For a lot of Gazans, free support from GHF websites or UN convoys have change into a final resort

[ad_1] For over a month, Khaldun Hamad had avoided heading towards the Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza to attempt to safe a bag of flour or different humanitarian support.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want the meals, however Hamad didn’t need to take the chance that got here with making the trek some 10 kilometers northeast from his tent encampment.

The UN and different worldwide organizations have been transporting vehicles of support from an IDF-guarded lot on the Gaza aspect of Zikim to warehouses and distribution websites elsewhere within the northern Strip.

However current weeks have seen hundreds of determined Palestinians speeding the vehicles shortly after they depart Zikim, climbing on high of the freight and frantically tearing open packing containers to seize no matter meals they'll.

Within the month of July, the overwhelming majority of UN support was looted earlier than it reached its supposed vacation spot. Whereas support has been trickling into Gaza over the previous two months, the Israeli blockade that prolonged for the previous 78 days introduced meals insecurity to dire ranges, with many Palestinians too nervous about discovering their subsequent meal to permit support vehicles to simply cross by with out stopping them.

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By signing up, you comply with the terms The chaotic scenes close to Zikim are just like what unfolds on the three distribution websites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF) in southern and central Gaza, the place hundreds of Palestinians fling by means of entrance gates and ransack packing containers of meals which can be emptied minutes after distribution begins every day.

Over half 1,000,000 individuals in #Gaza are already enduring famine-like circumstances.

WFP is doing every thing potential to distribute very important meals help to households.

To soundly and persistently attain ALL these liable to hunger, we'd like a ceasefire – NOW. pic.twitter.com/fpgPI2SL9C

— World Meals Programme (@WFP) August 3, 2025

Weaker segments of the inhabitants most in want of support are left empty-handed, whereas the strongest males win out — that's, in the event that they make it there and again unscathed amid near-daily reports of the IDF opening hearth on support seekers.

The military contends that casualty numbers from such incidents reported by the Hamas-run well being ministry are inflated, that it's generally Hamas operatives or different gunmen who're capturing at individuals making an attempt to acquire support, and that it solely fires “warning photographs” at those that pose a risk to troops.

Having heard many tales from household and associates about these killed or wounded making an attempt to safe support, 30-year-old Hamad has as a substitute most well-liked buying support from makeshift markets and avenue distributors. With Israel blocking virtually all industrial items from coming into Gaza, a lot of what's bought is diverted support, and prices have risen massively as a consequence of low provide and excessive demand.

Exceptional @nytimes graphic on hovering meals costs in Gaza. Sugar is up by 11,810% from pre-war ranges; flour, by 2,950%. Catastrophic for Gazans. And a reminder that Israel's support coverage has (predictably) failed to realize its personal acknowledged objective of eliminating the black market. ???? pic.twitter.com/ST9EDVdcsa

— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) August 1, 2025

To afford this meals, Hamad and lots of different Gazans have began on-line fundraising campaigns that they've hooked up to their social media accounts.

However with the banking system in Gaza all however collapsed as a result of conflict, these seeking to deposit shekels should undergo people Hamad characterised as “thieves” who've stockpiled money and solely comply with launch it for fee charges as excessive as fifty p.c.

Risking your life for a bag of flour Hamad has misplaced roughly 13 kilograms (28 kilos) for the reason that starting of the conflict and has been consuming between one and two meals a day for the previous a number of months.

Final Thursday, the price of buying meals lastly outweighed the relative security of avoiding distribution websites for Hamad, and he set out for Zikim, decided to supply meals for his spouse and mom, who was wounded by Israeli gunfire whereas sitting exterior their tent earlier within the conflict.

“I walked for 10 kilometers within the scorching solar simply to try to deliver again a bag of flour,” Hamad recalled in a telephone interview with The Occasions of Israel.

He reached a degree close to Zikim the place a crowd of roughly 10,000 Palestinians had already gathered in anticipation of an support convoy’s arrival.

Khaldun Hamad. (Courtesy)

Earlier than the vehicles even reached the throng, Hamad claimed Israeli troopers started opening hearth “immediately at us.”

A younger man standing a number of meters away from Hamad was shot within the chest and crumbled to the bottom.

The wounded man tugged at Hamad’s arm, begging him to save lots of him and produce him to a hospital.

Whereas exhausted and determined to attempt to retrieve some support, Hamad and one other good friend agreed to assist, carrying the person for a few mile till they flagged down a tuk-tuk driver who agreed to complete the evacuation for NIS 100 ($29).

لحظات مرعبة إطلاق النار على المواطنين في غزة أثناء محاولتهم الوصول الى المساعدات الأمريكية في مشهد يجسد الخطر الذي يلاحق الجوعى حتى في بحثهم عن لقمة نجاة pic.twitter.com/Go0kUMj1UT

— ألأحداث ألإيرانية بالعربية (@_iraninarabic) August 4, 2025

In response to a question on the matter, the IDF stated its troops fired “warning photographs” after troops “perceived a risk” and tried and disperse a crowd of hundreds that had gathered close to support vehicles in northern Gaza.

The IDF harassed that it didn't hearth into the gathering and that whereas the matter continues to be being probed, preliminary findings didn't embody an identification of any casualties because of IDF hearth. A army supply added that gunshots have been additionally heard from inside the crowd.

“The IDF attaches the utmost significance to the switch of humanitarian support to the Gaza Strip, works to allow and facilitate the switch of support in coordination with the worldwide neighborhood, and definitely doesn't intentionally act towards [those being served by] humanitarian support vehicles,” an IDF assertion stated.

Nonetheless decided to safe some support, Hamad then went again to his unique vacation spot close to Zikim solely to see the group stampeding towards 4 vehicles that had arrived from the crossing.

He tried to seize a bag of flour, however was knocked to the bottom, as gunfire continued to ring out. The vehicles pushed by means of the group, and one in every of them almost ran over Hamad’s leg. When he stood up, the convoy had handed, and every thing he may see was lined in flour and dirt.

Totally dejected, Hamad walked again to his tent barefoot, having misplaced his sneakers amid the havoc.

Palestinians journey on a truck loaded with meals and humanitarian support because it strikes alongside the Morag hall close to Rafah, within the southern Gaza Strip, August 4, 2025. (AP/ Mariam Dagga)

“My eyes have been drowning in tears — not due to the flour, however due to the humiliation,” he stated. “May you think about risking your life like this only for a bag of flour?”

Nonetheless determined, Hamad went again towards the Zikim Crossing the subsequent day. This time, he encountered a person who had already secured a big bag of flour however was having a tough time carrying it and agreed to share a portion if Hamad agreed to assist.

Hamad made it dwelling once more. This time, with some flour.

Gaza’s influencers In contrast to Hamad, Abdullah lives inside comparatively straightforward strolling distance of the GHF distribution websites.

Nevertheless, comparable security considerations have stored him away from the free packing containers of meals. Abdullah — who requested that his actual title not be publicized in Israeli media as a consequence of fears for his security — stated his cousin had been killed whereas making an attempt to achieve a GHF website in June.

Accordingly, the 19-year-old has labored to provide you with sufficient cash to cowl meals prices and fee by establishing a TikTok account documenting his life in Gaza. He has amassed tens of hundreds of followers, lots of whom have donated by means of the hyperlink in his bio. It’s a technique that has been adopted by many others within the enclave, the place changing into an influencer is likely one of the few remaining occupations.

“For now, I’ve been capable of assist present some cash for my dad and mom and three siblings, in order that we don’t should danger our lives at these ‘demise traps,'” Abdullah stated, referring to the GHF distribution facilities.

Displaced Palestinians carry meals parcels and provides from a GHF support distribution level in central Gaza, August 4, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

GHF insists that its websites are secure and boasts having distributed over 100 million meals because it started working in late Could. However that determine is counted by including up the caloric worth of the varied dried meals merchandise contained in the handed out packing containers, which require cooking gas, gear and potable water — all extraordinarily scarce within the war-torn Strip.

The dialog with Abdullah was lower quick after the wifi went down at a restaurant close to the Mawasi coastal zone, the place he spends a lot of his days as a result of cell service elsewhere is just not as robust.

‘We’re among the fortunate ones’ Like Abdullah, Reef additionally lives in southern Gaza nearer to GHF websites, and he did make the trek to them twice in June from an residence that he and his father are sharing with one other displaced household in Khan Younis.

Each occasions, the 27-year-old was unable to beat out the hundreds of others who had headed to the location, and he returned dwelling with nothing.

In the meanwhile, he and his father have been capable of pay for meals, fairly than counting on humanitarian support.

“However we’re among the fortunate ones,” Reef stated, expressing hope for a ceasefire and explaining that the help state of affairs stabilized through the earlier truce, when a number of hundred vehicles entered Gaza every day for distribution at lots of of web sites — most of that are not operational amid the gradual breakdown of legislation and order within the Strip.

Help pallets are dropped from a army airplane over Nuseirat within the central Gaza Strip throughout an airdrop mission on August 4, 2025. (AFP)

Reef too declined to publicize his final title as a consequence of what he stated have been security considerations.

Hamad had a special strategy and insisted on talking on the report.

“I don’t need to die in silence. I need the individuals [to] know [about] our struggling. I need to really feel that there [is] some humanity on this world [and that] there are individuals who don't assist collective punishment,” he stated.

The telephone interview was held shortly after the Hamas terror group launched a video of Evyatar David , displaying the Israeli hostage emaciated and compelled to dig what may change into his personal grave.

Requested for his response to the clip, Hamad responded: “I really feel sorry for him and sorry for us. We don’t need them to endure, and we don’t need to endure ourselves.”

Israeli officers retort that David and the opposite hostages are being deliberately starved by their captors, whereas Jerusalem is permitting support to enter the Strip, and Hamas diverts the help from civilians. They level out that different adults in Gaza have sometimes misplaced far much less weight than David has.

Disputing that framing, Hamad insisted that “Gaza can also be being starved.”

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