GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Gaza’s social development ministry has rejected Israeli claims denying the ongoing food crisis and widespread hunger in the embattled enclave.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the ministry said that using footage of food items in local markets to downplay Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe presents a false picture of actual conditions.
“The presence of some goods in stores does not mean that food is available in sufficient quantities, on a regular basis, or at prices that residents can afford,” the ministry explained.
The ministry stressed that “true food security is measured by people’s ability to access sufficient, diverse, and sustained food supplies, not merely the presence of items on market shelves.”
The ministry pointed out that Gazans are overwhelmingly dependent on humanitarian aid, having lost their sources of income and the ability to buy basic needs. “More than 90 percent of Gaza’s population has lost their purchasing power, while more than 95 percent depend entirely on aid.”
The ministry held the Israeli occupation regime responsible for the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Strip, due to its ongoing restrictions on aid entry and its refusal to allow in 600 trucks daily as stipulated under the ceasefire agreement.
“Public complaints regarding a surplus of certain aid items alongside critical shortages of others require an urgent review by relief organizations, especially the World Food Program. This is necessary to ensure that the volume and types of aid entering the Strip align with the actual needs of the population,” the ministry said.
The ministry called on the media and the international community not to adopt the Israeli narrative regarding the food situation in Gaza, urging them instead to rely on field data and testimonies from local residents and humanitarian organizations operating inside the Strip.
