The number of community kitchens and their output have decreased in the Gaza Strip
In the Gaza Strip, Palestine, community kitchens on which families with low or no income depend operate irregularly due to a lack of funding and rising operating costs. According to Al Jazeera English, in mid-March, 165 kitchens prepared about 1.5 million portions daily, while by July, 102 kitchens served 698,000 portions. These figures were provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Irregular assistance
Forty-five-year-old Merwat Radwan lives in a tent in Deir el-Balah with her family. She said that the community kitchen near where she lives did not operate for almost two months and, after reopening, began distributing food only two days a week. The prepared meal is usually not enough for seven people, so the woman supplements it with canned food from humanitarian packages — tuna, beans or peas.
According to Al Jazeera English, Merwat became the guardian of three nephews after her brother Mohammad, his wife Anwar and their one-year-old son Yusuf were killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on October 18, 2024. Three other children survived but sustained injuries and burns. According to Merwat, the adults in the family skip meals so that the children have enough food.
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High prices for fresh produce
Meat is unaffordable for the family, while fresh vegetables are difficult to buy because of their shortage and high prices. A kilogram of cucumbers costs about 15 shekels, or $4.5, while tomatoes cost from 10 to 12 shekels per kilogram. Organizations working in Gaza sometimes distribute vegetables, but such deliveries are irregular.
In July, the World Food Programme reported that even when goods were available in markets, households in Gaza had difficulty buying fresh vegetables, fruit and protein products because of high prices. About 77% of households reported such problems. The limited diet, consisting mainly of canned food, has already affected the health of one of Merwat's nephews: according to doctors, his kidney stones are linked to excess salt in food.
