Under Israel’s relentless blockade, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza are facing the brutal reality of starvation, with aid cut off since the start of Ramadan. As the occupation tightens its siege, entire families in overcrowded shelters are left without food, relying solely on volunteer-run tekkiyyat for survival. Women and children queue for hours, desperate for a single meal, while basic necessities like flour, oil, and sugar have become impossible luxuries.

Osama al-Masri, a father of 16 from Beit Hanoun, has been forced to move between shelters since Israeli airstrikes destroyed his home in October. “We used to survive on what little aid came through, but now it has stopped completely,” he says from a cramped school-turned-shelter. Jibril Yousef, 22, shares the same fear: “No food, no water—if this continues, famine is coming.” The occupation’s refusal to reopen crossings has left Gaza’s people trapped in a slow, deliberate death.

Children are the hardest hit. In central Gaza, Umm Mahmoud, a mother of four, waits in front of a tekkiyya for hours, hoping to secure food for her family. “Ramadan was always about breaking fast together—now, we beg for anything to keep our children from starving.” Humanitarian organisations warn that prolonged malnutrition is already taking its toll, with severe hunger spreading rapidly among children and the elderly.

The World Food Programme reports that existing food supplies in Gaza will run out within days, while medical facilities collapse under relentless attacks. Hospitals are barely functioning, with many shut down due to bombardment and shortages of essential medicine. Local volunteers are doing what they can, but without external aid, their efforts are no match for the scale of suffering.

This is not just a blockade—it is a war crime. The Israeli occupation is weaponising hunger, using starvation to break Gaza’s resistance. Human rights groups warn that if the crossings remain closed, mass famine is inevitable. “This is not just a siege; it’s extermination,” says a local aid worker. As the world looks away, Gaza’s people are left to die, their only crime being their existence.