Palestinians warn of imminent famine as Israeli siege forces bakeries in northern Gaza to close

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinians have warned of an imminent famine in the northern Gaza Strip as an ongoing Israeli blockade has forced five out of six functioning bakeries to shut down in the region.

“Five out of six bakeries in northern Gaza have shut down due to Israel’s blockade on the entry of fuel and raw materials needed to produce bread,” Kamel Ajjour, a baker owner, told Anadolu on Sunday.

“Our bakery is the only one still functioning in the area and is likely to close within a week if Israel continues to block the entry of fuel and essential supplies,” he warned.

Ajjour emphasized that fuel has not been delivered to bakeries in northern Gaza for over 10 days.

“The supply of critical ingredients such as flour, sugar, and yeast has been significantly reduced for nearly a month,” he said, warning of a severe bread crisis if his bakery also halted operations in northern Gaza.

Ajjour appealed to international organizations, including the UN, to immediately intervene to prevent the outbreak of famine in northern Gaza and for the swift delivery of fuel and essential materials to sustain bread production in the enclave.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,300 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi