Cooking in Gaza is now a toxic affair
We used to know well the tiny click of a gas stove burner starting – that small spark at the start of a day that meant a hot meal or a cup of tea was coming.
Now, that sound is gone, replaced by the hollow clang of emptiness.
We used our last drop of cooking gas in the middle of Ramadan. Like all other families in Gaza, we turned to firewood. I remember my mother saying, “From today, we cannot even make a cup of tea for suhoor.”
Families who have no trees to chop have turned to burning plastic, rubber and trash – anything that will catch fire. But burning these materials releases toxic fumes, poisoning the air they breathe and seeping into the food they cook. The taste of plastic clings to every bite, turning each meal into a health risk.
A Palestinian mother cooks beans over a fire fuelled by burning plastic at a tent sheltering displaced families in Gaza City on Saturday
Famine in Gaza enters a ‘new phase of mortality’
Izzedin Shaheen, a doctor in Gaza, says famine in Gaza is now affecting children who are otherwise healthy.
In a post on X, he wrote:
“Famine has entered a new phase of mortality, which may have once been limited to children with chronic illnesses or special needs, but is now affecting children who were otherwise healthy and had no pre-existing illnesses other than malnutrition.”
The comment comes after health authorities in Gaza announced the death of a four-year-old boy from starvation. Mohammed Yassine’s death has taken the number of Palestinians who have died of hunger since Israel’s blockade to 58.
Hundreds of aid trucks need to enter Gaza daily: UNRWA
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says at least 500 to 600 trucks need to reach Gaza every day, “managed through the UN including UNRWA”.
“A meaningful and uninterrupted flow of aid into Gaza is the only way to prevent the current disaster from spiraling further,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
“The people of Gaza cannot wait any longer.”
The Israeli military claims that about 300 aid trucks have entered Gaza since Israel lifted its total blockade last week, although one Palestinian official said the number is much lower, just 92 trucks.
A meaningful and uninterrupted flow of aid into #Gaza is the only way to prevent the current disaster from spiraling further.
The least needed is 500-600 trucks every day managed through the UN including UNRWA.
The people of Gaza cannot wait any longer. pic.twitter.com/Jyns9kLPjV
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 25, 2025
‘Trickle of aid’ not responding to Gaza’s deepening crisis
A trickle of aid was allowed to enter Gaza in the past few days, which is not enough to respond to the great needs created by months of devastation and bombardment across the Strip.
We are talking about close to 100 – no more than that – of trucks filled with flour and other basic necessities that are not responding to the deepening crisis.
The Israeli military is also preventing the entry of much-needed heavy machinery to remove rubble and save lives.
A child cries as Palestinians gather to receive meals at a food distribution point in the Nuseirat camp on May 24
