Famine on the Gaza Strip: ‘We See Children So Weak and Hungry They Cannot Even Cry’

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The Gaza Strip faces a severe food emergency that affects hundreds of thousands of people. According to the IPC, the international method for measuring the seriousness of food crises, two out of the three conditions that identify a famine have already been passed in some parts of Gaza.

More than 20% of families cannot get enough to eat and acute malnutrition now affects more than 30% of the population. The only measure still awaiting full confirmation, and expected soon, is the death rate.

Recent United Nations reports state that over half a million people—almost one in four—are surviving in famine conditions and often spend entire days without food. Day after day, the continued fighting, the blockade keeping aid out and the collapse of basic services, make survival even harder.

Children are especially exposed to these consequences: more than 320,000 under five years old are at risk of acute malnutrition and may suffer lasting harm. Most health centres still open are at breaking point and struggle to provide both care and nourishment.

Given the seriousness of the situation, hearing directly from someone living and working on the front lines is invaluable for truly understanding what this humanitarian crisis means.

Ghada Al-Haddad, head of media and communications for Oxfam in Gaza, spoke to Byline Times about the harsh reality of hunger and famine and what it means for the people of Gaza, offering a human, and well-documented, perspective on what so often stays hidden behind numbers and official reports.

Andrea Umbrello (AU): Can you help us understand what hunger and malnutrition look like today in the Gaza Strip?

Ghada Al-Haddad (GAH) “Today, everyone in Gaza is hungry. Leading experts on food and nutrition to warn that we are now facing the worst that can happen—famine itself.

“In recent days, the number of people dying because of hunger has risen at a worrying pace. We know that unless people receive constant supplies of food, safe water, medical care, and other essential goods, these numbers will grow even faster in the days ahead.

“We are almost powerless to stop any of this while the siege and the Israeli bombardment go on, making any food in the markets incredibly expensive and stopping humanitarian aid at the borders. We are truly on the edge of a point from which there may be no way back.

“Children, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and nursing mothers are among those most at risk from malnutrition, but by now the whole population is in danger. Without a rapid and lasting flow of aid, which only an immediate and permanent ceasefire can make possible, we will see the number of victims grow even more, bringing devastating long-term consequences.”

Al-Haddad is highly critical of the current state of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, where the system has been drastically reduced to a few military-controlled sites overseen by the Israeli army.

These locations, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, have caused serious problems, with hundreds of civilians killed or injured while trying to get food rations and other essentials.

The Oxfam representative says the Israeli siege continues to prevent the safe entry and distribution of food, water, and other vital aid and urges officials to bring back the tried and tested humanitarian system, based on public international bodies and trustworthy organisations. This system must be allowed to work without obstacles to make sure aid actually reaches those who need it most, Al-Haddad told Byline Times.

The current distribution model, she said is a “sharp contrast to what we know works and our humanitarian principles, which is that people risk death when seeking help”.

The militarisation of aid, with sites guarded by Israeli soldiers and private armed guards, makes accessing aid an unsafe and deadly journey for the civilian population.

Regarding accusations that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a military-run or heavily influenced group that is effectively creating a form of humanitarian “governance” that limits access and puts civilians at risk, Al-Haddad believes that “these sites would not be necessary if the humanitarian system, which is well-established and proven, were allowed to operate”.

The foundation, she says, is a controlling element that replaces local and international organisations that have the experience, knowledge, and trust of the Gaza communities. These organisations are ready to get back to work to save lives, but they are unable to do so because of the imposed restrictions.

AU: For a family in the Gaza Strip, does it come down to choosing between starving to death or risking their lives to get food?

GAH: “Every day, Palestinians in Gaza must make extreme decisions just to survive.

“Today, this cruel dilemma is even more painful because many know that going to aid distribution points puts them at risk of being attacked and killed, as has already happened. This is yet another way Palestinians are harmed and stripped of their humanity.”

Ghada Al-Haddad described the water crisis as the result of specific political choices and says that most people rely on very limited desalination plants or heavily polluted aquifers.

According to the International Committee to Support the Rights of the Palestinian People, around 96% of water in the Gaza Strip is undrinkable due to the complete collapse of infrastructure, and the average daily amount of water per person ranges from three to five litres. This compares to the roughly one hundred and sixty-five liters available in Israel.

In Gaza, Oxfam reports that the water crisis has worsened with nearly a 150% rise in water-related illnesses recorded in recent months.

Ghada Al-Haddad urges Israeli authorities to act, stating that, “Israel has the power to flip a switch and restore clean water for tens of thousands of Palestinians, but chooses not to unless pressured”.

She also points out that Oxfam has documented, repeatedly, “Israeli war crimes regarding water” and how “the effects of their policy of denying clean water to our communities are becoming worse”. The health consequences are clear and worrying, she explained: “We are seeing a rise in water-borne diseases and we know many more will follow.”

Al-Haddad believes the impact of the water crisis will last well into the future. Meeting the daily water needs of families in Gaza has always been difficult, she explained, but the situation is now infinitely worse because “so many of our water sources and infrastructure have been polluted or damaged. It will be a difficult road to recover this vital part of everyday life and health.”

AU: How is it possible to keep working while bombs keep falling from the sky?

GAH: “The ongoing bombings and instability greatly affect the ability of Oxfam and the entire humanitarian community to respond. On top of constant threats of direct attacks, we face a lack of safe and functional transport and intervention means.

“Fuel is almost gone, making essential tasks like water delivery extremely difficult, and we cannot provide other materials. We work without stopping under nearly impossible conditions, but our room for action shrinks day by day. Still, my colleagues and I remain determined to ensure the strongest presence and the greatest support possible for the people.”

AU: How can we understand and talk about such deep suffering when it’s the result of deliberate choices that use deprivation as a weapon of control?

GAH: “Urgent and decisive actions are needed while we Palestinians are being killed and our rights and dignity are being trampled. World leaders must stop fuelling this violence by providing weapons to those responsible for the bombings. There are a few signs of awareness, but they are not enough and they’re coming too late.

“The people of Gaza need everything from food to water, from medicine to shelter, from safety to education to dignity. Oxfam and the entire humanitarian community are working tirelessly, but we are prevented from meeting more than a small fraction of the immense needs.

“The organisation is committed to providing water and sanitation, supporting farmers and small businesses to produce food and secure livelihoods, and many other activities. At the moment, this work can only be carried out to a limited extent, but we are ready to fully resume operations as soon as Israel allows it.”

With the international community focusing much of its attention on the dramatic food shortage in Gaza, Al-Haddad warns that there are major parts of the crisis often overlooked or misunderstood by the media and decision-makers.

“We must not just rush to provide food. When people get to these desperate levels of hunger and malnutrition, they can’t simply eat.”

She believes that “a broader approach is needed, one that includes specialised medical support”, which is almost completely missing in the Strip right now.

This testimony from Gaza reminds us that every day is a test of survival, but also an act of dignity in the face of injustice.

Amid dust and silence broken by explosions, there are still those who reach out, who tell their story, who fight to keep hope alive that one day clean water will flow again, bread will be on every table, and the sky will no longer be something to fear.