“I received assistance from the UN without any trouble,” stated ABIR SAFI, displaced from Gaza City’s Zeitoun district. “Currently, we receive nothing. I endanger myself traveling to the Zikim crossing and return empty-handed. All I wish is to bring food to my children.”
Ms. Safi never imagined her children’s lives would become dangerous. After losing her husband in the war, she now solely bears the burden of supporting her family amid humanitarian crises.
She is among thousands gathering on Rashid Street, leading to the Zikim crossing, hoping for aid.
A horse-drawn cart carries bodies of over seven Palestinians killed en route to aid.
“Balle on my head”
Thousands of Palestinians return after seeking food aid. Emaciated bodies—men, women, and children—congregate, awaiting the scarce aid trucks reaching northern Gaza.
The UN seeks to deliver aid safely and equitably in Gaza but is hindered by Israeli restrictions.
The danger is not only in chaos but also in death lurking. Fayza al-Turmisi, a displaced Shuja’iyya resident, described Rashid Street’s brutality.
“They shell and shoot at us. We lie on the ground to avoid bullets. Raise your head, you’re hit. Stay down, bullets surround you.”
A young Gazan was injured seeking help.
Between mourning and hunger
Mohammed Mudeiris, seven, lost his father to an airstrike. He cannot mourn but supports his siblings.
In the crowd, he extends his hand, pleading for flour or food for his siblings.
“I’m the eldest,” he says. “My dad was killed yesterday. I beg for flour or meals from the aid.”
Mohammed, having lost his father to an airstrike, seeks food for his siblings.
“I risk my life to bring food to my children”
Women, driven by motherhood and children’s needs, also face danger.
“I risk myself for my children’s food,” said Asma Masoud, displaced from northern Gaza.
“We don’t receive fair aid,” she said. “My husband’s incapacitated. Young men receive aid but sell it at high prices.”
Aid should be distributed via SMS so everyone in need gets their share, she urged.
“Now, a few exploit and sell aid. It’s unjust.”
Asma Masoud returns from seeking food.
‘I don’t know how I’m going to feed my children’
Ms. Sadi echoed Ms. Masoud, lamenting “beneficiaries are mostly thieves.”
“I’ve lost weight; my health’s faded,” Safi stated. “I can’t feed my kids. I want dignified aid.”
“I want dignified aid.”
This chaotic system leaves widows, elderly, and complex cases like Maqboula Adas, supporting an injured husband and son with a broken leg.
“My husband can’t move,” she said. “My son’s leg is broken, and I have three daughters. Only God helps. Daily, I seek flour. Without it, they’d starve.”
Maqboula Adas, moved from Shuja’iyya.
The carts bear corpses
Tragic scenes emerge. A horse-drawn cart carries bodies of over seven Palestinians killed seeking aid.
Young men carry flour bags while ambulances transport wounded and dead from the north. The cost of food aid is high.
A young man, injured while collecting aid, expressed persistence despite injury, hoping for future provision.
Thousands of Palestinians seek aid from the Israeli Zikim crossing in northern Gaza.
Risk of famine
Gaza risks famine; food and nutrition indicators are at their lowest since the conflict began, reports warn.
At least 147 hunger-related deaths, including 88 children, were reported. Over 28,000 children suffer severe malnutrition, WHO and WFP report.
Despite aid facilitation promises, entrance restrictions and attacks near crossings prevent deliveries to those in need. Chaotic aid distribution in Gaza worsens the situation.
The UN Human Rights Office documented hundreds dying trying to access aid amid ongoing conflict near distribution points.
ABIR SAFI, displaced from Al-Zaytoun.
“If I am killed, who will take care of my children?”
Amid chaos, widow Enaam Siam, mother of six, describes her struggle for food.
“I’m a widow with six orphans, one injured,” she said. “Daily, I face death to feed them and witness the dead.”
She questioned why aid isn’t stored and distributed via SMS.
“If I’m killed, who will care for my kids?” Thousands share this plight. We seek security, peace, and a fair distribution system ensuring aid reaches those in need.”
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