Gazans face extreme hunger as ‘real famine’ spreads from north to south
Mustafa Al-Darsh, a 35-year-old father of three from Gaza City, spends hours every day searching for food for his family. Some days, he manages to secure a few canned goods; other days, his family has to settle for plain rice. “In the north, we yearn to eat bread with some thyme,” he told +972. He hasn’t been able to find flour for months.
Since the start of October, when the Israeli army encircled northern Gaza and began subjecting it to a campaign of expulsion and extermination, no goods — including humanitarian supplies — have entered the area. In early November, a UN panel warned that famine was imminent in the besieged area in the north of the Strip, where around 75,000 Palestinians were estimated to still remain. Local organizations have since urged the UN and international bodies to formally declare a famine. Now, with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) forced to pause aid deliveries through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south, hunger and malnutrition across the enclave are set to intensify.
As a father, Al-Darsh usually forgoes his own meals to ensure that his wife and children eat. “Our bodies are exhausted from the lack of food — we’re unable to do anything,” he explained. When night falls, he is usually too hungry to sleep. “Sometimes I feel that I will lose my mind because of what we are living through,” he added. [Continue reading…]