Niha Al-Masri, a mother from Gaza, spends more than six hours each day waiting in line at a community kitchen in hopes of obtaining food for her family. A year has passed since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was signed, hoping for the entry of food into this devastated land, but hunger remains widespread in Gaza.
Daily Life Challenges
Al-Masri has no other option. Without this kitchen run by humanitarian groups, she and her eight children would have "nothing" to eat. This 35-year-old mother leaves early every morning and returns in the afternoon with four containers of rice, lentils, and a little chicken. This meal is the only food for the family of ten living in a tent in Khan Younis.
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Nutritional Status and Health Challenges
In August 2025, a UN-backed agency announced that Gaza is in a state of famine, although Israel quickly denied it. However, statistics show that "1.4 million out of approximately 2.1 million people are severely food insecure" and 200,000 of them are "just one step away from famine." Despite some food entering Gaza, the lack of dietary diversity has become a serious threat to health.
Shawn Hughes from the World Food Program stated that "the food security situation is still extremely serious" and added that "dietary diversity is a major food security issue in Gaza." He emphasized that people cannot survive on dry goods and flour alone, especially children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who need micronutrients.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Isra Al-Najjar, head of the malnutrition unit, reported an increase in malnutrition-related conditions affecting the immune system. In a recently published report, 93% of pregnant or breastfeeding women showed signs of anemia, which is closely linked to malnutrition.
Al-Masri continues to visit the community kitchen, even as her asthma tires her. Her children spend their days trying to collect "pieces of plastic, cardboard, and foam" to reinforce their tent. She considers it "shameful" that her children have to do such things.
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