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STORY: GAZA / FOOD SUPPLIES SHORTAGE
TRT: 03:23
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARBIC/ NATS
DATELINE: 27 March 2025, GAZA CITY
1. Various shots, a market in Gaza City
2. Various shots, Mr. Salah Oudeh standing in front of his vegetable stall in Gaza Market
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Salah Oudeh:
"My name is Salah Oudeh. I used to be a butcher in Sheikh Radwan Market in Gaza City, selling fresh meat. With the closure of the crossings and the ongoing war, we started receiving some frozen meat and worked on selling it. Now, after the crossing has been closed, there is no meat, no chicken, and no fish. With this closure, the prices of vegetables and food supplies have skyrocketed, and there is no meat or proper food, so people have resorted to canned goods. The situation is tragic. I used to sell meat, and now I sell vegetables, as you can see. This is our reality now—may God help us and help the people."
4. Various shots, market activity in Gaza City
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rami Saad:
"We are living an abnormal life. Look at the markets—move the camera around, and you won't find goods or basic necessities. When a citizen wants to buy something, they search the market but can't find it. Our situation is bad and getting worse with the continued closure of the crossings. The siege we are experiencing in Gaza is unprecedented; even our grandparents have never witnessed a blockade like this. We call on the Arab countries and the world to intervene and stand by the oppressed Palestinian people."
6. Various shots, market activity in Gaza City
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bilal Shaheen:
"As you can see, people are searching for goods. As a citizen, I notice that many essential products are missing, and we can’t afford to buy them, so we try to manage with whatever alternatives we can find. Today, this is the reality imposed on all of us."
8. Various shots, market activity in Gaza City
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Omar Al-Za’anin:
"The closure of the crossings has severely impacted the markets. There is a severe shortage of goods, and people come to the market unsure of what to buy. There is no food or drink; people now come just to see each other. We are heading toward an imminent famine. We call on all parties and international organizations to work on reopening the crossings before disaster strikes."
10. Various shots, market activity in Gaza City
Intense hostilities in Gaza continue amid devastating humanitarian conditions. Markets in Gaza’s cities appear empty of goods and food supplies amid economic hardship and a renewed phase of war the residents are facing.
According to its latest humanitarian situation update on the Strip, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that humanitarian efforts are crippled as the ban by Israeli authorities on the entry of any supplies has entered its fourth week. Most movement requests requiring coordination with Israeli authorities are denied.
Salah Awda is a vendor at a market, he used to be a butcher in the Sheikh Radwan market in Gaza City, selling fresh meat.
He said, “With the border closures and the ongoing war, we started receiving some frozen meat and selling it. But now, after the crossings were shut down, there is no meat, no chicken, and no fish. With this closure, vegetable and food supply prices have skyrocketed, and there is no meat or food available. People are now relying on canned goods. The situation is catastrophic.”
Another Palestinian citizen, Rami Saad, described the situation, “We are living an abnormal life. Look at the markets — you won’t find goods or even the basic necessities of life. When someone wants to buy something, they search the market and can’t find it.”
With the depletion of food supplies and deterioration of water and sanitation conditions situation, there is high concern of increased malnutrition, warns the Nutrition Cluster.
Bilal Shaheen said, "As you can see, people are searching for goods. As a citizen, I notice that many essential products are missing, and we can’t afford to buy them, so we try to manage with whatever alternatives we can find. Today, this is the reality imposed on all of us."
"There is a severe shortage of goods, and people come to the market unsure of what to buy,” Omar Al-Za’anin, said, “There is no food or drink; people now come just to see each other. We are heading toward an imminent famine.”
He said, “We call on all parties and international organizations to work on reopening the crossings before disaster strikes."
According to an OCHA report, the Food Security Sector (FSS) reports that cooking gas remains available only in extremely limited quantities at exorbitant prices. This is limiting food preparation by families and increasing their reliance on community kitchens, FSS added. A surge in demand for bread has also been observed in recent days given the soaring prices of fuel and wheat flour. Amid dwindling supplies, widespread insecurity and critical supply shortages, FSS partners are working to maximize the production of cooked meals across Gaza and increasing bread production at bakeries that remain operational.
Between 18 and 24 March, about ten kitchens have been closed across Gaza, due to hostilities and energy shortages. As of 25 March, 18 FSS-supported bakeries are operational and approximately 740,000 cooked meals prepared in about 170 kitchens are being distributed daily, compared with over 820,000 meals in about 180 kitchens prior to the latest escalation of hostilities.
