For over ten months, the residents of the Gaza Strip have endured the devastation of war due to the relentless Israeli occupation. The situation has worsened as the occupation has divided the strip into north and south, using starvation as a method of collective punishment against those who refuse to leave their lands and destroyed homes in northern Gaza.
The famine in Gaza is escalating daily, driven by Israeli airstrikes that have destroyed vital food-related infrastructure, including bakeries and flour mills. This has led to widespread shortages of essential goods and the destruction of vast agricultural areas. In northern Gaza, over 750,000 Palestinians are suffering from severe food shortages due to the war, blockade, and closure of crossings, with food items disappearing from markets or becoming unaffordable.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimates that 75% of the total agricultural land in the strip has been rendered unusable since the war began. This has left more than half a million people in Gaza facing the threat of famine amid a broader humanitarian crisis.
Palestinians Turn to Home Farming
In a desperate attempt to survive, many Palestinians are turning to home farming. Families have started planting their home gardens as an alternative means to combat the food crisis. Hassan Jasser, a resident of northern Gaza, explains: “After the occupation prevented the entry of vegetables and fruits into Gaza and imposed a severe blockade on us, we were compelled to plant seeds in what remains of our homes that the occupation destroyed. We planted eggplant, peppers, potatoes, corn, and molokhia to meet some of our daily needs.”
This is not the first time northern Gaza has faced famine. Six months ago, Palestinians were forced to grind corn and barley intended for animal feed due to the severe shortage of wheat flour and rice. Today, the famine has returned with even greater ferocity.
Many residents have been forced to wait for days on the streets of the devastated sector, hoping for flour trucks from the south. However, the Israeli occupation has obstructed these trucks from reaching the north, resulting in several massacres of citizens who slept in the streets at night. Hundreds have died waiting for food to feed their children.
The Government Media Office in Gaza has warned of a serious deterioration in the food situation, particularly in the northern governorates, due to the blockade on aid, food, and medicine. It highlighted the accelerating threat of famine, which could lead to more deaths from hunger, especially among over a million children. Among them, 3,500 children are at direct risk of death due to malnutrition, lack of food, nutritional supplements, and vaccinations.
Despite the massive destruction and isolation, northern Gaza residents are making tremendous efforts to rehabilitate a portion of the agricultural land. They are attempting to plant seeds, even dry ones, and create suitable conditions for successful farming to obtain any vegetables, fruits, or leafy greens to combat the ongoing famine. Some planting efforts in the north have succeeded, providing limited food in the markets, though at high prices.
Wiam Salem, one of the contributors to home gardening and agricultural rehabilitation initiatives, shared: “Before the war, I worked at Sheikh Radwan nurseries producing and selling fruit trees before they were destroyed by the occupation. For over ten months, Gazans have been searching for vegetable seeds to plant due to the severe lack of vegetables in the market since the blockade.”
The initiative began with a group of agricultural engineers in northern Gaza who started rehabilitating some nurseries and agricultural lands with primitive tools. After the initial success, the idea spread quickly among residents, who began planting their home gardens or nearby areas to provide food for their families.
Salem added, “We decided to open a small branch of the nursery to produce vegetables despite the challenges. We worked hard to provide as much as we could, but we can only meet a small portion of the local market’s needs due to increasing demand and the worsening crisis.”
Starvation Knocks on Gazans’ Door
Global organizations have not overlooked this famine. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme on June 5, 2024, predicted that more than a million people in Gaza could face death and hunger by mid-July if the war continues. On June 13, 2024, UNRWA reported that “Gaza’s children are searching the trash daily for food,” noting that over 330,000 tons of waste are accumulating in the sector, creating catastrophic environmental and health risks.