Gaza families scavenge garbage for fuel as food shortages deepen

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are facing an increasingly desperate search for food and fuel, with families resorting to scavenging garbage and charity kitchens struggling to keep up with demand.

In central Gaza, the Kahlout family relies on their 12-year-old son, Omar, to make daily trips to a nearby garbage dump. He collects plastic bottles, nylon, and other flammable materials that the family uses to light fires for cooking. Omar carries the collected items in a worn sack back to the tent he shares with seven family members.

His father, Adam, said the situation has not improved despite a ceasefire. "There's no change on the ground; on the contrary, the situation gets worse every day," he said. "We rely on charity kitchens and aid. There hasn't been any change on the ground since the truce—a truce in the media, but in reality, there is no truce."

The family lives next to the garbage dump and contends with rats in their tent. Adam said his son also retrieves food and drinks from the dump. "We've resorted to eating from the garbage," he added.

In northern Gaza, crowds of displaced people gather around charity kitchens with pots in hand, hoping to receive cooked food. Many leave empty-handed as supplies run out. One displaced woman, Soad Al-Kourd, described the loss of income and resources. "Our money was lost in the bombing, in the bulldozing, the displacement, and the famine," she said.

Mohamed Tanboura, another displaced man, said charity kitchens are essential because there is no other source of income. "We need the charity kitchen every day," he said. "If there were a source of income, I wouldn't come to the charity kitchen." He noted that bread distribution, previously twice a week, has also stopped.

Most of Gaza's 2 million residents remain in displacement camps, sheltering in tents and damaged buildings nearly ten months after the ceasefire deal. Many express doubt about the progress of talks aimed at ending the war.