Essential Food Supplies Remain Scarce in Gaza Despite Ceasefire

Tue Nov 25 2025 11:06:14 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In the wake of a ceasefire in Gaza, community kitchens are still struggling to secure essential food products, significantly impacting the nutritional well-being of displaced families.

Despite the recent ceasefire, Gaza's community kitchens, such as those run by Anera, continue to face severe food shortages, particularly of essential proteins. While daily meal distributions have increased, the situation on the ground reveals that many displaced families still rely on these kitchens for basic sustenance, facing challenges in accessing diverse and nutritious food options.

Garlic simmers in huge metal pots heated over open wood fires and set up in a long line. Cooks add canned tomatoes and peppers with handfuls of spices, stirring the sauce with giant spoons. What is being prepared here is not just lunch; it is a lifeline.

American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) opened this community kitchen in al-Zawayda in central Gaza after the ceasefire began six weeks ago. The US humanitarian organization has another kitchen in al-Mawasi in the south of the strip, which the BBC visited in early May.

Back then, two months into an Israeli blockade preventing the entry of all food and other goods, stocks were dwindling. Now, with more food allowed to enter, the situation has improved, but essential ingredients remain missing.

Each day, Anera feeds a hot meal to more than 20,000 people. We have moved from using 15 pots in the past to increasing to up to 120 pots a day, serving more than 4,000 families compared to just 900 families six months ago, says team leader Sami Matar.

Despite these advancements, Anera's kitchens frequently lack vital proteins like meat and chicken, which are not permitted to enter Gaza for humanitarian aid distribution. Matar explains, We are mostly confined to cooking just three types of meals in a week. The organization seeks more varied and nutritious food supplies.

While food distributions through a network of kitchens have recently surged, reaching 1.4 million meals per day, many families still face severe food insecurity. The UN continues to advocate for increased aid accessibility, and the situation remains critical as hundreds of thousands of residents rely on these kitchen services for basic sustenance.