srael’s suspension of goods entering Gaza is severely impacting the Palestinian enclave, leading to bakery closures, rising food prices, and a worsening water crisis, Palestinian officials reported.
The ban, which Israel stated aims to pressure Hamas in ceasefire negotiations, restricts the entry of food, medicine, and fuel.
The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) warned that halting humanitarian aid endangers civilians who have endured 17 months of devastating war, noting that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents rely on aid.
Hamas condemned the measure as “collective punishment,” asserting that it would not be coerced into making concessions in the negotiations.
Abdel-Nasser Al-Ajrami, head of the Gaza bakers’ union, told Reuters that six out of the 22 operational bakeries had already shut down due to a lack of cooking gas.
“The remaining bakeries may close within a week if they run out of diesel or flour unless the border crossing is reopened to allow supplies in,” he warned.
“The existing bakeries were already insufficient to meet demand. With six shutting down, the bread shortage will only worsen the crisis,” he added.
Israel had previously cut Gaza’s electricity supply at the start of the war, but this latest restriction could affect a wastewater treatment plant still receiving power, according to the Israeli electricity company.
The Palestinian Water Authority stated that operations at a desalination plant producing 18,000 cubic meters of water daily for central and southern Gaza had been suspended.
Mohammad Thabet, spokesperson for Gaza’s power distribution plant, told Reuters that the shutdown would deprive residents of clean drinking water.
“This decision is disastrous. Municipalities will be forced to release sewage water into the sea, creating environmental and health hazards that could extend beyond Gaza,” Thabet said.
He added that there is not enough fuel to run backup generators at desalination and sewage treatment plants, further compounding the crisis.
