24 DAILY NEWS – In Gaza, hunger has become a weapon, leaving families struggling for survival under a suffocating siege.
Gaza City, July 24, 2025 – Hunger has a sound. In Gaza, it is the growl of an empty stomach that drowns out your own thoughts. For the people here, including my own family, food has transformed from a daily comfort into a rare luxury — a survival challenge shaped by the suffocating siege imposed by the Israeli government.
Today marks 89 days since the start of what many here call the “starvation war” — a deliberate campaign to cut off food supplies to Gaza’s population. 24 DAILY NEWS has been documenting the human cost of this crisis, where meals are counted, bread is rationed, and survival depends on impossible sacrifices.
One Meal a Day: The Reality of Gaza’s Starvation Crisis
This morning, I woke up dizzy — a familiar sensation now — because my last meal was yesterday morning. My family, eight in total, spends hours each day just thinking about how to secure our one daily meal.
Today, that meal was bread: eight small pieces, one for each of us. I split mine into two portions, one for now and one for dinner, though both combined wouldn’t fill the stomach of someone who hasn’t eaten properly in months.
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Flour, once affordable at 3 shekels (about $1) per kilo, now costs around 90 shekels ($25), and on some days, over $40. For most families in Gaza, this is an unthinkable price. 24 DAILY NEWS has confirmed that the economic collapse, combined with the destruction of banking infrastructure, forces people to pay exorbitant exchange fees of up to 45% just to obtain cash.
Food Becomes a Luxury Few Can Afford
Even if flour is secured, the markets offer little else. Eggplant, rice, and unripe tomatoes are considered luxury items now, with prices that make them unattainable for most. Milk, meat, fresh vegetables, and fruits have vanished entirely from daily life in Gaza. What remains are beans and lentils — supplies that could run out at any moment.
Families that can still set a table with variety are rare, almost mythical. For most of us, the dream is no longer abundance, but simply having something to eat tomorrow.
When Hunger Weakens the Body and the Mind
From a health perspective, the impact of long-term hunger is devastating. My eyesight blurs, my memory fails, and my body feels constantly weak. I’m only 21, but my energy to study, write, or even speak is drained.
What about the elderly, the sick, and the disabled? They are deteriorating faster. My mother, recovering from spinal cord surgery, requires nutritious food for healing. My father, who suffers from hypertension, gives up his share of bread to her. Love in Gaza is measured not in gifts or words, but in the sacrifice of your only meal.
Food Is Now a Memory
Before the war, food was part of the rhythm of life — family meals, favorite recipes, the comfort of knowing there would be something on the table tomorrow. Now, I dream about those meals as if they were part of another lifetime.
When I look at old photos of family dinners, I feel a deep ache. Empty plates are not just a sign of hunger anymore — they are symbols of the dignity and normalcy we have lost.
A Call for Urgent Action
As 24 DAILY NEWS continues to report from inside Gaza, one truth is undeniable: starvation here is not accidental. It is the direct result of a siege policy that weaponizes food against civilians.
For every loaf of bread, for every grain of rice, there is a story of sacrifice, struggle, and survival. And until this siege is lifted, Gaza’s hunger diary will keep growing — one day, one empty plate, and one lost meal at a time.
