For more than two hours, Wissam Abu Ali stood in a long queue outside the Family Bakery on Al-Nasr Street, west of Gaza City, in hopes of securing just one loaf of bread. This scene is a daily occurrence for Abu Ali, in his thirties, who struggles to provide for his displaced family living at one of Gaza City's shelters. He explains that acquiring bread has become a time-consuming endeavour. The bakery is crowded with a large number of people, all trying to purchase bread amid the ongoing crisis.

Currently, Gaza City is overwhelmed with tens of thousands of displaced individuals from northern Gaza, fleeing the military aggression launched by the Israeli army over 70 days ago.  This influx has led to a severe overcrowding problem outside the few functioning bakeries in Gaza City, of which there are only four, as a result of the harsh war conditions and the ongoing blockade, which prevents enough fuel from entering the city to keep the bakeries operational.

Among the citizens waiting for bread, a group of young men attempt to organise the queues, manage the crowd, and minimise any potential issues that might arise.

Ramzi Abu Sultan, one such young man, could no longer endure standing in the long queue at one of the bakeries and decided to try baking bread at home. However, he faces a significant challenge: securing wood to start a fire to bake bread for his family of nine. He explains that the cost of obtaining bread has become a financial burden due to the difficult economic situation caused by the war, which has devastated Gaza's economy.

The price of a kilogram of wood in Gaza City now ranges between 1 and 1.30 dollars, a cost many citizens can no longer afford. As a result, many people resort to purchasing a 2-kilogram loaf from the few operating bakeries for just 0.80 dollars. The queues at the bakeries are not limited to men; women and children also endure long waits. Among them is Mohammed Abu Rayala, a young child who spends hours in line at the Family Bakery, which seems endless.

Abu Rayala, from the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, buys one or two loaves and then sells them to citizens willing to pay more than 0.78 US dollars in order to avoid standing in the lengthy queue.
At times, the price of a loaf sold by these vendors can exceed 1.30 US dollars, and during periods of extreme overcrowding, it may rise to 1.82 US dollars or even 2.08 US dollars. This child repeats the process several times a day to earn a few shekels.

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza on 7th October 2023, the Israeli army has targeted several bakeries, destroying vital parts of them and severely hindering their ability to operate. Furthermore, the army has prevented the reopening of other bakeries, exacerbating the challenge of meeting the bread needs of Gaza's citizens.