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.

“Gaza food crisis worsens due to Iran war and border closures 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”

Al Jazeera

Residents and traders say prices have jumped in a matter of days, while some staples have become scarce or disappeared altogether.

Al Jazeera

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".

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.

Al Jazeera

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.

“Gaza food crisis worsens due to Iran war and border closures 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”

Al Jazeera

She said about 18,000 people, including wounded children and patients with chronic illnesses, were still waiting to be evacuated.

The United Nations humanitarian office, OCHA, said on March 6 that the closure of crossings "in the context of the regional escalation" had already increased the prices of both food and non-food items across Gaza, and said the current pace of truck entry was too low to sustain restocking, with many items selling out within days.

On the ground, Mahmoud said the impact is clear in the cost of fresh produce: a kilogram of tomatoes that sold for about $1.50 a month ago is now close to $4, and cucumbers and potatoes have also become significantly more expensive, putting fresh food out of reach for many families whose incomes have already been shattered by months of war and displacement.

Traders, business owners and shoppers described fewer goods entering, faster sellouts, and rising prices across the board, with essentials including cooking oil, flour and some canned foods largely vanished from shelves in parts of Gaza City.

Al Jazeera

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, and added that contingency measures had been activated across hospitals and primary healthcare centres.

The WFP said its market monitoring for February had shown some improvement in food availability and lower prices for certain staples compared with earlier phases of the war, but it now says the latest border closures have triggered sharp food price increases and warned that without reliable humanitarian corridors the agency could be forced to slash food rations for a large number of people; the IPC had said in December that Gaza was no longer in famine conditions after aid access improved during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas but warned renewed hostilities or halted aid could quickly reverse those gains.