Amidst intense food shortages caused by Israeli bombing and the obstruction of aid into Gaza, Palestinians have been forced to resort to desperate measures, including mixing animal fodder and bird feed into their bread, according to Middle East Eye, a UK-based online news platform.
Abu Alaa, a resident of Gaza, and the owner of a mill in central Gaza, said that the food available to people is not edible.
“Something should be done about this urgently,” he told Middle East Eye.
“People are mixing bird feed and animal food into their food. This is not right, it’s not healthy. People are grinding this and mixing it into their bread,” he added.
He explained that this is happening due to a lack of aid deliveries as well as the sharp skyrocketing prices of goods that are available.
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Abu Alaa said that he has been forced to reduce the price of wheat due to the dire circumstances, despite rising costs hitting everyone.
Abu Anas, a local who lives near a mill, said that any food available in Gaza is no longer affordable.
Jaber, another local in Gaza, said that even if the taste is bad, he and others are mixing different types of flour and mixing ingredients to make bread.
“Sometimes the bread is made and it comes out red or yellow because of the ingredients mixed in it,” he said, adding that this is not good for people’s health.
Mazen al-Terk, 50, said the situation has become critical.
“By God, we have stopped differentiating between donkey food and human food. We are eating anything, and no one is helping us. We call on all countries around the world to stand with us, because we can’t find food.
“We haven’t had access to pure white flour for three months now, since 9 October when Israel imposed the full siege. People are picking things up from the floor to eat them. Any flour that can be found is for around 700 shekels,” he added.
The residents in Gaza say that using animal fodder in their bread, as well as other ingredients, has harmed their health, combined with the lack of clean water and lack of sanitation facilities.
“All of my children have stomach pains and diarrhoea, because of the food, water, and rubbish in the streets,” al-Terk said.
