RAFAH – Palestinians in Gaza are risking their lives for a bag of flour. The only consistent distribution from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) includes small amounts of flour, rice, cooking oil, and a few other food items—barely enough to support an average family. But even that limited help comes at a deadly price.
Each time GHF distribution points open, chaos and gunfire follow. Earlier today, two Palestinians were shot and killed while trying to collect food at a GHF site in Rafah. Dozens more were injured.
“The line between hunger and death is razor thin,” said a local volunteer who witnessed the shooting. “People queue for hours under the sun, and many still leave empty-handed—if they survive.”
The overwhelming majority who show up to receive aid are turned away. No shelter items, clean water, or medical supplies are being distributed. “People are starving, sick, and homeless—and all they get is a handful of rice,” the volunteer added.
Blockade Deepens Health Crisis in Gaza
Israel’s continued blockade on Gaza is not only choking the supply of food but also cutting off critical access to medical care. Aid trucks carrying supplies are either not entering Gaza at all or arriving in numbers far too small to meet even the basic needs of over two million people.
According to health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO), destroyed medical infrastructure and the absence of clean water have created a perfect storm for disease outbreaks.
“In overcrowded shelters in Gaza, where hundreds of displaced families share limited space with little access to clean water or sanitation, cases of meningitis are rising. And children are particularly at risk,” reported Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum from Deir el-Balah.
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The WHO has warned that the health system in Gaza is on the brink of collapse. With many hospitals destroyed or shut down due to lack of fuel and supplies, treatable infections are turning into deadly epidemics.
Basic items like antibiotics, fever reducers, IV fluids, and even clean bandages are unavailable in most clinics. And without water, hygiene has become impossible—fueling the rise of diseases such as diarrhea, hepatitis, and now, meningitis.
Gaza’s Children Face a Silent Death Sentence
As diplomatic negotiations for a ceasefire continue behind closed doors, the children of Gaza are paying the highest price. They’re not dying from bombs or bullets alone—but from preventable illnesses, starvation, and dehydration.
“The children of Gaza are facing a death sentence, one that comes quietly, painfully, and without warning,” said Abu Azzoum, highlighting the tragic reality on the ground.
More than a million Palestinians have already been forcibly displaced to the southern part of Gaza. They now live in overcrowded camps, many without tents or protection from the elements. Entire families sleep on the bare ground, often under open skies or with nothing more than plastic sheets for cover.
Every day, residents wait for news of aid trucks. But the silence is louder than hope. With only limited food available and no medicine or shelter in sight, survival is becoming a lottery.
The situation has sparked growing outrage among human rights organizations and aid workers, who describe the current aid operation as not only inadequate—but dangerous.
With each passing day, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsens. And without an immediate change in Israel’s blockade policy and an urgent surge in humanitarian assistance, many fear that the worst is yet to come.
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