Gaza Dispatches: Hunger and Siege

Since fighting began on October 7, more than 250 aid workers have been killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, according to the UN. Remaining aid workers in Gaza work in the most dangerous conditions in the world to deliver basic services to people living through the war.

In June 2024, Refugees International spoke with Palestinians from Gaza who had been displaced to Egypt. These are the testimonies of Sally, Shaimaa, and Salah. Their memories of siege are a reminder that hunger and malnutrition persist in the region despite promises to improve protection of humanitarian operations to deliver food and aid.

Sally

“My aunts, who live in the north, were under siege. When we called to check on them, they told us sadly that they had nothing to eat except grass. They witnessed firsthand some children in their neighborhood dying due to malnutrition.“

Shaimaa

“In addition to the bombing and the displacement, there is no food to get anywhere. I swear we had to rely for twenty days on drinking salty water; it’s tap water, but the tap water we had at the moment in Gaza was salty and unclean or safe to drink, but we had to have it.

“The longest we went without eating was around a week. We had extremely little portions, and I would save them for the children. I can withstand hunger, but I have to care for the kids; I swear they would sleep every day on empty stomachs. I was devastated to see my kids like that.

“For three days while taking refuge in Al Shifa hospital, they went without anything at all to eat. Even the water, I can withstand salty water, but my kids would tell me they’re thirsty and they can’t swallow salty water, and they would cry.

“If you have bits of dates or a plate of rice or anything of the sort, we would rely on it for days. Forget about eating to eliminate your hunger; that’s impossible. We would only have whatever is there to be able to just keep breathing and stay alive.”

Salah

“My brother and his family remained in the north because his wife gave birth and had a C-section and couldn’t be moved. He is in Beit Lahia. He was trapped in the Yemeni Hospital area in Jabalia for 18 days without food, relying only on unclean water to wet their throats.

“Some reports mentioned people eating donkey, cat, and dog meat. I confirmed this with my brother, who said they were too ashamed to admit it but had no other choice. For four months, the north had no food supplies, and people ate tree leaves. 

“I kept four horses in my land, which were killed, and the leftover feed for them helped my brother’s family survive. Hunger and famine were severe in northern Gaza.”

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Azzam

“There are many cases of extreme starvation throughout Gaza, especially in the north. 

“UNRWA would send aid convoys with flour and supplies; some were looted on the way, and when they reached distribution points, the Israeli military would fire on people trying to receive food aid—blood mixing with flour, it was horrible. People would go out to get flour, stay out for three or four days, fail, and return home empty-handed, risking their lives for food.

“One journalist told me about a woman with four boys in Jabilya; they were all killed with their entire families. Only one left behind a newborn child, and there was no milk for this newborn. His grandmother fed him only water because she had nothing else for him. There’s a video of it. The child died four days later of starvation.“