Israel’s continued blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza forced a major relief organization on Thursday to close its community soup kitchens, as empty warehouses and the lack of resupply left it unable to feed civilians in the war-ravaged enclave.
World Central Kitchen was serving 133,000 meals per day and baking 80,000 loaves of bread over the past weeks, but said it was forced to suspend operations since there is almost no food left in Gaza for the organization to cook.
The lack of food is threatening Gaza's population, already battered by 19 months of war. In April, the World Food Program said its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel's blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.
Malnutrition and hunger are becoming increasingly prevalent in the Gaza Strip as Israel’s total blockade enters its third month. Aid agencies say a shortage of food and supplies has driven the territory toward starvation and supplies to treat and prevent malnutrition are depleted and quickly running out.
Israel imposed the blockade on March 2, then shattered a two-month cease-fire by resuming military operations in the territory on March 18. It said both steps aim to pressure the resistance group Hamas to release hostages the extremists still hold. Rights groups call the blockade a "starvation tactic” that endangers the entire population and a potential war crime.
Community kitchens, such as the ones run by World Central Kitchen, are a lifeline for hundreds of thousands who rely on them for their daily meals, but many are shutting down due to a lack of supplies.
At those still open, chaotic scenes of desperate men, women and children fighting for meager rations are common. Bakeries have closed, while water distribution is grinding to a halt due to a lack of fuel.
Since the start of the war, World Central Kitchen has served more than 130 million meals and baked 80 million loaves of bread. The organization also said on Thursday there was no flour left in their mobile bakery.
"Our trucks, loaded with food and supplies, are waiting in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, ready to enter Gaza,” said Jose Andres, the celebrity chef who founded the organization. "But they cannot move without permission. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow."
COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing aid to Gaza, said the blockade would continue unless the Israeli government changed its policy.
Since the start of the year, more than 10,000 children have been admitted or treated for acute malnutrition, according to the World Health Organization.
The increase was particularly dramatic in March, with 3,600 cases – an 80% increase, compared to the 2,000 children in February, UNICEF reported.
Nearly half of the 200 nutrition centers around Gaza have shut down because of displacement and bombardment.
World Central Kitchen had previously suspended operations in April of last year after seven aid workers were killed in Israeli strikes on their convoy, before resuming weeks later.
