In this staff account, Shurouq shares the reality of Gaza’s worsening food crisis after 1,000 days of war. Families face soaring food prices, aid restrictions, destroyed farmland, extreme heat, and pests, making it increasingly difficult to access nutritious food and meet basic needs while struggling to survive daily.
“Food is so difficult to come by.” This is a phrase I have heard repeatedly from families across Gaza. People describe food as increasingly unaffordable, with prices remaining far beyond the reach of most households and the land now so contaminated by successive explosives that nothing can grow on it.
After 1000 days of war, most of us have lost not only our homes but also sources of income. The war has been financially devastating, and Israeli authorities' restrictions on the entry of aid and essential goods have made nearly every essential item scarce, turning daily survival into an extraordinary financial burden.
With no fridges and no electricity available since the beginning of the war, and the summer heat inside the tents that people still live in becoming unbearable, food spoils within hours. Families are forced to choose between spending more on buying necessities like bread and vegetables on a daily basis or buying in bulk and throwing away the rotting leftovers and spending more simply to replace them.
A father told me that his wife cried the day before after discovering that the leftovers from their family meal had spoiled in the heat. “That food was supposed to be tomorrow’s meal,” he said. With the food ruined and no means to replace it, they had nothing prepared for their children the following day.
The terror unleashed by rats and pests has also brought new financial priorities, with food supplies gnawed at and children exposed to disease. One woman told me that she sold the food parcel she had received from an aid group in order to buy rodent poison. Yet she later regretted her decision, realising it was ineffective due to restrictions by Israeli authorities of – among other things – the active ingredients needed for decent poison.
These same restrictions are also forcing community kitchens to close or scale back, with many unable to bring in enough of the desperately needed food to keep operating. She now fears facing hunger with even fewer options available.
Ahlam* (36) feeds her twins Tala* and Ghadeer* (18 months) with plumpy nut. Save the Children
A relative of mine described how she now cooks only enough food for a single day because rodents frequently invade the tent and attack cooking pots and food containers. She recalled the pain of throwing away food that had been contaminated by rats and made unsafe to eat:
“Having food today feels like having treasure. How can I throw treasure away with my own hands?”
Families and humanitarian workers are increasingly concerned about the nutritional impact of prolonged food shortages, particularly on children. Access to a balanced diet has become extremely limited, while protein-rich foods, fresh produce, dairy products, and other essential sources of nutrition remain scarce or prohibitively expensive.
Eggs have only recently returned to local markets after being unavailable for nearly three months. And they still remain beyond the reach of many families. A tray of 30 eggs now costs around 75 shekels (≈ $25), compared with about 12 (≈ USD $4) shekels before the war.
Things are so precarious because agricultural land has also been laid to ruin. The eastern areas of Gaza, once considered the Strip’s agricultural heartland and primary food basket, have been almost entirely destroyed and now largely fall within the expanding “yellow line” zone demarcated by the Israeli military. Huge swathes of farmland are inaccessible, while the soil itself has suffered extensive damage from repeated bombardment and the enormous quantity of explosives used throughout the war. Farmers also face severe shortages of seeds and agricultural supplies due to restrictions on the entry of essential agricultural materials.
Livestock production has nearly disappeared. The number of surviving animals has declined sharply, while the cost of feed and animal care has skyrocketed. As a result, livestock prices have risen to unprecedented levels. A sheep that sold for approximately $500 before the war now costs around $6,000, placing animal protein completely out of reach for most families.
For many people in Gaza, the food crisis is no longer simply about rising prices or shortages. It is about the daily struggle to secure enough food for the next meal, preserve it from heat and pests, and provide children with the nutrition necessary to grow and survive.
After 1000 days of war, this is our norm now.
