With Israel’s blockade on food, medicine and other supplies now in its 60th day, people in Gaza are struggling to survive and are adopting coping strategies now stretched to the limit, Al Jazeera reports.

According to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), widespread displacement has forced many people to abandon food supplies and emergency stocks secured during the ceasefire signed in January.

Bread from UN-supported bakeries is no longer available, and most people cannot bake for themselves due to acute shortages of cooking fuel and the soaring cost of wheat flour, the report said.

Families are mixing crushed pasta with flour to make bread, which means smaller and less frequent meals. They are also giving bread to children or allocating just one piece per family member per day, it said.

People must rely on aid supplies as farmers and breeders can’s access their land, as 70 percent of the enclave has been designated as a “no-go” area or is under displacement orders by the Israeli military, the report added.

Palestinians queue to receive a food portion from a charity kitchen in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on April 29. — AFP
Palestinians queue to receive a food portion from a charity kitchen in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on April 29. — AFP

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