Gaza- 7 days ago, “lean” Palestinian Amjad Musleh bought 25 kilograms of wheat intended for feeding livestock, and took it to an old mill located in the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, hoping to turn it into flour, in order to feed his hungry family members.
But he quickly realized that he was facing an almost impossible task, given that the mill had stopped working due to the lack of fuel needed to operate it, and its inability to handle large quantities of wheat.
Despite his great disappointment, Musleh decided not to back down, and continued for the seventh day in a row, stationed in front of the mill, hoping to get some flour.
While he was sitting on a bag of wheat in the waiting line, Musleh said wearily to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “I have been waiting for a week. I sleep here, because there is no flour in the house. The children do not eat, there is nothing to eat, and the mill is without solar.”
The specter of famine is ravaging the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been facing horrific Israeli aggression since last October 7, causing great suffering to the population, as the occupation forces did not allow any goods to enter the Strip, except for dozens of trucks carrying aid received by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
Wheat and food disaster
The people of the Gaza Strip suffer in particular from the lack of wheat flour needed to prepare bread, in addition to most types of foods.
The price of unground wheat in the market increased. After the price of a bag weighing 25 kilograms was 90 shekels, it now sold for between 130 and 170 shekels (one dollar = 3.75 shekels).
Many Palestinians waiting for their turn in line in front of the mill say that the wheat available is intended for feeding livestock and is not suitable for human use, but they bought it out of necessity due to the lack of an alternative.
Tel Aviv Tribune Net was not able to speak to the owner of the mill that closed its doors, or any of its workers, as they were not present at the place.
Scarcity of food supplies
Musleh stated that the mill is small and old, works very slowly, and is not equipped to handle such large quantities of wheat, and the fuel outage completely disrupts its operation.
He added, “For 10 days, I have had no bread at home. Neither I nor my children. All people are like us. We are looking for alternatives such as rice, but its prices have risen dramatically, and it has also become unavailable in the market.”
The scarcity of food supplies, such as rice, sugar, and lentils, led to a significant rise in their prices, sometimes reaching 5 times their original price.
Amjad Musleh indicated that he resides in a shelter in Al-Maghazi camp after his displacement from the northern Gaza Strip, accompanied by 45 members of his family, adding, “Every two days we need a bag of flour weighing 25 kilograms. I swear to God that the children sleep without eating.”
He concluded by saying, “We are literally living in famine and no one is helping us. I spend the night here, in this place, and I endure all of this for the sake of my children. I hope the world will look at us with mercy.”
Take turns
It seems that the young man, Deeb Hussein, is better off than Musleh, as he takes turns with his brother to wait in the long line. He told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “I have been waiting here since yesterday dawn, and after a little while I will leave to rest a little, and my brother will come to replace me. We will not leave until we grind the wheat.”
While he was lying on a mattress he brought with him to spend the night next to the mill, Hussein recounted part of the suffering that the people endure in providing food.
He added, “We cannot find anything to eat or feed our children. We are suffering and pay high fees for transportation. There is no water to drink, no goods, and no aid from the agency (UNRWA). A bag of flour has cost a thousand shekels and is not available at all.”
He continues, “We run to buy wheat from the market, but we are unable to grind it. We search for aid, but we do not find it. We wait a week in line to grind the wheat, and when our turn approaches, the mill closes its doors.”
He pointed out that the process of grinding a bag of wheat (25 kilograms), if successful, is very expensive, and may reach 200 shekels after calculating the price of transportation, while the price of a bag before the war did not exceed 50 shekels.
He continued, “We are in a famine. What is happening to us is forbidden. I turned from a clothing merchant into a person sleeping in the streets despite the cold to grind a bag of flour. The people are hungry, and there are women who have lost their breadwinners, and their husbands are under the rubble and cannot find food.”
Humiliation and helplessness
Like others present, Mrs. Nawal Abu Ajram bought a bag of wheat from the nearby Nuseirat camp for 160 shekels, and she was able with difficulty to provide an animal-drawn cart to deliver it to the mill, at a cost of 30 shekels, in the hope that she would be able to grind it, but she failed in her mission.
Nawal told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “Since yesterday, I have been waiting for the wheat to be ground so I can feed my children. I am displaced from the north, and my husband and the rest of my children are there, and I do not know anything about them. Are they alive or dead?”
She stated that she lives in the Central Governorate with two of her children and her sick sister-in-law, and is unable to provide them with food.
She added, “I am a strange woman in this camp, and I do not know anyone. Yesterday I cried a lot at this door. I told him (the mill owner): If I do not grind wheat for my children, where will I feed them?! I do not know anyone here except the people who host us in their home.”
The Palestinian woman expressed her feeling of humiliation and inability to “do anything,” concluding her speech by saying, “We are in famine.”
He sold wheat as he bought it
It seems that the young man, Hussein Abu Nasr, has lost the spark of hope that helped his companions in the long waiting line despite the hardship of living, as he decided to surrender and sell all the wheat that he bought.
While he was calling at the top of his voice, “Wheat for sale,” he said, “I bought wheat and came to grind it, but I have spent a week here, so I decided to sell it and return home. Some people are buying, perhaps they can grind it.”
Abu Nasr told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, a displaced person from Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip, that he is selling a bag of wheat as he bought it for 130 shekels, stressing that this surrender is not a solution, as his house completely lacks any amount of flour to feed his family.
He concludes by saying, “People come and stay here. I look at the mattresses and covers, but I have become desperate and will return home after selling the wheat.”