Gaza, Palestine. Every morning, Abeer and Fadi Sobh wake up in their tent in the Gaza Strip facing the same daunting question: How will they find food for themselves and their six young children?

The couple has three options. They may find a charity kitchen open and receive a pot of watery lentils. Or they might jostle through crowds to get some flour from a passing aid truck. The last resort is begging.

If all those efforts fail, they don’t eat. Increasingly, that’s the case. Hunger is draining their energy, strength, and hope.

The Sobhs, who live in a seaside refugee camp west of Gaza City after being displaced multiple times, face the same struggle as countless families across the war-ravaged territory.

Hunger has surged during 22 months of war, fueled by aid restrictions, according to humanitarian workers. Earlier this week, food experts warned that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.”

Israel imposed a total blockade on food and supplies for 2,5 months starting in March, saying the move aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken during the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Although aid deliveries resumed in May, the volume remains far below what humanitarian organizations say is required. A breakdown in law and order has further complicated food distribution, with much of the incoming aid hoarded or resold at exorbitant prices.

A Morning Seawater Bath

The family begins their day in a stifling tent. With freshwater scarce, Abeer, 29, fetches seawater for her children’s morning wash. One by one, they stand in a metal basin as she pours saltwater over their heads. Nine-month-old Hala cries as the salt stings her eyes; the others remain stoic.

Abeer rolls up the bedding and sweeps the tent floor. With no leftovers from the previous day, she sets out to find something—anything—for breakfast. Sometimes, passersby give her lentils. Often, she returns empty-handed.

She feeds Hala water from a baby bottle. When available, she grinds lentils into powder and mixes them into the water.

“One day feels like 100 days because of the summer heat, the hunger, and the distress,” she says.

A Trip to the Soup Kitchen

Fadi, 30, a street vendor with epilepsy, heads to a nearby soup kitchen—sometimes with one of the children. But it opens only about once a week and rarely has enough food for the crowds. He often waits all day and returns with nothing.

Previously, he traveled to northern Gaza where aid trucks from Israel are offloaded. There, desperate crowds swarm the trucks and fight over supplies. Witnesses say Israeli troops often open fire. Israel claims it fires only warning shots and that some people in the crowd are armed.

Fadi was shot in the leg last month, making it too dangerous and painful to compete for aid. Now, he relies on the kitchens.

Meanwhile, Abeer and her three oldest children—Youssef, 10, Mohammed, 9, and Malak, 7—carry jerrycans to collect freshwater from a truck delivering it from a desalination plant. The children struggle with the heavy loads.

A Scramble for Aid

Sometimes Abeer travels to Zikim to try her luck with aid trucks. Most of those in the crowd are men—stronger and faster. “Sometimes I get food. Many times, I return with nothing,” she says.

She often appeals to the generosity of those who succeed. “You survived death thanks to God, please give me anything,” she pleads. Occasionally, someone hands her a small bag of flour for baking.

One man, Youssef Abu Saleh, said he regularly gives Abeer part of his share. “They’re poor, and her husband is sick,” he said. “We’re all hungry, and we all need to eat.”

During the hottest hours, the six children remain in or near the tent, sleeping to conserve energy and reduce hunger pangs.

Foraging and Begging in the Afternoon

As the sun lowers, the children head out again. Abeer sometimes sends them to beg from neighbors. Other times, they forage through rubble and trash for anything that can fuel the makeshift stove.

They’ve learned to identify materials that burn—paper, wood, plastic bottles, even old shoes. One child once found a pot in the trash; it’s now their only cooking vessel.

“I have to manage,” Abeer says. “What can I do? We are eight people.”

If They're Lucky, Lentil Soup for Dinner

After a full day spent searching for life’s most basic necessities—food, water, fuel—Abeer sometimes has just enough to prepare a meal: usually thin lentil soup. But often, there’s nothing, and the entire family goes to bed hungry.

Abeer says she often feels weak and dizzy during her daily search.

“I am tired. I am no longer able,” she says. “If the war continues, I’m thinking of ending my life. I no longer have any strength.”

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