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Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis.
After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces in control of about 60% of the territory, almost all of Gaza’s food must be brought in.
Humanitarian groups feeding much of the population say the supplies they had on Saturday, when the war began, will only last a few more days.
“If [the borders] stay closed, World Central Kitchen will run out of food this week,” said the organisation’s founder and chief, José Andrés, in a post on social media.
“We are cooking 1 million hot meals every day. We need food deliveries every single day.”
One international food security expert said there was just a week’s supply of fresh food in Gaza.
Community bakeries that supply some of the most vulnerable people have only enough flour for about 10 days of bread, and there are about two weeks’ supply of aid parcels.
Israel imposed a total siege on Gaza last spring followed by extreme restrictions on food shipments. Together they caused a famine last summer.
Hundreds of people were also killed trying to reach the food distribution points of a new logistics organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which only operated in Israeli-controlled areas.
As news of Israel’s attack on Iran spread, Palestinians haunted by memories of famine and other periods of extreme hunger raced out to buy supplies, pushing up prices.
The price of a 25kg sack of flour has tripled to between 80 and 100 shekels, from about 30 shekels last week. Other essentials including sugar, nappies and cooking oil have doubled.
“The return of famine to Gaza is what we fear most, even more than the shelling,” said Sobhi Al-Zaaneen, a 50-year-old father of seven, originally from northern Gaza.
He had decided to stock up on more food despite the cost. “I’m now on my way to the market to buy what we need before prices increase further.”
Many in Gaza do not have funds to stock up, after losing their homes and jobs in the war, and running through any savings to survive.
“I don’t have enough money to buy and store food before prices increase, as some others have done,” said Um Mohammed Hijazi, a 49-year-old mother of five. The family home was destroyed in the war and they were displaced five times.
“Thank God, I have a small food supply from aid we received from relief organisations, which may be enough for a few days if the crossings remain closed.”
Some staples are harder to find than a week ago, and Hijazi said she heard some traders had put their goods into storage, hoping to profit from further price rises.
As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel has a legal responsibility to ensure there is sufficient food for civilians there. That obligation is not affected by the war with Iran, said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
“Community kitchens are already closing, and prices for basic goods have started to rise,” he said in a post on X. “Even amid a widening regional war, international humanitarian law still requires Israel to facilitate relief for civilians under its control.”
The Israeli authority that controls aid and commercial flows into Gaza, Cogat, said it halted shipments into Gaza for security reasons amid the war with Iran.
“Opening the crossings under fire puts lives at risk, both personnel on the Israeli side and on the Gazan side,” a spokesperson said in written comments.
Israel has kept border crossings with Jordan and Egypt open, and the food logistics chain inside the country is still operating.
The Cogat spokesperson said there was adequate food in Gaza, but declined to give any statistics. “Existing stockpiles inside Gaza are expected to suffice for a while,” the statement said.
Gaza shares a border with Egypt, which has been closed for aid since Israeli forces took control of the area in May 2024. The Cogat spokesperson did not respond to questions about why that had not been opened to aid shipments.
Palestinians and international humanitarian organisations have warned for months that essential goods including food are in short supply despite the ceasefire. UN-backed experts said in December that nearly four in five Palestinians in Gaza faced acute food insecurity.
An erratic system of Israeli controls and the destruction of warehouses means there are not enough food supplies inside Gaza to cushion the impact of border crossings, said Bahaa Al-Amawi, secretary of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of North Gaza.
“Since the beginning of the ceasefire, there has been no strategic stockpile, and we are unable to establish one under the current conditions,” he said.
“This means that as soon as a closure is announced, it triggers a psychological crisis for many citizens due to their previous experience with famine, alongside a real commercial crisis caused by the absence of stock reserves. The market reacts quickly.”
Alaa Abu Rakba, 43, has been supporting his wife and four children selling meat from a small kiosk set up outside his tent. Their home was destroyed in the war.
His business was effectively cut off overnight, but he immediately went out to buy up basic supplies like sugar, flour and oil.
“We learned our lesson from the first time,” he said. “I would rather the war and shelling return than see the crossings closed, because I do not want to live through a famine again or find myself unable to provide food for my children for days.”
