KHAN YUNIS: Hunger and malnutrition continue to affect Palestinians in Gaza a year after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was expected to allow humanitarian supplies into the devastated territory, according to an AFP report.
Niyaha al-Masri, a 35-year-old mother of eight, spends at least six hours daily queuing at a community kitchen to collect food for her family. Living in a tent in Khan Yunis with her husband, who was wounded in an airstrike, the family relies on a single daily meal of rice, lentils and a small amount of chicken.
Masri said the family would have nothing to eat without assistance from humanitarian organisations, while their limited flour supplies must be rationed.
In August 2025, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in Gaza. The declaration was lifted in December after increased aid deliveries during the ceasefire eased conditions.
Israel’s COGAT agency told AFP that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was stable. However, Shaun Hughes of the UN World Food Programme said food insecurity remained “extremely serious.”