Gaza faces the specter of famine before Eid… Empty shelves and insane prices

As Eid al-Fitr approaches, the specter of famine looms once again over the Gaza Strip. Residents find themselves helpless before empty shelves and soaring prices for basic necessities, exacerbating their suffering and deepening the fragility of their daily lives under the ongoing siege and Israeli restrictions on the entry of food aid.

Since the outbreak of the war with Iran, Israel has closed most crossings, concentrating the movement of goods and aid through a single crossing. This has prompted international organizations to warn that any policy of “drip-feeding” supplies could reignite the specter of famine in the Strip.

Based on this reality on the ground, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has warned against Israel’s continued use of starvation as a weapon of genocide against civilians in Gaza. This is being done by controlling the quantity and quality of food supplies and reducing the flow of humanitarian and commercial aid, thus reviving the specter of widespread famine.

The observatory added in a statement that Israel is exploiting the international preoccupation with the war with the United States over Iran to tighten the siege. It completely closed the crossings during the initial days of the war and later reopened only one crossing with a reduced number of trucks allowed to enter, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe and perpetuating the effects of the ongoing genocide.

The warnings were not limited to official statements. A large number of citizens complained on social media about the ongoing Israeli occupation policies against the residents of the Gaza Strip, which restrict the entry of basic necessities by limiting the movement of goods and reducing humanitarian aid, thus pushing Gaza back into a cycle of famine.