The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that its food supplies in Gaza are completely gone. This comes as Israel’s blockade on aid continues for the eighth week. The WFP stated that it has delivered its last food stocks to local kitchens, which are expected to run out within days.
Over 400,000 people in Gaza depend on the WFP for food. Local NGOs are also running short on supplies. Antoine Renard, the WFP’s representative in Palestine, expressed concern about the situation, stating that families are already rationing what little food they have left.
Since March 2, Israel has blocked all aid from entering Gaza, including food, medicine, and fuel. This blockade defies a World Court order from 2024 that called for the facilitation of humanitarian assistance. The food that was stockpiled during a ceasefire earlier this year has mostly been consumed, and prices for remaining food items have skyrocketed by 1,400 percent.
Reports from Gaza City indicate that hunger and malnutrition are widespread. Many families are struggling to get by without the daily meals they relied on from the WFP. The Government Media Office in Gaza warned that dwindling food supplies could push thousands of families into starvation. They reported that at least 52 people, including 50 children, have died due to hunger and malnutrition, with more than one million children going hungry every day.
Despite the worsening humanitarian crisis, Israel has shown no intention of lifting the blockade. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the blockade is a tactic to pressure Hamas, which Israel accuses of exploiting aid. However, this strategy has drawn criticism from several of Israel’s allies, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, who labeled the situation "intolerable."
As the food crisis deepens, violence continues in Gaza. Recent Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 78 people, including many civilians. Efforts to revive ceasefire talks in Cairo are ongoing, but progress remains stalled. Hamas insists on a permanent ceasefire, while Israel is only offering temporary truces and demands disarmament.
Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, more than 51,000 people have been killed, and over 117,000 have been injured, according to Palestinian authorities. The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, leaving many families in desperate need of assistance.