2 Children, Woman Crushed To Death Outside Gaza Bakery Amid Food Shortage

Two children and a woman were crushed to death on Friday as a crowd of Palestinians surged to obtain bread at a bakery in the Gaza Strip, amid an escalating food crisis in the war-torn territory, medical officials reported.

The victims, two girls aged 13 and 17, and a 50-year-old woman, were taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. A doctor at the hospital confirmed that they died from suffocation due to overcrowding at the al-Banna bakery. Footage from The Associated Press showed the bodies laid side by side on the morgue floor.

Food supplies entering Gaza through Israel have dwindled to near-record lows over the past two months of the nearly 14-month conflict, according to Israeli data. U.N. and humanitarian officials warn that hunger and desperation are mounting among Gaza’s population, which overwhelmingly depends on aid for survival.

Osama Abu Laban, the father of one of the girls, expressed his devastation outside the hospital. 

“My wife fell when she heard that she (our daughter) was suffocating. She did not yet know that she was dead,” he told reporters.

Last week, a shortage of flour forced several bakeries in Gaza to close temporarily. When they reopened, footage showed chaotic scenes, with large crowds of people cramming together, shouting, and pushing to secure bread at a bakery in Deir al-Balah.

Many Palestinians across Gaza now rely on bakeries and charity kitchens for sustenance, often managing to secure just one meal a day for their families.

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, thousands of displaced people have begun returning home following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Many of these individuals found their homes reduced to rubble due to intense Israeli airstrikes that have devastated eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as southern Beirut suburbs, over the past two months. Nearly 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced by the conflict.

The truce marked the first significant progress in the region since the war erupted over a year ago, following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, it does not address the ongoing conflict in Gaza. For Palestinians in Gaza and the families of hostages held there, the ceasefire is yet another missed chance to end a war that has persisted for almost 14 months.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 44,000 people have been killed, and over 104,000 wounded during the conflict. Israel’s military operations have devastated vast areas of Gaza, displacing nearly all of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents.

Faridah Abdulkadiri

Follow us on: