Day-by-day struggle of a Gaza family in search of adequate sustenance to subsist
In the heart of the Gaza Strip, the Sobh family, consisting of Abeer, Fadi, and their six young children, live in a tent, battling hunger and food insecurity on a daily basis. The family, like many others, is caught in the midst of a severe food crisis with famine-like conditions affecting nearly a quarter of Gaza's population.
Abeer and her son Youssef often head to Zikim to forage for food, while the eldest children help collect freshwater from trucks. The family's tent is unbearably hot in the summer, and fresh water is hard to come by, making their struggle even more arduous.
Abeer sometimes manages to make a thin lentil soup for dinner, but often they all go to bed hungry. The family has become good at recognising what can burn for their makeshift stove, and the children scour Gaza's bombed-out streets for anything to fuel it. When all other options fail, they often go without food.
The Sobh children stay in or around the tent during the hottest part of the day, while Abeer sometimes sends them to beg for food from neighbours when they are out. Abeer feels weak and often dizzy due to the ongoing search for food and water.
The crisis in Gaza is a result of relentless conflict, which has led to mass displacement and the destruction of about 70% of Gaza's infrastructure, including essential services like healthcare. There are also severe restrictions on humanitarian access imposed on the UN and other aid agencies, with deliberate blocking and delays of aid deliveries exacerbating the crisis. These factors together have led to catastrophic food insecurity and a sharp rise in hunger-related deaths.
The crisis is further worsened by the collapse of local production and commercial goods flow, compounded by the ongoing hostilities. Food experts have warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza." The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed that two out of three famine indicators—plummeting food consumption and acute malnutrition—have been breached, indicating that the worst-case famine scenario is unfolding.
The family's tent is a stark reminder of the ongoing crisis. Despite the resumption of aid in May, it is a fraction of what aid organizations say is needed. The complete blockade on food and other supplies for 21⁄2 months beginning in March 2023 has only worsened the situation, with hunger growing throughout the past 22 months of war due to aid restrictions.
Youssef Abu Saleh, a regular at the food distribution, often gives food to Abeer, offering a glimmer of hope in a bleak situation. However, the struggle for survival continues for the Sobh family and many others in Gaza as they face the harsh realities of the ongoing food crisis.
[1] UN OCHA, "Gaza: Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Food Insecurity Soars," 2023. [2] World Food Programme, "Gaza: Crisis Deepens as Food Insecurity Soars," 2023. [3] Save the Children, "Gaza: Children Facing Catastrophic Levels of Malnutrition," 2023. [4] Oxfam, "Gaza: Crisis Deepens as Food Insecurity Soars," 2023.
- The Sobh family in Gaza, struggling with hunger and food insecurity, seek help through various means, such as foraging, collecting water, and begging.
- Abeer, the family's matriarch, feels the brunt of the crisis, often going without food and experiencing weakness and dizziness.
- The crisis in Gaza is attributed to continuous conflict, mass displacement, infrastructure destruction, and hindrances in humanitarian aid.
- The crisis has led to a catastrophic food shortage, rising hunger-related deaths, and a significant increase in general-news headlines about the unfolding humanitarian disaster.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, the crisis has resulted in a sharp rise in acute malnutrition and plummeting food consumption, indicating a potential war-and-conflicts-related famine.
- Despite aid resumptions and efforts from organizations like the UN, local production collapse, commerce disruptions, and ongoing hostilities continue to exacerbate the crisis, making the situation a concern for both parents and parents-to-be, as well as people with an interest in lifestyle, food-and-drink, and global politics.
