Airstrikes destroying bakeries in Gaza adding to catastrophic food shortage

2023-10-29

The United Nations says airstrikes destroying bakeries in Gaza is contributing to a “catastrophic” food shortage in the area.

A fifth of bakeries supported by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have been bombed. It is now warning that a lack of fuel could lead to a food shortage.

The UNRWA says 10 bakeries that it supplies with flour have been hit. The agency has been providing supplies to the bakers to help keep the soaring cost of bread down, reports the Guardian.

Bread is said to be desparately sought after in Gaza, having become a main food source for those living in shelters. There said long queues at the bakers with more than 600,000 people in temporary accommodation.

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The World Food Programme (WFP) meanwhile said only two of its bakeries had enough fuel to keep their ovens going, and they were operating at six times their capacity. The WFP also supplies flour to its contracted bakeries.

A WFP spokesperson told the Guardian it had been supplying around 200,000 people a day with bread, but that dropped to 150,000 by Wednesday. They added: “Tens of thousands of people rely on small bakeries to find a loaf of bread to bring back to their families. People risk their lives and queue for hours, but they often go home empty-handed.

“Conditions in Gaza are desperate. Food and water are running out, shelters for displaced people are massively overcrowded and, without fuel, there is no electricity. Health services are collapsing.”

The WFP said around 10% of the shops it worked with have now run out of food. Others it believes only have five days left of supplies.

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WFP chief Cindy McCain said it was trying to find more bakeries to work with. McCain added: “Our teams are working to find more, but those we talk to say they’ve run out of fuel so cannot bake any more. Our bread is the only food for many people in shelters. Without fuel, this lifeline will be cut.”

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