Food supplies are dangerously insufficient amid the lingering conflict in the Gaza Strip, with prices still unaffordable for starving families.
Amid catastrophic shortages, even small deliveries will bring both hope and tragedy.
For the first time in months, a limited number of commercial trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing -- the primary crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip -- overnight Tuesday, delivering goods for local merchants. But the rare entry ended in tragedy, with at least 20 people killed and dozens more injured.
Officials said the Israeli army directed the trucks onto unsafe, bomb-damaged roads, causing one to overturn onto a crowd of people waiting for food near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah.
"The so-called American aid centers have become nothing but death traps. They are also funneling some aid through unsafe corridors. Just last night, Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza received over 20 victims, most of whom were civilians waiting for aid deliveries when the truck overturned on them," said Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran, spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital.
The goods that made it through are far from enough to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.3 million residents. Traders said prices remain prohibitively high, with basic staples still too expensive or unavailable for most people.
Mohammed Al-Jumla, a Palestinian trader, said that even though rice prices dropped slightly, it's still unaffordable for most.
"The goods that entered were not enough. It was 70 shekels (about 20.4 U.S. dollars) or 60 shekels (17.4 U.S. dollars) a kilo of rice. It's 50 shekels (14.5 U.S. dollars) now. It's not enough, and it's all expensive. Prices are high so far. A kilo of lentils used to cost 3 shekels (87 U.S. cents) in normal days, and now a kilo of lentils costs 30 shekels (8.7 U.S. dollars) . That's high price. Bringing in 40 trucks out of the 500 or 600 trucks that are needed won't make a difference. It's the same. Prices will stay as they are," he said.
For displaced Palestinians already exhausted by hunger, the small quantities of goods entering Gaza bring little comfort. Even when some items are available, most families can't afford them, as their income has been cut off for months, leaving them in a catastrophic economic situation.
"Many basic food items are still missing from the markets - eggs, poultry, meat, vegetables, and many types of fruit remain unavailable. Some items can be found, but in extremely limited quantities, and at prices that ordinary citizens simply can't afford. God willing, in the coming period larger quantities will arrive - much more than the supplies currently getting through," said Saeed Al-Zard, a displaced Palestinian.
Nearly two years into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Gaza is unraveling under the weight of starvation and siege.
Since Oct 7, 2023, at least 201 people have died due to starvation and lack of medical treatment in Gaza, including 98 children, according to figures released by the Gaza-based health authorities on Friday.
Gazans suffer from food shortage amid ongoing conflict
