Gaza on the Brink: Bakery Shutdowns and Medical Shortages Deepen Humanitarian Crisis
Gaza – April 2025
One month into a total Israeli blockade, Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian crisis yet. All UN-supported bakeries have closed due to a lack of flour and fuel. Markets are barren, hospitals are rationing basic medical supplies, and residents say they are now living in survival mode.
“This was the worst ever Eid for us,” said Um Ali Hamad, a displaced woman from Beit Lahia. “We can’t find sugar, tomatoes, or even milk for my three-month-old grandson. We’re starving.”
The shutdown marks the longest blockade of Israel’s 18-month war against Hamas. The Israeli government halted the entry of goods into Gaza on March 2 after Hamas refused to advance to the second phase of a ceasefire deal, which would involve the release of remaining hostages and a permanent truce.
No Bread, No Relief
In Gaza City, the scene is bleak. Abu Alaa Jaffar stood outside one of the 25 bakeries supported by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). “Closing the bakery is a catastrophe,” he said. “Bread is our staple food. Without it, we face starvation.”
A 25kg bag of flour now costs up to 500 shekels ($135) on the black market—nearly 10 times the pre-war price.
The UN says its food supplies are nearly exhausted. WFP estimates it can distribute hot meals for just two more weeks. Its last food parcels will be handed out within two days, after which only emergency nutritional biscuits will remain—enough for 415,000 people.
Hospitals on the Edge
Medical supplies are running dry. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than half of Gaza’s trauma hospitals are now virtually full. Basic tools like bone stabilizers, antibiotics, and anaesthesia have run out. Even soap and X-ray machines are no longer available.
Dr. Mark Perlmutter, an American surgeon who recently worked in Gaza, recounted being forced to operate on a child’s broken leg using a drill bit—with no anaesthesia and no way to clean the wound.
Israeli Justification and Global Outcry
The Israeli military body COGAT maintains that enough aid was sent during the January ceasefire and accused Hamas of hoarding supplies. But the UN strongly rejected that claim, calling it “ridiculous” and insisting that aid has been meticulously tracked.
Aid agencies, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and ActionAid, have condemned the blockade as a form of collective punishment. MSF warned that patients are now being treated without pain relief, and those with chronic illnesses like diabetes are forced to ration life-saving medications.
Legal and Political Pressure Mounts
The International Court of Justice has already ruled that Israel must ensure the delivery of essential aid to Gaza. Meanwhile, South Africa continues to pursue a genocide case against Israel at the UN’s top court—a claim Israel vehemently denies.
Despite ongoing mediation by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, there has been no breakthrough. Hamas has accepted a new Egyptian proposal, while Israel submitted a counterproposal. The crossings remain sealed.
With over 50,000 Palestinians reported killed since the war began, and 1,066 more in the latest offensive, Gaza’s population of over two million faces a worsening crisis—with no clear end in sight.
