Limited number of bakeries resume operations in southern Gaza amid Israeli siege

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

A limited number of bakeries supported by the UN World Food Program (WFP) began to resume operations in southern Gaza on Thursday after the entry of small quantities of flour into the Israel-blockaded enclave.

“Flour was allowed into Gaza on Wednesday, and we began to work immediately amid the current starvation in the area,” Ahmed al-Benna, a bakery owner, told Anadolu.

Benna’s bakery had been closed for two months since Israel closed all Gaza’s crossings on March 2 and banned the entry of flour and humanitarian aid into the territory.

Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza, however, are still fighting for survival in the grips of starvation, as no flour has reached the area so far.

Benna said the WFP will be responsible for the distribution of bread to Palestinian civilians, without clarifying the mechanism.

On April 6, WFP announced the closure of all 25 bakeries supported by the agency due to a shortage of fuel and flour. WFP later declared on April 25 that it had exhausted all food stocks used to serve hot meals for civilians.

Since March 2, Israel has maintained a strict blockade on Gaza, denying entry to humanitarian aid and pushing the territory into famine, which has already claimed numerous lives. Only 87 aid trucks were reportedly allowed entry – a fraction of the humanitarian need, with much of the aid stalled at border crossings.

The Gaza Strip requires a minimum of 500 trucks daily carrying urgent relief, medical and food aid along with at least 50 fuel trucks as life-saving necessities amid a worsening famine caused by Israel’s closure of border crossings.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza has become catastrophic,” said a WFP representative at the bakery.

“What we need is the continuation of aid delivery, opening the borders, and guaranteeing that the food reaches those who need it most,” he said.

Nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.

According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), hundreds of thousands of Palestinians eat only one meal every two or three days amid Israel’s crippling blockade.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.