GAZA CITY
Hunger returns to Gaza as Israeli blockade forces bakeries shut
The World Food Program has announced the closure of all its remaining bakeries in the Gaza Strip, citing dwindling supplies after Israel cut off all food, medicine, fuel and humanitarian aid nearly a month ago.
"All 25 WFP-supported bakeries in Gaza have shut down due to lack of fuel and flour," the U.N. agency said in a statement on April 1, adding that it would "distribute its last food parcels in the next two days.”
Abed al-Ajrami, chairman of the Bakery Owners Association in Gaza and owner of the Families Bakery, told AFP that the WFP was the only sponsor of Gaza bakeries and provided them with "all their needs.”
"The repercussions from the closure of the bakeries will be very hard on citizens because they have no alternative to resort to," he told AFP.
Speaking in front of a large industrial oven that had not been fired up, he said that bakeries were central to the U.N. agency's food distribution program, which delivered the bread to refugee camps across Gaza.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday a major expansion of military operations in Gaza, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory.
Katz said Israel would bolster its presence in the Gaza Strip to "destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.”
The operation would "seize large areas that will be incorporated into Israeli security zones", he said in a statement, without specifying how much territory.
A group representing families of hostages held in Gaza said they were "horrified" by Katz's announcement, fearing the goal of freeing the captives had been "pushed to the bottom of the priority list.”
Netanyahu to visit Hungary despite ICC warrant
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Hungary on April 2 evening, defying an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court issued over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.
During the visit, due to run until April 6, Netanyahu will meet his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, who rejected the ICC decision to seek Netanyahu’s arrest and invited him to make an official visit.
Orban said at the time that the warrant would "not be observed.”
All European Union member states, including Hungary, are members of the ICC, which means they are required to enforce its warrants.
Orban, a right-wing nationalist, has often been at odds with the EU over democratic standards and human rights in Hungary.
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