A global panel of hunger experts warned this week that Gaza is on the brink of famine, but for many Gazans it feels as if it is already happening.
“I swear our stomachs are rotting,” said Eman Abu Jaljum, 23, whose family lives in northern Gaza and lives on canned peas and beans.
In a report released on Tuesday, experts said nearly half a million people face hunger in the region. They did not declare a famine, a designation that depended on whether various criteria were met.
But in Gaza, devastated by a nearly nine-month war between Israel and Hamas, it seems like a distinction that makes no difference.
“We are living in a famine that is worse than ever before,” Ms. Abujajumu said.
Every day brings a new struggle to find food. Fresh vegetables are scarce, and meat is scarcer. In those food markets that are still functioning, shortages have sent prices soaring, including for staples such as flour and rice.
Iyad al-Sapti, a 30-year-old father of six in Gaza City, last received a bag of flour nearly two months ago, which he said required a queue of three. Hours. A single bell pepper now costs more than $2, he said.
“Who can afford it?” he asked.
Mr Saputi said one of his daughters wanted eggs but could not find them. “I would just tell her, ‘I swear, I wish I could provide you with eggs,'” he said.
While warning that the risk of famine is high, a report released on Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) noted that the amount of food arriving in northern Gaza has increased in recent months. The change comes as Israel reopens the crossing to allow more aid in, amid intense international pressure.
The IPC’s designation of a famine depends on a number of factors, including the percentage of households facing extreme food insecurity, the number of children suffering from severe malnutrition, and the number of people who die from hunger or malnutrition.
But many people may die before meeting all the criteria.
Since the IPC standards were developed in 2004, they have been used to identify famines only twice: in Somalia in 2011 and in South Sudan in 2017.
Health authorities in Gaza reported that 34 people, mostly children, had died of malnutrition as of Sunday.
“There used to be some simple things,” Ms. Abu Jarzum said, “but now there is almost nothing.”
Although fighting in Gaza is now concentrated in the south, food shortages are reported across the enclave.
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, 30-year-old Nizar Hammad and his family were hiding in a tent, finding food more difficult than cooking.
“The biggest pain is the food preparation itself because there is no cooking gas,” he said.
Firewood is hard to find and expensive. But Mr Hamad said bread, flour, pasta, rice and lentils were all available in his area and relatively cheap, and he could buy two bags of flour for about $2.60. Chicken, beef, fruits and vegetables are another story.
“The problem now is a lack of cash, jobs and income,” Mr Hamad said.
In the north, bread is becoming more available as some bakeries reopen in Gaza City, Saputi said. His family spent most of their time eating bread and mixed herbs za’atar. “The reopening of the bakery has been a big help to us,” he said.
But Mr Sarputi fears the bakery may soon run out of fuel.
“I really hope they stay open,” he said.
