Gaza families survive off animal feed amid food shortage | ABS-CBN

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Gaza families survive off animal feed amid food shortage

Gaza families survive off animal feed amid food shortage

Reuters

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Many Palestinians in northern Gaza have resorted to grinding animal feed into flour to stave off hunger, with food prices skyrocketing amid dwindling grain supplies following the onset of the Israeli blockade which is severely restricting Gaza's access to basic goods.

As of Sunday, the death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,176 since Oct 7, 2023, with 67,784 others injured, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

In the northern strip, a grim scene was unfolding at a mass grave as the devastating Palestine-Israel conflict entered its fifth month. Due to the overwhelming number of casualties and the lack of space in local cemeteries, many people are forced to lay their departed loved ones to temporarily rest in the mass grave.

Among the deceased are victims of the conflict, but a significant portion has tragically succumbed to starvation. As the conflict continues to ravage the besieged Palestinian enclave, many people are confronted with the harrowing reality of food shortages as many people are going without food for days.

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In Gaza City, mill owner Salih Bayid has witnessed fewer and fewer people coming to his mill to grind wheat, and many people are bringing in the food which they formerly used to feed their livestock.

"Whatever customers bring to us, we grind for them. Recently, many people have been coming with large bags and when I asked what was inside, they told me it was bird food," said Bayid.

Despite Israel repeatedly promising not to prevent humanitarian relief supplies from entering Gaza, statistics from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) shows that the food and medicine reaching the enclave has drastically fallen short.

As the conflict rages on, very little aid has been able to reach northern Gaza. This has pushed up food prices, making it difficult for ordinary people to afford even basic items such as flour.

"Currently, there is very little grain available on the market, and the prices are very high. Shortly after the conflict erupted, the price of barley soared to 8 shekels per kilogram. Now, the price has risen to 25 shekels per kilogram (about 7 U.S. dollars)," said Bayid.

With food supplies dwindling to critical levels, a growing number of people in Gaza city are grappling with malnutrition, as the northern Gaza Strip is teetering on the brink of famine.

"What we are eating now is what we used to feed our livestock. No one would eat such things before. Sometimes there is even sand in it, but we have no choice. We have to eat whatever they sell," said Abu Ayman Haddad, one of the local residents. - report from CHINA CENTRAL TELEVISION (CCTV); Reuters

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