In Gaza, one cooked meal must feed a family of seven

For Mervat Radwan’s household of seven in Gaza, a community-kitchen meal is rarely enough to last the day. When the kitchen near her displacement camp operates, she collects the food in a cooking pot and supplements it with canned tuna, beans or peas from aid parcels when available.

A kitchen that no longer operates every day

Community kitchens are a vital food source for families with little or no income in Gaza, but their operations have fluctuated. The kitchen near Radwan’s displacement site was closed for almost two months before reopening for only two days a week.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs attributed the reduction in kitchens and meals to severe funding shortages and rising operating costs. Charities have struggled to secure enough food and cooking supplies.

Key figures

• Community-kitchen production fell from about 1.5 million meals a day through 165 kitchens in mid-March to 698,000 meals through 102 kitchens by July, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
• About 77 percent of households in Gaza reported difficulty obtaining fresh vegetables, fruit and protein because of high prices, the World Food Programme said in July.
• One kilogram of cucumbers costs about 15 shekels, while tomatoes cost 10 to 12 shekels, according to the account from Radwan’s family.

Aid fills the gap, but limits remain

Radwan became guardian to three nephews after an Israeli air attack in northern Gaza on October 18, 2024, killed their parents and their one-year-old brother. The surviving children sustained injuries, including shrapnel lodged in one child’s head and burns suffered by two others. Radwan lives with the children, her elderly father and her sister, and the carers have no regular income. For additional context, see “Gaza teams recover remains of 55 from Malka family home”.

The adults sometimes skip meals so the children can eat. Meat is unaffordable for the family, while fresh vegetables are scarce and costly. Organisations sometimes distribute vegetables, but the supplies are sporadic.

One of the children, Habib, has suffered from kidney stones for about a year. Doctors told Radwan that he should drink water frequently and eat foods with high water content, such as cucumbers, but the family’s reliance on canned food and the cost of fresh produce make that diet difficult to maintain.