Cultivating bread lines in Gaza as Israel bans oil, imports flour | Israel-Palestine War News

Gaza City, Gaza – Muhammed al-Roubi, 14, stood in a long line under the sun, waiting to buy bread. But there was a great chance that, despite his patience, he would get nothing.

Shortages of flour and oil in recent weeks, brought about by Israel’s restrictions on imports into Gaza, mean that bakers cannot produce as much bread as the Palestinians in Gaza need.

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Palestinians, many of whom are displaced by Israel’s civil war in the area, are instead forced to wait for hours in lines outside the few remaining bakeries to receive a package of bread.

“My uncle’s family and our brothers live in the same house, and we share food, so we need a lot of bread every day,” said al-Roubi, who came to the bakery with his cousin before separating and joining different lines.

“That’s why my cousin and I stand on different lines,” he explained. “Some days we return empty-handed because the bread runs out and there are too many people.”

Deficiency

The growing lines in the few remaining areas show a decline in production, while demand is growing, driving higher prices and the growth of the black market.

Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Gaza Government Media Office, said last month that the sector needs about 450 tons of flour per day, but only 200 tons are coming.

The latest shortage stems from Israel’s decision to close the Gaza crossing on February 28, when Israel launched a joint war with the United States on Iran. The crossing was partially reopened a few days later, but traffic has been limited.

Israel ultimately decided how much to continue, despite last year’s “breakdown” with Hamas saying Israel should ease the restrictions.

According to Israeli media reports, the US-led Peace Council, which oversees the Gaza administration, will not. blame Israel to fulfill its part of the “cease fire” unless Hamas agrees to disarm.

More than a third of Gaza’s population depends on bread supported by World Food Program (WFP)-bakers, where a bundle, containing about eight or nine pitas, sells for about $1. About 20 percent of the bread from WFP-supported bakeries is also distributed free of charge to cafeterias.

But the WFP has been forced to offload flour from bakeries due to restrictions in Israel, meaning many Palestinians who rely on bakeries will have to look elsewhere.

One of them is 72-year-old Maysar Abu Rekab, a widow who supports three disabled relatives.

“We used to receive bread through WFP distribution centers, but now it has become difficult to get it, except by waiting in long lines, and no one in our family can stand it,” he told Al Jazeera.

“There is no household in Gaza that does not depend on bread as a staple food, especially with the lack of other foods,” he said. (But) a package of bread now costs 10 to 15 shekels ($3.45 and $5.17), and most families need two packages a day.

Several problems

Gaza is facing a number of problems including a shortage of bread, including a severe shortage of cooking oil, which was already in short supply. The supply of cooking gas, which is controlled by the Gaza Ministry of Finance through gas distributors and stations, has dropped from once every six weeks to once every three months due to the limited Israeli access.

The price of firewood, other cooking and cooking oils, has also increased.

The difficulty of making bread at home means that Palestinians in Gaza rely heavily on bread from bakeries.

Oil prices

A lack of flour is not what makes bakers suffer. Israel’s restrictions have also reduced the amount of oil needed to fuel power generators. Bakeries and other essential services in Gaza depend on these generators because the area does not have regular electricity.

In Gaza one power station at first it provided its electricity, but it had to close in the first days of the war due to the lack of fuel.

“Our work depends on electric generators that need frequent oil changes,” said Shadi Abu Gharqoud, a bakery worker. “Today, the price of one liter (34 fl oz) of oil has reached about 2,000 shekels ($689). This is a lot, especially because we don’t need just one liter, but a lot of it.”

Bakers pass on higher prices to their customers.

Having not been cured of hunger last year, the Palestinians in Gaza fear that an increase in the humanitarian crisis could mean a return to famine, which ended with the October “ceasefire”.

“During the last famine, people were dying of hunger and a piece of bread,” said Maysar. “Didn’t the world see that? This problem must be solved before it gets worse.”