Bilal Mohammad Ramadan AbuKresh has experienced significant losses during the ongoing war in Gaza, including his home, job, wife, and seven relatives. As the United Nations closes 25 bakeries across the territory, he faces the loss of his primary source of food.
Prior to the closures, Mr. AbuKresh, 40, would leave his tent in a displaced persons camp at dawn to wait in long lines for bread for his four children. He described the scene as “unimaginable,” particularly after the World Food Program (WFP) announced it had run out of flour and fuel necessary to keep the bakeries operational.
While bread was affordable, he noted the high cost of other food items, such as a $30 bag of pasta. The lack of humanitarian aid deliveries over the past month has led to fierce competition for food and rising prices.
To provide for his family, Mr. AbuKresh has resorted to selling his children’s jewelry and collecting trash for money. He expressed the desperation of his situation, stating, “To secure a bag of bread for my children, I risk death a hundred times.”
In addition to the bakery closures, the WFP announced that it would distribute its last food parcels by Thursday, with remaining supplies in Gaza expected to deplete within two weeks. This news prompted many Gazans to rush to U.N. warehouses to collect flour.
The decision to close the bakeries follows a month after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a halt to all humanitarian aid to Gaza, aiming to pressure Hamas regarding a hostage release deal amid stalled cease-fire negotiations. The fragile truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed shortly after, leading to renewed airstrikes.
According to Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami, head of the bakers' association, the bakeries consumed up to 300 tons of flour daily, supplying about 70 percent of Gaza’s population. He expressed concern about the impending humanitarian crisis, noting that nearly one-third of the bread produced was distributed for free, supporting many who lost their jobs during the conflict.
Al-Ajrami warned that food shortages could lead to unrest, stating, “This might cause chaos again across Gaza as people would start fighting for a piece of bread.”
The United Nations has repeatedly raised alarms about dwindling humanitarian supplies and the failure to gain access for aid convoys at border crossings. It has accused Israel of denying requests for broader humanitarian coordination and noted that no-go zones cover more than half of Gaza.
In response, COGAT, the Israeli military unit responsible for coordinating aid, claimed that 450,000 tons of assistance were delivered during the cease-fire, with less than 30 percent from the U.N. They asserted that there is sufficient food available if Hamas allows civilians access to it.
U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric criticized Israel's claims, stating that aid must be allowed into Gaza immediately and calling the assertion that there is enough food “ridiculous.” He emphasized that the closure of bakeries was not arbitrary, as they cannot operate without flour and cooking gas.
Mr. AbuKresh described his family’s situation as “unimaginable,” expressing a sense of surrender to their dire circumstances. “This is beyond description,” he said. “We’ve surrendered to death.”