Hunger and malnutrition stalk Gazans, a year on from ceasefire

Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories — Every day, a resilient Gazan mother named Niyaha al-Masri spends over six hours queuing at a community kitchen in search of sustenance for her family of ten. A year after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was meant to bring food into the devastated region, hunger remains rampant in the area.

Masri has no other option but to endure the long lines at the humanitarian-run kitchen, as she and her eight children would otherwise go without food entirely. Each day, she commences her journey early in the morning and returns in the afternoon, laden with four containers of rice, lentils, and a small amount of chicken, which her family consumes in one sitting.

Her husband, who is wounded in both legs by an airstrike, is unable to join her in the line, thus adding to their daily struggle. The family resides in a tent within Khan Yunis, where they subsist on a single meal each day, with no breakfast or dinner. The meager supply of flour they possess must be carefully rationed. In August 2025, a United Nations-backed body, the IPC, officially declared a state of famine in Gaza.