Palestinians gather for a mass fast-breaking iftar meal in front of the destroyed Salim Abu Muslim mosque in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP)
Gaza: A government official in Gaza stated that 80 percent of the population has lost access to food sources due to Israeli occupation's closure of the border crossings. This blockade halted distribution of aid and meals by relief organizations and charitable kitchens, as food supplies have run out.
Head of Emergency Committee at the Ministry of Social Development, Riyad Al Bitar, warned in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the coming days will bring further deterioration in the already dire humanitarian situation. He highlighted the deepening famine, worsening food and water insecurity, and the near-total collapse of essential services and healthcare in Gaza Strip.
Al Bitar stated that fifteen days after Israeli occupation shut down Gaza's border crossings and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid and essential supplies, the signs of famine and extreme food insecurity have become increasingly evident, shaping the daily reality of Palestinians in Gaza.
A Palestinian child carrying food cries as people gather for a mass fast-breaking iftar meal in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP)
In addition to the severe food shortages affecting 80 percent of the population, he noted that bread availability has declined significantly, with 25 percent of bakeries shutting down. Many more are on the brink of closure due to fuel shortages.
Al Bitar also emphasized a severe and worsening crisis in household water supply, with an even greater shortage of drinking water. He revealed that 90 percent of Gaza's residents now lack access to a reliable water source, as municipalities are forced to ration the operation of wells to conserve the remaining fuel and ensure water distribution for as long as possible.
The humanitarian crisis also paralyzed municipal projects, including clearing rubble and waste from the streets. Authorities have redirected their limited fuel resources toward running water wells, exacerbating the suffering of residents and creating serious environmental and health hazards especially as temperatures rise.
He further pointed out that many residents resorted to using firewood instead of cooking gas, a shift that poses severe health and environmental risks and increases respiratory illnesses. The shortage of essential materials has also hindered efforts to provide displaced families with tents and slowed the construction of new shelters.
Head of Emergency Committee at the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza confirmed that transportation in Gaza has nearly ground to a halt due to the fuel crisis, making it extremely difficult for residents to move around, including those seeking medical care. Hospitals and medical centers are struggling to function as a result.
Al Bitar stressed that the current situation in Gaza paints a grim picture of what over 2.4 million residents are enduring, saying that the occupation sentenced them to a slow death tightening the siege, cutting off every means of survival, and turning Gaza into an open-air prison.
The World Food Programme (WFP) recently confirmed that it has not been able to deliver any food supplies to Gaza since March 2, as Israeli authorities have sealed off all border crossings to humanitarian and commercial shipments.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel waged a genocidal war on Gaza, destroying infrastructure, obliterating economic, commercial, and industrial establishments, and targeting governmental and community institutions. The assault resulted in nearly 160,000 casualties, including dead and wounded.
