Hunger continues to threaten the entire population of Gaza. Despite the ceasefire, food insecurity remains alarmingly high: an estimated 77 percent of people are acutely hungry, while the rest face chronic food deprivation.
Extreme weather and infrastructure damage have compounded the crisis. Recent floods have devastated displacement camps, destroying shelters and leaving families exposed to cold and damp conditions. One resident described the impact:
“The water was like a river flowing towards us; the whole tent was flooded. The tarpaulins collapsed and were damaged. We started building sand barriers in the hope that the water would not get through.”
Families now struggle to live in flooded shelters with limited heating, making it increasingly difficult to maintain hygiene and adequate nutrition.
Flooding has damaged living conditions in shelters.
Families Struggle to Eat: Protein Only Once a Week
More than two months after the ceasefire and modest improvements in humanitarian organizations’ access to populations, families across Gaza continue to face severe barriers to adequate nutrition. In Deir al-Balah, many households report eating protein-rich foods or vegetables only once a week. The destruction of farmland, markets, and livelihoods has left families unable to meet basic needs.
Food prices remain prohibitively high. A box of eggs can cost up to 100 Israeli new shekels (approximately $26), while an estimated 80 percent of families have lost their primary source of income.
Natalia Anguera, Operations Director for Action Against Hunger in the Middle East, warns: “What we are seeing is an extremely precarious stabilization based solely on emergency mechanisms. The entire population of Gaza lives in constant uncertainty. We must not confuse the improvement in our ability to carry out support activities for the population with a real and sustainable recovery: without a clear path to the future, hunger will persist as a method of control, rather than as a resolved crisis.”
One family’s cooking setup in a shelter in Gaza.
Action Against Hunger Remains on the Ground
Action Against Hunger continues to deliver life-saving assistance across Gaza, including nutrition programs, therapeutic food distributions, and feeding centers for infants and young children.
In response to winter conditions and recent flooding, teams are supporting affected communities with sand barriers to protect tents, access to clean drinking water, hygiene promotion, nutritional supplements, and repairs to damaged sewage and sanitation systems.
“These activities have had a direct and positive impact on the community, improving sanitary conditions, reducing risks, and ensuring that families have access to safe assistance in difficult circumstances,” said a member of Action Against Hunger staff in Gaza.”
Action Against Hunger delivering sand to protect against flooding.
