‘They’re forcing us to gain weight’: Select foods allowed in Gaza as essentials remain missing

In supermarkets that reopened across Gaza following a ceasefire that ended two years of war, Monther al-Shrafi finds shelves overflowing with chocolate, soft drinks, and cigarettes, items that once felt like a “dream” during the famine.

But as these luxuries return in abundance, he says the essentials are still missing, including basic foods like eggs and vital medicines such as antibiotics.

“Can you imagine that there is chocolate in Gaza while there are no antibiotics? Or there are fruits but no wound dressings or sutures?” Shrafi, a resident of Gaza City, told Middle East Eye.

“Here in Gaza, there is a shortage, or even near absence, of essential items that the human body needs, such as meat, chicken, fish, and eggs, which are basic components of a healthy diet.”

After the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on 10 October, Israeli authorities partially reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southeast Gaza.

For the first time since the Israeli army sealed the borders on 2 March, pushing the Strip into a state of starvation that has claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, goods and international aid were allowed in.

Alongside some fruits and vegetables, the permitted items included carbohydrates and starches such as wheat flour, semolina, rice, pasta, canned corn, and potatoes; sugar like chocolate, candies, and jam; fats such as butter, processed cheese, and canned cream; and other secondary goods including cigarettes and soft drinks.

Read more: Select foods allowed in Gaza as essentials remain missing