Some Raw Meat and Rice Cost $95
North Gaza still has people there. This is what they are facing.
Hamza Abu Toha, a Palestinian netizen, posted a picture of a plate of rice and meat on X. He got these provisions in order to feed his wife who recently gave birth. On the plate, there are small amounts of red meat and rice. Totaling $95, the meat cost $70 and the rice cost $25. These prices reflect the scarcity of food in Northern Gaza, particularly meat.
While most Gazans are in Rafah, Hamza is still in the North Gaza Governorate. Accessing any sort of resources is even more difficult for people like Hamza because aid trucks cannot get to the area. This means that people sell what little food they have for high prices, often prices that many people cannot afford.
The World Food Program halted aid to North Gaza after aid workers there faced “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order in the area”. Between the Israeli gunfire and bombing and hungry people mobbing truck drivers, the World Food Program withdrew from the area. The organization plans to resume deliveries when they get “better security for the staff”, an increased volume of supplies, and an opening of crossings between North Gaza and Israel.
The UNRWA (United Nations Relief Work Agency) made similar decisions after experiencing similar things. A truck sustained “a gaping hole in its side” after an Israeli naval strike. In addition to that, funding for the UNRWA was cut off after Israel accused 12 workers of being involved in the October 7th attack. This decision has pushed the UNRWA “to its breaking point”.
The sheer desperation of North Gaza is palpable with posts from people like Hamza who are still there. When food costs are so high, many people have no choice but to scour the region to buy food for high prices. North Gaza not only still needs food aid, but needs it urgently. Otherwise, the people who are still there face death by starvation.
