” Maysar said. “Did the world not see that? This crisis must be solved before it becomes worse.”
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