SAFA — Palestinians in Gaza are warning of a renewed hunger crisis as Israeli restrictions on food supplies leave bakeries struggling to operate, humanitarian kitchens cutting meals and families facing soaring prices for basic necessities.

Residents, officials and activists describe the restrictions as “engineered starvation,” accusing Israel of selectively controlling the goods entering Gaza while limiting essential food supplies, including flour, vegetables and meat.

They say Israeli authorities are allowing some nonessential products into the Strip while restricting food items desperately needed by a population already devastated by war, displacement and prolonged deprivation.

Across Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians have been queuing outside the few remaining operational bakeries, desperate to secure bread as flour and fuel supplies dwindle.

Humanitarian kitchens and relief programs serving displaced families have also reduced their operations or shut down as supplies run out.

‘Our Life in Gaza Is Just Queues’

The worsening shortages have sparked an online campaign under the Arabic hashtag #هندسة_المجاعة (Engineered Starvation), with Palestinians sharing accounts of hunger, rising prices and the struggle to obtain basic necessities.

“Our life in Gaza is just queues for the bare necessities,” activist Wael Abu Omar wrote. “Queues for water, queues for food, queues for bread, queues for aid coupons, queues for everything you can imagine.”

Journalist Ibrahim Muslim warned that essential food shipments were being restricted while other goods continued to enter.

“For days, not a single truck carrying vegetables or any food items has entered the Gaza Strip,” he wrote, accusing Israeli authorities of allowing coal, animal feed, clothing and detergents while blocking food supplies.

Activist Omar al-Atla warned that declining humanitarian assistance and reduced meal distributions were exposing displaced families to renewed famine conditions.

Shortages Fuel Price Gouging and Hoarding

Alongside Israeli restrictions, residents have accused some local merchants of exploiting shortages by sharply increasing prices and withholding essential goods from the market.

Families already struggling with lost incomes and displacement say they are increasingly unable to afford flour, vegetables and other basic foods.

“The specter of famine is returning to hover over the Strip,” activist Yehya Halles warned, pointing to dwindling supplies and prices beyond the reach of ordinary Palestinians.

Activist Amir al-Ijla urged immediate action before conditions deteriorate further.

“We must not wait until images of the starving fall in the streets,” he wrote.

Gaza Authorities Warn of Expanding Famine

Gaza's Ministry of Social Development blamed the shutdown of most bakeries on Israeli restrictions affecting flour shipments and essential operating supplies.

The ministry described the closures as part of a deliberate policy of using food as a weapon against civilians, warning that the collapse of bread production threatens one of the last remaining sources of affordable food for displaced and impoverished families.

Palestinian resident Mohammed Abu Ali accused Israel of deliberately controlling food supplies to exert political and social pressure while maintaining the appearance of allowing humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

Palestinian officials and humanitarian workers fear that continued restrictions could drive another surge in acute malnutrition, particularly among children, pregnant women, elderly people and patients already weakened by hunger.

For families across Gaza, the crisis is increasingly measured in hours spent waiting for bread, meals skipped and food they can no longer afford.

As supplies diminish and prices rise, Palestinians warn that without an immediate increase in essential food deliveries, hunger will become an even greater threat to their survival.