RismadarVoice Reporters, May 18, 2026
Long queues for bread are growing across the Gaza Strip as worsening shortages of flour and fuel continue to disrupt bakery operations, deepening the humanitarian crisis in the territory.
Residents say the scarcity has intensified in recent weeks following Israeli restrictions on the importation of essential supplies into Gaza, leaving bakeries unable to meet rising demand for subsidised bread.
At several distribution points, displaced Palestinians were seen waiting for hours under harsh conditions in hopes of securing bread for their families.
Fourteen-year-old Muhammed al-Roubi, who stood in line with his cousin outside a bakery in Gaza City, said many families now depend heavily on bread because of shortages of other food supplies.
“My uncle’s family and ours live in the same house, and we share food, so we need a large amount of bread every day,” he said, explaining that he and his cousin often join separate queues to improve their chances of getting bread.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, the territory requires approximately 450 tonnes of flour daily, but only about 200 tonnes are currently entering the enclave.
The shortages reportedly worsened after border crossings into Gaza were closed on February 28 during renewed regional tensions involving Israel, the United States and Iran. Although the crossings were later partially reopened, aid agencies say restrictions on imports remain severe.
Humanitarian organisations estimate that more than one-third of Gaza’s population relies on subsidised bread supplied through bakeries supported by the World Food Programme.
However, the WFP has reduced flour allocations to bakeries due to limited supplies entering the territory, forcing many residents to seek bread from commercial vendors at significantly higher prices.
Seventy-two-year-old Maysar Abu Rekab, who supports three relatives living with disabilities, said the situation has become unbearable for vulnerable families.
“There is no home in Gaza that does not depend on bread as a basic food,” she said, noting that bread prices on the open market have risen sharply amid growing demand and supply shortages.
Residents also face increasing difficulties cooking at home due to severe shortages of cooking gas and soaring firewood prices.
The crisis has been further compounded by restrictions on oil needed to operate electricity generators used by bakeries and other essential services. Gaza’s sole power station reportedly shut down during the early stages of the war because of fuel shortages, leaving many facilities dependent on generators.
Bakery worker Shadi Abu Gharqoud said the rising cost of oil used for generator maintenance has made bread production increasingly expensive.
“Our work depends on electric generators that need regular oil changes,” he said, adding that soaring oil prices are placing additional pressure on bakery operators and consumers alike.
Many Palestinians fear the worsening shortages could trigger a return to the famine-like conditions experienced during earlier phases of the conflict.
Humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that restrictions on food, fuel and medical supplies risk worsening hunger and humanitarian suffering across Gaza, where large portions of the population remain displaced by the ongoing conflict.
