Currently Online 
Gaza food prices soar as crossing closures deepen shortages amid Iran war
People in Gaza are once again rushing to markets to buy whatever food they can afford, as the regional war involving the United States, Israel and Iran sends shockwaves through an enclave already dependent on fragile aid and commercial lifelines.
Residents and traders say prices have jumped in a matter of days, while some staples have become scarce or disappeared altogether.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said that “the latest escalation is being felt in the most immediate way possible: through shrinking supplies and tightening access at border crossings”.
In local markets, shoppers are trying to secure food before stocks run lower, fearing that whatever is available today may not be there tomorrow.
That anxiety reflects Gaza’s dependence on crossings with Israel and Egypt. Nearly all food, fuel, medicine and other basic goods enter the territory by truck. When those crossings are shut or operate at reduced capacity, the impact is quickly felt in markets, hospitals and water systems.
Israel closed Gaza’s crossings on February 28, as Israeli and US forces attacked Iran, halting humanitarian access in and out of Gaza and the movement of patients in need of medical evacuation. Israeli authorities later reopened the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom to the Israelis) crossing for the “gradual entry” of aid, but access has remained restricted.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt has stayed shut, and aid agencies say the current volumes are far below what is needed.
Hanan Balkhy, World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, told Reuters this week that only about 200 trucks a day were entering Gaza, compared with roughly 600 needed daily to support the territory’s population. She also said about 18,000 people, including wounded children and patients with chronic illnesses, were still waiting to be evacuated.
Aid system under strain
Aid agencies say the pressures extend far beyond market stalls. OCHA said the shutdown had forced limited fuel reserves in Gaza to be rationed, prompting humanitarian partners to suspend vehicle-based solid waste collection and reduce water production. It added that contingency measures had been activated across hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
The broader food security backdrop remains extremely fragile. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global hunger-monitoring system used by UN agencies and aid groups, said in December that Gaza was no longer in famine conditions after aid access improved during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But it had warned that renewed hostilities or halted aid could quickly reverse those gains.
The WFP has also warned that Gaza’s fragile gains could quickly unravel if access is not sustained. It said the reopening of Karem Abu Salem may offer some relief, but that without reliable humanitarian corridors, the agency could be forced to slash food rations for a large number of people.
With access still limited, families across Gaza face growing uncertainty over whether essential food supplies can be sustained in the days ahead.
