GAZA, (PIC)
After months of deprivation and systematic starvation imposed by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the Gaza Strip, especially in its northern areas, some aspects of life are returning to the streets of the devastated area after the reopening of 3 bakeries.
Hundreds of Palestinians lined up since dawn on Sunday (the first day of the bakery openings) in front of the bakeries that opened to get a loaf of bread after a 6-month closure.
Ajur bakeries in the Tuffah and Sultan neighborhoods in the Sabrah district, and Ailat bakery in the Nasr neighborhood in Gaza City opened their doors early Sunday morning, with hundreds lining up to get a loaf of bread.
According to a correspondent for the PIC, the price of a bag of bread weighing more than 3 kilograms is 5 shekels. He remarked that one queue in front of the Ajur bakery reached more than 3 kilometers long.
The IOF has been launching a bloody aggression on the Gaza Strip, with American and European support, since October 7 last year. Its aircraft bombard the surroundings of hospitals, buildings, towers, and civilian homes of citizens and destroy them over the heads of their inhabitants, and prevent the entry of water, food, medicine, and fuel.
The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza has led to the martyrdom of 33,970 Palestinians and the injury of 76,770 others, in addition to the displacement of about 85% of the population of the Strip, according to the authorities of the sector, United Nations bodies, and organizations on Thursday.
Citizen Mohammed Al-Suwairi tweeted, saying, “Praise be to God who fed us after hunger.”
In his conversation with a correspondent for the PIC Al-Suwairi said that “the loaf of bread was a dream for us, as we were dying of hunger, and we could not walk on our feet due to severe hunger and malnutrition.”
Al-Suwairi emphasized that the entry of some goods into the areas of Gaza City and its north is not sufficient, as prices are still high, although they have decreased from the past days and weeks.
He explained that although the opening of bakeries is a necessary and important step, it is not sufficient, especially since their number is insufficient. How can 3 bakeries suffice for more than 600,000 citizens in Gaza City and its north?
He stressed the need to open all bakeries and supply them with flour, gas, and necessary materials, as well as to allow entry of all goods and vegetables after months of starvation, destruction, and genocide.
In the same context, Andrea Dominico -the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHA)- reported on Tuesday that the international organization is still working hard to prevent a famine in the Gaza Strip, saying that despite some improvement in coordination with Israel, there are difficulties in delivering aid inside the enclave.
Dominico pointed out that aid delivery inside Gaza is subject to significant delays at checkpoints, as 41% of the requests submitted by the United Nations to deliver aid to northern Gaza were rejected by Israel last week.
Dominico told reporters that they face recurring challenges in providing aid, as they take one step forward and two steps back, leaving them always at the same point.
He added that many difficulties hinder achieving their goals due to the ongoing obstacles they face.
For a long time, the United Nations has faced difficulties in delivering and distributing aid in Gaza, amid growing global anger after the Israeli airstrikes, which resulted in the killing of relief workers from the World Central Kitchen organization at the beginning of this April.
After US President Joe Biden called for steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel agreed to reopen the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing north of Gaza and temporarily use the Ashdod port in southern Israel.
For his part, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, pointed out that there is continuous progress in the amount of aid reaching Gaza, but he confirmed that it has not yet reached the required level, stressing that Washington is working hard to improve this matter.
He added that the United States has not yet been informed of the full details of the evacuation of civilians from Rafah or the humanitarian considerations associated with this operation, before the possible Israeli military attack in the city located in southern Gaza Strip.
