Bread shortages deepen in Gaza as Israel restricts fuel, flour imports

Standing in a long queue under the beating sun, 14-year-old Muhammed al-Roubi waited for bread in Gaza City, but faced a strong chance of leaving empty-handed despite his patience.

Israeli restrictions on imports into Gaza have caused a flour and fuel shortage in recent weeks, preventing bakeries from producing enough bread to meet Palestinian needs.

Most Palestinians, already displaced by Israel’s ongoing war in the territory, now wait hours in lines outside the few remaining bakeries for subsidized bread packages.

“My uncle’s family and ours live in the same house, and we share food, so we need a large amount of bread every day,” said al-Roubi, who had come with his cousin and joined separate queues to increase their chances.

“That is why my cousin and I each stand in a separate line,” he explained. “Some days, we return empty-handed because the bread runs out and there are too many people.”

The growing queues reflect a decline in production levels against rising demand, driving up prices and fueling a black market.

Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said last month that the territory needs about 450 tonnes of flour daily, but only 200 tonnes were entering.

Recent shortages stem from Israel’s decision to close Gaza crossings on February 28, when Israel launched a joint operation with the United States against Iran. Crossings partially reopened days later but traffic remains limited.

Israel ultimately controls how much aid enters, despite a “ceasefire” with Hamas last year that required Israel to ease restrictions significantly.

According to Israeli media, the U.S.-led Board of Peace overseeing Gaza’s administration will not hold Israel accountable for implementing its ceasefire obligations unless Hamas disarms.

More than one-third of Gaza’s population relies on subsidized bread from bakeries supplied by the World Food Programme (WFP), where a bundle of eight or nine pitas sells at a capped price of about $1. About 20% of bread from WFP-supported bakeries is also distributed free at meal kitchens.

However, the WFP has reduced flour supplies to bakeries due to Israel’s import restrictions, forcing many Palestinians who depended on those bakeries to seek alternatives.

One such person is 72-year-old Maysar Abu Rekab, a widow supporting three disabled family members.

“We used to receive bread through the WFP distribution points, but now it has become very difficult to get it, except by waiting in long lines, and no one in our family is able to stand in them,” she told Al Jazeera.

“There is no home in Gaza that does not depend on bread as a basic food, especially with the shortage of other food items,” she added. “[But] a bread package now costs between 10 and 15 shekels ($3.45 and $5.17), with the average household needing two packages per day. This creates a heavy burden, especially with low incomes and rising flour prices.”

Gaza faces multiple crises alongside the bread shortage, including a sharp drop in cooking gas supplies. The provision of cooking gas, overseen by Gaza’s Ministry of Economy through distributors, has slowed from once every six weeks to once every three months because of limited quantities Israel allows in.

The price of firewood, an alternative fuel for cooking and baking, has also risen.

With home baking increasingly difficult, Palestinians in Gaza rely more on bakeries.

Flour shortages are not the only problem. Israeli restrictions have also limited the oil needed to lubricate electricity generators, which bakeries and essential services depend on as Gaza lacks regular electricity.

Gaza’s sole power station, which had provided some electricity, shut down early in the war due to fuel shortages.

“Our work depends on electric generators that need regular oil changes,” said bakery worker Shadi Abu Gharqoud. “Today, the price of 1 litre [34fl oz] of oil has reached about 2,000 shekels ($689). This is a very large amount, especially since we do not need just one litre, but large quantities.”

Bakeries inevitably pass the cost increases to customers.

Having barely recovered from last year’s famine, Palestinians fear the expanding humanitarian crisis could bring back the hunger that only ended with the October “ceasefire.”

“During the last famine, people were dying from hunger and for a piece of bread,” said Maysar. “Did the world not see that? This crisis must be solved before it becomes worse.”