GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Long queues have returned outside bakeries across the Gaza Strip as flour shortages force several facilities to close, leaving families struggling to secure bread amid soaring food prices, dwindling humanitarian aid and widespread displacement.
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, the renewed queues reflect shrinking food options and the difficulties displaced families face in preparing meals in tents and shelters because of cooking gas shortages.
Abdul Nasser al-Ajrami, head of Gaza’s Bakery Owners Association, warned on Thursday that flour stocks had been exhausted and that the seven remaining operational bakeries could shut down within 48 hours unless new supplies arrived.
He said commercial flour had not entered Gaza for more than 10 days, while repeated crossing closures had depleted reserves, leaving bakeries unable to maintain production.
The shortages come as families struggle to afford vegetables, fruit and other essential foods. The Euro-Med Monitor cited the experience of 65-year-old Abdul Aziz Said, who relies on bread, rice and lentils and sometimes eats only one meal a day despite needing a regular, balanced diet for health reasons.
The crisis has been compounded by World Food Program (WFP) cuts that reduced the number of aid recipients from approximately 1.6 million in September to 1.1 million in October due to funding shortages. Daily hot meals have also been reduced from 250,000 to 150,000.
Meanwhile, al-Ajrami announced on Friday that Israel had approved the entry of 30 trucks carrying commercial flour through the Karem Abu Salem crossing on Sunday, October 25, raising hopes that some shuttered bakeries could reopen.
The Egyptian Committee in Gaza also announced flour deliveries to support bakeries, while economic sources reported arrangements to maintain WFP support for 22 bakeries and provide fuel to others, with a bundle of bread to be sold for three shekels.
However, the effectiveness of these measures depends on the actual arrival of supplies and the resumption of regular production and distribution.
The recurring crisis underscores the fragility of Gaza’s bread supply, where even a brief interruption in deliveries can shut down bakeries and leave families uncertain whether they will be able to secure food the following day.
