Gaza: In a heartbreaking scene that reflects the worsening humanitarian crisis, a Palestinian mother is forced to feed her children stale, mould-infested bread to keep them alive.
Hanadi, a mother living in a tent shelter in Gaza, spoke with UNICEF in an interview. “I never expected I would go back to using it,” she said as she picked through crusty, mouldy pieces of bread.
“But here we are, eating it,” she added, her voice heavy with despair.
Hanadi explained how she removes the worst parts of the mould. “I try to salvage some of it—the pieces with only a little mould. I remove the mould and dip it in tea to feed my children. I have no choice.”
Her story is just one of thousands across Gaza as Israel’s ongoing siege prevents aid from entering the strip. Food, clean water, medicine, and fuel remain blocked.
Starvation Spreads as Siege Continues
UNICEF warns that Hanadi’s story is not unique. Hundreds of thousands in Gaza now face hunger. The blockade has made survival nearly impossible. Mothers, like Hanadi, are doing what they can with whatever is left.
“There’s no bread, no rice, no milk for the children,” said a volunteer aid worker. “People are boiling grass. They eat anything that doesn’t poison them.”
UN agencies say the entire population is suffering. Aid convoys remain stuck at the border. The Israeli military controls what goes in—and currently, nothing is getting through.
A Humanitarian Catastrophe
Israel’s bombing campaign and siege have reduced neighborhoods to rubble. Families are now living in makeshift tents. Basic resources are gone. According to the UN, 70% of Gaza is now declared “no-go zones.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations recently condemned Israel’s strike on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. “We are deeply alarmed,” his spokesperson said.
The humanitarian crisis is deepening by the hour. Medical supplies are almost gone. Fuel for hospitals has run out. Clean water is nearly impossible to find. And with no food, starvation is spreading rapidly.
Aid Blocked as Ceasefire Talks Stall
Efforts to reach a ceasefire in Cairo have stalled. According to analysts, Israel and the US continue to demand that Hamas release captives and disarm before any deal is made.
“Hamas’s options are shrinking,” said Al Jazeera’s political analyst Marwan Bishara. “Israel is pounding Gaza to pressure them—but civilians are paying the price.”
Aid agencies call for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian deliveries. Without it, they warn, a famine will soon take hold.
Deaths Rising, Hope Fading
So far, more than 48,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict began. Thousands of bodies remain under rubble. Children make up nearly half of the dead.
Israel continues its targeted operations. Recently, it claimed to have killed a Hamas fighter involved in the release of Israeli captives. The military said it acted in cooperation with the Shin Bet intelligence service.
But civilians continue to suffer. Drone strikes, missile attacks, and displacement orders are pushing families into smaller and more dangerous areas.
Global Calls for Action
Worldwide, the response is growing louder. Mass protests have erupted from Karachi to London. In Dhaka, nearly 100,000 people rallied in support of Palestine. In Karachi, tens of thousands joined the Gaza Solidarity March.
Human rights groups urge world leaders to act. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up the case of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student activist, calling for his immediate release.
Back in Gaza, Hanadi’s story is the face of this suffering.
“My children cry at night,” she said. “Not from fear—but from hunger.”
A Plea to the World
UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and other humanitarian agencies are calling for an urgent and unconditional opening of aid routes. The people of Gaza, they say, are starving in real time—and the world must not look away.
“Children should not eat mouldy bread,” a UNICEF spokesperson said. “They should not sleep in rubble. They should not die waiting for food.”
As Gaza sinks deeper into disaster, the international community watches. Whether it will act—before more children die of hunger—remains to be seen.
