Gaza is on the brink of famine as the last remaining bakeries have shut down due to Israel’s relentless blockade, depriving over 2.4 million Palestinians of access to bread. With no flour or diesel left, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding at an alarming pace, pushing the population into unprecedented levels of hunger and despair.

Abdel Nasser Al-Ajrami, head of the Bakeries Owners Association in Gaza, confirmed that all bakeries in the enclave have ceased operations as flour supplies have completely run out. The World Food Programme (WFP), which supports several bakeries, has also announced that its stockpiles are nearly depleted, warning that the crisis is escalating beyond control.

Efforts to bring in essential supplies have been systematically blocked, with Israel rejecting the vast majority of aid requests from humanitarian organisations. The United Nations has condemned the ongoing siege, describing it as the longest and most severe closure since the war on Gaza began. With crossings shut and humanitarian convoys obstructed, food supplies have dwindled to catastrophic levels, leaving displaced families and vulnerable communities at the highest risk of starvation.

The deliberate withholding of food and fuel has been widely denounced as a war crime and a form of collective punishment against Gaza’s besieged population. Palestinian officials and humanitarian groups have urgently called for immediate international intervention to force Israel to open the crossings and allow lifesaving supplies to enter.

As famine tightens its grip, Gaza’s people face an agonising wait for a response from the world. The question remains: will the international community act before it is too late, or will it turn a blind eye to yet another chapter of suffering imposed on a population already pushed beyond endurance?