By Shaimaa Eid

Gaza residents are forced to innovate and adapt to survive the famine, while they wait for the world to open its doors to them, clinging to a glimmer of hope.

Amid the ongoing blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation and its government on Gaza, residents have resorted to unconventional means to survive, including turning pasta into bread after flour nearly disappeared from the markets.

In the northern part of the Gaza Strip, Fadwa Hussein shared her story with The Palestine Chronicle: “We are living in catastrophic conditions. Since the border crossings were closed, goods and essential food items have vanished from the markets. I stored some food supplies, but they are quickly running out, as there is no alternative for what we consume.”

Fadwa continued: “I had two bags of flour, but with the closure of the crossings, they ran out. We started buying flour by the kilo at very high prices, but the lack of money makes it impossible for us to purchase more at such exorbitant costs.”

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She explained that she searched online for bread-making alternatives and found a way to turn pasta into bread.

“I started trying it with my daughter, and it worked. We begin by soaking the pasta in water for 5-6 hours, then knead it until it becomes firm. I also kept a small amount of flour to mix with the pasta dough to help the dough hold together.”

As the crisis worsens, Fadwa added: ” We try to adapt to every circumstance just to survive. We appeal to all living consciences and nations worldwide to stand with us, to raise our voices and the voices of the hungry to the world. Israel uses hunger as a weapon of punishment against us, against children, women, and infants.”

Meanwhile, in a displacement center west of Gaza City, Mona Salama, a mother of three, now lives with her family after losing their home to bombardment.

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“After losing our home, we no longer have the money to buy flour on our own. We used to rely on aid provided by UNRWA, but since the aid was prevented from entering, we can’t afford to buy anything,” she told The Palestine Chronicle.

“I heard that some families in Gaza started using lentils and pasta to make bread, so I asked around and started preparing bread for my children with my husband,” she added.

Mona continues with sadness: “I have young children who don’t understand what famine means. They cry constantly, wanting food. I stand helpless before them, and sometimes I cry because I can’t provide three meals for them. We make a small amount of bread only for our children, to ease their hunger, while my husband and I eat whatever else we can find.”

More than two million Palestinians in Gaza are facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis due to Israeli-imposed restrictions on aid entry since early March, following the collapse of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in January.

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The Government Media Office in Gaza has recently warned that residents are “on the brink of mass death” due to the expanding famine and the complete collapse of vital sectors, calling for an immediate humanitarian corridor to rescue more than 2.4 million Palestinians.

In a statement, the office confirmed that “famine in Gaza has become a grim reality, not just a threat, after 52 deaths were recorded due to hunger and malnutrition, including 50 children, in one of the most horrific scenes of slow killing.”

UNRWA said it has thousands of trucks ready to enter Gaza and that its teams are prepared to scale up deliveries as soon as they’re permitted.

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In a Facebook post, UNRWA wrote: “It has been over nine weeks of the blockade on Gaza, with Israel preventing the entry of all humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and commercial goods.”

The agency added: “The longer this blockade continues, the more irreversible harm will be done to countless lives.”

Amid this tragic reality, Gaza residents are forced to innovate and adapt to survive the famine, while they wait for the world to open its doors to them, clinging to a glimmer of hope to save the lives of thousands of children, women, and the elderly.

(The Palestine Chronicle)