**DaysofPal-** As the Israeli occupation maintains a suffocating blockade on the Gaza Strip, cutting off vital relief aid since the start of Ramadan, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are facing dire humanitarian conditions.
With homes reduced to rubble and food supplies exhausted, families living in overcrowded shelters now depend entirely on makeshift “tekkiyyat” (places to distribute charitable food) set up by volunteers.
In scenes of acute suffering, women and children queue for hours outside these improvised kitchens, hoping for a single meal to share among their families. The near-total absence of external aid has left many struggling to survive, with basic necessities like bread, oil, and sugar becoming unattainable luxuries.
#### Hunger Lines and Empty Stomachs
Osama al-Masri, a 47-year-old father of 16 from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, recounts his family’s harrowing ordeal. Forced to flee their home when it was destroyed on the second day of Israeli genocidal war—which began on October 7, 2023—al-Masri and his family have been moving between shelters ever since.
Now residing in a cramped schoolroom in Gaza City, he describes the bleak reality they face: “We used to rely on relief aid arriving through the crossings, but it has stopped completely since the beginning of Ramadan. We no longer have anything—not even the most basic essentials.”
The situation is equally grim for Jibril Yousef, a 22-year-old whose family has been cut off from aid for three weeks. “We only ask for food and water to survive,” he says despairingly. “The occupation’s insistence on closing the crossings means we’re running out of options. If this continues, I fear another famine—a repeat of what happened during earlier wars.”
#### Children Bear the Brunt
Among those hit hardest are children, whose vulnerability grows with each passing day. Umm Mahmoud, a mother of four sheltering in central Gaza, shares her anguish: “We stand for hours in front of the tekkiyya just to get a little food. Ramadan this year is completely different. We used to gather around the iftar table and prepare meals together, but now all we hope for is enough to satisfy our children’s hunger.”
Local and international organizations warn that prolonged malnutrition threatens the lives of countless children and women in the shelters. Without immediate intervention, severe malnutrition could become widespread, compounding an already catastrophic situation.
A Looming Humanitarian Catastrophe
Humanitarian agencies have sounded alarm bells over the deepening crisis. The World Food Program recently reported that existing food stocks in Gaza will last mere days, raising fears of mass starvation.
International reports indicate that thousands of families are teetering on the edge of severe hunger, while clean drinking water remains scarce.
Local volunteers and philanthropists are doing what they can to alleviate the suffering, but their efforts are woefully insufficient without sustained external support. Medical facilities, too, are stretched beyond capacity, as many hospitals operate with limited resources or have shut down entirely due to damage and staff shortages.
#### Calls for Urgent Action
Displaced families and activists are pleading with the international community to intervene decisively. They demand that the Israeli occupation reopen the crossings to allow urgent aid deliveries into Gaza before the situation spirals further out of control. “This is not just a blockade—it’s a death sentence for innocent civilians,” said one volunteer coordinating relief efforts at a shelter.
Human rights groups echo these calls, warning that continued restrictions could lead to an irreversible humanitarian disaster.
As desperation mounts in Gaza’s shelters, the cries for help grow louder—and time is running out.
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