"Flour Sack 130,000 Won" Food Price Surge Leads to Theft... 'Chaos' in Gajaji District

Over 2.2 Million Gaza Residents Face "Severe Hunger"
Soaring Food Prices Due to Food Shortages

As the Israeli military's attacks on the Palestinian Gaza Strip have caused the collapse of social and economic systems, more than half of Gaza's residents are experiencing severe levels of hunger.

On the 15th (local time), the US daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the World Food Programme (WFP) has identified that the vast majority of the 2.2 million residents of Gaza are suffering from food shortages. Among the residents, 56% have been recorded as experiencing severe levels of hunger.

The WFP is currently assessing whether the situation in Gaza can be officially defined as a "famine." Typically, a famine is officially declared when the daily death rate due to hunger reaches 2 per 10,000 people, and one in three children suffers from severe malnutrition.

On the 5th (local time), children are lining up to collect water in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
[Photo by Reuters, Yonhap News]

Food shortages are already appearing in many places on the ground, and food prices are skyrocketing. It has become difficult to procure most food items, including meat, dairy products, vegetables, and flour. As a result, the price of a 55-pound (about 25kg) bag of flour has reached $100 (about 130,000 KRW). Vegetable prices have increased fourfold compared to before the war. Water is available at an average of only about 2 liters per day, and residents have to wait in line for hours to obtain it, WSJ reported.

Infants and young children are in even more dangerous situations. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern that 5,000 children in Gaza could suffer life-threatening levels of malnutrition in the coming months.

The United Nations pointed out that the food entering Gaza is grossly insufficient and that the transportation conditions are also extremely poor. In recent days, 40 to 170 trucks carrying relief supplies such as food, water, medicine, and fuel have entered Gaza, but to meet the needs of refugees, 100 trucks carrying food alone are required daily.

On the 13th (local time), children are gathered around a fire in a schoolyard in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Meanwhile, relief organizations such as the United Nations and the Israeli government are blaming each other for the food shortages. The UN side pointed out that there is not enough fuel to transport relief supplies, and that Israeli military attacks have blocked or damaged roads, making it even more difficult to deliver aid.

In response, Israeli officials said, "It seems that relief organizations such as the UN are not making sufficient efforts to ensure better delivery of aid," citing a lack of procurement strategy. Additionally, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office approved the entry of relief supplies through the Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time on this day, besides the Rafah border checkpoint, stating it would "ease congestion in Rafah."

However, it is uncertain how much these measures will help improve the situation of Gaza residents. Even before the outbreak of the war, the economy had deteriorated to the point where about half of Gaza's population relied on food aid.

Since the war began on October 7 with Hamas's raid on Israel, 85% (1.9 million people) of Gaza's population have left their homes. In the south, where many refugees have gathered, epidemics have also broken out. Currently, in Gaza, the number of people who go 2 to 3 days without a meal continues to increase, and there have even been incidents of food being stolen from relief trucks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.