Gaza Bakeries Shut Down Amid Flour and Fuel Shortage

All bakeries in the Gaza Strip came to a standstill on Tuesday due to the depletion of flour and fuel, following Israel’s month-long blockade that prevented their entry. The shutdown has raised serious concerns about the potential spread of famine among the already embattled Gazan population.

Abdel Nasser Al Ajrami, head of Gaza’s bakery owners’ association, warned that a “war of starvation” is looming. He stated that all bakeries subsidized by the World Food Programme (WFP) in the southern Gaza Strip had already closed on Monday, while those in Gaza City and the northern Strip ceased operations on Tuesday.

Al Ajrami added that the WFP officially informed relevant entities of the depletion of its flour stock, meaning that all bakeries relying on WFP support would completely halt bread production. This closure leaves hundreds of thousands of families without a key food source, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

Gazans primarily depend on WFP-subsidized bakeries, which number 18 and are distributed across multiple areas in the Strip. These bakeries serve as a major lifeline for thousands of families already suffering from food insecurity. With their complete shutdown, Gaza faces an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, Al Ajrami warned.

He stressed that the situation is extremely dangerous, as the closure of bakeries means that thousands of families will be unable to access bread, worsening the crisis unless land crossings are immediately reopened to allow the entry of essential supplies. He emphasized that this is not merely a bakery crisis but a broader humanitarian disaster affecting hundreds of thousands of people who rely on bread as their primary source of nutrition.

Al Ajrami urgently appealed to the international community and humanitarian institutions to pressure Israel into reopening the crossings to allow food and fuel supplies. Recent UN reports indicate that Gaza has entered the initial stages of famine, with more than two million people having almost entirely lost food security. As living and health conditions continue to deteriorate, warnings are mounting that the days ahead could be catastrophic unless the Israeli blockade is lifted.